The tomb of Virgil is located in the quiet neighborhood of Mergellina in Naples.
I particularly enjoyed my visit to Virgil's tomb since I had recently reread the Aenead in school.. It is said that Virgil took ill on a visit to Naples and soon met his end. It is also said that on his deathbed he requested that his nearly completed Aenead be burned. Commissioned by Emperor Augustus himself, Virgil dedicated the last ten years of his life to its writing. His wishes were not carried out for the Roman Empire would not destroy this exquisite elaboration upon the myth linking the lineage of the founders of Rome to the defeated yet honorable House of Priam atTroy.
It was a particularly hot afternoon as I climbed the path that gives access to the chamber atop his tomb pictured in the photo on the left. Inside the chamber was an iron tripod with a single leafy branch placed upon it. Elegant in its simplicity, I was happy to pay homage to this place of imagining.