Research Trip to Rome

I spent almost the entire month of June at the Finnish Institute in Rome doing research. I worked on my dissertation and gathered research literature in local libraries. I hadn't planned to visit Pompeii this time, but I ended up there anyway guiding a group of the institute's teacher training course. I also saw many new archaeological sites and museums and much more.

I didn't travel directly to Rome but first spent a couple of days in Munich visiting some famous museums I have long wanted to see. I arrived on Friday May 29th, and during the weekend I admired ancient sculptures in the Glyptothek, other ancient artifacts in the Staatliche Antikensammlungen museum, and more recent paintings in the Alte Pinakothek. I also visited a few churches and went swimming in the Isar River which flows through the city.

Sculptures at the Glyptothek

The banks of the Isar River are popular swimming spots

On Sunday evening, I boarded a night train that went directly from Munich to Rome. I had a single berth, which is apparently a fairly new form of travel. Instead of a four-person cabin, the same space is divided into separate bunks, which are accessed directly from the corridor. The cabin is not the most comfortable in the world – it is a bit difficult to get to the top bunk, the space is quite narrow, the pillow and blanket are thin, a large suitcase has to be placed in a separate carriage – but it offers privacy and peace. The price includes a modest breakfast (coffee/tea and a bread roll with spreads). From the small window in the cabin, I watched the nighttime alpine landscape and illuminated villages as the train meandered along the Austrian mountains.

There was storage space for small items in the compartments between the beds

Fortunately, I had my own pillow with me on the trip

After a somewhat restless night's sleep, I arrived in Rome on Monday morning at around 11 am (a little behind schedule). From there, I headed to Villa Lante, which I saw for the first time since the renovation. The house and its courtyards look mostly the same as before, but they have received a considerable facelift. From the resident's perspective, the most important change is the air conditioning in the guest rooms, which really came in handy during the June heat. Another significant difference is the residents' kitchen, which has been moved from the upper floors of the dormitory down to the ground floor where the former caretaker's apartment was. This change is welcome, even though reaching the kitchen now requires climbing down the stairs a few floors. The noise from the kitchen doesn't disturb the residents, and there is direct access to the pleasant new backyard terrace. The institute's other gardens are now also freely available to the residents.

I stayed in an apartment that is usually used by an artist at the institute.
It had a separate study and a private bathroom!

The new resident's terrace

The main reason for my trip was to work on my dissertation in the libraries of Rome. I had a long list of research literature that I had not been able to get my hands on elsewhere, most of which I knew could be found in Rome. The library of Villa Lante had some of these, but the collections most relevant to my research are in libraries such as the American Academy in Rome and the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI). I visited these several times. The American Academy has become particularly familiar because it is just a stone's throw from Villa Lante on the Gianicolo hill. The DAI, on the other hand, is further away on the other side of Rome. During my month-long stay, I found almost everything I was looking for and many works that I was not aware of.

The library of Villa Lante

The library of American Academy

An interesting conference was held at the Swedish Institute in Rome during my visit to Rome (see program). The conference was themed after the recently deceased Swedish scholar Bengt E. Thomasson. I attended a few lectures which included discussions on Thomasson’s life’s work, Swedish epigraphic research, and the connections between epigraphy and epigrammatic poetry. I also met scholars who, like me, are studying inscriptions and the poems of Martial.

During the first two weeks of June, a course for teachers of history and social studies was held at Villa Lante, led mainly by the institute’s vice director. Many of us visiting scholars were also asked to participate in the course by giving lectures and guiding the group. I had the opportunity to take the participants to Pompeii where we spent a sunny Friday. At the end of the tour, we happened to meet an American research team who were presenting their excavation project to the public. They were acquainted with Finnish researchers from Villa Lante, and one of them said he was interested in Pompeian insults. I promised to contact him later.

Guiding teachers in Pompeii. Photo: Olli Taskilahti

Archaeologist Allison Emmerson presenting their project
investigating one city block in Pompeii (I 14)

Our group stayed overnight in a hotel in the center of modern Pompeii, where we saw, among other things, campaign events for the local mayoral election. Next day, I guided the group through the Naples Archaeological Museum. After the guided tours, I stayed in Naples with a colleague while the teachers headed back to Rome. On Sunday, we visited Herculaneum and the nearby Reggia di Portici palace, which served as the first storage site and museum for the Herculaneum finds in the 18th century.

Herculaneum

The Reggia di Portici palace now houses
the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Naples

Although I have spent a total of almost two years in Rome in varying periods, there is always something new to see there. This time I got to see, among other things, a Roman necropolis under the Vatican parking garage, Roman houses and parts of an aqueduct under modern houses near the Trevi Fountain, the museum exhibitions at the stations of the new subway line C, the newly opened museum in the Basilica of Neptune behind the Pantheon, and the renovated museum of Ostia. We also visited the Cinecittà studios, where a huge number of Italian and international films and TV series have been filmed. The most interesting thing was getting a guided tour of the sets depicting ancient Rome, where, for example, HBO's Rome and Ridley Scott's Gladiator have been filmed. The Rome Pride also took place in June. This was the fourth time I attended the event.

The Vatican necropolis

Remains of a Roman house and other artifacts
at the new subway station by the Colosseum

The set of ancient Rome at Cinecittà studios

Rome Pride 2026

I also had time to visit the Porta Portese market

In addition to working and sightseeing, an essential part of living at the institute are its residents, with whom it was again a pleasure to spend these weeks in Rome. Some were old acquaintances, but I got to know many new ones during shared dinners and excursions. The meetings with other researchers were also important. Once again, the visit to Rome gave me much more than I expected. Still, it was nice to return from the heat of Rome to Finland for my summer holidays.

The institute's summer party was held mid-June

Ice cream helped me cope on the hottest days