As much as I would looooove to write everyday about my crazy adventures, I've realized now that I can't. When I did, I was either sacrificing time that I could be out and about exploring Rome, or sacrificing time I could be sleeping. And trust me, I don't get enough of either of those out here.
So what I'm going to do instead is write a few blogs based on random observations I've made. I've made quite a bunch already, so I'll start working on those later tonight. Expect to read about crazy drivers, cats, and how art copies itself.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Writing Assignment 8 - Solo Trip to Castel Sant' Angelo
Yesterday, a group of 11 of us went down the street to Castel Sant' Angelo. From the first time we drove past it on our first bus ride, I've wanted to visit it. My need to see it increased even more when I remembered that it was the location of the infamous battle scene in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I must admit, after vising the Castle, then rereading Dan Brown's description of it, I was thoroughly confused on where Brown got his information. In fact, after visiting many of the sites described in Angels and Demons, I'm fairly certain that he actually never visited Rome. But that's a discussion for another blog.
From the outside, the place looks like a giant fortress, impossible to breach. I suppose that's a good thing, because at one time, it was used as a fortress for attacks against the city. The center circular building was the Mausoleum of Hadrian, built by Hadrian himself between 123 and 139 AD. It was re-purposed as a military outpost between 270-275. In the late 6th century, it was renamed to Castel Sant' Angelo because of the miracle of the angel appearing on top of the mausoleum that ended a plague in Rome.
When you enter the castle, you immediately being climbing the heliocoidal ramp. It's exactly what it sounds like - a ramp (no steps) that goes all around the edge of the circular mausoleum. That felt like it took forever... Carolyn was joking that she should she paid 8.50 to walk around in an endless circle. Ramps are also a lot more tiring than stairs are. By the time we surfaced, we were all pretty tired.
Sorry the picture is blurry. My camera doesn't do that well in dark places without the flash. You can see that it still has a very ancient feel to it. The lights are indeed lightbulbs with electricity, but the covers they use and the lack of brightness make it feel like they are torches.
We finally make it out (and I mean finally!), and we find this courtyard with another statue of an angel. Not THE archangel on top (that comes later), but another beautiful one all the same. There was a bit of construction going on, so you can see the fence around the statue. There were also some building materials off to the side.
From the courtyard, we entered into a gallery called the Sal'a dell Apollo. Like many galleries and museums, they did not allow photos to be taken, so no pictures of the amazing artwork. Many of the pieces were of course, religious, but I was surprised at how many were not. What also surprised me was the wide array of the time periods that the paintings were from. Some dated all the way from the 15th century, while there was one as modern as 1911.
After the gallery, we made our way out to a covered walkway that circles around the mausoleum. It gave us spectacular views of the city. There were also statues scattered around, some tiny doors to papal rooms, and a cafe, where the pigeons were certainly not afraid to come close.
We went upstairs to more galleries with amazing artwork. What stood out in this gallery were two unique (at least to Rome) pieces: an ancient Greek vase, and an old Japanese war helmet. All the other pieces were focused around Rome or Christian Europe, so adding in these two pieces hardly made sense. They were extremely interesting.
We made our way up a tiny narrow, curved staircase on last time, and arrived on the top balcony. What a view! We got a near 360 degree view from what seems to be one of the tallest places in Rome. The sight was absolutely beautiful, and it took my breath away to look around. We got a great look at St. Peter's Basilica!
Also, sitting right above us, was the statue in honor of the Archangel that miraculously appeared to save the city. It is an extremely moving statue with a powerful pose. Normally, when I think of angels, I think of tiny cute babies with wings, or someone soft and gentle. Not this angel. This angel came in to save the day, and succeeded. My picture isn't the from the best angle, but you can see by him pulling out the sword that he's powerful and means business.
Finally, we decided to run around on top of the fortress walls. I'm not sure if it goes all the way around because we didn't make it that far, but I would assume it does.
All in all, it was a spectacular experience. My only complaint about it was that the map was not clear at all, and I feel like we missed some things. For example, on the map it says there's a room with Cupid and Psyche (one of my favorites), but we couldn't find it anywhere! We think we know where it was hiding, but we believed that those doors were locked and were private. But we had a lot of fun!
