Three themes

Over the course of the past seven weeks studying abroad in Rome I chose three topics of interest to me and created a blog sharing my information and experiences with anyone interested. This was my first time reading and writing blog entries and it has been a good experience to share with my family what I have been up to while studying abroad in Italy. Incase anyone is reading my page for the first time doesn’t know, I have wrote a majority of my blog entries on the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Nightlife in Rome. On my behalf I took these themes and places and picked unique and interesting aspects about each one that I thought other people would like to hear and know about. Hopefully by reading my page you found some interesting information and a taste of what I have been experienving through my pictures.

Trevi Fountain Vs. other fountains in Rome

Being that the Trevi Fountain is one of the newer fountains in Rome I have observed that it is much more popular than others I have visited. For example you see tons of people go to the Pantheon but they don’t seem to be so concerned with the fountain there. They may take a few pictures of it but for the most part are not very concerned about the fountain in itself. The Trevi fountain is constantly flocked with people and tourists taking pictures and even locals hanging out. I have noticed that there are a large number of fountains here in Rome, some historical and some just for looks but it is interesting to see how people seem to flock to them for many different reasons. Some are dirty and not filled with water, some are small and some are big. Certain ones even allow you to dip your hands right in to cool you off on a hot summer day. There are many differences when talking about fountains in Rome but these were ones that have stuck out to me the whole time being here and I’m sure if you’ve been to Italy you can relate in everything that I am saying!

Sunset in Sorrento

One of the most unforgettable moments I have had here in Italy was watching the sunset in Sorrento from the balcony of my hotel room. Watching the sunset over the beautiful ocean and seeing the sun fall over the city of Sorrento at dusk was absolutely life changing. I know at home in my everyday life I don’t take time to enjoy the simple things in life like watching the sun set. It is such a rare and beautiful site to see and I think many people take that for granted. Watching the sun set in Sorrento made me think about all the simply beautiful things in life that we seem to loose focus on because of our “hectic schedules.” I found myself reflecting on all of my experiences here in Rome while watching this gorgeous sunset and found myself shedding a new light on the past seven weeks. It allowed me to clear my mind and in a sense feel free. I am going to take what I got from this and always remember exactly how I felt at this moment in time and was lucky enough to capture some pictures of the amazing sunset that I will never forget.

Artist at the Trevi Fountain

Unfortunately I missed this very unique event at the Trevi Fountain but was lucky enough to have some fellow classmates share their experience they had with the artist at the fountain with me. They went on a clear and beautiful night to see the fountain and experience it in the dark. Luckily they went on a night where an artist was there shining different colored lights on the statue in the middle of the fountain. By looking at the Picture that a fellow classmate provided me with it looks as though the statue is painted when in reality there are just different lights being shined on it. I thought this was so amazing that you could create such an illusion with lights. I was also informed that the artist was playing a CD of sounds of the ocean. I thought this was very interesting and was curious as to why he would choose to do so when the sound of the water at the fountain is already so overpowering. Although I was not able to be there to see it with my own eyes I’m glad I had the opportunity to hear all about it and see pictures from other people.

Pantheon on a scortching hot day

Today I went to the Pantheon one last time before I have to say my final goodbyes here in Rome and head back to the United States. Today felt like one of the hottest days since being in Italy it was almost unbearable. Approaching the Pantheon I noticed the heavily populated area was even more crowded than usual possibly have something to do with the fact that tourist season is in full effect. After swaying through crowds of tourists and family I finally reached the inside of the church and was relieved to be walking into a shaded cooler space. To my surprise the inside of the church was not flooded with people by any means. I would have thought that there would be swarms of people congregating around in the church not only to look around but in hopes of staying cool. This was the first visit to the Pantheon where more people were standing outside and around the church than they were inside of it. I sat down on one of the altar benches for about 15 minutes and tried to capture as many pictures as possible with my own eyes to store in my memory. I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to come back and see this exquisite place again in my life and it worked out very well for me that the inside was not overly crowded and I was able to enjoy the space in a more memorable and personable way.

