tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34842268049668337832024-03-08T06:45:40.183-08:00Roman HolidayElisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-67926519357583962942009-03-02T03:30:00.000-08:002009-03-02T04:19:26.853-08:00Last week, week 8 of the program, was our last official week of class. I can't believe how quickly it all went by...I feel like I just got here. Despite the fact that my time in Rome is almost over, I still have a lot of fun things coming my way before I head back to the US. This week is reserved for work on our individual study project (I am focusing on the architecture of the Pantheon, how it was constructed and for what purpose) and next week, week 10 (all quarters at UW are 10 weeks long), we are taking our last class trip and heading off to Capri. On March 13, Sammie and I head to Dublin to visit Michelle and Patrick for five days (can't wait to see you guys!), and then fly to Holland to visit Sam's family for a few days. Lots of adventures left!<br /><br />Being here has been such an incredible experience. It was so easy for me to adjust to Italian life, and I am grateful for that after seeing so many of my peers struggle with the adjustment. I never really realized before I came here that most of the experience of studying abroad is entirely mental. I suppose I thought that everyone, like me, would be so enthralled with the wonders of Italy that happiness would be endlessly abundant. There have been bumps and trials along the way...missing friends and family, missing the comforts of America that we take for granted, problems with our apartment, broken computers. It is all part of the experience, really, and accepting that makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable. We live in a country that has so many amenities that make our lives "easier": clothes dryers, dishwashers, microwaves, televisions, easy access to internet, cell phones with internet capability, GPS systems. Italian life is so much different. Even though they are a Western industrialized nation (and in my opinion, responsible for some of the best things in life), the typical Italian doesn't have all the beeping gizmos and gadgets that Americans can't seem to live without. It's been liberating, really, to live life in a much simpler way. I love that we walk everywhere. I love that we can lounge outdoors under a heater in the Campo at a cafe and share a bottle of wine in the late afternoon. I love that I can get fresh produce at the Campo market every morning. I love that despite my schoolwork, required school reading, class time and site visits, three papers, individual exploration and a busy nightlife, I'm halfway through my fifth novel on this trip. Despite missing all of you at home, I have never once had the desire to leave this place. I am beyond grateful to have had this wonderful experience and I hope that you've enjoyed sharing a piece of it! :)<br /><br />All mushiness aside, new things to report. Yesterday Sam, Ashley-Rose, MacKenzie and I went to see the Pope!<br /><br /><img style="width: 351px; height: 232px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10733459_42077913_5967153.jpg" /><br />Me and MacKenzie in Vatican City<br /><br /><img style="width: 351px; height: 523px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Picture001.jpg" /><br />Ciao, Pope!<br /><br />I'm going to work hard on my paper this afternoon, have lunch and shop a little with the girls and hopefully have some fun tonight! Wednesday is MacKenzie's birthday so Sam and I are busy planning something special for her. More pictures to come!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-51763433465614267712009-02-26T09:13:00.001-08:002009-02-26T09:43:33.435-08:00FINALLY got all my recent pictures uploaded so that I can share with you. Not having a laptop has proven a bit inconvenient, but life goes on.<br /><br />When I left you last, I told you about the Roma-Siena game. Here are some pictures!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Siena/n10721184_42014898_4239.jpg" /><br />In the cab on the way over<br /><br /><img style="width: 386px; height: 289px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Siena/n10721184_42014904_6136.jpg" /><br />The night game was so cool!<br /><br /><img style="width: 385px; height: 288px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Siena/n10721184_42014910_8085.jpg" /><br />She-Wolf mascot!<br /><br />Last Monday, we went to the Vittorio Emmanuele monument for our site visit. It is the largest civic monument in the world, commemorating the first king of unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel.<br /><br /><img style="width: 387px; height: 290px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/192366231_5202b7562d.jpg?v=0" /><br />The monument<br /><br /><img style="width: 381px; height: 571px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014824_6053.jpg" /><br />Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...they have one too I guess.<br /><br /><img style="width: 381px; height: 254px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014826_6695.jpg" /><br />Eternal flame. Profe told us that once, a bunch of Mexican soccer fans, um, relieved themselves on the flame and put it out. .....OOPS! Score another point for rowdy soccer fans...<br /><br /><img style="width: 375px; height: 250px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014827_7003.jpg" /><br />Vittorio Emmanuele equestrian statue. Apparently it's so big that 21 people lunched inside of it before it was placed up there. Don't know if I buy that..<br /><br /><img style="width: 372px; height: 557px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014831_8255.jpg" /><br />View of Piazza Venezia from the first level.<br /><br /><img style="width: 369px; height: 552px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014833_8921.jpg" /><br />Risorgimento museum<br /><br />Then we got to go up to the top level...and the views were amazing.<br /><br /><img style="width: 367px; height: 244px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014843_1931.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 364px; height: 545px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014850_4438.jpg" /><br />Bella Roma!<br /><br /><img style="width: 361px; height: 240px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014856_6674.jpg" /><br />Colosseum and Roman forum!<br /><br /><img style="width: 362px; height: 241px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014855_6303.jpg" /><br />Close-up of the forum<br /><br /><img style="width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014862_8943.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 359px; height: 239px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vittorio%20Emmanuele/n10721184_42014789_8370.jpg" /><br />Christine and me<br /><br />On Tuesday, we went to E.U.R. It is in southern Rome and was built by Mussolini as a sort of "world's fair of Fascist architecture."<br /><br /><img style="width: 355px; height: 265px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture001.jpg" /><br />This building is called the Square Colosseum. There are 9 arches across and 6 arches vertically, supposed to represent B-e-n-i-t-o (6) M-u-s-s-o-l-i-n-i (9).<br /><br /><img style="width: 356px; height: 472px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture022.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 352px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture023.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 351px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture027.jpg" /><br />This building is the Fascist version of the Pantheon.<br /><br /><img style="width: 351px; height: 466px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture032.jpg" /><br />Looking out over Piazza John F. Kennedy (all the streets and piazzas in E.U.R. are named like this, after famous people and sciences) towards the Square Colosseum.<br /><br /><img style="width: 350px; height: 261px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture038.jpg" /><br />Then we went to the Museum of Roman Civilization.<br /><br /><img style="width: 349px; height: 461px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture058.jpg" /><br />Plaster casts of the reliefs on Trajan's column.<br /><br /><img style="width: 349px; height: 260px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture062.jpg" /><br />Scale model of Rome!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 349px; height: 259px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture063.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 347px; height: 259px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/EUR/Picture064.jpg" /><br />So cool.<br /><br />Tuesday was Mardi Gras, so the girls and I went out to celebrate!<br /><br /><img style="width: 348px; height: 260px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Mardi%20Gras/Picture074.jpg" /><br />Me, Christine, and Sam<br /><br /><img style="width: 349px; height: 261px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Mardi%20Gras/Picture080.jpg" /><br />Me and Ashley-Rose<br /><br /><img style="width: 345px; height: 256px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Mardi%20Gras/Picture079.jpg" /><br />We got roses :)Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-50667760124878580412009-02-25T05:35:00.000-08:002009-02-25T05:36:31.394-08:00how could anyone not love a place where it is perfectly acceptable to eat pizza every day?<br /><br />I LOVE ITALY!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-72464583713983947912009-02-23T06:27:00.000-08:002009-02-23T08:31:25.617-08:00I have become a negligent blogger!I have mixed news for you all today. I am sad to report that for the first time in about four years, my trusty Toshiba laptop has surprised me with it's first real problem. Yesterday, while attempting to write my paper for class, my screen went black. Luckily the rest of the computer seems to be functioning correctly, it just seems that there might be some issue with the display. I have an appointment with the UWRC resident techie, so hopefully he can help me! In the meantime, I have checked out a very beat up PowerBook G4 from the office...good news! Unfortunately the laptop has no USB ports, so it makes picture transferring a bit tricky, but luckily I still have access to the computer lab (until 5 pm, anyway!) so I can keep you all updated. Bad news, I had already started on my paper and have no access to that information. I have to rewrite it from scratch! BUT! Good news! Miraculously, last night MacKenzie discovered a wireless signal that we have never seen before while she was watching The Office. WE HAVE INTERNET IN OUR APARTMENT! Who knows how long it will last and none of us want to jinx it, but it's pretty exciting news. It will certainly make doing assignments much easier! So! despite the fact that my computer is currently out of commission, life is still good.<br /><br />A few posts ago I listed the (supposed) best pizza places in my area. I am happy to report that I have checked one off the list. On Friday night Erin, Christine, MacKenzie, Karleen, Reese, his friend Jason (who is studying in Spain and came to visit for the weekend), and I went to Da Baffetto near Piazza Navona. If you find yourself in Rome, don't miss out on this place. Scratch that. Come to Rome FOR this place! It is only open for dinner, anytime after 6:30, and they don't take reservations. The restaurant is very small so it is not uncommon to have to wait in a long line outside for a table. Even though we were a group of seven on a Friday night, we had good luck and only had to wait about 10 minutes. I took pictures....but they're on my laptop :( so you will just have to use your imagination! This is the first time I've seen a pizza place around here with a wood-fired oven...which, as we all know, makes all the difference! I had a pizza with bresaola (cured beef), rucola/rocket (are you sensing a trend? Maybe Elise's new favorite pizza topping?? Maybe the best pizza topping ever??), and parmesan. After we devoured our pizzas, we all split a Nutella pizza for dessert. It was delicious. 'Nuff said.<br /><br />After dinner Erin, Christine, and I met up with Giulia and she took us to a club out in E.U.R., which is in southern Rome. I don't want to explain to you what E.U.R. is yet, because we're going there as a class on Wednesday...so stay tuned! The place she took us to was called Jet Set, and it is a restaurant that turns into a "disco" late at night. I liked the place because it was far outside of the traditionally touristy areas of Rome, so we were the only Americans there. I am so glad that we've made an Italian friend here to show us the places we would never get to go to otherwise! We had a lot of fun dancing the night away.<br /><br /><img style="width: 382px; height: 286px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1441.jpg" /><br />Christine, me, Erin, and Giulia!<br /><br />Saturday night, we went to another football game! This time, Roma played Siena. This game was particularly fun because it was at night...and we were really lucky to witness another Roma win! They beat Siena 1-0.<br /><br />I am currently having trouble uploading my photos, so stay tuned...I will edit this post later and update more pics!