Arrivederci, Roma

My trip to Italy was more than I could have asked for. As everyone I know predicted, I had the time of my life and I am sure I will never forget my experiences abroad. I recommend a similar European experience to anyone and everyone and I think I might make it a point to prompt as many people as I can to go.

I am now home in my house, immersed in air conditioning and writing my final blog as a CAS in Rome student. I am no longer in access to my beloved place, the Piazza della Rotonda, but I can just imagine what is going on there. I am in Northeastern Pennsylvania imaging tourists in Rome, taking in all the action at the piazza, just like I did. I am quite sure that nowhere in the United States is remotely like the piazza and the Pantheon. I will miss them dearly as I speed down the well paved streets of my town where there is not a cobblestone piazza or 400 year old building to be found.

When I am in the grocery store again, I will not be able to avoid comparing it to the Italian supermercato and open air markets. While there is amazing food to be found in the United States, it is still not Italian food in Italy. When I am at the State College Farmer’s Market in August, I will be thinking about the Campo di’ Fiori market and wishing I had the same variety and choices. In the end, Italian food will always be my favorite and I am thrilled that I got a taste of Italy twice in my life.

The summer of 2009 in Italia has forever made and impression on me and I will never forget my experiences eating, spending time near the Pantheon, and everything in between. Arrivederci Roma.

BVLGARI

mMy last week in Rome has been jam-packed with finishing up shopping and site-seeing. To my surprise, I saw one of my favorite sites in Rome this week, the Bvlgari jewelry exhibit. Bvlgari is one of, if not the most, famous Italian jewelers. The exhibit of the exquisite jewels celebrates the legend's 125th anniversary. The setting at Palazzo delle Esposizioni makes the exhibit even better with its grand space and regal interior. The exhibition, entitled "Between History and Eternity: 1884-2009," showcases the finest pieces of jewelry from this company since its start so long ago. I saw all the jewels of famous celebrities from Elizabeth Taylor to Jessica Alba. Even though I was not allowed to take pictures in the exhibit, the jewels are forever in my mind. I do not think I will ever forget seeing over 177 carats of diamonds on one necklace for the rest of my life. Whenever I hear or see Bvlgari, I will think of myself walking though the exhibit when I was just a student in Rome.

Mapping out Michelangelo

As a mini-project in class here in Rome, we discussed the rhetoric of maps and then designed our own walks through Rome and drew out our route. I decided to use Michelangelo as my theme. My walk begins at Piazza San Bernardo at the "Moses Fountain." It is officially known as the Fontana dell'Acqua Felice, but commonly called the Moses Fountain by tourists. According to my guidebook, the fountain was sculpted by either Prospero Bresciano or Leonardo Sormani. This fountain is a "clumsy" attempt at recreating Michelangelo's Moses that is our last stop this walk. I thought it would be interesting to compare the difference in the skill of the replica and the real sculpture.

From the fontana, the walking route goes south down the Via Torino. On the way to our next destination, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, we pass the sprawling Piazza della Repubblica and the large black fountain in the center. Once we arrive at the basilica at the end of Via Torino, we will see the chapel inside that Michelangelo designed, called the Sforza Chapel. Even though it was built by Giacomo della Porta, it still has the style and inspiration of Michelangelo.

Next, we will pass through the Piazza Della Esquilino and head southwest down Via Cavour. About halfway between Piazza Della Esquilino and Via Dei Fori Imperiali, we will make a left onto Via Annibaldi. We will arrive at Piazza San Pietro in Vincoli and the church that houses Michelangelo's statue of Moses will be on the left. Besides this skillfully crafted marble statue, there is a relinquary of the chains that supposedly shackled Saint Peter in the Mammertine Prison. The prison is also a location we visited in our first days of class in Rome.

Remember, you can click any photo to enlarge it!
Sources: DK Eyewitness Travel: Rome; Rome.info; Frommer's: Rome Map.

Ancient Ruins of Ostia Antica

Today my abroad program went on a little jaunt to Ostia Antica. The metro from Piramide to Ostica Antica was a quick and easy way to get to the site of the ancient ruins. It was hard at first to really think of the place as more than a pile of bricks but with a closer look (and a quick reading of the signs) the layout of the town became more clear.

At one time in history Ostia Antica was Rome's main commercial port and a military base defending the coastline and mouth of the Tiber River. As you walk down the uneven stone paths, you can see the different areas that were once homes, stores, places of business, and even a theatre. The theatre (pictured above) is in such good condition that it is actually still in use; I saw some concert posters around the area and the stage with modern technology in the middle of this rubble.

I think that Ostia Antica is important because you can see a town and think about how it functioned way back when. It is helpful that there are no modern monuments or buildings near you while you are observing the ruins; I almost got the feeling that I was in a city that crumbled apart not too long ago. My favorite parts of the remains were the mosaic floors that once adorned people's homes and bath houses. They were a pretty sight compared to the mostly brick and dirt views elsewhere. When you see this ancient art you get an appreciation for the talented people who poured their heart and soul into their homes.