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| Outside Castel Sant' Angelo |
When you enter the castle, you immediately being climbing the heliocoidal ramp. It's exactly what it sounds like - a ramp (no steps) that goes all around the edge of the circular mausoleum. That felt like it took forever... Carolyn was joking that she should she paid 8.50 to walk around in an endless circle. Ramps are also a lot more tiring than stairs are. By the time we surfaced, we were all pretty tired.
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| Inside the heliocoidal ramp |
We finally make it out (and I mean finally!), and we find this courtyard with another statue of an angel. Not THE archangel on top (that comes later), but another beautiful one all the same. There was a bit of construction going on, so you can see the fence around the statue. There were also some building materials off to the side.
 |
| The statue in the first courtyard |
After the gallery, we made our way out to a covered walkway that circles around the mausoleum. It gave us spectacular views of the city. There were also statues scattered around, some tiny doors to papal rooms, and a cafe, where the pigeons were certainly not afraid to come close.
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| Beautiful views! |
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| Tiny doors! |
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| Leaning in for a smooch! |
We made our way up a tiny narrow, curved staircase on last time, and arrived on the top balcony. What a view! We got a near 360 degree view from what seems to be one of the tallest places in Rome. The sight was absolutely beautiful, and it took my breath away to look around. We got a great look at St. Peter's Basilica!
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica |
Also, sitting right above us, was the statue in honor of the Archangel that miraculously appeared to save the city. It is an extremely moving statue with a powerful pose. Normally, when I think of angels, I think of tiny cute babies with wings, or someone soft and gentle. Not this angel. This angel came in to save the day, and succeeded. My picture isn't the from the best angle, but you can see by him pulling out the sword that he's powerful and means business.
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| The Archangel comes to save the day! |
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| Running around the fortress |
Writing Assignment 7 - Voyeur in the Piazza Navona
30 May 2011
11:10 am
Most people in the major tourist attraction areas come and go. After all, they are tourists, designed to see a site then leave quickly. They take their pictures and leave once they've gotten the official tourist experience.
The only people around here who seem to stay are the guards. Comprised of both policemen and military soldiers, they walk around the fountain and the plaza to keep the peace. It seems, on a quiet morning like this, that their main concern is to keep the tourists outside the rail of the fountain.
At this moment, they're not doing a very good job. Two soldiers, a policeman, and someone of a higher rank (a captain, perhaps?) are standing behind me, speaking in rapid Italian, ignoring those who are practically swimming in the fountain. There have been a handful of tourists jumping the rail and sitting on the edge of the fountain. There was even a woman who dragged her dog into the ring and splashed water on it to cool it off on this hot morning.
And just like that, the Italian conversation stops behind me. I turn and a two soldiers and the higher ranking officer have disappeared, and the police officer has begun to circle the fountain again. I spot the two soldiers sneaking through an alleyway next to the coffee shop. I'm not quite sure what happened, but all seems well in Piazza Navona.
11:10 am
Most people in the major tourist attraction areas come and go. After all, they are tourists, designed to see a site then leave quickly. They take their pictures and leave once they've gotten the official tourist experience.
The only people around here who seem to stay are the guards. Comprised of both policemen and military soldiers, they walk around the fountain and the plaza to keep the peace. It seems, on a quiet morning like this, that their main concern is to keep the tourists outside the rail of the fountain.
At this moment, they're not doing a very good job. Two soldiers, a policeman, and someone of a higher rank (a captain, perhaps?) are standing behind me, speaking in rapid Italian, ignoring those who are practically swimming in the fountain. There have been a handful of tourists jumping the rail and sitting on the edge of the fountain. There was even a woman who dragged her dog into the ring and splashed water on it to cool it off on this hot morning.
