4 ms·

Nonetheless, the last time I visited Paestum (~2 km. inland in modern times), which may be my favorite archaeological site in the whole country, I was literally

Nonetheless, the last time I visited Paestum (~2 km. inland in modern times), which may be my favorite archaeological site in the whole country, I was literally the only person there, and there was certainly no issue finding a seat on the nearly-empty train from Naples. It's not that hard to avoid the crowds - just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season.

paganel 8y ago
> just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season. I visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna some time ago during a weekday in late January, which meant that I got to see some of Velasquez's works (including the exceptional "Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_Blue_Dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_...) in a room all by myself. I felt "royal-ish" for those few minutes, as if those famous paintings had been painted by Velasquez especially for me and me only. And then just a couple of rooms away there were a couple of paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which I also got to see alone, by myself.
- theoh 8y ago
  You haven't told us how the Archimboldo paintings made you feel. Like you were made out of vegetables?
  - paganel 8y ago
    I know that what I've written might have sounded wrong with some HN readers but as others have said, tourism is nowadays mostly about experiences and about what one feels. I've used that word ("royal-ish") because Velazquez was (among other things) the painter of the Spanish royal court and in my imagination, as a tourist (not as an art critic) being left alone with his paintings made me feel part of that royal court. I don't see the wrong in that, to be honest.
    - theoh 8y ago
      Not making fun of you at all, it's just that Velasquez >> Archimboldo, right?
      - paganel 8y ago
        Ah, got it! English is not my first language and sometimes I lose things in translation. Yeah, Velazquez is definitely more interesting and more refined than Archimboldo, it’s just that I got a soft spot for the latter even though his works might be seen as kietsch-y, can’t really explain why.

paganel 8y ago

> just plan visits to major sites for weekdays and try to avoid travelling during the high season. I visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna some time ago during a weekday in late January, which meant that I got to see some of Velasquez's works (including the exceptional "Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_Blue_Dress https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infanta_Margarita_Teresa_in_a_...) in a room all by myself. I felt "royal-ish" for those few minutes, as if those famous paintings had been painted by Velasquez especially for me and me only. And then just a couple of rooms away there were a couple of paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which I also got to see alone, by myself.

theoh 8y ago
You haven't told us how the Archimboldo paintings made you feel. Like you were made out of vegetables?
- paganel 8y ago
  I know that what I've written might have sounded wrong with some HN readers but as others have said, tourism is nowadays mostly about experiences and about what one feels. I've used that word ("royal-ish") because Velazquez was (among other things) the painter of the Spanish royal court and in my imagination, as a tourist (not as an art critic) being left alone with his paintings made me feel part of that royal court. I don't see the wrong in that, to be honest.
  - theoh 8y ago
    Not making fun of you at all, it's just that Velasquez >> Archimboldo, right?
    - paganel 8y ago
      Ah, got it! English is not my first language and sometimes I lose things in translation. Yeah, Velazquez is definitely more interesting and more refined than Archimboldo, it’s just that I got a soft spot for the latter even though his works might be seen as kietsch-y, can’t really explain why.