[DK Eyewitness Travel: Rome]

The Protestant Cemetery

I visited the Protestant Cemetery near Testaccio in Rome last week and I honestly did not expect to see much more than ordinary graves like the many cemeteries around my hometown. It was, however, delightfully different – that is, if a cemetery could be called “delightful.” After to step through the gates off of the unkempt street, you immediately feel a sense of serenity. The morning sunlight passes through tall trees in random beams of light that illuminate several areas more than others. Once I acquainted myself with the hundreds of tombstones jammed into rows upon rows of graves, I began to notice the finer details.

The birds chirping made me feel like I was listening to a soundtrack in a spa. I read some of the epitaphs written in English and I also looked at the ages at which people passed away. I saw one stone that had a beautifully carved baby resting near a cross only to read that it was an infant of only two months of age laid to rest below. The nicely manicured foliage in this cemetery was one of its best qualities. The vibrantly colored flowers all around the plots made you not think about lives rather than their deaths as they rested in peace.

Click Here for the Protestant Cemetery Website

Festa Della Republica

Today I went to the parade that commemorates the Festa Della Republica or Festival of the Republic. June 2 is a national holiday that happens every year in honor of the anniversary of Italy taking on a republican form of government. For the past week I Roma getting ready for the festivities which began with a bike race on Sunday. All along the Via Fori Imperiali (the major street that runs past the Colosseo) there were bleachers for people to sit and barricades to keep the crowds out of the streets.

The parade today was a long march of all the military branches in Italy. Before the parade began I happened to shake hands with the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as he walked by the crowd. I did not even know that was him until I showed my professor a picture in class and asked who he was. It was funny that I was right next to him and had no idea (or maybe it was sad)!The onlookers of the parade clapped and cheered for the different branches of the military as they marched by. There were marching bands strategically placed between the shouting marchers that loudly played Italian anthems. There was one group in particular that I found the most amusing - they had feathered heads and were running past the front of Il Vittoriano while skillfully playing instruments. Today made me want to become an Italian citizen; the moral was inspiring.

Movin' on down to Trastevere

This week myself and six roommates packed up our first apartment on the Via Montecatini between Via Del Corso and the Pantheon. Montecatini was an incredibly spacious apartment with five bedrooms and enough beds for eleven people. We had two full bathrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room, and floor to ceiling windows in each room. We even had a balcony off the front of the building, which you can see in the picture. From the hardwood floors to the incredible excess of room, I loved Montecatini.

Not so much can be said for our current dwelling in on Viale di Trastevere. We are now about seven times as far from where classes are held and six floors higher with a minute elevator. The most aesthetic part about our apartment complex in Trastevere is the hobos that took up housing on the front sidewalk. One of the homeless men actually has a mattress set up full time.

I should not make it seem like an absolute nightmare however. Financially, Trastevere is a great weight lifted off my bank account. In the first 18 days of the trip, my average spending was $68 (U.S.) per day. I think the fact that the groceries in my new neighborhood are half the price of those near the Pantheon is a great step up. Hopefully, I will find more “upsides” to living here – and for once I am optimistic!

Padre della Patria

When you travel through Rome it is quite hard to miss Il Vittoriano, the monument honoring Victor Emmanuel II (Mar. 14, 1820 – Jan. 9, 1878) (Pictured above). Pictured below, the shear size and blinding white color of this monument draws almost all tourists to comment on the spectacle. Even though most modern Romans find the monument to be gaudy, years ago Italians gave him the epithet Father of the Fatherland - "Padre della Patria." Immanuel was the King of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia from 1849 to 1861. In 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy and gloriously became the first king of a united Italy until he died in 1878. His tomb is located in Pantheon. He will not be forgotten all long as his monument shadows Rome.
Wiki: Victor Emmanuel II of Italy

Chiesa del Gesu

The Chiesa del Gesu, or Church of the Gesu, is located in the Piazza del Gesù in Rome. I stumbled upon this baroque church while taking a walk down the Via del Plebiscito. This Church is a highly traveled area in Rome near Palazzo Venezia making it a great stop on your route through the city. Inside this church you will find some of the most beautiful marble work in the city. The most striking feature inside the church is the ceiling and cupola with frescos by Giovanni Battista Gaulli.


Chiesa del Gesu

Benvenuto!

Welcome to my blog which will be showing you some of my adventures while I am studying in Roma, Italia. I am a student in the Communication Arts and Sciences program living in the heart of Rome off the Via del Corso and near the Pantheon. I will be exploring as much of Roma as possible and hopefully seeing a little more of Europe. This is my second trip to Rome and I hope there are many, many more to come. Hopefully my blog will encourage you to visit this wonderful city. I hope you enjoy reading! Ciao, amico!