And just like that, the Italian conversation stops behind me. I turn and a two soldiers and the higher ranking officer have disappeared, and the police officer has begun to circle the fountain again. I spot the two soldiers sneaking through an alleyway next to the coffee shop. I'm not quite sure what happened, but all seems well in Piazza Navona.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Writing Assignment 6 - Solo Trip to Piazza Campo de' Fiore
My first experience with Campo de' Fiore was with Jackie and a few other RomeKids, when she brought us to lunch down that way. According to her, the pizza and sandwiches are the best you can get for lunch. I also had my first Italian suppli, or rice ball, down there. They're much better in Italy than they are in the US
We walked into the Campo de' Fiore from the Typewriter. As we entered, we saw stall after stall, selling fresh fruit, vegetables, other food goods, and knick knacks. Wandering through the market was phenomenal. I could see myself buying fresh food from them every day if I lived around there. The prices were great too! Maria bought just under a pound of strawberries for 2.50 euro (just around $3.50 - try finding those prices at P-Chops!). They were spectacular too... so sweet and juicy. I'm sure all the fresh food is like that. Another American University
My first impressions of the Campo de’ Fiore were that it was loud, noisy, busy, crowded. But people were laughing and enjoying themselves. It was clear that the sellers liked being there and liked what they were doing. And they were all so friendly and not pushy at all! Even the tourist trap sellers (those who attempt to sell useless things over priced to tourists) weren’t nearly as pushy as they were any place else you find them. I don’t particularly like being in large crowds with a bunch of people surrounding me, but this was enjoyable. I liked walking around the markets, looking at all the goods they were selling.
There really is no place to sit in the Campo de’ Fiore. They had set up an awning for something near the restaurant where we bought our lunches, so we camped out there and enjoyed our food. The bustle of the people in both the markets and the surrounding stores was a bit stressful to be a part of, but entertaining to watch.
At night, it’s a completely different space. All the tables and stalls that are set up for the market are gone, and it’s a completely open space. The bars and restaurants spread their chairs and tables out further into the plaza to make more room for the customers. There’s a statue in the center of the plaza which I didn’t even notice when the stalls were up. The plaza is full of people socializing and having a good time.
Night time Campo de’ Fiore is completely different that it’s daytime counterpart. My impression of the night time space is that it was relaxed, slow, a much different kind of noisy. It still had that enjoyable, fun feel. It was a place that I wanted to continue to be at.
I think the Campo de’ Fiore is the epitome of Roman life, or at least what I think it is: enjoyable, fun, friendly, sociable. It was also bizarre to see how the same place can become so different at night. It’s definitely a place I want to return to before we have to leave!
Writing Assignment 5 - Ekphrasis in the Galleria Borghese
Today we went to the Galleria Borghese, which is filled with amazing pieces of art by many incredible artists. Our job was to pick one piece out of hundreds of fantastic pieces and give a bit of a description of it.
The piece I chose is called Il Sonne (which means The Sleep) by Alessandro Algardi. Made of black shiny marble, it depicts a young child, presumably a boy, sleeping on a cloth of some sort. He seems to be wearing a cape as well, which is decorated with squares with rounded edges. He has his right arm raised above his head, though he's not resting on it, and his left arm is down by his side. By his left shoulder, there is a strange looking animal curled up sleeping next to him: it is either a small fox or a very large rat. His hair is also decorated with flowers. Laying between his left arm and side are a few bottles, perhaps wine jugs. It looks like the tops of the bottles are decorated with the same flowers that are in his hair.
What's most interesting to me is his position. It does not seem comfortable or natural; rather, it seems like he's fallen and won't get up again. Although sonne means sleep, isn't death the ultimate sleep?
The piece I chose is called Il Sonne (which means The Sleep) by Alessandro Algardi. Made of black shiny marble, it depicts a young child, presumably a boy, sleeping on a cloth of some sort. He seems to be wearing a cape as well, which is decorated with squares with rounded edges. He has his right arm raised above his head, though he's not resting on it, and his left arm is down by his side. By his left shoulder, there is a strange looking animal curled up sleeping next to him: it is either a small fox or a very large rat. His hair is also decorated with flowers. Laying between his left arm and side are a few bottles, perhaps wine jugs. It looks like the tops of the bottles are decorated with the same flowers that are in his hair.
What's most interesting to me is his position. It does not seem comfortable or natural; rather, it seems like he's fallen and won't get up again. Although sonne means sleep, isn't death the ultimate sleep?
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Colosseum is Awesome!
26 May 2011
Today was an absolutely phenomenal day! We got to do so many incredible, once in a life time things!
