Mission in Rome

Chapter One: The Arrival


It was a splendid day, full of sunshine, when KLM flight 829 landed in Rome. While the weather was typical for Rome, Lorain found it positively miraculous, having just departed a wet, foggy morning in the Netherlands. After picking up her luggage, she spotted the Institute’s driver, who was waiting with a placard in hand bearing her name. After a brief friendly greeting, he helped her with her heavy suitcases and led her to the parked car. During the drive he extolled the joys of working with his colleagues at the Institute in the Eternal City, while she admired the magic of Rome, enchanting monuments appearing one after another. Lorain had been to Rome several times before on scholarships. But this time, having completed her PhD as an Art Historian, the prospect of a five-year mission in Rome with its potential adventures filled her soul with excitement.
Crossing the city from via Magliana to Villa Borghese, they turned onto via Omero in Valle Giulia heading toward Lorrain’s new home, the Holland Institute. Lorain knew it well. The Institute (Istituto Olandese di Roma) conducted research in history, art history and archeology and was charged with promoting Dutch culture in Italy, expanding relationships among Dutch and Italian Universities, and organizing conferences, exhibitions and concerts. During her previous visits, she had never, even in her wildest dreams, hoped that one day she would be working for the Institute.
The Institute’s Receptionist, Umberto Bianchetti, promptly announced Lory’s arrival to the Director, Paul Veltmann. Paul was a tall, well-built, handsome man in his sixties. His gray hair was barely noticeable due to his fair complexion. He received his new Artistic Secretary, sitting at his desk with pipe in hand, reminding Lorain of the captains of medieval Dutch ships.
“Welcome Professor Hennes,” the Director began. “I hope you had a good trip. Since you’ve been here several times before, I’m hoping Antonio’s driving didn’t alarm you too much. Have you ever driven in Rome?”
“Not yet,” Lorain responded directly but courteously. “During my previous visits I went everywhere on foot or by bus or other public means.”
“Don’t worry! You’ll soon get used to the rhythm of Roman traffic. I’ve planned for us to meet tomorrow morning to start your new job. In the meanwhile, let’s get you settled into your flat.” Veltmann pushed a button on his phone and called for the caretaker.
“I’d like to introduce you to Gianluigi Colombari, our Caretaker. Gigi can hand any technical or mechanical problem you might have during your mission here. He will show you to your flat. And please remember that my wife and I are looking forward to you joining us for dinner this evening, in the residence on the other side of the garden opposite the Institute. You can’t miss it.”
With that, they exchanged good-byes.
Lorain was ready to retreat to her apartment after the excitement of the day. Her flat was appointed with Louis XVI furnishings and had a view of the quiet Villa Borghese park, from where the whispering sweet sound of a fountain could be heard. The living room, at the end of the spacious hall, was bathed in sunshine with a kitchen at the far end. The southeastern corner opened to two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. From one side of the living room, she could see the Viale delle Belle Arti, with its never ending traffic, providing a constant reminder of the pumping rhythm of the city. Lorain had just enough time to shower and put her cloths into the wardrobe before heading to the residence to meet the Veltmanns for dinner.
Paul and his wife, Ingrid, greeted Lorrain warmly. The dinner was excellent and they enjoyed the evening, discovering mutual interests, experiences, and even friends in common. Lorrain’s only mild concern was that Ingrid seemed to have taken a maternal interest in her, making her wonder if Ingrid, who was not otherwise employed, might try to take care of her.
The next morning, Veltmann met Lorain in his office at ten sharp to introduce her to her new colleagues and review her job responsibilities. Beyond the Driver, Caretaker, and Receptionist, whom Lorain had already met, there was the Secretary, Julienne Becker, the Scientific Secretary, Nickolas de Backer, and the Accountant, Daniel Prick. Then, Veltmann showed Lorain to her office and presented her with the annual cultural calendar, which she was to manage.
“You know, Professor Hennes,” Veltmann began, “your job is critical to the life and reputation of our Institute. So, I expect your complete attention and focus on every detail. I will expect you to share the details of every event you are responsible for planning, in advance, for my approval.”
