The First Not so Perfect Day

It's been tough living with this beautiful sunshiny slight breeze mid 80s weather. Today it was (briefly) not so perfect. After waking up well rested at 10 and having a fridge FULL of leftovers, seriously they don't all fit, Gatto and I decided to go back to Prati market for the usual Friday morning shenanigans. It was slightly ominous looking as we left the apartment but we risked it! We even found our way there without getting lost or walking down extra streets. Once inside we were in heaven! I bought zucchini, apples, eggs, provolone, aaaand lemon ravioli!! I'm not sure how it will taste but it looked too good to pass up. So more on that once I cook it.

As we left the market the ground was wet and we realized we missed the rain while we were shopping in the market! Perfect! We thought to try and visit the Prati boys this morning after our success and this is where it all went downhill. First we walked the wrong way, then it started raining, then I realized we had literally walked in a big circle. As the rain was pouring down I went up and asked a police officer for directions, but I don't know any landmarks near the boys apartment. That killed our adventuresome spirit and we asked for directions to San'Angelo so we could get home. We ended up walking along the North side of Vatican city and stumbling upon Old Bridge Gelateria which is the best place for gelato according to my very first Italian professor. It was rainy and we wanted to go home so we didn't stop for any treats, but maybe in the future. Home again, home again I popped in the shower and we reheated some of the food from last night. Now we are all watching tv or doing work, just relaxing. Tonight we are going to Sophia's internship's event at an art museum, and maybe aperitivi before then as an apartment. Tomorrow Kat and Sara and I are going to Napoli for the day! I still haven't reached my uncle's sister but I really hope I get the chance to meet her. I'm going to keep trying tonight and tomorrow. After some awesome pizza I hope to skype with my padre once I'm back in Rome and then Sunday might include a pasta/flamanco festival with a dog show?? Italians can be strange but wonderful people. Lots of pictures to be posted in the future.

For Professore Testa

Soaked to the bone, texting the Prati boys we can't make it

Kat and the nice police booth in the rain!

Aven, Pepperoni, and Julie at the photo exhibit

The gallery

Thursdays Might be the Death of Me

Whew! What a day! Thank God my week ends on Thursday because I legitimately can't go on. I am mental and physically pooped. I started my morning with a hike up the Geniculum to see San Pietro in Montorio with my Conservation class. Ginny and I were on the ball and arrived early enough to poke our heads in the Spanish Academy courtyard where Bramante's Tempietto is located. The Tempietto (small temple) is supposedly built over the exact sight where Saint Peter was crucified. In the crypt there is a cover over the hole in the ground where the crucifix was planted. While this is a temple it was built for Christians and the figures inside are St. Peter and the four evangelists. It was beautiful and I was glad we were early and could check it out. It's free, it's simple, it's significant (lead to Bramante's work on St. Peter's) and if you visit Rome take the time to see this!

Tempietto

The Christian frieze 

This is a video, I'm not sure if it will play

For the class itself we actually went to San Pietro in Montorio to examine the state of disrepair of many different types of art (sculpture, wood, marble, slate, canvas, etc). Thankfully the church also has a chapel designed and created by Bernini!!! My one true love! Pictures to follow. We looked at a chapel that has a fresco and an oil on wall painting together and compared their disrepair. We looked at two paintings made on wood panels and one on slate! Very rare and unusual to see slate used as a support. Sadly the church isn't very well preserved nor cleaned often. There were bird droppings and dust in many places. Bernini's chapel even had a plastic coffee cup left behind on the sarcophagus. So sad.

I really liked the giallo marble and putti

Detail of -->

Bernini's Chapel for St. Francis!

Typical Bernini making a balcony

Detail in chapel

After a quick stroll to the fountain we will examine more closely later in the semester (and yes Federica worked on restoring that too) we were dismissed. Ginny, Madison, and I had to book it because we only had 45 minutes to cross the majority of the city. We walked down and caught a bus to Piazza Venezia and found a quick bar for a panino before meeting our class at the Column of Trajan. Because our professor, Gianni, has spent a lot of time working in the Fori Imperiali (Imperial Forums) we were allowed into the closed off areas of the fori to explore! This is a BIG deal. The Imperial Forums were built right up next to the Roman Forum because Rome's population had grown so much they needed a new forum and another and another. Each emperor got to had his name all over the new forum and dedicate it to his favorite god or goddess. Julius Caesar added the first one which is dedicated to Venus Geniux, his ancestor. Then Augustus built one and dedicated the temple to Mars thanking him for a big victory. Next was the Forum of Peace, and the Forum of Nerva (dedicated to Minerva). Lastly Trajan built the biggest and grandest of all and had the basilica dedicated to his family lineage (basilica are not religious like Christians use them but rather for courts and markets). This ruins are buried directly under Via Fori Impiriale which is a large modern road in the center of the city. Much of the fori have yet to be uncovered because the area is so central and popular. We were allowed in the fori and then in the tunnels under the roads connecting the fori and got to see parts of each forum except the forum of Peace. We were very lucky and once again Gianni gave us lots to think about. 