We started out with a guided tour of the Colosseum. Except this wasn't any ordinary tour. RomeKids got VIP access to all the cool places! We had our own tour guide who showed us all around, including the very bottom level (I thought it was the basement, it's actually the ground level), and the very top level. These places are usually off limits unless you buy better tickets.
The whole tour was great, but being at the top was what was the most amazing. We could see everything in the Colosseum, and got spectacular views of the rest of the city. Of course, we took a whole bunch of photos. I think we were technically allowed five minutes to run around on the top for pictures, but I'm pretty sure we stayed a bit longer.
After the Colosseum, we went to the Palatine Hill (admission came with our Colosseum tickets). It's an absolutely beautiful, open space full of gardens and ruins. We were supposed to see the House of Livy, but unfortunately it was closed (and Dan got us a bit lost again). At that point, Dan and Jackie said, "Have fun! See you tomorrow!" We were left on our own, and we had to find our own way back.
A group of 12 of us decided to stick together and walk around, because we all wanted to see Castel Sant' Angelo together afterwards. We explored the gardens, even tried to get an orange from one of the many orange trees (no luck!). We came across the gardens, ruins we could actually touch (and climb on), even a pair of feral cats.
We then went out through the Roman Forum and sat in front of the Temple of Venus and Roma, which was, at one point, the most important temple in Rome. We just sat together, took out our journals, and relaxed. It felt amazing to sit in front of such a part of Rome's history and not be rushed, but just to sit quietly and reflect on everything around us.
Getting home was easy! I was a bit nervous without Dan or Jackie to point the way, but we still had the 12 of us, and we figured it out fairly easily. There's a metro right by the Colosseum, so we took that home. I'm really happy that we all stuck close together. We took care of each other. We came up with our own counting system and used the buddy system on the subway (you're never too old for the buddy system in a busy metro area in a foreign country).
We finally got back, and a group of us decided to go out for drinks downtown. We head down to the Piazza Navona, only a few metro stops away. Except the metro stops at 9, and at this point, its just after 11. So we took a bus down in hopes that it would stop near where we wanted it to. After a few stops and a bit of walking, we make it down town to where we wanted to be. The night was fun! The city is absolutely beautiful at night, and is completely different than it is during the day. We also made it home safe and sound, after a bit of confusion, thanks to a lovely young (and very cute) Italian boy.
All in all, a very good day!
In which Dan gets us lost... again
25 May 2011
So this evening was full of transportation errors! Jackie took us to meet two of her artist friends and have them discuss being contemporary artists in Rome. Their gallery wasn't too far away, just a few bus stops. However, while we were on our way, the bus decided it was a good idea to break down. The bus driver, for whatever reason, only let around 2/3 of the passengers off the bus. Guess who was part of that 1/3 that was left on while the bus driver attempted to restart? Me! And Dan. And a bunch of other RomeKids. Having never been stuck on a bus in Rome before, we really had no idea, but Dan kept reassuring us that this was a common occurrence. Great, that's given me faith in the public transportation system. The RomeKids that had gotten off the bus already stood and laughed while Dan and the rest of us made funny faces. We even got a couple of Romans to laugh along with us. Finally, the bus driver gave up and let us off the bus. As Dan exited, he screamed "Libera!" (means free). He got a few weird looks, but mostly laughs.
Both of Jackie's friends are contemporary artists that have their own gallery, which is pretty rare. They are both absolutely amazing artists! She makes jewelry by hand that is absolutely phenomenal. Even Carolyn looked at a few pieces and had no idea how she made them. He is an incredible painter who uses so many different styles and techniques. He had landscapes, cartoon-like paintings, life-like portraits of people (including a very... interesting one of Jackie).
They told us about the difficulties being contemporary artists in a city known for it's ancientness. Everyone, especially tourists, want classical looking art to associate it with Rome. Neither of them had any classical looking work at all.
After we finished talking to them, we took Francesca (the jeweler) out to dinner. Francesca, being a Roman and not a tourist like the rest of us, wove in and out of the roads like a pro, and we hastened to keep up with her. She brought us to a nice little restaurant, and we all sat in the back.