“Yes, Sir,” Lorain responded. “I will do everything possible to support the Institute’s cultural mission.”
“Perfect. This’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Now, I’ll let you get started.”
Not all aspects of the job were new to Lorain, although her previous scientific and research oriented jobs had not provided her much opportunity to organize and execute cultural events. She eagerly began reviewing the cultural calendar to plan her approach.
At noon Gigi, offered to show her the nearest supermarkets and confirmed that she could use the official Institute car for shopping until she bought her own. In case of necessity, with the Veltmann’s permission, she could also avail herself of the institute’s Driver, Antonio, and Veltman’s Mercedes.
After filling her pantry, Lorain started work on an upcoming contemporary music concert, writing introductions for the musicians. Before arriving in Rome, she had contacted the Institute’s Secretary, Julienne, to send out invitations, due to the timing of the concert.
Lorain was also expected to open an exhibition of modern Dutch painters organized by the Director and her predecessor. She set off to the Institute’s gallery to oversee the installation of the paintings and ensure everything was in order. Entering the gallery, she noticed Nickolas de Bakker standing in front of van Gogh’s self-portrait, admiring it. She went and stood beside him.
“Stunning, isn’t it?”
“Ah, it’s you!” he responded. “Yes, it really is extraordinary. I just got lost in its beauty.”
“I’m glad that the Institute’s Scientific Secretary also has an interest in art,” Lorain responded. “I have to admit that I also like scientific conferences, historical presentations, and evenings of literature, even if these aren’t part of my professional portfolio.”
“That’s good for our common work. I was told you also have a degree in archeology. I got my degrees in history and philosophy. I think it’s important to appreciate other disciplines, especially in the work we do. Afterall, you don’t have to be a musicologist to organize a good concert, as long as you consult with the right experts. Well, I shouldn’t keep you from your work. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to do with this exhibit opening the day after tomorrow. But, I wonder if we might continue or conversation over lunch sometime in the near future, if you’re interested?”
“How very nice of you! Sure, why not? Although, right now I’m consumed with my current tasks and getting up to speed in my new job, so my week is pretty full. But I’ve planned to go sightseeing this weekend. I hardly wait! Ancient ruins bear such a special attraction for an archeologist. Maybe, if you’d like, you could join me then?”
“That’s an excellent idea! I’ll look forward to it and we can have lunch together while we visit the sights. Which day were you planning?”
“Let’s meet Saturday morning at nine o’clock at the garden’s gate.”
“All right, I’ll see you there. And good luck with the exhibit!” He added and left Lorain alone with the paintings.

The concert and the exhibit were both great successes. The exhibit displayed a collection from the Museum of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, providing an exclusive opportunity to showcase masterpieces of Vincent van Gogh, Jan Toorop, Jan Thorn-Prikker, Kees van Dongen, Jan Sluyters, Jozef Israels, Johan Barthold Jongkind, Jakob Matthus, the Willem Maris brothers, Antoine Mauve and Hendrik Mesdag, among others.
Saturday morning, when Lorain arrived in the garden, Nickolas was there waiting for her. After a quick greeting, they set off to Rome’s historical center. According to Lorain’s plan, they began their tour with the Roman Forum, then climbed Traianus’ Column to enjoy the view of the ancient ruins around them. Then, they continued their tour to the Colosseum and crossed the marvelous Palatinus Hill, finishing with the House of Livia to enjoy the rare example of sophisticated ancient wall paintings. They reached the Pantheon just after two o’clock in the afternoon. The Pantheon was Lorain’s absolute favorite ancient structure, if an archeologist can pick a favorite from among so many incredible monuments. Finally, they arrived at the Hotel Minerva’s rooftop terrace, settling in at a table with a panoramic view, and ordered a well-deserved lunch.
After Lorian made her selection, Nickolas commented, “I see you like ‘frutti de mare’. I love seafood, too.”
“Yes, I’m a great fan.”
“Since we’ll we’re getting to know each other and will working at the Institute together for the next five years, would you mind calling me Nick?”