Column of Trajan looking at Basilica Ulpia

Super secret off limits tunnel under the highway
we walked through

Under the portico of the Julian Forum
facing away from the temple

All that remains of the Temple of Venus

Cloaca Maxima
The giant sewer they rerouted to
build the  Caesarian Forum

There was a edieval settlement in the Cesarean Forum
You can see the Medieval and Roman stratification here

If you can see the harringbone brick on the very bottom
that was a Roman house that the forum was built OVER
So there are many many layers to excavate still

Medieval sewer we walked through to get to Nerva and Augustus

Amanda likes Nerva

All that is uncovered from Nerva, fake columns

Temple of Mars in Augustian Forum

Temple of Mars

I asked Pepperoni to cheese it up.... he didn't, what a meanie

Ginny at the Augustinian Forum

Can you see the footprint of the colossal statue? COLOSSAL!

These steps lead up to the Subira, slums of Rome

Pieces of marble that have to be classified

There are LOTS of piles of marble to be classified

After an exhausting morning all I wanted to do was come home and nap before Italian. As Ginny and I drag ourselves up the stairs to our apartment we find one of the IES representatives headed there also. I just wanted sleep!!!! She came in and inspected the apartment to make sure everything is working and we are following all our agreements. She chatted with us all about how our living situation is, do we have any problems with the teachers or classes, etc? It was tiring because she spoke in all Italian very rapidly (I could still follow). She loves the language apartments because we speak Italian and try to assimilate more. After 30/45 minutes she departed. We are supposed to have someone come and check-in with us this coming Tuesday but were surprised by this visit. By the time she had left there wasn't really enough time to take a good nap so I puttered around until it was time to go back to school at 4:30. I was so braindead, everyone in class was tired too and Italian was a struggle.

After two hours Julie and I walked home via Filippo's to get bread and prosciutto for her pasta dish. She asked for a little advice about the oz/kg conversion and suddenly he wanted to see the recipe and was giving her a new and improved version of it to try and of course taking euros off the original price for her. We got a couple produce items and came home to start cooking Filippo's recipe! One of Julie's Italian friends, Riccardo, came over in a confusing ordeal of trying to get coffee and running out of time before the potluck. So he helped cook the pasta too. I mixed up some zucchini, tomatoes, and potatoes with olive oil and rosemary and popped them in the oven. Sophia made her delicious sangria again, Julie's dish was pasta with asparagus and prosciutto and moz, Ginny made some all american garlic mashed potatoes, and Kat made pesto lasagna! Our guests brought bread and pesto and nutella pies! and tiramisu and tiramisu ice cream and wine and buffalo chick dip!! and suppli!!! and to top it all off: nutella banana sandwiches. We had quite the spread. As usual everyone had a fantastic time and everyone was too full for dessert but ate it anyway. It was a fun night. After everyone trickled out and dishes were cleaned I wasn't really tired thus I stayed up to skype with friends back home, of course it was only like 6pm for them. I even caught some of BFowl's radio show for the first time this semester. He claims I got a shout out but I swear he skipped my name! Waking up this morning I felt like I had the best sleep, it was the perfect temperature last night.

Suppli

UPDATE:

Pesto Lasgna, Julie/Fillipo's prosciutto pasta, mashed potatoes, bread,
nutella and banana sandwiches, chips and an empty dip dish

Candlelight (and David)

Oh course some drinks

All adds up to a good time

With friends

And roommates  

 

A good night

Homework, Food, Sleep. It's All I Want

I am tired. Between my aching legs from running yesterday, an early morning with Pier Paolo, and a long passagata this afternoon all I am craving right now is a hot dinner and bed. While my pasta cooks I'll tell you about my day.

