THE SHRINE OF DIANA NEMORENSIS BY THE LAKE NEMI- DAY TRIP FROM ROME HOSTED BY Claudia

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THE SHRINE OF DIANA NEMORENSIS BY THE LAKE NEMI- DAY TRIP FROM ROME

Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE Not far away from Rome, on the shores of the Nemi Lake, in an enchanting timeless grove, there are the ruins of one of the most fascinating place of ancient Italy.
The shrine of Diana Nemorenis (Diana of the wood).
This was the shrine common to the cities of the Latin League. The origin of this ancient cult is lost in the mists of time.
According to the myth Orestes would have brought to Nemi from Tauris, the bloody cult of Artemis together with the statue of the goddess.

The cult of Artemis Taurica requierd human sacrifices and something of the ancient ritual remained in that of Nemi: the bloody and magic ritual which entrusted to a mortal duel the investiture of the rex Nemorensis (king of the grove) as is well described by the ancient authors and in the famed book of Sir James Frazer "The Golden Bough". A tree was located in the center of the grove which was guarded heavily. No one was to break off its limbs, with the exception of a runaway slave.
Upon breaking off a limb, the slave was then in turn granted the privilege to engage the Rex Nemorensis in a mortal combat.
If the slave prevailed, he became the next king for as long as he could defeat challengers.
This was evidently a fertility ritual of the kingship which had the role of confirming the exceptional physical strength of the king who never should have perished.
During the Roman empire the cult of Diana became associated with that of Isis so that the emperor Caligula who was a fervent devotee of the Egyptian goddess, rebuilt the sanctuary for the last time. He even wanted to build his luxurious villa on the shore of the Lake of Nemi and the two celebrated ships destined to a representative function and cult ceremonies.

Through a walking tour in the evocative sacred grove of Diana we will retrace the complex and misterious cult and identity of the ancient tutelary mother goddess of the Latins.
In the evening we will visit the near by Museum of the Ships of Nemi housing the archaeological finds from the shrine of Diana and the remains of the ships of Caligula. Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE

Price includes the transportation to and from the site of the ancient Nemi, the guide service in English language with an expert archaeologist. Lunch: based on the typical products of the place at the local farm house "Il Giardino di Diana". Lunch is not included in the tour price.

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