Carabiniere by the Pantheon

While visiting the Pantheon today I witnessed the interaction between the Carabiniere and the men who stand around the area selling purses, sunglasses, belts, wallets, and watches. Walking into the Pantheon I could see them all lined up in the area trying to sell their goods and everything was set neatly out on the ground. They were all chatting with one another and trying to lure potential customers in by repeating “special price” to every passerby. I then noticed two Carabiniere roll in the area on their motorcycles and this put all the men trying to sell their goods in a frenzy. They quickly folded up their sunglasses display, shoved their belts into suitcases, and loaded up each of their arms with as many purses as they could carry. The funny thing is that they did not leave the area they just stood around in hopes the police would leave. To my surprise I did not see and of the police take action to arrest the mean or even tell them to get lost. They did stick around in the area until most of the vendors trickled away from the heavily populated area.

Shopping by the Tiber

Like I had mentioned in one of my previous blogs about the fair by the Tiber River I also found the shopping there a special sight to see. Once the sun sets the place gets swarmed with people. The stands they have set up there are great to find unique jewelry, clothes, purses, candles, lamps, candy, and an array of home made crafts. This was a fun place to go and visit and created a new environment not only for shopping late at night but being able to do so by the Tiber. The people at these stands were very nice and a lot of the products were inexpensive. I spent a few nights walking along the river exploring these stands I felt like they could have gone on forever. I ended up finding a lot of great things to take home to my family and friends and it will be fun to tell them the story behind where their gifts came from.

Music,Fireworks, & the beach

I visited Sorrento just this past weekend and experienced a whole different type of nightlife at our amazing hotel, Mar Alimuri. This hotel offered everything from 2 pools, continental breakfast, 2 restaurants in the hotel, and a private beach. After dining at their buffet style dinner we sat out along the terrace that overlooked the ocean. There was a live performer who came out to sing and play the piano every night around eight. As the sun was setting we took a walk along the beach and found a rocky area where we sat for a while enjoying the sound of the waves splashing against the sand. Then back at the hotel we found an outdoor table to sit at where we could enjoy the live music. Suddenly from afar we heard fireworks. I looked up into the sky and they were right above our heads, and better than any seat you could stake out on the 4th of July at the Bryce Jordan Centre. We just sat there in awe and watched them go off over the beautiful calm ocean.

Group walk-Follow up

My group decided to visit markets on our walk that Courtney had found and considered interesting places to visit. I was excited because I love going to different markets and seeing what all they offer. The first market we went to was in Testaccio. It was in a building and the majority of what it sold was produce, meat, and breads. It did have a few clothing, shoe stands, and stands that had an array of odds and ends. In this market you could smell more of the meat and fruits because it was in a closed area. I also determined that many people from the outside of a building don’t realize that it is a market because it can be deceiving as just another building when walking past it.

The second market we went to was in Campo di fiori. This was an open air market that was in some ways similar to the one we had just visited. It was obviously in a more heavily populated area surrounded by restaurants. We discussed that is would be much easier to stumble across a market like this rather than the first one we went to because of the fact that it was in an enclosed building.. It had all the same things as the one in Testaccio with an exception of meat. It also offered souvenir stands and some additional clothing and accessories.

I personally liked this market in Campo better because I liked that it was outside and the smells of the meat were not trapped in a building that can sometimes be overwhelming. I also liked that it had a few more stands and I actually ended up getting a good but of my gift shopping out of the way. It was a really nice place to get produce and fruit. I had some of their watermelon and it was delicious! Overall I think that this is a much more popular market considering that it is open air, so easy to come across, and in a very popular area. I’m glad we got a chance to walk through these places as a group I had a lot of fun and saw some pretty cool stuff.

Description of 3 Sights

Along your guided walk you will be seeing three churches, Santa Maria and Capella, the Pantheon, and the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. These are all really cool churches and quite different from one another. Santa Maria and Capella church is in Trastevere was built in 1090. It was one of the first homes built for elderly people in the 17th century by Donna Olimpia Pamphili and is surrounded by a beautiful garden that now houses some study abroad students. The Pantheon is also an extremely popular tourist attraction. There are a lot of cool things to see at this church including the huge granite columns which happen to be the biggest in Italy and imported from Egypt, and the dome which was built so it gets thinner and lighter with height because it is so large. But there are many more amazing classical architectural styles that are absolutley amazing to see in person. Last but not least we have the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi. It's chapel was painted by Caravaggio, it is the only Gothic church in Rome, and gets extremely populated with people attending mass on Sunday. These churches caught my interest and hopefully these few facts I gave you about each one will intrigue you enough to go and visit one for yourself!