“All right, Nick,” Lorain smiled. “You can call me, Lory! But at the Institute it might be better to use our formal names to keep things professional.”
“Sure. As you wish, Lory. And congratulations on the success of your first two programs. You deserve all the acknowledgements the organization received for them.”
“Thank you! That’s very nice of you. I put a lot of effort into my work and try to do the best I possibly can.”
After an enjoyable lunch, they returned to the Institute. Having enjoyed the day, they agreed on their next date, the following weekend to visit the Via Appia Antica by bicycle, Roman style.
The next week in spite of her heavy schedule, Lory managed to escape to walk in the Villa Borghese, near the Institute, and to visit every archeologist’s dream, the Villa Giulia Etruscan Museum. The walks helped Lory clear her head and focus more deeply on her work, a skill she would need to remember all of the new people, places and information necessary for her new job. Luckily, she was particularly well organized at work and in her private life as well. She relied heavily on a diary in which she recorded upcoming tasks and important information about the past events, rather than her thoughts and emotions.
The Villa Borghese, next door to the Holland Institute, provided an excellent spot for an afternoon break. The Museum and Gallery Borghese is located in a Casino built in the 17th century in Baroque style. Although it’s not very large, it houses one of the most beautiful and remarkably valuable artistic collections in the world, established by Scipio Borghese. His bust, carved by Bernini, can be found there. The collection features many famous statues, including Paolina Borghese by Canova, David, Apollo and Daphne, as well as the Abduction of Prosesrpina made by Bernini. All these treasures are surrounded by ancient roman mosaics and statues. The artistic atmosphere of the Gallery can be summed up by listing some of its most moving paintings, like the Crucifixion of Pinturicchio, the Woman with Unicorn of Raffaello and the Last Judgement and the Ascension of Christ of Fra Angelico and masterpieces of other painters like Caravaggio, Correggio and Tiziano.
Lory adored this Park for its artistic value, and also for its rejuvenating natural environment. Sitting beside the fountain or the lake, she enjoyed reading and found it easy to put her thoughts in order and work out plans for upcoming cultural programs. She wasn’t surprised when, on one of her peaceful afternoon relaxations in the park, Nick appeared and said hello to her. He admitted that he also liked to visit the park for many of the same reasons she did. Lory invited him to sit down beside her and they discussed the beauties and hidden characteristics of the park. After a while they were just sitting side by side in silence admiring the swans swimming on the lake and the children running around it. Lory hadn’t felt like this in a long, long time, sitting contentedly with someone without saying a word.

The week passed faster than she had expected. Her typical week progressed at an exhausting pace, organizing two concerts and a lecture, on average. Lory was looking forward to her weekend visit with Nick. Saturday morning, she set off in a hurry to their planned meeting point at the Via Appia Antica where Nick was waiting for her with two rented bicycles.
“Hi!” Nick greeted her. “I thought you would never arrive! If we weren’t keeping our friendship secret from our colleagues at the Institute, we could have left together.”
“Hi,” Lory responded. “You’re probably right. But you know how people can jump to conclusions.”
“As far as I’m concerned, they can believe what they want. If we enjoy each other’s company, it’s nobody’s business what type of relationship we have.”
“You’re right,” Lory responded, looking away, embarrassed. To change the subject, she suggested, “Let’s start our excursion and enjoy what may be the most authentic archeological site in Rome. I’m looking forward to exploring the everyday life of the ancient Romans. That’s why we’re here, right?”
So, they got to their cycles and began to ride along the world famous road together discovering ancient monuments and soaking in the sunshine.
After admiring the soundness of the ancient road, they visited the two most famous catacombs: San Sebastian and San Callisto. It was well after two o’clock when they reached a lovely restaurant, perfectly suited for the historical environment. They relaxed a bit and reviewed the menu looking forward to their meal.
“It’s been a beautiful day,” Nick said sitting relaxed in his chair.
“Yes, for me, too,” Lory answered, briefly concentrating on the wide range and variety of delicious menu options offered by the restaurant.