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-84584728309569464462009-02-20T06:46:00.000-08:002009-02-20T08:01:56.572-08:00Ciao tutti! I know I've slacked this week on updating you. Here are 2 more pictures from Venice that my friends took:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10734595_41938286_7612.jpg" /><br />A-Rose, me, Sam, and Erin trying on masks. This was apparently the store that supplied the masks for the movie "Eyes Wide Shut." I've never seen the film but it was interesting nonetheless. All the masks in Venice are really pretty, but I still think they are inherently creepy.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10734595_41938203_1205.jpg" /><br />Mike, me, Reese, Sam, and Brandy at the group dinner in Padua.<br /><br />This week we studied romanticism and the Risorgimento. For romanticism, we focused mainly on the poets John Keats and Percy Shelley. Keats was a 19th century English poet who, after contracting tuberculosis, spent his last days in Rome. We visited the apartment he lived and died in, which is right next to the Spanish Steps. The building is now a museum dedicated to both Keats and Shelley.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1051.jpg" /><br />Keats-Shelley museum. The museum houses one of the largest collections of romanticism poetry in the world.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1055.jpg" /><br />This is the room that Keats lived and died in.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1057.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1059.jpg" /><br />Life mask of Keats<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1056.jpg" /><br />Death mask of Keats<br /><br />Percy Shelley was also an English poet living and working at the same time as Keats.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1060.jpg" /><br />Look mom! Mary Shelley!!! :) She was his second wife.<br /><br />After the museum we visited the Protestant cemetery located in an area of Rome called Testaccio. The cemetery is the burial site of Keats, Shelley, and an important name of the Risorgimento, Antonio Gramsci.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1063.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1064.jpg" /><br />The cemetery contains this 1st century BC pyramid which is the tomb of Cestius, a prominent figure in ancient Rome.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1072.jpg" /><br />The pyramid is built into a section of the old Aurelian wall which ran around ancient Rome. The wall dates between 271 and 275.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1066.jpg" /><br />Keats' grave<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1068.jpg" /><br />He had time to design his own headstone before he passed, and didn't want to have his name engraved on it. All he wanted was "Here lies one whose name was writ in water," alluding to his early death (he died at 25 without getting the chance to see his name become famous) and his belief that he wouldn't be remembered. The rest was added after his death and against his wishes.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1067.jpg" /><br />His friend, Joseph Severn, was an artist friend of Keats who lived with him in Rome and took care of him in his final days. Although Severn lived a full life, he requested to be buried next to Keats.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1076.jpg" /><br />Shelley's grave<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Keats%20Shelley/camera1077.jpg" /><br />Gramschi's grave. Antonio Gramschi was an Italian philosopher, writer, politician, and political theorist in the late 19th and early 20th century and is credited with founding the Communist Party of Italy. His theories and writings were heavily influenced by Marx and is famous for his concept of "cultural hegemony:"<br /><br />"It means that a diverse culture can be ruled or dominated by one class in part through common sense, that everyday practices and shared beliefs provide the foundation for complex systems of domination."<br /><br />It was a pretty great coincidence for us to see Gramschi's grave too, because we will be studying him and his writings next week!<br /><br />On Tuesday we visited one of the largest hills in Rome, the Gianicolo. It is located in Trastevere about a 5 minute walk from my apartment. I mentioned it in a previous entry some number of weeks ago, when a group of us went for a walk and stumbled upon an amazing overlook of the city. Turns out...we had a site visit planned there! The Gianicolo was relevant to our studies because there are a few equestrian statues there of some very famous people in Italian history related to the Risorgimento. The Risorgimento, meaning the "revival," was the movement in the 19th century towards Italian unification.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risorgimento">Click here to read the Wikipedia article on the Risorgimento!</a><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1053.jpg" /><br />This is the monument dedicated to those who died during the Risorgimento.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1055.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1060.jpg" /><br />Crypt down below, with plaques listing the names of the Italian martyrs.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1075.jpg" /><br />Equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, an important political and military figure. He essentially liberated southern Italy from the repressive regime of King Francis II. He eventually surrendered his conquests to Vittorio Emanuele, who eventually became the first king of unified Italy.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1078.jpg" /><br />Rome or die!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1082.jpg" /><br />Statue of Anita Garibaldi, Giuseppe's wife. She was Brazilian and an important figure there. This statue was donated to Italy by Brazil.<br /><br />Here are some views from the Gianicolo:<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1085.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1086.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Gianicolo/camera1089.jpg" /><br /><br />On Wednesday, we visited the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna. I liked this modern art museum a lot more than the Peggy Guggenheim...there was a lot more works that I was excited about (and, in my opinion, a lot less BS!). The museum was mainly Italian artists, but I also saw a Cezanne, a Monet, and a Van Gogh!<br /><br />Wednesday night our Italian friend Giulia came over for dinner with two of her friends. I breaded some chicken breast in crumbled bruschetta crackers, roasted some zucchini and eggplant, and made rigatoni in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce. Erin, Christine, and Karleen came over too so it was a huge dinner party. We had a lot of fun! Giulia and her friends are so nice. We are all hoping to get together with her again tonight and go out for a drink.<br /><br />Ciao for now!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-47164261947710046622009-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:002009-02-15T15:58:45.523-08:00Hi everyone, I am back from Venice! We left early Monday morning and I just got back last night. It was wonderful! I enjoyed the city much more this time than when I went with my family...I think it helped that it's not tourist season. The train ride was about 4 and a half hours long. It wasn't too bad, I got a lot of reading done. We got into Venice around 1:30 and walked to our hostel (my first one), the Collegio Armeno, near the Campo Santa Margherita. We had private rooms, and I lucked out and got to share a double with Sammie. The sheets and towels were clean, but the rest of the place was very minimal (and certainly not worth the 25 euro we paid to spend an extra night!), but it was only a place to sleep! After we dropped off our luggage and settled into our rooms, we went to a small restaurant in the Campo for a group lunch. I had pizza!<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1053.jpg" /><br />Sauce, mozzarella, eggplant, onions, and pepperoni. Not bad.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1050.jpg" /><br />Christine and me.<br /><br />After lunch, we walked about 15 minutes to the Piazza San Marco and explored there. We checked out the basilica and saw the view of the piazza from the balcony, but we didn't spend too much time there because we had plans later in the week for a private night visit to the basilica to check out the ceiling mosaics.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1060-1.jpg" /><br />Basilica San Marco<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1061-1.jpg" /><br />The Doge's palace and the ancient "front door" of Venice.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1076-1.jpg" /><br />The piazza<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1066-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1072-1.jpg" /><br />The Four Horses, made of gilded bronze, inside the basilica. They were stolen from the Hippodrome in Constantinople as part of the loot from 4th crusade.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1074-1.jpg" /><br />There are replicas of the horses that adorn the outside of the basilica.<br /><br />After we spent some time in the piazza, we walked back towards the hostel and Profe got us all gelato!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1115-1.jpg" /><br />Tangent.....in all truth, I'm not a big ice cream eater back home, but there is something magical about gelato. It's creamier, it tastes more like the actual flavor. It is SO GOOD. The girls and I generally go to our favorite place in Rome by the Pantheon multiple times a week. The guys that scoop it have started to recognize us, and they smile knowingly at us every time! I'm so greatful that we have a professor who shares our love for gelato and gets it for us during site visits every once in awhile! But I digress...<br /><br />After gelato we were free to roam around. A few of the girls and I were still very full from lunch, but decided instead to sit at a restaurant in the Campo and have a glass of wine. While we were sitting and chatting, we met a group of girls from Montana studying abroad in Venice sitting at the pub next door. We joined them for a spritz (wine, sparkling water, aperol, garnished with an orange), the "drink of Venice." We all really enjoyed the drink and made plans to meet up at the pub with the girls the next night.<br /><br />On Tuesday morning the weather was really cold and rainy, but luckily our site visits kept us mostly indoors. We went to a church, the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari where we saw Titian's <span style="font-style: italic;">Assumption</span> over the altar...<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1055.jpg" /><br /><br />Then we visited the Scuola San Rocco, decorated by the artist Tintoretto. Afterwards, we walked back to the Campo for lunch. Part of the group decided to go back to the restaurant we went to on Monday, but the rest of us decided we wanted to try something new. We went to a place on the other side of the Campo called Pier Dickens Inn (weird name....). I had pizza!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1060.jpg" /><br />Sauce, mozzarella, rocket, and parmesean. DELICIOUS. This was easily the best pizza I have had in Italy so far (granted, I haven't tried as hard as maybe my dad would like, but it was still pretty freakin' good). The dough was slightly salty, excellent sauce:cheese:crust ratio, the crust was still crispy and not too soggy in the middle. YUM.<br /><br />After lunch, it started raining pretty hard so Profe decided to take us to the Doge's palace in the Piazza San Marco. There was a lot of cool art on the walls which was nice to see, but the best part was the prison, connected to the palace by the Bridge of Sighs. From the bridge, convicts would get their last view of Venice before being locked away in the prison. After the palace, Profe gave us a few hours to walk around and explore. Erin, Christine, Sammie, Karleen and I walked around and shopped a little near the piazza, and then walked to the Rialto bridge and shared a bottle of cabernet franc on the Grand Canal. Life sucks!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1067.jpg" /><br />Rialto bridge<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1065.jpg" /><br />The Grand Canal<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1068.jpg" /><br />Sam and me<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1073.jpg" /><br /><br />At 7:10, we met back up with Profe in the piazza for the private night tour of the basilica. The interior of the church is absolutely spectacular. The entire ceiling is covered with gold glass mosaic. We were led into the church in the dark, and we layed down on the floor while the guards that showed us around turned on all the lights slowly. It was absolutely beautiful!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1157.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1160.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1165.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1212.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1206.