Ovid - Roman poet

Writer of Metamorphoses who was mysteriously exiled

The poet Ovid was noted for his imaginative
interpretation of classical mythology

Publius Ovidius Naso, better known as the poet, Ovid, was born on this day in 43 BC in Sumo in the Roman empire, a city which is now called Sulmona, and is in the region of Abruzzo.

The poet is mainly remembered for his work, Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), which is essentially a manual on seduction written in verse, for the use of the man about town, and for his mythological epic poem, Metamorphoses.

His poetry was to have immense influence on later writers, because of its imaginative interpretation of classical mythology and its technical accomplishment.

Ovid essentially wrote his own life story in the autobiographical poem collection Tristia (Sorrows). His family was well to do and sent him and his brother to Rome to be educated. He studied rhetoric under the best teachers of his day and was considered to have a future as an orator, but he neglected his studies to spend more time on writing verses.

He was intended by his father for an official career but first spent time in Athens and travelled in Asia and Sicily.  Afterwards, he held some minor judicial positions, but he decided that the life didn’t suit him and abandoned his posts to spend his time writing poetry and meeting other poets.

His first work, Amores (The Loves) was successful straight away and was followed by his Epistles of the Heroines, The Art of Beauty, The Art of Love and Remedies for Love. These works all reflected the sophisticated, pleasure-seeking society in which he circulated.

Ovid had three marriages himself. The first two were brief and ended in divorce, but Ovid always spoke of his third wife with affection and respect, and she remained faithful to him and represented his interests until his death.

Eugène Delacroix's painting Ovid among the 
Scythians depicted the poet's life in exile

While living in Rome, Ovid socialized with other poets, including Horace. He was working on other more ambitious projects, including his works Metamorphoses and The Fasti, when he suffered a major blow.

In 8 AD, the Emperor Augustus banished him to Tomis, which was near modern day Constanta in Romania.

The reason for his exile is not fully known and was never explained clearly by Ovid himself. It has been suggested that it could have resulted from some of his poetry, or that he could have been an involuntary accomplice in the adultery of the emperor’s granddaughter, who was banished at about the same time.

It suggests that either his writing, or his behaviour, was perceived by Augustus to be damaging to his programme of moral reform and to the honour of the imperial family.

Ovid’s punishment did not involve the loss of his property, and so his wife remained in Rome to intercede for him and to protect his interests.

The second volume of a 1727 edition of
Ovid's Metamorphoses, published in London

He never stopped hoping for the chance to return to Rome and kept up a flow of pleas to the emperor, through his wife and friends, in his Letters from the Black Sea, but Augustus and his successor, Tiberius were unmoved. Ovid died in Tomis in 17 AD.

Ovid is regarded as one of the greatest poets of all time and his popularity during his own lifetime has continued over the centuries since. In the 12th and 13th centuries, his poetry was being read in schools and performed by troubadours.

He became even more popular during the Renaissance and by the 15th century, printed editions of his work were being produced, and some knowledge of his work was taken for granted in an educated man.

Over the centuries, poets and artists have been indebted to him for their own inspiration. Metamorphoses - a collection of Greek and Roman myths about transformations - remains one of the most important sources of classical mythology to this date. Shakespeare, Goethe, and Ezra Pound have all followed in his footsteps with their own poetry.

Sulmona's historic centre; the arches in the
foreground carried a Roman aqueduct 

Travel tip:

Sulmona, where Ovid was born, is a town and comune - municipality - in the province of L’Aquila in Abruzzo, about 66km (41 miles) southeast of the city of the same name and just under 150km (93 miles) east of Rome. There is a bronze statue of Ovid in Sulmona’s Piazza XX Settembre, and the city's main thoroughfare, which connects the cathedral and the major piazzas and is lined by elegant covered arcades, shops, cafes, palaces, and churches, is named Corso Ovidio after him. The town’s biggest square, Piazza Garibaldi, hosts a palio-style festival and horse race known as the Giostra Cavalleresca every summer. Sulmona, which is renowned as one of the prettiest towns in the region, is the home of the Italian confection known as confetti.  These are the colourful, sugar-coated almonds, which are given to guests at weddings and other celebrations in Italy. Sulmona is situated in a part of Italy of outstanding natural beauty, on the Valle Peligna plain, adjacent to the Maiella National Park. 

Historic trabucchi platforms are still used by
the fishermen of the Abruzzo coast

Travel tip:

Abruzzo is a region of southern Italy with a coastline along the Adriatic Sea. It borders the regions of Marche, Lazio and Molise and has some of the highest mountain peaks in the Apennines, such as the Gran Sasso d’Italia and the Maiella. Almost half of Abruzzo’s territory is protected through national parks and nature reserves. This is to ensure the survival of some of its rare species, such as the golden eagle, the Abruzzo chamois and the Marsican brown bear. The region has also become famous for producing wines such as Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Pecorino and Chardonnay.  Although renowned for its mountainous interior, the region also boasts 133km (82 miles) of coastline, stretching north and south of the resort city of Pescara, the birthplace of writer, patriot and politician Gabriele D’Annunzio. Beautiful sandy beaches characterise the northern part of the coastline, while the rockier southern stretch is notable for the sight of trabucchi or trabocchi, the ancient fishing machines on stilts that jut out over the water, built almost entirely of logs, planks and beams, that D’Annunzio himself described as resembling "the colossal skeleton of a prehistoric amphibian".