You can find additional information at the following website and book: http://romanchurches.wikia.com/wiki/Santa_Maria_in_Cappella & Rick Steves Italy 2008 guide book

Rialto Sant' Amborgio

Rialto Sant’ Amborgio is located in Campo de’ Fiore and is a new and upcoming hot spot for Romans. It is an event that holds an array of entertainment over a few floors of a building including movies, dancing, plays, house and dubbed movies, book presentations, and a variety of different music. Although weekends are devoted strictly to turning the space into a night club it is a really good place to go that offers a lot and caters to many different tastes and interests of people. I also think that is located in a really good area that attracts a lot of people. It's nice to know that there is more to offer at this place than a typical bar. It is a place that can keep people interested and coming back.

This information and more can be found in the 2007 edition of Eyewitness Travel Guide published by Dorling Kindersley.

Guided Walk

For my guided walk I am going to take you to three churches. We are going to start in Trastevere at my apartment and visit Santa Maria and Capella. To do this all you will have to do is walk down my steps and go to the right and the church is in the courtyard of my apartment. From Santa Maria and Capella we will g to the Pantheon. Leaving Santa Maria and Capella you will get on Via P. Peretti onto Lungotevere Alberteschi until you come across Ponvte Cestio on the right hand side. You will cross the Tiber River and make a left onto Lungotevere de Cenci and a right on Via Arenuia. Follow this street until you reach Vittorio Emmanuele. At that street cross directly onto Via de Torre Argentina until you hit Via Palombella and the Pantheon will be directly in front of you. From the Pantheon you can get on Via Palombella again and take a right onto Via S. Eustachio, follow that until making a left on S. ta d Crescenza. Immediately after that take a right on Via d. Dogana Vecchia which will lead you straight to Piazza San Luigi d. Fransecsi which is our third stop.

Hadriana's Villa

In a small group of students including myself Toni Conti, Carley Bria, Cole Kitchen, and Courtney Marshall, along with the help of Mike Tumolo, we mapped out the route to get to Hadrian’s Villa.Go to the Termini train station in Rome. Enter the upper part of the station and locate ticket machines. Search for the train to Tivoli. Once you get to Tivoli Station, locate local bus number 4 which you can take to Hadrian’s Villa. These directions can also be found in the Eyewitness Guide of Rome on page 269.One of the most striking and best preserved parts of the Villa is the pool and an artificial grotto which were named Canopus Serapeum (the Emperor’s dining table). The Maritime Theater is a circular building within Ionic marble peristyle. This was a private retreat for the Emperor. A circular moat encloses an island where the theater is located. Finally, be sure to visit the Small and Great Thermae (baths) which are well preserved areas for public and private bathing. The small ones were used more privately for the emperors while the larger baths were used for visitors to the Villa. Check out this website for a number of virtual walk throughs of the Villa:

http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/hadrian_s_villa/hadrian_s_villa.htm

Picture taken from the Blue Guide, Rome (9th Edition) by Somerset Norton

Water & the Trevi Fountain

Everytime I visit the Trevi Fountain the first thing that draws my attention is the sound of the fountain. It reminds me of a bigger and louder version of the pebble waterfalls people set beside their bed to help them fall asleep at night. You do not only hear the loud trickling of the running water but you hear it hitting against the large pool of water that it is falling onto. For a moment I felt like I was entering a ride at a water park because when the mist from the fountain hits you just right and with the water running down the statues and sides of the fountain your feet can have a tendency to get wet. This has its perks on the hot summer days in Rome. You also hear children trying to splash around in the water and the sound of spare change hitting the water falling to the bottom of the fountain. The water is a huge part of the fountain and every time I visit I notice myself having a new experience with the sound of the fountain.

