by Diane Brady

s my husband drove our car up the driveway to the villa, I could feel the bumps. The road was paved with the same kind of large cobblestones the Romans used to pave their roads. It was bumpy, even for our modern car, and I wondered what it must have been like, riding in a Roman chariot with its iron-bound wheels and no springs or shock absorbers.

The J. Paul Getty Trust reopened the Getty Villa in Malibu, California, early this year. It had been closed nine years for renovation and seismic upgrade. It returned with a new mission as an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan civilizations. In fact, it is the only museum in the United States to be dedicated entirely to the ancient world.

… I wondered what it must have been like, riding in a Roman chariot …

Our first view, after walking from the parking garage, was from above the villa, as if seeing it from the top of an archaeological excavation. It was as if we were looking at the villa, unearthed for the first time since it was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. in the seaside city of Herculaneum.

In fact, the Villa of the Papiri, the model for the Getty Villa, has not seen the light of day since the eruption. What is known of it is only through tunneling. It most likely will never be unearthed, as a modern city lies on top of it.

The first thing we did upon entering the Villa was to pick up the equipment for the self-guided audio tour. We did, however, also take a guided tour.
An interesting feature of the outer peristyle garden is the decoration consisting of thousands of painted eggs. There is a small crack in the wall in one place, and the artist incorporated the crack into one of the eggs, even showing a bit of it leaking out.

Although an old song says, “it never rains in Southern California,” it did for us that day. Fortunately, the Getty provided complimentary yellow umbrellas.

From the gardens we moved to the new amphitheater, which is the way visitors enter the Villa. It is modern in design, but meant to evoke the feeling of an ancient Greek amphitheater. Later this summer it will host performances of ancient Greek and Roman plays—tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!

Actually, the first presentation is a tragedy, Hippolytus, by Euripides, playing on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in September, with previews August 31 through September 2.

Our stomachs told us that it was past our lunchtime, so we headed for the Café. It gives an entirely new spin on museum food. No ordinary burgers & fries here. No, no! The food is all Mediterranean inspired, although they do make a few concessions for the bambini—pasta and meatballs, and grilled cheese (but it’s on panini with provolone cheese). My husband had a Tuscan soup (calamari, clams, smoked tomato broth and vegetables over toasted garlic bread) and I had, from the piattino (small plates) section, primo piatto (roasted vegetables, marinated olives, soup taster, and grilled cheese panini).

Admission is free, but tickets are required. You can get them either by phone or online. Attendance is limited and the museum is very popular, so plan a couple of months ahead. Parking is $7, cash only!

The Getty Villa: tel: 310/440-7300; www.getty.edu.

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