Also on this day:

1898: The birth of jeweller Fulco di Verdura

1934: The birth of football coach Azeglio Vicini

1940: The birth of entrepreneur racing driver Giampiero Moretti

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Ferragosto

A chance to enjoy quieter cities while Italians take a holiday

Ferragosto is a traditional festival that dates back
to Roman times and has religious significance too

Italy, San Marino and the Italian speaking region of Switzerland all celebrate Ferragosto on this day every year with a public holiday.

This day of celebration originated during Roman times, when Feriae Augusti, the festival of the Roman Emperor Augustus, took place on 1 August. It was a day of rest for working people to signal the culmination of weeks of hard work by labourers on the land.

The month of August itself is named after Augustus. Its original name was sextilis, as it was the sixth month in the Roman calendar. Just as Julius Caesar had previously renamed quintilis - the fifth month - Iulius after himself, it was only natural for Augustus, as Julius Caesar’s chosen heir, to follow suit.

Over the centuries, it became traditional for workers to wish their employers ‘Buon Ferragosto, and to receive a bonus of extra money from their bosses in return. During the Renaissance, this tradition actually became law throughout the Papal States.

The Catholic Church moved the date for Ferragosto to 15 August to coincide with the celebrations for the Feast of the Assumption, a day of worship to mark the ascendance of the Virgin Mary into Heaven.

Many Italians head for the nation's famous
beaches when the Ferragosto holiday begins

In the 20th century, Mussolini gave Italian workers the chance to visit cultural cities, or to go to the seaside between 14 and 16 August, with special ‘holiday trains’ offering people rail tickets at discounted prices.

Horses, donkeys and mules were also released from their work for this period in August and it therefore became traditional for their owners to decorate them with flowers to celebrate their holidays. As a result, horse races, such as the Palio dell’Assunta in Siena became established and the first of the two annual runnings of the famous Palio still takes place on 16 August.

The name Palio is thought to derive from the Latin word pallium, which refers to the piece of precious fabric that was given to the winners of horse races in Roman times. The 19th century opera, Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo was named because the action in the story is meant to have taken place on the day of Ferragosto.

Nowadays, many businesses close for two weeks in the middle of August and their employees take a mandatory holiday during this period. Ferragosto gives Italians the chance to escape from the heat of the cities by taking a trip to the seaside, lakes or mountains. News bulletins are often dominated by reports of huge traffic jams on the autostrade as Italians leave the cities en masse.

The history of the Palio di Siena is closely
linked with the traditions of Ferragosto

This also gives tourists the chance to enjoy the big cities when they are quieter than usual. Although banks, post offices and some businesses are closed for Ferragosto, the museums, palaces and cultural sites remain open for Italian people and tourists to visit.

In many parts of Italy, there are special church services, religious processions and fireworks displays to enjoy on 15 August. It is traditional for families to get together to celebrate Ferragosto and therefore restaurants are open and many even offer special festive menus.

Public transport operates on a reduced ‘festivi’ timetable, so it is a good idea to check the times of buses and trains as they may be different from usual.

Buon Ferragosto!

Ferragosto is a good time to visit
attractions such as the Colosseum

Travel tip:

It is well worth visiting Rome at Ferragosto as the city will be quieter than usual, but the main cultural sites, such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and Castel Sant’Angelo are all open. Most restaurants will remain open and many will be serving Pollo alla Romana, the traditional Roman Ferragosto dish of chicken cooked in a sauce of red and orange peppers and tomatoes.

Ferragosto on Lake Garda is famous for many
spectacular fireworks displays

Travel tip:

Lake Garda in Lombardy is a lively place to visit for Ferragosto as there are often fireworks displays, live music and other events taking place at the side of the lake in many of the resorts.  The town of Garda is famous for its Palio delle Contrade, a rowing race staged in celebration of the fishing community that has been repeated annually for over 50 years. It takes place as dusk falls on the stretch of water between the port and the town hall, contested by the flat-based gondolas representing the nine contrade - neighbourhoods - of the town. Each boat is crewed by four oarsmen in full traditional costume, with the winners receiving a wooden statue of Our Lady Of Assumption.

Also on this day:

1702: The birth of landscape painter Francesco Zuccarelli 

1922: The birth of economic historian Carlo Cipolla

1944: The birth of fashion designer Gianfranco Ferré

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