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1199.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1189.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1176.jpg" /><br />This is the gilded altar screen, called the Pala d'Oro. It is covered with enamels depicting the life of St. Mark, and is encrusted with 1,927 precious gems. Talk about Venetian wealth!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1179.jpg" /><br />Close-up.<br /><br />That night, we had planned on going to the pub in the Campo near the hostel but Venice was experiencing <span style="font-style: italic;">acqua alta</span>, or high water. I learned from a few locals that acqua alta usually happens around November, so it was unusual that it happened so early in the year. The water flooded the first floor of our hostel and covered all the sidewalks. You couldn't go anywhere without wellies! It was nuts!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1085.jpg" /><br />MacKenzie enjoying the novelty.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1088.jpg" /><br />Crazy!!!!<br /><br />Needless to say, we stayed in that night :)<br /><br />On Wednesday, we went on a day trip to Padua. The train ride was about 50 minutes long and a little shorter on the way back. The weather in Padua was gorgeous, warm and sunny. From the train station, we walked to the Palazzo della Ragione, which is a town hall built in 1219. It generally functioned as a court of law.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1216.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1222.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1224.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1221.jpg" /><br />They used to make debtors sit on this in their underwear to shame them!<br /><br />After the Palazzo, we walked over to the Scrovegni Chapel. It was built in 1305 by Enrico Scrovegni, the son of a wealthy moneylender. The interior decorations for the chapel were commissioned by Giotto, Italy's most famous painter at the time. The frescoes chart the life of the Virgin Mary and also the life of Christ.<br /><br /><img src="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CappelladegliScrovegni.jpg" /><br /><br />We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but this is what it looked like inside:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.venezia.net/images/citta-veneto/scrovegni-interno.jpg" /><br /><br />After the visit to the chapel, we walked to the Palazzo del Bo, which is the historical seat of the University of Padua (founded in 1222).<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1093.jpg" /><br /><br />The school has about 60,000 students and they have all areas of study except for architecture because there is a really famous architecture school in Venice. Medicine and law have been the most prominent areas of study at the school since it's founding. Galileo taught math at the university for 18 years and discovered the Milky Way while he was part of the faculty. In 1595, the school built the first anatomical theatre for classroom dissections of the human body (no pictures....damn these people!)<br /><br /><img src="http://clendening.kumc.edu/dc/rm/16_97p.jpg" /><br /><br />The school also boasts the first woman college graduate in the world, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, who graduated in 1678 with a degree in Philosophy.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1096.jpg" /><br />This is the house that Galileo lived in while he was a professor.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1097.jpg" /><br /><br />We went to the Basilica de Sant'Antonio, built in 1235 shortly after the death of Saint Anthony, and the church houses his remains.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1099.jpg" /><br /><br />After checking out the interior, we walked to a restaurant nearby for a group dinner.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1109.jpg" /><br />I had <span style="font-style: italic;">tagliatelle al limone </span>and spinach with butter. Yummy!<br /><br />Profe let us sleep in on Thursday morning, so we met him at 11 a.m. to go to the Peggy Guggenheim modern art museum on the Grand Canal. We saw works by Picasso, Dali, Jackson Pollack, and Max Ernst. I liked a few of the works but mainly it wasn't my bag. After the museum around 3, Profe got us all water bus passes so we could explore the islands. I had one thing on my personal itinerary...the restaurant Da Romano on the island of Burano. It was recently featured on Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations," and recommended by my dad and a friend. We had to meet Profe back in front of the hostel at 6:50 for a group dinner, so a few of the girls and I figured we would take advantage of the pass and that we had plenty of time to travel to Burano for a light, late lunch. We...were wrong. It took us about an hour and a half to get to Burano, so by the time we got there it was about time to turn around and go back to make sure we weren't late for the group dinner. We asked a nice lady in a shop and she directed us to a large square where the restaurant is....it was closed! <span style="font-style: italic;">Va bene,</span> we decided to go back the next day and try again. I asked a woman in a nearby shop if it would be open tomorrow and she vigorously shook her head yes, so we were excited to come back and try it out. We walked back to the water bus stop and caught the next bus back to Venice. We were on the island for about 15 minutes!! The trip was not made in vain, though, because I got some amazing pictures of the sunset on the ride back.<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1276.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1260.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1285.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1294.jpg" /><br /><br /></span>Epic!!! The group dinner was really great, minus a minor misunderstanding with the owner. Profe had arranged for us all to have a seafood antipasto for an appetizer, which was incredible.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1116.jpg" /><br /><br />The owner had asked Profe beforehand if anyone would be interested in having sea bass, and even though he told the guy that <span style="font-style: italic;">some</span> people might like it, the owner went ahead and prepared it for everyone. Profe explained the confusion to him and he made a seafood risotto for those of us who don't like sea bass. It had mussels and small shrimp in it. Delicious!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1128.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1132.jpg" /><br />MacKenzie was feeling adventurous and decided to opt for the sea bass. She named him Herman.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Venice/camera1136.jpg" /><br />....and we did have a little fun with it. :)<br /><br />We all went out that night and hung out with the Montana girls. We were happy to find a low-key place to sit and have a few drinks! Thursday marked the end of our class field trip, but we all opted to stay an extra night to explore because Carnivale started over the weekend. Erin, Christine, Karleen, Sammie, and I slept in on Friday morning and grabbed gyros for lunch on the way to the water bus. We took the boat to Murano and explored there a bit. I had been before and labelled it as overrated, but the girls were excited to see a glass blowing demo, and after about 30 minutes of aimless wandering and window shopping everyone got really bored and was ready to leave. We figured out the water bus route and decided to head back to Burano for dinner at Da Romano. We figured out a better route and in about 30 minutes or so we were back on the island. We felt like pros trekking back to the small square without having to ask for directions this time...but Da Romano was CLOSED!!!!!! I was really bummed out! We tried to have dinner at a couple other restaurants in the area but they were all closing! We turned around, walked back to the boat and headed back to Venice, had dinner near the hostel and went out to start celebrating the start of Carnivale. Not a whole lot was going on since it didn't officially start until Saturday, but it was fun nonetheless. We took a 12:43 train back to Venice the next day and while we waited in the sun on the steps of the train station along the Grand Canal we watched all the people streaming into the city in elaborate costumes and masks. We all wished we could have stayed an extra night, but I was also glad to get back and have some time to chill out before the start of a new week. Back in Rome, a small group of us went out for a Valentine's Day dinner last night in the Campo de'Fiori, and we drank wine together in the Campo apartment. I slept in today and headed to the UWRC in the afternoon to upload the 300-something pictures I took in Venice. I went for a walk with Christine and Erin around 2:30, and we lunched at a place near Piazza Navona and then walked to the Trevi Fountain. I am well rested, relaxed, and ready to start week 7! I cannot believe I have only a month left! The girls and I decided over lunch today to really start packing in the events to make sure we don't miss out on a single minute. As much as I don't want to leave Italy, I am excited to come home and (eventually) see all of you! As for now, the slow internet in the UWRC has kept me up way too late so it's time for me to head back to the apartment and turn into a pumpkin!<br /><br />Buona sera!<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-82435597498992007942009-02-08T11:12:00.000-08:002009-02-08T11:26:56.823-08:00Today we went to the Rome vs. Genoa football game! It was my first football game and I was really excited. The energy and intensity of the crowd was unbelievable...they barely sit down and sing and chant in unison through the whole game! It was also great because Roma won 3-0, so everyone was really happy. Here are some pictures I took:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Genoa/camera1032.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 525px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Genoa/camera1041.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Genoa/camera1039.jpg" /><br />She-Wolf mascot!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Genoa/camera1044.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roma%20v%20Genoa/camera1046.jpg" /><br />yay Roma!<br /><br />After the game, we decided to walk home....it was really far and it took us 2 hours! But I was happy for the exercise and it was a nice day, so why not?<br /><br />Tomorrow we leave for our class trip to Venice. We will be there until Saturday night, so unfortunately you'll have to wait until then :) but i can promise you a HUGE update after the trip!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-54758339571370193372009-02-05T11:08:00.001-08:002009-02-05T11:10:14.168-08:00A brief note....So, I never really used to like Nutella, but since I got over my hazelnut "thing," I have discovered that Nutella is one of the best things ever. My roommates and I have gone through 1500 grams of Nutella since we have been here. I eat it on bread, on cookies, sometimes just with a spoon. I don't really see how I'm not going to be addicted to it for the rest of my life.Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-45490603049197250262009-02-04T07:07:00.000-08:002009-02-04T08:18:34.562-08:00Ciao ragazzi! Last night Erin, Christine, and I met up with our new Italian friend Giulia! She is a university student from Verona studying architecture in Rome. She brought us over to her flat for dinner and made lasagna and a potato and mushroom frittata-like thing. It was really good! We met a few of her friends from school and everyone was quite friendly and interested in us. Not all of them spoke a ton of English, but Giulia made it obligatory for all of her friends to try that night. She speaks English really well because she was a flight attendant for a few years before starting college. We talked a lot about eachother, about Rome, and also about America and they all got really excited when the conversation turned to Obama. They talked about how much they like him and even started saying, "yes we can!" It seems to me that every time we meet people here and they discover that we are American, the conversation always quickly turns to Obama. I think it's wonderful that he is getting such a warm reception in different parts of the world, and it's great to see that our perception as a people might also be changing! The girls and I had a great time and are so happy that we've made some local friends. We made plans with Giulia to have her and her friends over to my apartment to reciprocate. Hopefully my cooking is up to par!<br /><br />Today in class we visited the Galleria Borghese! the villa was set in a huge park and the grounds were beautiful. The Galleria is filled to the brim with amazing art...but no pictures of course, rats! But in any event, here are the highlights of what I saw today:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/dafne.jpg" /><br />Bernini's <span style="font-style: italic;">Apollo and Daphne</span>. Amazing!