I had my first real Italian lasagna! It was absolutely amazing! It wasn't that cheesy (which surprises me that I still liked it as much, because I love cheese), and the tomato sauce was very light and creamy. Francesca got a kick out of my excitement. To her, this is everyday life, but we don't really have real Italian food like this America.
After we finished, we said our thank yous and goodbyes to Francesca and started our way back to the university. Jackie and a group chose to take the long, scenic way back so they could bet a view of the city at night. The rest of us went with Dan to take the tram back. If you don't know what a tram is, it's similar to a subway, only it's above ground on tracks.
The way back to the university is fairly simple: head towards the Tiber River. Most of us weren't paying that much attention while on the tram - we broke out another game of Bobby's World to those RomeKids who didn't know the trick (did you figure it out yet?). All of a sudden, while at a stop, Dan yells"get off the tram!" We all rush off and try to figure out what is going on. He begins rushing down the road with the RomeKids right behind him, trying to catch the tram going in the opposite direction. The thing nearly runs me over as it leaves without us. Dan then explains that he got disoriented and got us on the wrong train. We should have hit the Tiber in less than three minutes from where we were. Ten minutes later, when we still didn't reach the river, it dawned on him that we were going the wrong way. Good thing he was paying attention... the rest of us would have gotten lost way on the other side of the city.
So this evening was full of transportation errors! Jackie took us to meet two of her artist friends and have them discuss being contemporary artists in Rome. Their gallery wasn't too far away, just a few bus stops. However, while we were on our way, the bus decided it was a good idea to break down. The bus driver, for whatever reason, only let around 2/3 of the passengers off the bus. Guess who was part of that 1/3 that was left on while the bus driver attempted to restart? Me! And Dan. And a bunch of other RomeKids. Having never been stuck on a bus in Rome before, we really had no idea, but Dan kept reassuring us that this was a common occurrence. Great, that's given me faith in the public transportation system. The RomeKids that had gotten off the bus already stood and laughed while Dan and the rest of us made funny faces. We even got a couple of Romans to laugh along with us. Finally, the bus driver gave up and let us off the bus. As Dan exited, he screamed "Libera!" (means free). He got a few weird looks, but mostly laughs.
Both of Jackie's friends are contemporary artists that have their own gallery, which is pretty rare. They are both absolutely amazing artists! She makes jewelry by hand that is absolutely phenomenal. Even Carolyn looked at a few pieces and had no idea how she made them. He is an incredible painter who uses so many different styles and techniques. He had landscapes, cartoon-like paintings, life-like portraits of people (including a very... interesting one of Jackie).
They told us about the difficulties being contemporary artists in a city known for it's ancientness. Everyone, especially tourists, want classical looking art to associate it with Rome. Neither of them had any classical looking work at all.
After we finished talking to them, we took Francesca (the jeweler) out to dinner. Francesca, being a Roman and not a tourist like the rest of us, wove in and out of the roads like a pro, and we hastened to keep up with her. She brought us to a nice little restaurant, and we all sat in the back.
I had my first real Italian lasagna! It was absolutely amazing! It wasn't that cheesy (which surprises me that I still liked it as much, because I love cheese), and the tomato sauce was very light and creamy. Francesca got a kick out of my excitement. To her, this is everyday life, but we don't really have real Italian food like this America.
After we finished, we said our thank yous and goodbyes to Francesca and started our way back to the university. Jackie and a group chose to take the long, scenic way back so they could bet a view of the city at night. The rest of us went with Dan to take the tram back. If you don't know what a tram is, it's similar to a subway, only it's above ground on tracks.
The way back to the university is fairly simple: head towards the Tiber River. Most of us weren't paying that much attention while on the tram - we broke out another game of Bobby's World to those RomeKids who didn't know the trick (did you figure it out yet?). All of a sudden, while at a stop, Dan yells"get off the tram!" We all rush off and try to figure out what is going on. He begins rushing down the road with the RomeKids right behind him, trying to catch the tram going in the opposite direction. The thing nearly runs me over as it leaves without us. Dan then explains that he got disoriented and got us on the wrong train. We should have hit the Tiber in less than three minutes from where we were. Ten minutes later, when we still didn't reach the river, it dawned on him that we were going the wrong way. Good thing he was paying attention... the rest of us would have gotten lost way on the other side of the city.
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