In which i ate tiramisu and had some wine to boot!

So I had lunch at this nice little restaurant in the middle of ally today. Its called the Ristorante Pizzeria L. Anna. Me, Guerry, Nicole, and Liz totally had an awesome little lunch together as we sat outside and enjoyed the nice breeze and cars pass by us. We ordered a nice little jug'o wine for ourselves, and even though I'm not a wine person, it was pretty good. The girls ordered salads, and i of course had pizza. It was freshly made and warm, and extremely good. It tasted weird when drinking wine and eating pizza though. Very...different. We just sat there and talked about how we are liking it so far and what we hope to do, and what could be improved.

I must admit i was a bit nervous with them, because it was the first time so far in Rome that i was not with either Dan or Jackie, the two professors. Im having a hard time memorizing the city so i get easily lost. But thankful Liz had a good handle on navigation. As we left the restaurant, we went on a quest for some good gelato. We partially gave up in favor to find a way home with hopes of finding gelato along the way. Since we found the right bus stop, we saw a gelatoria close by.

I ordered an amazing strawberry and banana gelato that tasted soooo good. As we waited for the bus, we spotted Dan and his group, and then we got on the bus. We managed to make it back to St. Johns on our own, and I for one was happy/proud. After that we took a break in our rooms and i watched the season finale of glee which was rather mediocre.

For dinner we ate at a nice place in Trastevere, with an actual Roman artist who is friends with Jackie. Her and her partner showed us their gallery earlier and answered questions we provided. For dinner i had the fettucini with ragu, which Dan told me was a red sauce. Once i got it though in turned out to be a meat sauce. I was annoyed but once i tried it i realized it wasn't that bad and ate a good portion of it before it got really meat saucy. Another fun fact i learned is that soda isn't really popular here. people drink this thing called water. Or they drink wine or some type of coffee. For dessert i had this amazing tiramisu which was just to die for!

After dinner most of us followed Dan back to campus via the tram/trolly thing. After a few stops though Dan points out that we went in the wrong direction. Once we got on the right tram, the funniest thing all day happened. A man go on the tram and sat behind me to my right. He was a bald man of tan skin and looked like he was about in his early to mid 40's. After awhile, Melissa told me to look over, so i did. I then saw he was brushing a short wig with a comb, on the tram. I saw this and as most of you can imagine i started to laugh with melissa rather discretely-ish. As this was happening i looked over again and the man put the wig on. At that point I couldn't stop laughing with Melissa. The man then proceeded to leave with his wig on. It was the most funniest thing i witnessed so far. Truly. After that we arrived back and me, Erika, Melissa, and Emily got some gelato across the street. Peach gelato with strawberry is slammin yalls!

A Morning in the Museum

While visiting the Capitoline Museum, I came across a sculpture that caught my attention. At First I wasn’t sure what I was seeing but once I looked hard enough I began to put together what it was. That plus I looked at the name of the sculpture. It was simply named Musa, which I believe is Italian for muse.

The statue was fully intact with all of its pieces there except for its index finger on her right hand. There stood a female upright. She was leaning partially on her left side so her weight was shifted a bit. The muse remains fully clothed, and has a small tiara on her head. Her outfit seems reminiscent of a toga with a long scarf or shawl. Part of her clothing appears rather thin and may have been designed by the artist to portray a rather sheer aspect to it. Her arms are placed at her side, but she is holding them forward a bit with two items in her hands. In her left hand, she holds what initially looks like a face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that what she is holding is actual a mask that symbolizes theatre/actresses. In her right hand she holds what I think is a flute. Her hair isn’t very long and comes down just to the tip of her shoulders. She stands there presenting music and theater, with an oddly emotionless face. Defiantly one of the cool things I saw today J

One more thing

Me, Erika and Amari have talked about this but there's alot of people of color here in Rome. I initially thought i would stand out but turns out I'm nothing special here. The amount of people of color I've seen here puts Skidmore to shame. Its truly interesting to see.

PS. Italian people are like all skinny its ridiculous considering how much they eat!

First Full Day of....Gelato

Well today was our second day(first full day) in Rome. We saw ALOT and walked even more. The weather is surprisingly warmer than i expected and I'm going to be returning to the US ten shades darker. On our first major adventure into the city, we took the Metro. This is the Roman version of the subway. Its similar to that of New York's but depending on the line it can be fancier. It also gets a bit more packed i feel than those in new york but it feels faster. When we got off the metro, we walked out and right away we saw our first big OMG thing. Right across the street just chillin out was the Colosseum. When i saw it thats when i knew, i was in Rome.

We passed the Colosseum and proceeded to go to the Imperial Fora. We saw the remains of those we could see, and thats was cool. We had studied these places during the semester so to be able to see them and whats really left in person was cool. I Really like seeing the column of Trajan because it was fully there and we questioned the scale of it in class. After the imperial fora we went to see what the natives call Mussolini's typewriter.

This grand and ornate marble white palace looking thing was huge and noticeable for most of the morning. When we went up its stairs the scale of the building really started to sink in. It was pretty big and we weren't even at the top. Once inside we climbed more stair and reached a portion that over looked the city skyline. That was a beautiful view but again we were still not at the top. At that point we took a lunch break and wandered off to regroup later.

For lunch i followed Jackie (one of my two professors) to find somewhere to eat. I knew i was hungry but i didn't know what i wanted. She took the group that followed her to what she says is the best Roman pizza place in the area. I had a margarita which is considered a plain here. it was all pretty cheap surprisingly and we ate outside in the shade. The pizza itself wasn't that bad but i preferred the one we ate last night. After that we went to an electronic store for a few people and then the best thing happened. We went for GELATO!!! It was my first time trying it and it was AMAZING!. I had a coconut flavored one and it was pretty damn good. Gelato is similar to ice cream but creamier. It also tastes like ten times better...just saying. That was a personal highlight of my day.