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 138px;" src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/amor.jpg" /><br />Titian's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sacred and Profane Love<br /><br /></span><img src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/david.jpg" /><br />Bernini's <span style="font-style: italic;">David</span>.<br /><br /><img style="width: 339px; height: 350px;" src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/depos.jpg" /><br />Raphael's <span style="font-style: italic;">Deposition of Christ</span>. This is the painting I compared to the Caravaggio version in the paper I posted! I finally got to see both of them!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/proserp.jpg" /><br />Bernini's <span style="font-style: italic;">Pluto and Proserpina</span>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/palafren.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">Madonna of the Palafrenieri.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span><img src="http://www.galleriaborghese.it/opere/maxi/davcar.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">David With the Head of Goliath.</span> The head of Goliath here is Caravaggio's self-portrait!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 297px;" src="http://www.srcs.nctu.edu.tw/joyceliu/mworks/mw-onlinecourse/course/0109/caravaggio/St.Jerome_in_his-Study.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">St. Jerome in his Study.</span><br /><br />I really loved the Galleria. As an art student, I'm truly in heaven in this city!!! Here are some pictures I took around the grounds:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1026.jpg" /><br />The Galleria<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1043.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1028.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1033.jpg" /><br />Erin, Sam, and MacKenzie!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1041.jpg" /><br />CHIDlets!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1054-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1059-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20Borghese/camera1060-1.jpg" /><br /><br />Tonight Erin, Joella, and Brandy (two other girls from our program) are coming over to have dinner with Sam, MacKenzie, and I. I'll make sure to take pictures of our little dinner party!<br /><br />Ciao!<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /></span>Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-43535669631111571372009-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:002009-02-03T09:24:07.186-08:00I woke up this morning and realized that I have now officially been living in Rome for a month. I am so lucky and so happy to be here. I can't believe all the amazing things I have seen and done already...and I still have 2 months left!! <span style="font-style: italic;">Bella Roma</span>!!!!<br /><br />Today was a pretty interesting day. For our first visit, we went to the Capuchin Crypts. The crypts are really just a series of small "chapels" underneath the Santa Maria della Consezione dei Cappuccini church. The chapels are an example of <span style="font-style: italic;">momento mori</span>, or reflections on death. The chapels are the final resting places of some 4,000 monks......and the best part of this was that some random artist decided it would be a really good idea to decorate the chapels with their bones! In the last crypt, there is a sign that says, <span style="font-style: italic;">Quello che voi siete noi eravamo; quello che noi siamo voi sarete</span>....What you are now we used to be, what we are now you will be. Creepy! We weren't allowed to take pictures, but here are some from the internet so you can see what it was like:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://ettel.typepad.com/photos/med2003/rome_capuchin_crypt.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 556px;" src="http://www.qsov.com/Italy2005/019CapuchinCrypt2.jpg" /><br /><br />Even though the place is obviously pretty morbid, it was actually really fascinating. I recommend checking it out if you ever find yourself in Rome.<br /><br />After the crypts, we walked over to Santa Maria della Vittoria to see Bernini's famous sculpture, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Ecstasy of St. Theresa</span>. I've studied this sculpture in many art history classes, and was very excited to see it...it is a very interesting story and piece of art. Theresa was a cloistered nun who one night had a divine vision. She describes the event in her autobiography:<br /><br />"I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying."<br /><br />Make of THAT what you will....and here is the statue:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1023-2.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1024-2.jpg" /><br /><br />While I was taking pictures of the statue, my roommate MacKenzie came up behind me and sang this song:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imeem.com/smiley1053/music/RWurxiV6/r_kelly_bump_and_grind/">Click here for song!</a><br /><br />:)<br /><br /><br /><br />Erin, Christine, and I made an Italian friend named Guilia the other night at a wine bar around the corner from my apartment. She invited us over for dinner tonight and I'm pretty excited! Tomorrow for class we are going to the Galleria Borghese...can't wait to see all the amazing art there!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-3085123657709134722009-02-02T09:08:00.000-08:002009-02-02T09:33:14.621-08:00I know some of you have been patiently waiting for an update, but things have been fairly low-key. I haven't been feeling very well lately, so this past weekend was spent working on some assignments for class and resting. Thankfully I am starting to feel much better and I'm hoping that my cold won't get passed back to me again :)<br /><br />This week in class we are focusing on the Baroque. Today was a very short day, we covered three Jesuit churches around Rome. The first one we went to is called Il Gesu, and it is the first Jesuit church...ever. It was built not long after the death of the Jesuit's founding father, Ignatius Loyola, whose tomb is in the church.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1020-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1016-1.jpg" /><br />incredible Baroque fresco on the ceiling.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1026-1.jpg" /><br />tomb of St. Ignatius<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1028-1.jpg" /><br />tomb of St. Francis Xavier, and that, my friends, is his arm.<br /><br />The second church we went to today was called St. Ignatius...same guy.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1034-1.jpg" /><br />ceiling<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1037-1.jpg" /><br />artificial dome...it's painted in perfect perspective to give the illusion that there is an actual dome in the ceiling.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1038-1.jpg" /><br /><br />Class ended pretty early today so Christine, Erin, and I went off exploring. We ended up finding the Rome Ferrari store!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1016.jpg" /><br /><br />Pretty cool! Then we went to my favorite gelato spot near the Pantheon and had a little treat :)<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10733459_41735899_8884.jpg" /><br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-87085202024612239482009-01-29T07:09:00.000-08:002009-01-29T11:15:53.048-08:00Hi all! I meant to update last night, but my roommate Ashley-Rose got her wallet stolen so I had to help her out. Fortunately everything seems to be okay, she went to the embassy today and got a new passport and her new credit cards are on their way to Rome. The UWRC has a built-in provision to extend emergency loans to students for events such as these, so it's really good to know that we have a safety net just in case! Sammie and I are just thankful that Ashley-Rose lost it at a store instead of being assaulted on the street!<br /><br />This week was Vatican week! We visited St. Peter's Basilica, the Castel Sant'Angelo, and the Vatican museums. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with the amazing art and architecture. It was raining really hard the day we went to St. Peter's, so I didn't get any good pictures of the basilica and the piazza, but here is an overview in case you're not familiar with the building:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 332px;" src="http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/imagenes_vaticano/vatican18_02.jpg" /><br /><br />The original St. Peter's was built between 326 and 333 AD by Constantine, the Roman Empire's first Christian emperor. It is the place where St. Peter (your patron saint dad :) !) was martyred and buried. The St. Peter's as we know it today was constructed under Pope Julius II, beginning in 1506. It took 120 years and 30 popes to finish! The basilica was designed by Bramante, the dome is Michelangelo's, and the beautiful collonnade and piazza was designed by Bernini. Although I knew from numerous art history and architecture classes that it is the largest Christian church in the world, the immensity of the basilica is amazing. Here are some pictures from inside St. Peter's:<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1462.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1466.jpg" /><br />Michelangelo's <span style="font-style: italic;">Pieta</span>!!!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1470.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1480.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1481.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1489.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1494.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1528.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1543.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 495px; height: 329px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1568.jpg" /><br />view of the Ponte Sant'Angelo from the Castel Sant'Angelo. The statues on the bridge were done by Bernini.<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1566.jpg" /><br />Roma!<br /><br />Probably my favorite part of the Vatican visits were the museums. There are tons of very famous works of art housed in these museums that I have studied, and I was very excited to finally see them!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1608.jpg" /><br />Raphael's <span style="font-style: italic;">School of Athens</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1634.jpg" /><br />Raphael's <span style="font-style: italic;">Transfiguration</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1635.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">Deposition of Christ</span>. I wrote an art history paper on this painting!<br /><br />And, of course, what I was most excited to see......THE SISTINE CHAPEL! (we weren't supposed to take pictures...shhhhhhhh)<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1623.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1624.jpg" /><br />Close-up of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Creation of Adam</span>, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Creation of Eve, </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Original Sin and Banishment from the Garden of Eden.</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Vatican/camera1625.jpg" /><br />close-up of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Last Judgement</span><br /><br />Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to paint the ceiling of the chapel and it took him four years to complete. Because he always considered himself primarily a sculptor, Michelangelo very much disliked the notion of having to paint the ceiling, especially since the fresco was a medium he was not familiar with. However, fueled by artistic rivalries and pure egotism he decided to outdo any fresco ever done...and he certainly did! <span style="font-style: italic;">The Last Judgement</span>, located at the altar of the chapel, was painted by Michelangelo between 1535-1541, after the sack of Rome. Michelangelo painted himself as St. Bartholomew holding his flayed skin...pretty morbid! The chapel was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.<br /><br />After the museum visit yesterday, most of the group left for a weekend trip to Barcelona. Sam, Ashley-Rose, Reese (one of the boys in our group) and I met up with Profe around 7:30 and had dinner at Trattoria Moderna (Profe had pointed this place out to me as one of his favorites and I have been dying to go). I wasn't super hungry when we got there so I just got an appetizer (tuna carpaccio with cherry tomatoes, rocket, and parmesean) and a mixed salad, but it was delicious!<br /><br />Tonight, Sam, A-Rose, and I are going out with the few CHIDlets that are still in Rome. Should be pretty fun!!<br /><br />Ciao!<br /><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />P.S. I just found the art history paper I referenced earlier, written about Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">Deposition of Christ</span> and contrasting it with one painted by Raphael. If you are interested... read on!<br /><br />Here are two links to larger images of the paintings for reference.