Fair by the Tiber

Now that the summer is beginning to kick in and tourist season is in full effect more of the seasonal restaurants and nightlife activities are starting to open up. I’m lucky enough to live along the Tiber River in Trastevere and just last weekend they opened up what I like to think of it as a mini fair. When you walk down the steps and reach the pavement along side the Tiber there are rows of restaurants, gelato stands, outdoor wine bars, activities, stands, and all types of people. They have live music and couches set up along the river where people gather and hang out. In better words it was like an up scale carnival. Everything was lit up and beautiful. It’s nice and close to my apartment so I’m sure I will be going back there a lot. It was a really nice place to hang out especially on the hot summer nights here in Rome and it’s a nice change of scenery.

Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma

The Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma. The museum includes visual, written, and oral material from the resistance and depression in Rome. It also housed the ex-prison of Gestapo and you can physically visit the cells. This museum has been said to leave one of the most dramatic affects of people after visiting it particularly because of its visual appeals. There are still blood stains on the walls and cells are open to visit. This would an amazing and different type of museum to visit in Rome rather than your typical church or ruins. I think that it would be really enjoyable and a once and a lifetime experience. It is located on Via Tasso 145 in Rome and depending on where you are you can take the bus, train, taxi, or walk.

Additional information can be found at the following websites: http://www.viatasso.eu/, http://www.viatasso.eu/contenuti.asp?SECTION=info&PAGINA=orari

Burcardo Theatre Museum

The Burcardo Theatre Museum is located on via del Sudario close to the Largo di Torre Argentina. There are many possible ways to get there including walking, bus, or Tram. The museum is in a late 15th century house that once belonged to Johannes Burkhardt. The museum holds and displays an array of Chinese puppets and comic masks from different regions of Italy. The nice thing about this museum is that it is also a library that the public has full access to. I think this would be a really cool place to visit especially if you are interested in theatre. This would be a nice change in the typically site seeing you would do in Rome and I’m sure there are some really interesting stories behind the things you will see there.

Additional information and pictures can be found at the following website: http://www.museum.com/ja/museum/id=11034

Sun & Trevi Fountain

The other day was one of those notorious scorching hot summer days in Rome. I was sitting by the fountain about to leave when I noticed myself making a comfortable spot to stay and soak up the sun. Laying out in the sun is one of my favorite things to do. I propped myself up against the cool stone steps and listen ted to the pouring water falling from the fountain. For a moment I almost felt like I was at the beach or water park the way I could feel the mist of the water hitting my body. This time I completely tuned out what everyone else was doing and enjoyed myself just relaxing by the fountain. I enjoyed this and might have to do it again!

Pantheon area

After going to the Pantheon one day we decided to grab a bite to eat since there are a lot of restaurants in that area. We were looking for something fast and easy that wasn't a pinini and lucky for us there was a McDonald's right in that area. So we went in and after waiting for 10 minutes to order food we finally struggled through ordering something to eat. A lot of the menu wasn't the same and they also had things we don't have in America like chicken wings and curly fries. The workers there were actually quite rude and messed up my order. They gave my friend a small drink when she was suppose to get a medium and wouldn't correct it. They also charge people for ketchup here. I was very surprised. Wouldn't you think McDonald's out of all placed would offer free ketchup? I guess it just goes to show you yet again that different cultures do different things. As far as the food, it wasn't bad. My cheeseburger was amazing but the french fries were a little different. I couldn't pin point it but they didn't taste like they do at home. They also had an outside eating area with table clothes. This is something you would not see in the united states at a McDonald's. It definitely was American food with an Italian twist.

Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps at night is amazing!! Everything looks
completely different than it does during the day.
To start off it is far less congested with people and traffic. You can see the whole area lit up and the store displays from glowing from afar. There are a ton of people who go to simply experience the view and if you go on a beautiful night like we did you will catch and amazing view of the sky. It was breathtaking. It was a very lively scene. There were people playing music, singing, selling souvenirs, and just enjoying each others company. We climbed half way up the steps and found a perfect place to sit. The weather that night was nice and had a cool breeze. It was a nice summer night and a fun place to go and just relax and enjoy your surroundings. It was definitely the best view of the sky I have seen since being here in Rome and I am making it a point to go back again before I leave!