Let us explore four sites in Lazio related to supernatural love (the one with a capital L) or discover them with the ones you love!
Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli
In Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli we find the first monument dedicated to love, the Antinoeion. Brought to light between 2002 and 2005, this temple-tomb was built in honour of the beloved young Antinous, who tragically died in the Nile River in 130 AD. He was the lover of the Emperor Hadrian, who divinized him after his early death.
Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, Antinoeion with the Hundred Chambers www.visittivoli.eu
Several legends surround the young man disappearance. Some of them say he drowned in the Nile River, while performing a magical ritual. Sacrificial suicide would have prolonged the Emperor’s life. According to a less romantic version, he would have been murdered to prevent his candidacy as a possible successor to Hadrian.
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina at the Roman Forum – www.colosseo.it
On the trail of ancient loves, we enter the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum. The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina stands out in the centre of the Roman Forum, erected on a tuff base. The Emperor Antoninus Pius built the Temple in honour of his wife Faustina, who died in 140 AD. His dedication to her is still preserved on the facade. In 161 AD, the temple was also dedicated to the recently deceased emperor and the names of the two spouses appeared side by side on the inscription.
It is said that, as testified by the deep grooves left by the ropes on the top of the columns, someone had tried to demolish the monument to reuse its material but failed. A love story eternally engraved in the rock!
In Nemi, “The Wishing Hand” by Marco Manzo – www.comunedinemi.rm.it
Nemi preserves the indelible memory of the mythological love between Diana and Virbio, and the one between Numa Pompilio and the Nymph Egeria. But there we can also admire “The Wishing Hand” by the sculptor-designer Marco Manzo. This curious bronze sculpture, linked to the myth of Venus and Adonis, was inaugurated in Piazza Umberto I on February 14, 2020.
The Strawberry and Flower Festival in Nemi
It is said that Venus had cried over the lifeless body of Adonis and her falling tears, joining the latter’s blood, turned into small red hearts, the wild strawberries, the emblem of Nemi, depicted by the artist on a tattooed hand. The large heart-shaped strawberry pierced by an arrow is the symbol of Diana, the goddess of hunting, who brought Virbius back to life. He died because he preferred his beloved Diana to Venus. Place your face on the tattooed hand and make a wish. You can experience these love stories on the first Sunday of June during the almost centenary Strawberry Festival and Flower Show.
Madonna della Carbonara in the Viterbo Cathedral
In Viterbo we can venerate the icon of the Madonna della Carbonara, a Byzantine painting from the Roman school, which represents the Madonna with the Child in her arms, while blessing the Holy Scriptures. Santa Maria della Carbonara, the Patron Saint of Spouses and Lovers, is celebrated on January 23, the day of the Virgin’s marriage, and October 11, in commemoration of her Maternity.
Mystery hovers over this sacred image, whose name probably comes from the Church of Santa Maria della Carbonara in Viterbo, which was built on the site of a previous fortification called “Carbonaia”. The Church, belonging to the Knights Templar from the 13th century, was then passed into the hands of the Jerusalem Knights. The latter arrived in Viterbo around 1500 from Rhodes, after a defeat by the Turks. It is said that they, grateful to the people for they hospitality, left in Viterbo some sacred images they had brought from Rhodes. Among these, the Madonna della Carbonara, moved in 1925 from the Sanctuary of S. Maria della Carbonara to the Cathedral. In 1986 the painting was stolen and then found again. Since 2000 it has been exhibited in the Museo del Colle del Duomo.
“It’s love that move the sun and the other stars”
Dante Alighieri