This morning my renaissance class met at San Clemente by the Colosseo at 9:30. That is waaay far away at 9 in the morning. I planned out my bus routes over breakfast and rolled out the door just on time. Sadly the buses in Rome were not kind to me this morning. I waited at the Chiesa Nuova for 20 or 30 minutes before giving up and running to Largo Argentina where I know there are buses everywhere. I grabbed a different bus than I originally planned but they post every stop on the signs so I knew it was going to the colosseum. At the Wedding Cake the bus reached the end of it's circular route and took a break. So either I could try and maneuver my way to San Clemente, I knew it wasn't far but I wasn't sure of my directions, or I could sit and wait ten minutes for the bus to start the loop again and drop me off. I decided to wait it out. Then the bus driver kicked everyone off the bus to the bus sitting waiting behind it. It ran the same loop so I don't know why we had to switch but we started up again quickly. After that it was a walk in the park. I got off at the right stop and found the church and looked for the group of 20 year olds with backpacks. Found 'em! After admiring the golden mosaic apse for a while Pier Paolo showed us to Masolino's chapel! He painted frescoes with a tiny bit of help from his pupil Masaccio! Sadly the chapel has been really badly damaged by water over the years and was restored in the 70's. When they removed the frescoes to clean them they found the sinopia underneath was really well preserved and now that is on display near the chapel. It was exciting to see the early work of such an influential artist.

The apse with Jesus as the tree of life

Masolino's Chapel

An angel saving St. Catherine

St. Catherine converting the scholars
Note her blessing them as they burn in the background
thanks to the mean emperor in the doorway

After San Clemente we walked to Santi Quattro Coronati where they shrank the church size down and made a second atrium. It is now a monastery but we could work around the (now) small church that has a huge apse and lovely frescoes. In a chapel in this church there is a frieze of a mural painting showing the conversion of Constantine and his "donation" which is perhaps the Catholic churches biggest lie. The story told is: Constantine had leprosy but was such a good person he did not take a bath in babies blood (which was thought to be the cure), he then had a dream with two men and told him to go see the Pope. The Pope showed him the images of St. Peter and St. Mark and Constantine recognized them as the men from his dream and is healed of leprosy. He instantly converted to Christianity. The "donation" is when Constantine supposedly gave the Pope not only spiritual power but imperial power. Constantine moved the capital to Istanbul/Constantinople because (according to the church) he was giving the Pope ruling power over the western half of the Roman empire. In reality the Eastern border was constantly under act so Constantine moved the capital closer to have tighter control over the area. Either way the church still claims ownership of the land and ruling power, which is why a part of every tax in Italy goes to the Catholic church! Interesting story. 

Constantine giving the tiara and parisole to the pope
before leading him into Rome

The large apse and teeny tiny naive

After my field study today I was free!! Only one class before my 4:30pm Italian. I came home and posted an update for yesterday, did some homework, I made a list of words I am constantly forgetting how to say in Italian and wrote a brief email to Anna for Italian practice. This afternoon I made a trip to the store and had lunch and chatted with my roommates. 

For Italian class today we went walking around my neighborhood (because it is close to the center) and explored churches and monuments that are "grotesque" which is a style of art that is in fact not very attractive. We stopped to look at a building literally right next door to our apartment! Then our teacher kept leading us down small windy streets (which I usually avoid for fear of getting lost). She even took us to the Piazza di Pompeii where Julius Caesar was murdered. All along the way she pointed out economical but authentic places to eat or get coffee etc. It was a relaxing afternoon but I was soooo tired for some reason. 

This building allowed me to say "Cuiress" many times

A little grotesque for your day

The fountain I presented on which I pass most days

My legs and brain and exhausted right now. After our walk I went with Julie to get bread from Filippo and then home. I plopped down and now am dreading getting up and going again to make some dinner. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Veggies and pasta tonight, potluck again tomorrow after my exciting field studies!!

Skipped a Day!

Oops! In the midst of yesterday's goings-ons I neglected to update!

No field studies yesterday sadly, so I woke up for two hours of Baroque in a dark room without coffee. The first hour was a struggle but after a little espresso from the machine downstairs the second hour flew by. It could also have to do with the discovery of a new favorite artist. My new friend's name is Guido Reni but first let me gush about Annibale Carracci his teacher. Annibale was a good little boy and painted perfectly acceptable altarpieces for the church during the Counter-Reformation. He colored in the lines and got good commissions... but that's the boring stuff. His informal/genre work is where he experiments with big loose brushstrokes and atypical representations of poor people for his time. When I first saw the slide in class I thought it was impressionistic!

Assumption of the Virgin
boring but pays the bills

The Beaneater

The Butcher Shop

You can see the extreme differences between his commissioned pieces for churches and altars and the work he did on his own, observing human nature. We compared the realistic feel of these works with the precise depictions in Caravaggio's paintings. Both show reality or naturalism but in different ways.