Overall today was pretty long but pretty good. We walked way too much even coming back from dinner! But i hear that tomorrows agenda is less extensive so heres hoping for some clubbin!!!

Space and Place: Forum Romanum

Being in the Forum Romanum today brought this experience to life. When first entering the forum, I didn’t initially know what I was looking at or where in the forum I was. I walked around alone for a bit and I recognized the Curia Julia from a far and saw the arch of Titus in the background. On my way back, I saw the remains of the Temple of Vesta and got to see for the first time the scale of it. It was a cool moment for me because when studying for the midterm, the temple was my assigned structure.

Once Dan gave us the official tour I began to notice the paths that would connect the buildings/structures. In my head an outline of where ancient Romans would have walked started to form. One end started very politically and grand with the Curia Julia and Temple of Saturn on one end. As we head down the paths we came to the Basilica Julia. In this portion of the forum, the structures began to take a more religious tone, as the next temple remains were for that of the Temple of Vesta. The tour eventually ended at the Arch of Titus, which I saw as a way of the ancients reaffirming their legacy and victories in battles.

I saw the Forum as being designed rather chaotically but in a way strategically. Most of the buildings were organized around buildings of similar functions. This created sections or areas for the early Romans to go within the forum. Overall I felt like an outsider in the forum, because although I was in it, I couldn’t really see it. The way it used to look, and the way the people navigated it, can only be imagined by me, so it doesn’t really feel as though I belong. I don’t think I felt like a stranger because I am familiar with the structures there but for the most part I knew I didn’t fit.

First day What to expect

Coming into this course, I expected to learn more about Rome and many of its significant monuments. I did not expect to learn all that I have this semester and more. I came into the class with a general knowledge of what Rome was at least in its early Christian days. I had a pretty good understanding of who Julius Caesar was and what affect he had on Rome. After completing this course, I realized I knew very little about Rome, and would probably not be aware of a lot of the hidden but important monuments in Rome. Reading Rome allowed me for the first time, to be able to see the different layers that make up a city over time.

Learning about the different layers of the city has definitely helped shape the perspective I intend to bring to Rome. I originally was planning on visiting a few ancient Rome structures, and a majority of Christian ones. Now that I am aware of these multiple layers, I will be more critical of what ill be looking at. As I look around the city I will try to determine what layers are what, and what has been layered over. I think this brings a better perspective than just a regular tourist, because not only do I see what’s underneath, I also know the significance of what’s underneath, as well as why it may still be around.

Getting to know my classmates has also broadened my perspective on seeing Rome. Having many of us come from different academic principles I think was an important part of the class. As we mentioned once in a discussion group, while we are all learning about Rome the same way, we are all going to be seeing Rome differently. This can be for many reasons, but I think our own academic background and interest can play a key role in whether or not one chooses to focus on seeing ancient Rome or maybe the modern city. Having all theses different perspectives is important as well for when we discussed the soft city.

As we begin our journey through Rome, we walk through a small park, just outside the St. Johns campus. Dan and Jackie ask what t he group wants to do before we embark on our first tour. They tell us we have half an hour before we have to begin. A few people mention eating, but Dan quickly reminds us that our dinner is all set for later in the evening. Alissa then asks “How about a snack?” Amari quickly jumps in and pleads for gelato at which point I agree and ask to get gelato as well. The group seems to be on the consensus that we want gelato. Dan moans about not spoiling our appetite, but Jackie reassures him that it would be a nice introduction into Italian cuisine. Dan begrudgingly agrees and Jackie leads the way to the nearest gelato store.

As we walk the streets of Rome, I quickly notice how different the cars that drive by are different than those here. I see my first motorino, and I remember the first time I heard it mentioned in class. As I stare at the man on the vehicle, I bump into an older woman. I quickly say excuse me, and she looks at me with an annoyed face. I notice that she dropped her groceries, and I help her pick it up. She mumbles some stuff in Italian that I don’t fully understand. As we continue walking, I feel incredibly embarrassed and Guerry makes a joke to me about the situation. Erika gives me attitude about needing to pay attention before she starts to complain about being tired.

As we arrive at the gelato shop, Jackie points out how the shop is rather small and we will have to eat outside. Dan organizes us to go in groups of three. I end up in one of the final groups, so I wait with Erika and Guerry outside. We talk about how amazed we are that we made it here, to Rome finally. I joke about how this has been a dream come true since I was a little girl. The first group comes out with their gelato, and Amari states that’s its even better than what she remembered. Jackie tells us we can sit at the outside tables around and eat our gelato. When its finally my turn, I enter this small shop which looks like its completely made of wood. In the shop there are murals and paintings of historical Italian people and places. There is a young man at the counter and older man by the gelato.

I see all the flavors that they have but true to who I am, I stick with basic vanilla to test this gelato thing out. Ask Erika and Guerry how to say vanilla in Italian but the young man understood right away. I casually say I wished I had been able to order it in Italian. He tells me in his broken English, that it isn’t much of big deal, and they get many Americans in their store. When the old man finally gives me my gelato, I am excited to take my first bite. As I walk outside, I begin to take my first bite. I am amazed with the richness of the flavor, and enjoy the gelato. As I look upon the rest of the group, we are all just sitting around socializing, eating gelato. In my mind I realize that after a rigorous semester, we finally made it to the eternal city. We made it to Rome.