<br /><br /><a href="http://cgfa.dotsrc.org/caravagg/caravag5.jpg">Click for the Caravaggio</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wga.hu/art/r/raphael/3umbtrip/37entom.jpg">Click for the Raphael</a><br /><br /><br /><center><b>Raphael and Caravaggio’s Depictions of the Entombment</b></center><br /><br />The entombment of Christ, or the burial of his body after the crucifixion, is a popular scene in Renaissance painting. However, each artist’s interpretation of the event differs greatly. The descriptions in the various books of the Bible are very vague, allowing artists to vary in style and be influenced by the social, political, and religious atmosphere of their particular time period. While both Raphael and Caravaggio chose to portray Christ’s entombment, the conscious choices of formal elements in each painting convey very different emotions. Caravaggio’s specific use of composition, color, and light suggests much more sadness and pain than Raphael’s depiction, echoing the shift from the high Renaissance Neo-Platonic ideal to the later Mannerist period of the 16th century. <br /><br />The composition of each painting is the most obvious reflection of mood. In Raphael’s depiction the figures are balanced on both sides in groups of five. The rocks on the left, alluding to the tomb in which Christ is to be lain, and the hills on the right, with the cross on which Christ was just crucified looming in the distance, come together in the center to form a “V.” This draws the eye down through the composition to the figure of Christ, whose own body takes on a relaxed “V” shape. The balanced shape of the composition reflects the overall serene nature of the painting: the perfection in the “V” shape reflects the perfection of God so highly valued during the time period in which Raphael painted his version. Perfection is also seen in figure of Christ. His pose is relaxed, with no sign of previous exertion in his body or face. It is as if he is depicted as being above pain and suffering. The details in the background also reflect this ideal. The gently rolling hills and tranquil blue sky filled with fluffy clouds creates a cheerful landscape which, upon close inspection, might appear odd juxtaposed against the death of Christ. In addition, the details of the landscape give the viewer somewhere else to look: while the general composition of the painting puts emphasis on the most important part, the eye is not forced to focus solely on the body of Christ. This separates the viewer from the tragic event, preventing too much emotion or attachment to be felt. Serenity is even reflected in the almost passive expressions of the surrounding figures. These ideas run parallel to the Neo-Platonic ideals of the time period, where stoicism was highly regarded. <br /><br />In stark comparison, the composition of Caravaggio’s version is very asymmetrical. Yet, it still clearly draws the eye to the subject of the painting. The figures are arranged from the very top right down an implied diagonal line to the Christ figure, with the gestures and poses of the figures helping to advance the eye. There is no balance in the picture, with the bodies of the figures contorting and hunched over, straining under the weight of Christ or expressing grief over their loss. Even the body of Christ, elongated and emaciated with protruding ribs and muscles shows evidence of his recent struggle. All of the emotion conveyed in this painting is characteristic of Mannerism, which is indicative of the reformations going on in the church during Caravaggio’s time, and the desire to portray Christ as more human. <br /><br />The use of color between the two paintings also differs extremely. In Raphael’s painting, the pallet is made up of mostly primary colors with green as an intermediary. The colors are bright and even, and balanced on both sides. The color red is displayed on the figures directly surrounding Christ to highlight his position in the painting. The overall visual quality of the painting is peaceful, and doesn’t demand any immediate attention on any one section. The balance and similarity of colors throughout, like the balance of the composition, echoes the emotion meant to be expressed by the artist, or, more specifically, the lack of emotion. Caravaggio’s painting deviates from the old Renaissance ideal. The colors are subdued and much darker, with the pallet ranging through various hues of red, black, brown. The lightest colors are reserved for the body of Christ, and even the cloth around him is whiter than the white of the figures in the background, disparities that are meant to draw the eye to the subject of the painting. The similarity, darkness, and dreariness of color in Caravaggio’s painting illustrates the somber mood intended. <br /><br />Probably the most contrasting element between Caravaggio and Raphael’s paintings is the use of light. In Raphael’s depiction, the light source is evenly distributed over the whole picture, emphasizing the brightness of color and allowing the eye to rove around the composition. In Caravaggio’s painting, however, the light source is clearly focused on the figure of Christ and his immediate surroundings. The black background serves to distinguish the light source, but also forces the eye to focus on the figure of Christ. Unlike Raphael’s painting, there is nothing in the background to distract from the subject. The strident contrast between the background and the brightest part of the painting (the figure of Christ) is typical of Mannerism, and serves to give the viewer no escape from the evident emotion displayed in the foreground. Also apparent in Caravaggio’s composition is the fact that the figures fade into the black background, forcing the viewer to fill in the rest of the composition in their imagination. The disappearance of the figures into the dark adds to the overall somber feeling of the painting, giving it an even more morbid appearance. This is not apparent in the Raphael, where the light and shadows are balanced through the whole painting, both foreground and background. <br /><br />While both Raphael and Caravaggio chose to paint the same subject, it is evident in their use of formal elements that they chose to portray the subject in two very distinct ways. Raphael adheres strictly to the Florentine Neo-Platonic ideal of reflecting God’s perfection in paintings and preaching stoicism as a way to achieve nearness with God. Caravaggio almost a hundred years later, due to changes in values in the church, depicts the vivid emotion and pain associated with the death of Christ, who was to be viewed as a more human figure.Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-5635395738505884312009-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:002009-01-25T11:50:13.000-08:00I have a lot to share with you all in this post, so prepare for another long one! After last Tuesday's post we visited a few more notable churches on Wednesday, so I will start there!<br /><br />Our first site visit on Wednesday was to a church called San Clemente. It is a 12th century Roman basilica. This church is much more interesting archaeologically because around the 1800s, a priest noticed a small cavity in a corner of the basilica and started excavating. Underneath the 12th century church, he discovered a 4th century church....and underneath that, he found ancient Roman buildings including a Mithraeum. A Mithraeum was a place where ancient Romans worshipped the god Mithras, who was a Persian god adopted into the Roman tradition. The legend of Mithras says that in the beginning, there were only two beings, Mithras and a bull. Apollo commanded Mithras to slay the bull, which Mithras did reluctantly. From the blood of the bull spilled life as we know it. Historians have come to understand that the religion is linked to astrology and that the bull is linked with the zodiac sign of Taurus. It was extremely cool to walk down into different layers of time! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any pictures there. :(<br /><br />The other church we visited of note was Santa Maria Maggiore, a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The chuch is baroque in style and very beautifully and intricately adorned. It is important for pilgrims because it contains part of the manger from the birth of Jesus..<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 528px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1227.jpg" /><br />the reliquary<br /><br />...and is also the burial place of Bernini!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1220.jpg" /><br />Bernini was a 17th century baroque architect and sculptor and is responsible for numerous amazing sculptures and fountains across Rome, and also for the piazza and colonnades in front of St. Peter's basilica in Vatican City.<br /><br /><br />On Thursday, the whole group met at the Rome Termini train station for our first class trip to Florence! We spent most of the day Thursday touring around and doing things as a class, had a group dinner that night, and it was arranged for us to have a place to stay the night. The first place we went was the famous Uffizi Gallery, located just next to the Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence.<br /><br />The Uffizi was a dream come true. Unfortunately (again) we weren't allowed to take any sort of pictures in the museum, but here are some clips of the things I was most excited to FINALLY see:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.happypawshaven.org/SALC/images/uploads/The_Birth_of_Venus_c.1485_Sandro_Botticelli.jpg" /><br />Botticelli's <span style="font-style: italic;">Birth of Venus</span><br /><br /><img src="http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif" /><br />Titian's <span style="font-style: italic;">Venus of Urbino</span><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 265px;" src="http://www.florencerooms.com/florence/florence_img/flo_img/botticelli_primavera.jpg" /><br />Botticelli's <span style="font-style: italic;">Primavera<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><img style="width: 396px; height: 178px;" src="http://usimages.easyart.com/i/prints/rw/lg/2/5/Leonardo-da-Vinci-The-Annunciation-25909.jpg" /><br />da Vinci's <span style="font-style: italic;">Annunciation</span><br /><br /><img src="http://www.prints.co.nz/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/111_Bacchus_Caravaggio_Michelangelo.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">Bacchus<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><img style="width: 395px; height: 306px;" src="http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/caravaggio_sacrificeIsaac.jpg" /><br />Caravaggio's <span style="font-style: italic;">Sacrifice of Isaac<br /><br /></span><img src="http://www.mystudios.com/women/fghij/gentileschi_judith_2.jpg" /><br />Gentileschi's <span style="font-style: italic;">Judith Slaying Holofernes</span><br /><br />These are all (very famous) paintings that I've studied in many art history classes, so it was a delight to finally get to see them in person!<br /><br />After the Uffizi, we took a short lunch break and met up at the Accademia. The Accademia is an art school in Florence with a small gallery showcasing Michaelangelo. No pictures there either! The gallery contains a bunch of Michaelangelo's unfinished statues and also the famous <span style="font-style: italic;">David</span>. I loved the unfinished statues because they were still so rough and encased in huge blocks of marble, with the forms only beginning to emerge. It was great to see them in stark contrast to the smooth and detailed <span style="font-style: italic;">David</span> which completely transcends its medium! Although I have seen countless images of the <span style="font-style: italic;">David<span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span>and all of my art history professors have told me that it's huge, nothing prepared me for the sight of it. It is 17 feet tall and absolutely amazing. I secretly snapped a picture on my cell phone. :) After the Accademia, Profe took us to another interesting church, Santa Croce. There are lots of interesting people buried there!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 508px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1235.jpg" /><br />tomb of Dante<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1236.jpg" /><br />tomb of Michaelangelo!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1237.jpg" /><br />tomb of Galileo!<br /><br />That night the whole group met up and we had dinner around the corner from our hotel at a restaurant called Za Za, one of Profe's favorites. We got to pick both a primo and a secando...I had fettucini bolognese and eggplant parmesean. Delicious! The next day was ours to explore, so a group of us decided to climb Brunelleschi's dome, finished in 1436. I was super excited about this because I've studied this iconic dome in many classes also. The dome tops the Florence cathedral, the Santa Maria del Fiore. The entire church was built, including the drum for the dome, without the builders knowing how such a large dome would be constructed. Because the ancient Roman formula for concrete (used to build the dome of the Pantheon) had been lost in the middle ages, the dome had to be built with bricks. The dome is an architectural and engineering marvel because it was built entirely without interior scaffolding!