Up on a hillside in Malibu there is a most magnificent museum called the Getty Villa. The Villa is modeled after a Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri, in Herculaneum which was buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The museum is entirely dedicated to arts and antiquities from the ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan cultures.
The view from the parking lot was breathtaking! I do miss the ocean!
The wall along the path leading to the Villa was lined with the most beautiful pink roses that smelled AMAZING! And since I was on vacation with no kids, no hurries, and no timelines, I did truly stop and smell the roses!
There were two long, open corridors surrounding the peristyle with beautiful columns, inlaid floors with mosaic tile and glorious ceilings. I couldn't keep from hearing that quote from "Jurassic Park" about how they "spared no expense"!
Of course there was an herb garden, I mean what country estate wouldn't have a proper herb garden, not to mention the grapes. I hear later in summer the grapes are amazing and drape over the entire garden.
Oh yes, in addition to all of the amazing gardens and architecture, there was art! Fancy that in a museum! There were every day items such as pottery, oil and perfume jars, weaponry and armor and statues, amazing statues like Venus.
And the busts of emperors like Augustus.
One of my favorite pieces was called "The Victorious Youth" which according to their information is one of the few Greek bronzes that have actually survived. You will have to forgive the crappy quality of the photo, as this room was small, had strange lighting, flash photography was obviously not permitted and I was tripod-less! But the piece was so amazing that I still had to share. They found it in a shipwreck!
There were funerary pieces, I particularly liked this lion!
This coffin was amazingly intricate.
Now just look at the detail on the ceiling! Little animals and birds, flowers and butterflies, so beautiful! (You'll probably have to click on the photo to see it more clearly.)
And remember the mosaic tile I was talking about? Here is the floor in the atrium. Each piece was maybe a half inch wide!
Once you passed through the atrium you went into the Inner Peristyle. The columns were so pretty, not to mention the wonderful tiles on the roof!
They had an amphitheater where, in summertime, they have classical drama performances. Wish I could have experienced that!
Speaking of mosaic tile again, the fountain in the East Garden was incredible! So colorful and detailed!
And last but not least, one of the last things I saw... the view from the upstairs balcony looking out over the Outer Peristyle. Please could I just live here for a week? I even promise not to swim in the pool!
I would like to thank my auntie for taking the day off and fighting the traffic on the 405 so I could see this place! It was lovely! And although I enjoyed not having to call after the kids and worry about potty breaks and snack time, I did wish that my Monkey Man could have been there. He is a big fan of the Greeks, Romans and Etruscans. But most of all, I would HIGHLY recommend that if you are ever in the Los Angeles area, you really should take the time to see this place. The entrance is free, but an advance, timed parking ticket is required (I think it runs around $15). SO worth the effort though! I hope you enjoyed my little photo tour of the museum and although I posted quite a bit, it is truly just a taste of what was there! Oh, and the restaurant was nice, affordable and made the BEST peasant bread ever!
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