What I Learned From A Field Trip To The Getty Villa

I went on a field trip today to the Getty Villa in Malibu and had a love affair with the floors! I'm taking a course on architectural history (you might have noticed my obsession with architecture) and a visit to the Getty Villa was a mandatory field trip for students and I am so glad it was required!

The Getty Villa is a stunning property set on the hillside of gorgeous Malibu. It is modeled after a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy. This original villa was covered up completely in volcanic ash by the Mt. Visuvius eruption in 79 AD and was discovered over a thousand years later when a well digger was trying to dig his well a little deeper and discovered a marble floor.

Mosaic floors and walls were all the rage in Ancient Rome and I am literally obsessed. Made of tiny pieces of glass, stone, tile, or other materials, mosaic art has been around for centuries are intricate patterns. Some even serve as a visual storyboard for food, clothing, plants, and animals that were alive at the time.

I can only imagine what the well digger must have been feeling because I was in awe of the reproductions I saw today. Take a look below at the fabulous floors in the villa. Which one is your favorite?

BTW The Getty Villa is FREE to visit! Lots of gorgeous architectural details to take in and ancient artifacts to learn about.

More info here: http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/

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