Back to Guido Reni! He was Annibale's favorite student and learned quickly. He depicted reality in a way similar to Caravaggio but had a flair of elegance in his works. He liked the classical poses etc. When he painted the human figure though he was really fleshy in his depiction. Basically his works are like Baroque without the headache. They are balanced and classical and brightly colored without being over the top. I love it. Sadly my favorite work from class, Aurora, is in a building that is now the French Embassy so it's really hard to get in and see it.

The Trinity of the Prilgrims

A close up of the same

Aurora

 I am fascinated with this artist. I hope we get to visit some of his work in person next week. After Baroque I had my short one hour class with Forma Urbis. This week we are studying the Imperial Forum (Snoble that's the random tall walls you could see from your apartment!). There are five fori I believe because each emperor wanted to be remembered and thank their favorite god.  Of course my teacher knows his stuff and makes the class interesting and informative. I love this class but studying for my midterm next week might be the death of me. SO MUCH INFORMATION! I just keep doing the readings and taking notes and hope I can retain it all. For our field study on Thursday Gianni told us to wear sturdy shoes or boots, bring a poncho or rain jacket, and our flashlights. We will be going into a tunnel under the Via dei Fori Imperiali which was an ancient road and is now a modern one. In this tunnel are chunks of marble and stone from the temples and buildings in the fori that haven't been excavated or explored much yet and we are going to have to climb over these. The ponchos aren't very exciting, the weather is supposed to be rainy. But I'm looking forward to this adventure!

After my classes I came home and finished up my pasta with sausage red sauce. Thank you Mattly for showing me the stand at the market where they sell the yummiest sausage! Protein doesn't come easily to the Italian diet quite like carbs do so I look for ways to eat not very expensive nuts or meat or diary. I did more homework and got the chance to skype with Ekatz all the way from Australia!! Silly girl was supposed to be writing a paper and then going to bed because it was very late for her, but we hadn't talked in five months or so and just enjoyed chatting for an hour. She's having a wonderful time and has been there for over two months! Can't wait to be living with my friends back at IC and sharing our recipes and stories from abroad. After talking with Emily it was time for Italian class. I got my test back and only really slipped up on two points (si impersonale plurals and my -ere verbs decided to take the day off I suppose). My teacher thinks I am doing well but is going to help me with my written Italian by having me email her with stories using the different tenses. I hope this smooths out the wrinkles in my writing. Speaking is just dandy for me but the grammar and writing has always been a challenge.

After Italian I came home and decided to go for a run. I haven't been active for a couple days and was starting to get antsy. Just a jog down to Tiber Island and back, nothing fancy but I should do it more often. I feel better after I exercise. A quick shower then more homework. I also had to email Meredith because she just booked her trip to Rome for my 21st birthday in November and wanted to confirm my visit to see her in Scotland over fall break (that's this month!). For dinner Nico invited Carolina over, another ISC who went to Riccardo Tre with us. Nico "taught" us (read as: prepared while we watched) a pasta carbonara recipe. She started chopping something and it looked like it could be some fancy kind of cheese, I asked what it was...... bacon. The thick slab of bacon I've ever seen!! So she put bacon and onions in a pan with oil while the pasta was cooking. In a bowl Carolina stirred eggs and grated cheese and pepper like she was making an omelette. Nico then drained the pasta and put in the pan with the bacon and onion and added the egg mixture on top and tossed it all together. The eggs cooked and the smell of bacon was in the air. The food was fantastic and so easy! Isotta wants us to make her breakfast for dinner sometime this week, pancakes and eggs and bacon and waffles and all sorts of stuff. Because they don't eat breakfast Italians don't eat pancakes. So that will be happening this weekend.

Small kitchen, lots of fun

Bacon

After dinner a couple people sat down to watch an Italian murder mystery tv show that Nico likes (on a laptop because our tv has yet to function). I was interested but right before I sat down I got a skype call! So I skyped in the other room catching up with friends who all have real school work and tests and hard homework... it's all so strange to me after a few weeks of art history and italian. I also emailed my dad while I was on skype. I am the horrible daughter who remembered yesterday that I missed my parents anniversary. Oops. When I finished the skype call I looked at my computer clock which read 6:45pm. This is Pittsburgh time. That meant it was almost 1am and I had to be all the way down by the Colosseum at 9:30am.... not enough time. So I quickly shut everything down and went to sleep. A busy but delightful day.