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1064.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1065.jpg" /><br />interior view<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1075.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1084.jpg" /><br />we climbed 463 stairs to get to the top!!!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1083.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1087.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1090.jpg" /><br />and we did it!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 591px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1088.jpg" /><br />the view was amazing even though it was really foggy.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1096.jpg" /><br /><br />We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and exploring Florence. At 5:30, Sam, MacKenzie, Erin, Christine, Karleen, and I decided to take a train to Cinque Terre. The train ride there was about 3 hours, and we got in a little after 8:30. Because it is winter and off-season, we were able to rent really cute apartments for only 16 euro each!! We stayed in the first town, Riomaggiore, and went out to dinner at (what seemed like) the only restaurant open. It was very good!<br /><br />The next day we had planned on hiking between the towns, but it was really rainy and the trails were closed anyway. We opted instead for the train pass and hopped from town to town and explored. We quit before we hit the fifth town, however, because the weather got progressively rainier and colder. Despite the weather, Cinque Terre was incredibly beautiful and I can only imagine what it's like in the spring or summer!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1258.jpg" /><br />on the train to the next town!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1263.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1269.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1277.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1279.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1280.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 295px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1291.jpg" /><br />epic!<br /><br />We stopped in Corniglia and had lunch at the only restaurant that was open. I had an excellent spaghetti al'ragu that was perfect after being out in the cold and rainy weather! We also had a bottle of wine, the restaurant's own label. It was really good, and the nice man at the restaurant was delighted to hear we were from Seattle, where he had travelled many times, and he comped us the bottle!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1307.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1321.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Florence%20and%20Cinque%20Terre/camera1323.jpg" /><br /><br />Sam, MacKenzie, and I decided to head back to Rome that night while the other girls stayed an extra night. The train was long but it felt good to get back into my own bed and sleep. Today, like most of my Sundays here, was laid back and relaxing, and spent doing my reading for class tomorrow and uploading the hundreds of pictures from the weekend.<br /><br />This week in class is Vatican week, so stay tuned!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-67842873692805950582009-01-20T09:47:00.000-08:002009-01-20T09:56:52.774-08:00A short noteToday was a beautiful, warm, emotional and historic day. We watched President Barack Obama's inauguration at the UWRC streamed live over the internet. The director of the UW Rome Center told us that this was the largest gathering of people ever recorded anywhere. As a young person, I am hopeful and I am excited about this man who has inspired so many. We are the generation that will change the future and it moved me to tears to see my peers pack the UWRC conference room to witness this incredible event. This is the start of a new chapter for our country, this is the start of something new and bright that will change the world.<br /><br />For the first time in a very long time, I'm happy to say that I have never been so proud to be American.<br /><br />I love you all. Cheers!<br />OBAMARAMA!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-28990067197800332752009-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:002009-01-19T09:37:18.087-08:00Hello everyone! You are all long overdue for an update and lots of pictures...and luckily today with all of my camera cables with me and all my pictures uploaded, finally, i can promise you both!!<br /><br />Last Wednesday for class, we went to Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este in Tivoli. We took a chartered bus about an hour away from the city out into the beautiful Italian countryside. Hadrian's Villa was spectacular, sprawled over something like a 1 square mile complex surrounded with olive trees. It was built for the emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century. For this site, the pictures will truly do all the talking!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1077.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1094.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1095.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1099.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1104.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1110.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1111.jpg" /><br />original mosaics!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1127.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1151.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1185.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Hadrians%20Villa/camera1227.jpg" /><br /><br />After Hadrian's Villa, we got back on our charter bus and drove about 10 minutes to the heart of Tivoli. We stopped for a much needed lunch and then headed over to the beautiful Villa d'Este. Historically, the Villa d'Este wasn't connected with what we have been learning about but Profe wanted us to see it because it is such a beautiful site and it was convenient for us since we were already out there. The villa was commissioned in the 1570s by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, who was the grandson of Pope Alexander VI. A river runs through the site, so the builders used the natural flow of the land to create hundreds of fountains in the villa's gardens.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1240.jpg" /><br />This fountain had a hydraulic organ that played every half hour. Very cool!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1242.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1245.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1249.jpg" /><br />This fountain has a lot of references to Rome. The cardinal planned this on purpose to tie Tivoli to Rome.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1270.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1278.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1289.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1291.jpg" /><br />me and Shannon<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1305.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1316.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 595px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Villa%20dEste/camera1322.jpg" /><br /><br />Gorgeous!<br /><br />Thursday was pretty uneventful. We had some problems with our washing machine (it was full of water and leaking on the kitchen floor), so we had to wait around most of the afternoon for a plumber to come and fix it. Luckily everything was fixed and its running fine now. Thursday night the roommates and I plus Erin and Christine had dinner at a restaurant in the same piazza as the Pantheon.<br /><br />Friday morning we got up early and took a train to Siena. The train ride was about 2 and a half hours. The weather in Siena was sunny and warm and we all walked around without our coats on!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/n10734595_41560213_3908.jpg" /><br />Christine, Erin, and I at lunch.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/n10733459_41541054_3693.jpg" /><br />Enjoying the sunshine!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1337.jpg" /><br />The main campo in Siena<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1347.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1349.jpg" /><br />This is Santa Maria della Scala, a huge and beautiful cathedral. We went to its museum, crypt, and cathedral and also climbed the tower...<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/n10733459_41541084_1919.jpg" /><br />Climbing the narrow spiral stairway up the tower<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1363.jpg" /><br />The view from the top of the staircase<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1366.jpg" /><br />View from the top!<br /><br /><img style="width: 394px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1380.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1401.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1456.jpg" /><br />Inside the cathedral..<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1478.jpg" /><br /><br />We stayed in a cute little hotel just off the main campo. On Saturday morning, we got up early and took an hour's bus ride to San Gimignano.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1018.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 529px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1019.jpg" /><br /><br />San Gimignano was pretty empty, but there were tons of leather and pottery shops and we climbed a medieval tower.<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1029.jpg" /><br />These are the stairs we climbed to the top, and then......<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1038.jpg" /><br />This little ladder took us the rest of the way up.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1036.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 528px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1043.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1056.jpg" /><br />All of us at the top of the tower!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 526px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1041.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Weekend%20in%20Siena/camera1067.jpg" /><br />This is the tower we climbed.<br /><br />We got back from Siena late Saturday night and crashed early. Sunday I got groceries, finished my reading and prepared for Monday's class.<br /><br />This week in class, we're learning about the Roman Empire's shift from Paganism to Christianity. We went out and saw the sites of some of the first Christian churches in the world. In the early years of the religion, Christians were heavily persecuted so they didn't have any formal, public meeting places. They congregated instead in private homes. The places that we visited today were all former house-churches where an early Christian figure had been martyred and a new church had been built in their honor. For the first few sites, we climbed up the Aventine hill (3 down, 4 to go Dad!).<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1001.jpg" /><br />This is Santa Sabina, one of the first Christian churches modelled on the ancient Roman basilica. In later years, it became associated with St. Dominican.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1004.jpg" /><br />Inside.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 594px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1009.jpg" /><br />Original column from the domus that was here before the church.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1013.jpg" /><br />Altar<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 595px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1022.jpg" /><br />This is the church of Sant' Alessio<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1035.jpg" /><br />View from the Aventine, that's St. Peter's in the distance.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1042.jpg" /><br />Me and Sam<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1043.jpg" /><br />This is the Santa Maria in Cosmedin, the church that is in the movie Roman Holiday!! And if you are familiar with that movie, you will certainly recognize this...<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Church%20Week/camera1049.jpg" /><br />The Mouth of Truth!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-5318506493759754772009-01-15T07:41:00.000-08:002009-01-15T08:29:58.554-08:00lots of pictures!Hello everyone! Thanks to tempermental internet in the UWRC, I haven't been able to post new pictures so I have a lot to share from the past week.<br /><br />Everywhere around Rome, it seems, there are take-out pizza places where you order pizza by weight. Essentially you tell them how big of a piece you want, they hack it off and charge you by how much that piece weighs. It's the closest thing I've encountered to "fast food" here. Sammie and I stopped at one on the way home from class one evening and decided to try it out.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera2001.jpg" /><br /><br />The one i picked had cheese, tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. It wasn't fabulous, but it was nice for a quick bite and definitely beat American fast food!