“We really should do this again. There are plenty of sights to see, in Rome, so let’s insert an excursion like this in our weekly plans. What do you think?”
“All right, why not! I need to use the lady’s room. Would you please order me a spaghetti alle vongole veraci and for the second course calamari with green salad,” Lory asked as she disappeared.
When she returned, her meal had just arrived, enticing for her with an irresistibly inviting smell. Nick’s food had also been delivered, but, being polite, he waited for Lory to start eating. In typical Roman style, alla Romana, the lunch took a long time, so it was already after five in the afternoon when they returned to their homes.
“Well, here we are, at home,” Nick said with some embarrassment, realizing he felt a growing attraction for Lory. “Thank you for your company!” he added, offering Lory a typical Italian style kiss on the cheek. Lory wasn’t ready to admit, even to herself, that the touch of their faces made her feel a special vibration in her heart. At the time, she did not attribute any particular importance to this emotion. She only hoped to build a strong friendship with Nick. So, she thanked him for a nice day, turned on her heal, and went to her flat, her head refilling with swirling thoughts about the cultural programs of the upcoming week.



Chapter Two: The Daily Routine


Soon, Lory added a new task to her already busy schedule: teaching art history to the Veltmann’s son, Phil. Paul and Ingrid Veltmann were especially grateful to Lorain for this favor, so she figured the extra work provided some advantage for her, and it would have been awkward to deny a private request from the Director.
Phil was a diligent and intelligent young man, attending the last year of a comprehensive grammar school in Rome. Phil easily managed the challenge of not only learning Italian quickly but also applying it to his studies every day. He’d integrated into his Roman secondary school community quite well. Moreover, he demonstrated a special interest in arts, music, and history. So, according to her agreement with the Veltmanns, Lory led history and criticism of fine arts and music lessons three times a week. Phil had a serious look for his age. He was tall and athletic with short, red hair and wore rectangular glasses. In addition, when Lory did not feel the inclination to mingle at the receptions that followed Institute cultural events, Phil turned out to be a charming companion. During these events they spoke at length about the exhibited artworks and the styles of the artists, rather than more mundane topics.
The autumn passed quickly and Lory began to prepare the Christmas programs, the most important of the year both for the Institute and for Lory. Opening ceremonies followed by receptions at the Holland Institute attracted a wide array of the diplomatic and cultural personalities from the international community in Rome. Consequently, Lory felt that her first Christmas program must be unforgettable. The Christmas concert and the exhibition, which would remain open until spring, were chosen by her with the agreement of the Director. By then, Veltmann’s approval of Lory’s programs was mostly just a formality.
Lory decided on a Van Gogh exhibit, which she began to organize far in advance of the holidays. She contacted a number of prestigious institutions to secure the paintings on loan, including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, the Art Gallery of Berlin and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles. By the beginning of December, all documentation of transportation and insurance had to be ready to receive the paintings, which, except for the ones from Los Angeles, arrived to the duty free area in via Merulana, where in exchange of the right documents, Lory and Gigi, received them. Lory felt deep relief once all these artistic treasures were safely delivered. Next, she had to install the paintings in the gallery at the Institute. To ensure sufficient time to execute all this, she cancelled her weekend plans with Nick, who received the news with disappointment but understanding. In fact, Nick offered to help install the paintings. Lory was grateful for the help, which was badly needed considering that she only Gigi to assist with the physical work. It required two people to lift each heavy and extremely valuable painting. With Nick’s help Lory could stand back and choose each painting’s best position. They repeated the process of lifting and holding each painting in position for all twenty of the masterworks. Then Lory had to translate, print and affix labels with the details for each work of art to the wall next to it. Preparing the entire installation took more than a week of hard work.
Once installation was complete, Lory had to concentrate on her opening speech. Typically, she asked an art expert to briefly present the exhibited artworks and officially open the prestigious exhibition. Since most of the paintings for this exhibition were from the Museum d’Orsay, she decided to ask its Director, Mr. Laurence des Chavignon, to present the exhibit. Mr. Des Chavignon accepted with pleasure, looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays in Rome with his wife.