Vitruvius orat

Characters

In Fano Italian city

Vitruvius

Andrew

Some bricklayers

Voice out shot: I am a voice that musts tell what is this theatrical tale; it is a dialogue between Vitruvius, ancient Roman architect, who lives between 1th and 2th century before and after Christ, and he tells Andrew, an young architect what is architecture and what we must make for this exercise, and all this acknowledge is in De Architectura, only book of Vitruvius that describes every step for Roman architecture[1].     

Vitruvius(while he saw bricklayers): Caesar mix very well this quicklime, wait that I came soon for to see, because I certainly haven’t trust; in fact so I have thought, it is wrong! More water, and mixt very well it, bricklayers, damned race, mixt and mixt; Flavius, this rafter, how much we must wait? First is set a rafter of wood and after that of stone.

Andrew(Young man): Vitruvius what do I must write for your book De Architectura?

Vitruvius: Write that for everything, and above all for architecture, there are two steps, meaning thing, and that is means. Meaning thing is that treated, and that means is that demonstrated and free by doctrine and their region. Do you are understanding? Not certainly.

Andrew(with expression very distressed): It isn’t easy to understand.

Vitruvius: Architect must be man of letter, but also very practical for drawing, he must know very well geometrical and he must know optical and arithmetical, and he must know much histories, and he must hear philosophies, he must know music and medicine, he must know laws and other

Andrew: Why?

Vitruvius: The architect must know around letters he has strong memory, and drawing because he must show what is his think, geometry teaches use of ruler, and whit these instrument we can draw plane of building, with this instrument we can make right lines and right angles, and with optical we can take light from sky, with arithmetical we can calculate spending, and measures; he must know very much histories, because often, the architects draw building with ornament, and these ornament had region for their presence, for example: if an architect had set on contrary of columns sculptures with dressed women, caryatides are called and should they have cornices, and if somebody ask, he answered that: “Caria city of Pelopennesus for conquer Greece, but Greek wined and conquered Caria and they killed male sons, they took their mothers and Greeks don’t leave that these women throw their dresses, then architects then wanted that these women have weight.

Andrew: Music? Where is music which you have mentioned?

Vitruvius: Architect must know music for rules of harmony and mathematical rapports.

Andrew: And medicine?

Vitruvius: Medicine is necessary for climate, what is air very wrong and for water, because with these information architect can knows what is better condition for a home.

Andrew: And laws?

Vitruvius: Laws for wall, gutter-pipe, for cesspit and other and for to ovoid future quarrel.

Andrew: But for a city and her walls, how do we can make?

Vitruvius: First we must choose a town that is very good for air, and neither cold neither worm, but temperate; because next marshy citizens will have wrong health, therefore we must build this walls in town very healthy. An example are cities of Ravenna, Aitino and Aquileia, and other cities, very next to marshy, and they haven’t drainpipe, as Pontine marshy, they stagnate and give vapour very wrong, also in Apulia ancient city of Salapia, that was built by Diomedes was took by these vapour, and he bought word next to sea, and he has asked to Roman Senates, if he can transfer city there, he built walls, and gave word every citizen; made it, he opened communication between sea and lake, and on lake he built port for the city, it is motive for Salapini, are very next ancient city  and in healthy town.

Andrew: The city what form musts have? Because I think that you have some good suggests also for this particular.

Vitruvius: Certainly! Form of city must be circle, so that enemies by much side was struck, differently if walls have with acute angle, because this angle protects better enemy than citizen. Ma now sunset is next, then we must go to home, there where are bricklayers, and tomorrow we will continue this discourse.   

Alessandro Lusana

   

 

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[1] For this tale I have used Latin edition Marcus Vitruvius Polliones, De architectura, Milan 1973.