<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera2004.jpg" /><br />This is me with my first gelato! It was chocolate mint flavored and absolutely delicious. Since having this cone, we discovered the best gelato ever, at a place near the Pantheon. They had tons of flavors! I had a cone with coffee, caramel, and chocolate mint. The flavors were so strong and real, it tasted like the real thing!<br /><br />In class this week we've been studying Imperial Rome and we made trips to the Imperial Forums and the Colosseum.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1039.jpg" /><br />Caesar's forum<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 590px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1043.jpg" /><br />Trajan's column<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 592px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1061.jpg" /><br />Nerva's forum, with a temple of Minerva, the goddess of art and craft!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1064.jpg" /><br />Colosseum!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 593px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1070.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1071.jpg" /><br />Old barracks and training ground for the gladiators.<br /><br /><img style="width: 398px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1083.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1088.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1090.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Colosseum/camera1096.jpg" /><br /><br />On Wednesday, we took a chartered bus out to Hadrian's villa and the Villa d'Este. I was going to post these pictures today for everyone to see (both places were spectacular!) but my camera battery died during the transfer!! I will get them up as soon as I can.<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-27992035460064486252009-01-12T06:38:00.000-08:002009-01-12T06:53:54.799-08:00Sunday, January 11<br /><br />Today Sam and MacKenzie and I with two other girls from our group, Erin and Christine, met up and went exploring in Trastevere. It is such a beautiful day...the sun is out and it is much warmer than it has been lately. According to Profe, Trastevere is supposed to have a lot of public parks, so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and find a place to do our reading for class. We didn't really know where to go, so we just set out walking. Close to the apartment we encountered a big hill and decided to climb it. We discovered a beautiful old church and what appeared to be the Spanish embassy next door. From the church we could see down on Trastevere. We kept walking up the hill and saw an old war monument and a huge fountain. As we kept climbing, we finally stumbled upon a huge public park at the top of the hill with a huge monument commemorating the Italian war hero Guiseppe Garibaldi. Beyond the monument was a look-out point where you could see the whole city of Rome. It is the most amazing and breathtaking thing I've seen so far here, and we all made a pact to go once a week together and make it our secret study spot. I sat on the edge of the look-out point for awhile and just stared at the view for a long time reflecting on my time in Italy so far. This place is absolutely incredible and life here seems so simple. Our apartment is simple; we have no internet, tv, or any fancy electronics. The kitchen has the bare essentials with the small washing machine, dishwasher, and hot water heater all next to eachother. All the people here seem happy and carefree all the time, and they seem to spend their days reading newspapers in corner cafes drinking coffee or wine, depending (and sometimes not depending) on the time of day. We walk everywhere, buy our fresh groceries in the open-air markets of the Campo and Piazzas, eat simple but good food, and that seems to be all we really need. Even though I am here as a student and I have scholastic responsibilities, living here has been so wonderful that it makes me wish I had my own apartment here in Trastevere and a silver Vespa to ride around the city!<br /><cite id="cite4""><b></b></cite>Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-71233568944004942272009-01-09T07:22:00.000-08:002009-01-09T07:38:12.017-08:00Good morning all!Finally I have some pictures of my apartment in Trastevere.<br /><br /><img style="width: 501px; height: 667px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0375.jpg" /><br />living room<br /><br /><img style="width: 503px; height: 670px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0376.jpg" /><br />kitchen<br /><br /><img style="width: 503px; height: 669px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0377.jpg" /><br />bathroom<br /><br /><img style="width: 503px; height: 670px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0378.jpg" /><br />view from the front door<br /><br /><img style="width: 500px; height: 666px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0379.jpg" /><br />MacKenzie and Ashley Rose's bedroom<br /><br /><img style="width: 502px; height: 668px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0380.jpg" /><br />me and Sam's bedroom<br /><br /><img style="width: 504px; height: 672px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0381.jpg" /><br />the view from our bedroom window<br /><br /><img style="width: 503px; height: 653px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0382.jpg" /><br />and the view looking the other way! There is a piazza at the end of this street, San Cosimato, and that is the way we walk to school in the morning.<br /><br /><img style="width: 501px; height: 668px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0253.jpg" /><br />and this is our apartment building!<br /><br />It's about 4:30 p.m. here right now, and today has been pretty low-key. I planned on going to the museum near the capitol building to see the Picasso exhibit, but I had to wait a long time for a hot shower, so I got a pretty late start. Instead I decided to get through most of the reading for class on Monday, then showered and walked to the UWRC with Sam to do some research for our first paper. By the time we got here it was about 3:00, so I didn't want to go all the way to the museum in the event that it was much bigger than I could cover in an hour or two.<br /><br />Most of the people in our group took a day trip to Naples today but Sam and I decided to stay behind since it is our first weekend in Rome. I think tonight we are planning on checking out a local wine bar, and tomorrow we plan to do some exploring around the Trevi fountain.<br /><br />In other news, I forgot to report last time that I've found a fellow foodie in our group! Her name is Christine and she's originally from Lake Tahoe. We made a pact to find and try some of the nicer restaurants around here. I'm pretty excited!<br /><br />Also, and this is mostly for my dad, I did some research and found a guide listing the top pizza places in Rome and made a list of the ones that are really close to both my apartment and the UWRC. My "to try" list is:<br /><br />1) Acchiapafantasmi - Campo de'Fiori<br />via dei Cappellari 66<br /><br />2) Da Baffetto - Piazza Navona<br />via del Governo Vecchio 114<br /><br />3) Dar Poeta - Trastevere<br />vicolo del Bologna 45<br /><br />I will post full reviews when I get the chance to try these places!<br /><br />Ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-4905188152121211032009-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:002009-01-08T11:54:35.607-08:00Finally! An update!Sammie, me, and MacKenzie on the first day of school in Roma!<img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10733459_41369882_4129.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/n10733459_41369893_7353.jpg" /><br />on our walk to school, right after we cross over the Tiber river.<br /><br />My apologies to all of you out there who have been checking in for updates. I haven't had any time to come into the Rome center to update this thing! But, as promised, I have TONS of pictures to share with all of you from the first week of class/site visits. Let's start with all of those.<br /><br />The first day, we went to the Palatine hill, where the very first Roman civilization started in about 700 BCE.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0863.jpg" /><br />this is the entrance to the Palatine hill.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0862.jpg" /><br />Roman aqueduct near the entrance.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0870.jpg" /><br />this statue was amazing.....look at how intricate the carving is!<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0875.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 261px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0876.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0880.jpg" /><br />view of the city from the Palatine<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0881.jpg" /><br />site of the huts of Romulus and Remus!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0888.jpg" /><br />house of the first Roman emperor, Augustus!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0891.jpg" /><br />the CHID group.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0893.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Palatine%20Hill/IMG_0897.jpg" /><br />from the Palatine, looking onto the Roman forum!<br /><br />On Tuesday, we went to the Roman forum.<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/DSCN0239.jpg" /><br />me and my roommates, from the left is Sammie, me, Ashley Rose, and MacKenzie.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/DSCN0243.jpg" /><br />us in front of the Colusseum, waiting to get into the Roman forum.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0920.jpg" /><br />the triumphal arch of Titus, built to represent the success of his 71 AD triumph over the Jews.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0924.jpg" /><br />Basilica Nova, also called the Basilica of Constantine, a perfect illustration of the Roman innovation of the arch/barrel vault/dome. This basilica was the models for half of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican...the top half was modeled after the Pantheon!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 262px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0933.jpg" /><br />representing CHID!!! Professore said he is going to send this to the CHID office. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0937.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0940.jpg" /><br />this building has its original bronze doors from the 2nd or 3rd century!<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0942.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0953.jpg" /><br />the columns in the back here were rebuilt by Mussolini.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0955.jpg" /><br />looking towards the arch of Septimus Severus. Not incredibly historically significant, just really cool to look at.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0958.jpg" /><br />house of the vestal virgins.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0963.jpg" /><br />temple of the divine Julius Caesar.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0973.jpg" /><br />Mamertime Prison!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 264px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0979.jpg" /><br />Profe told us that when this prison was in operation, the Romans would throw their prisoners down this hole after returning to the city on their Triumphal March. Once in the chamber, they would either starve to death or be strangled and then.....<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0980.jpg" /><br />they were thrown out this door which lead to the great drain (cloaca maxima) that lead to the Tiber river. Not a nice way to go!<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_0989.jpg" /><br />the Capitoline hill....plaza designed by Michaelangelo. I was very excited to finally see this because I have studied this in many art history classes!<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_1014.jpg" /><br />ORIGINAL foundation of the Temple of Jupiter! Soooo cool.<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 263px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Roman%20Forum/IMG_1018.jpg" /><br />overlooking the forum. Amazing.<br /><br />Yesterday, Wednesday, Jan. 7, we went to a place called Ostia Antica, an ancient port city from the Roman empire. I can say with much certainty that it was one of the coolest places I have ever been. It started out as a castrum, meaning that it was a military camp. In ancient Roman fashion, all of the roads in castrums were ordered axially, with the largest most important road marking the North-South axis. Ostia Antica was significant because of its strategic location for defense and trade. The ruins are all that is left of the 6th century BC city. We took a bus and two trains to get there, and the trip was about 40 minutes from Rome. It could have been because of the drizzly weather, but there were very, very few people visiting the site when we were there. I found this much preferrable because it gave me lots of time and space to walk around and think about what it would have been like to live in a city like this.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0265.jpg" /><br />that is Profe in the beret. Easily the coolest professor i have ever had.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0266.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0267.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0269.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0272.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0274.jpg" /><br />bath house.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0280.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0288.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0290.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0292.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 455px; height: 341px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0306.jpg" /><br />theatre.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0312.jpg" /><br />domus (typical Roman house)<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0317.jpg" /><br />the main road running on the N-S axis.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0320.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 455px; height: 341px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0323.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0325.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 448px; height: 336px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0328.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0331.jpg" /><br />public latrine.<br /><br /><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0334.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0338.jpg" /><br />capital, before it was moved to Rome.<br /><br /><img style="width: 438px; height: 328px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0339.jpg" /><br />us!<br /><br /><img style="width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0340.jpg" /><br />everyone doing their best Rocky impression :)<br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 529px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0355.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/Ostia%20Antica/DSCN0366.jpg" /><br />other side of the theatre<br /><br />I loved Ostia Antica!!! If you ever find yourself in Rome, please go.<br /><br />Before we went to Ostia yesterday, a friend of Profe's named Bill (originally from Texas but has lived in Rome for something like 30 years working as a caterer) gave us a tour of the Campo de'Fiori market.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0254.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0255.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 397px; height: 297px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0256.jpg" /><br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 527px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0258.jpg" /><br /><br />I enjoyed learning where to get meat, bread, salumi, cheese, and general groceries. Later that night, he did a cooking demo for us and we had a group dinner. Profe had told me beforehand (since he knows that I'm a "foodie"/cook) that I could talk to Bill and let him know what I was interested in learning how to make and that he would try to prepare it for us. I tried to talk to Bill during the market tour but he kind of blew me off and prepared instead what he thought was good. He made penne arrabiata (decent), chicken piccata (pretty good), a salad of fennel, arugula, blood orange, and pomegranate seeds (no dressing, apparently the blood orange suffices...i didn't eat this) and panna cotta flavored with espresso (I didn't eat this either, not a big panna cotta fan). It was nice to have a big group dinner together but I was disappointed he didn't cook anything a little more advanced. However, I understand that not everyone in the group is an experienced cook so he wanted to make sure he showed us how to make things that we could easily recreate.<br /><br />I haven't had a chance to cook in the apartment yet as we are missing some crucial kitchen implements (i.e., stock pot, non-serrated knife, cutting board....dish towels...), but we are supposed to get them by next week.<br /><br />Today was a pretty low-key day. The girls and I slept in and I walked around Trestevere and went to a nearby art supply store. Part of our credit here in Rome is a self-directed research project, so I've decided that I want to focus (of course) on art and do sketches along with my 6-8 page paper. I got a sketch book and a journal (we are required to keep one..), some pencils, and an eraser. When I got back we had a leisurely lunch at a little restaurant that we pass on the way to class. The food was decent. I wanted pizza, but by the time we got to the restaurant, they weren't serving it anymore. Instead, I ate rigatoni in a tomato cream sauce with mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant. It was good but I probably won't go back. The other day Profe suggested a nice restaurant for me to try called Trattoria Moderna, which I'm thinking of trying solo sometime this weekend perhaps. Also, Profe and I discovered that there is a Picasso exhibit going on near the Capitoline hill...I'm thinking of hitting that tomorrow!!!!<br /><br />Besides all of the historical sites, I took a few pictures for Dad......<br /><br /><img style="width: 395px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0371.jpg" /><br />remote controlled F1 car..........pretty cool.<br /><br /><img style="width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0372.jpg" /><br /><br />also, saw this Smart Car and thought the color was really cool!!!<br /><br /><img style="width: 369px; height: 276px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/DSCN0373.jpg" /><br /><br />Ciao everyone!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3484226804966833783.post-85881119984426749962009-01-05T08:17:00.000-08:002009-01-05T09:10:36.391-08:00Buon Giorno!Sunday, January 4<br /><br />I'm officially in Rome! I can't believe it came so soon. I was very sad to leave Boston; I had so much fun with all the fam and my parents and Michelle's wedding was fabulous, but I am thrilled to be here. The plane ride over was long and uneventful, but overall the travel from Boston to the UW Rome Center was smooth: I navigated the airport, picked up my bags, and rode into Rome in a cute little Fiat taxi.<br /><br />I arrived at the UWRC around 9:00 a.m. local time and I wasn't able to go directly to my apartment as I had hoped. I ended up having to stay an extra night in Massachusetts because of plane malfunctions, so I arrived a day late and our Professore had things planned for us. We picked up our course readers, went over the syllabus, and got a tour of the Campo de'Fiori where the school is located. I finally got to see my apartment around 3:30 and I am very pleased with its condition and location. I am sharing the apartment with my roommate from Seattle, Sammie, and two other girls named MacKenzie and Ashley Rose. We are staying in one of Rome's oldest and most traditional neighborhoods called Trastevere. We are within 50 feet of three pizzarias and a handful of bakeries and coffee bars. Just down the street is one of the biggest supermarkets in Rome and we are a short walk from a great Sunday flea market.<br /><br />After I arrived at the apartment I had little time to relax. I cleaned up and changed, and the girls and I headed out to run some errands. We met up with the whole group around 7 p.m. for our first group dinner. We went to a place close to the Campo and had an amazing meal of bruschetta, salumi, fried veggies (zucchini, eggplant, red peppers, artichokes...delicious) for starters, and then rigatoni in a spicy tomato sauce and wide penne with a sweet tomato sauce with figs. We all split a few liters of red wine and had a great first meal together.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1208.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 277px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1208.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />After dinner, Professore took us on an after-dinner walk to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, which were both incredible. I can't wait to see them during the daytime! I got back to my apartment around 10 or 11, and spent the next few hours unpacking and getting settled. At that point I must have been on my 6th or 7th wind because I had been up for almost 40 hours and wasn't very tired anymore. Sammie and I are sharing a room and we both finished unpacking and getting settled and finally retired around 2:30 a.m. What a long day!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1221.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 277px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v233/coffeepot/ROMA/camera1221.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />me hugging a column at the Pantheon!<br /></div><br />We woke up around 7:30 a.m. Sunday and met the whole group outside our apartment for a tour of the Sunday flea market. This place was incredible. Table after table of almost everything you could think of...clothes/shoes/accessories, food, kitchenware, books, electronics, and sometimes just plain junk. This place is HUGE. Professore told us that it spans an area larger than the Fremont district in Seattle!! Sam, MacKenzie and I spent around an hour and a half exploring, but soon grew tired and cold and decided to walk back towards our apartment and get groceries. The supermarket was one of the best experiences I've had so far. One of Rome's "largest" supermarkets is actually about half of the size of what we consider normal in America, but it has absolutely everything you could need. They even had a full deli, American cereal, some junk food, a wine and liquor section, and a frozen food section, housewares, cleaning supplies and toiletries. Being at the Supermercati made me realize how much space is taken up in American supermarkets with really useless things. In my local Safeway in Seattle, and in most every other supermarket I've ever been in, there is a whole aisle devoted to 6784 brands of toilet paper and paper towels, a whole aisle for all the different (but truthfully very similar) kinds of cereal. There is loads of processed junk foods full of preservatives and fat and calories. We are even used to two aisles of frozen foods. But the Supermercati was small and space efficient and I got lots of delicious things. I bought a baguette, lemons, tomatoes, fresh bufala mozzarella, pepato cheese, parmesean, salami, spicy dijon mustard, As Do Mar tuna (!!!!!), olive oil, red wine and balsamic vinegars, bottled water, a bag of greens, olives, and a bottle of wine. When we got home I had a small lunch of bread, cheese, and salami and felt very satisfied.<br /><br />Sammie and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and preparing for our first day of class on Monday the 4th. We walked up the street to the tobacco shop to buy bus tickets for the week (we will need them for our site visits) and spent the evening getting through our assigned readings. I had a small salad for dinner with a piece of bread and I feel very light and satisfied. Our hot water heater in the apartment is very small, so I showered and dried my hair afterwards and sat in bed and finished my reading before retiring, thankfully, earlier than the night before. On our first day of class tomorrow, we will be visiting the Palatine hill, the Circus Maximus, Temple of Portunus, Temple of Hercules, and the Cloaca Maxima as part of our week 1 study of ancient Rome. I can't wait to see it all!<br /><br /><br />Monday, January 5<br /><br />Today we got up fairly early and walked to the UWRC for class at 9 a.m. We will have class Monday-Wednesday starting at 9, talk for an hour on the week's readings, and then do specific site visits for the rest of the morning/afternoon. In today's class, we talked about ancient Rome as a historical site as well as the creation and rise of the Roman state as one of the most powerful and influential societies of its time. So many of our modern institutions remain from Roman society that existed thousands of years ago. Rome is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited sites of the world and has been that way for 3,000 years. That is so incredible! This place is truly the cradle of modern Western civilization, and I really think this was a great place for me to study abroad.<br /><br />After our hour in the classroom, we took the bus and the underground tram to the Palatine hill. This was the site where it all started. We saw 2nd and 3rd Century marble busts and statues that were just beautiful. It is so amazing to me that someone can carve these statues out of marble and make them look so realistic. Even the way their clothing drapes looks so realistic! We also saw the site of the huts of Romulus and Remus, the original founders of Rome, dating back to before 700 BCE!<br /><br />[[I took a lot of pictures at the Palatine hill today, but didn't bring my camera transfer cord with me, so I will edit this post later and add lots of pictures! Check in soon!]]<br /><br />ciao!Elisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07935664477309431566noreply@blogger.com5