The Sinking City

Buonasera!

I have decided to try to blog just once a week because I have class Monday-Thursday and the really exciting stuff pretty much happens on the weekends.

During the school week, I had two outings.  For my photography class we went to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Campo di Fiori.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day, except for the five minutes where it hailed.... I have learned that this is what January is like here; it will be sunny and there will be a patch of rain like five feet away.  My camera died halfway through the class, but it did not matter because I had taken many photos at these places before.  Instead, my teacher was super interested in that I was an Art History major.  We were walking to the next spot and he asked me if I liked Caravaggio.  OF COURSE, he is my absolute favorite.  He said, "well lets walk into this church right here....".  It was San Luigi dei Francesi!  This is where my favorite painting, the Calling of St. Matthew is!!! I was definitely not prepared to stumble upon it..... It was kind of embarrassing, my entire class just kept asking me if I was dying... and yes I was.  Its crazy to study a painting for an entire semester and then finally see it in person.  My professor is so nice and laid back.  He also told me all the best churches to go to; what to see when I am in Paris; and all of the best caffes to try.  Half-way through the class he told us to take a Cappuccino break, so I went to Tazza D'Oro by the Pantheon.  INCREDIBLE.

Our second outing of the week was with my Theology class.  We went to San Clemente, a church I have been dying to see since freshman year.  I even wrote an essay about it for one of my finals.  We then went underneath the Church where the original ancient Christian church and a Pagan temple to Mithras was originally.

Friday morning we left bright and early for Venezia.  Wow. This was one of the coolest cities I have ever been to.  I have never seen a sky so blue and intense and could not believe how turquoise the water was.  Every building was its own unique color and the extremely bright sun made everything dazzle.  I have never seen streets as clean as the white stone one in Venice.  I was expecting a very touristy city, with brown murky channels, and dirty, busy streets.  It was the opposite.  This may be because it was the off-season there, if so, it is a wonderful time to explore this floating city.



We had a scheduled tour with our program.  First, we went to Saint Marks.  This was the most beautiful church I have ever been in.  It definitely surpassed my expectations.  Pictures definitely do not do it any justice.  Nothing compares to the sparkling gold mosaics covering ever inch of the ceiling.  I absolutely love mosaics in the first place, so any church that is completely covered in them blows my mind.  I also got the chance to go there for mass on Sunday which was an incredible opportunity.  St. Mark is also buried under the main altar which was so cool to experience.

St. Mark's Tomb 

That night, we decided to explore.  Two of our guy friends tagged along as well.  The streets were absolutely silent! We could not believe it.  So many restaurants were closed as well.  We just wanted to find a place for wine and dessert and it took us so long.  We didn't mind though because it was incredible to explore the alley ways and canals.  I kept on forgetting we were in Venice, it seemed like disney world or something... it did not feel real at all, especially when there was barely anyone on the streets.  Ive never experienced a quiet like this, but I think it was because there were absolutely no cars! While we explored we stumbled upon the opera house and a model doing a photo shoot.  We finally found a restaurant that warmly welcomed us, Da Roberto.  The waiters were the cutest things and absolutely loved us.  Danielle and I split the Creme Caramel, while the others got Tiramisu.  The boys and Christine and Anna split a bottle of wine and then Danielle, Katherine, and I got Caffe' con Amaretto.  The waiter then brought over his special Carnevale cakes for us to try as well since the next night was the start of the celebration.



On our walk back home we finally realized why there was no one walking the streets....... THE CITY FLOODED.  Saint Mark's square now looked like a lake.  Apparently there were sirens that alarmed the city, but we definitely did not hear those..... It was so fun though! None of us have ever experienced something like that before.  It was so surreal.  The water was up to my calves.  The benches we sat on during the day were actually temporary bridges so people can cross the square when it floods.  Our professor told us that the city is slowly sinking but we thought nothing of it.  We had no idea that we would actually experience it while we were there!!

The next day, we did our own thing and just explored once again.  We were so impressed with ourselves because we already knew our way around the city!  We knew we could not leave the city without taking a gondola ride, so of course we did.  We were told to bargain with the Gondaleers.  Initially the man told us it was going to be 80 euros, but we were tough and used our charm and got the price down to only 50 euros for the 5 of us.  Our Gondaleer was named Philippo and the other Gondolas that passed us gave him such a hard time for having five girls in his boat.  All the others had massive groups of Asians... of course.  They seriously are the perfect tourists. Every group that passed us Video recorded us and waved and snapped pics, it got to the point where we started to pose.  We passed one group that was playing Gagnam Style... 

For dessert I had a hazelnut and an Amaretto Macaroon.... So incredible 

We then got a Pizza and wine at a small restaurant and bought a bottle of limoncello to try.  That night was the start of Carnevale so we put on our masks that we bought in the famous Rialto Market the day before and headed to San Marco square.  We met a group of Brazilian students who taught us their favorite song and dance: Ai Se Eu Te Pego and we all split a bottle of wine out in the square.  (We still have this song stuck in our head and are trying to perfect it).  There was a parade but it was only the first night of Carnevale so there were not that many festivities.  We asked a few people in the stores that day who told us next weekend is when the Venitians really celebrate.

Our New Brazilian Friends 

The next day, we hopped on the train to Verona.  It was such a pretty little city! It was pretty much how I imagined it but it is actually a very wealthy place.  It reminded me of Venice without the canals and a lot more people.  Verona is known for their meats, so for lunch I ordered tortellini with prosciutto.  After lunch we headed to the Casa di Giulietta ( Juliette's house).  We signed our names on the wall and took a picture with the statue for good luck... She is supposed to help you find true love. Fingers crossed it works for me!!! Afterwards we shopped for a bit but the weekend absolutely exhausted us.  I don't think I have ever walked so much in my entire life.... The train ride home we were all completely silent.  Its so funny all of us could not wait to go "home".  Its crazy when we think of "going home" we think of Roma... We all had a sense of relief when we walked down our street in Piazza Bologna and into our cozy apartment and then all slept like babies.

Bacioni xxxx

Gladiators, Vestal Virgins, and Bday Celebrations.

Well, I haven't posted in a week... sorry about that.  It was just because this past week was so busy being my first week of class, Lucie visiting, and of course, my birthday.  I think I will just give you a quick overview of the main events:

Last Sunday, I visited Santa Maria della Vittoria for mass with my roommate Anna.  This is the home of my most favorite sculture The Ecstasy of St. Theresa by Bernini.  This also happens to be the closest church to my apartment (win win situation).  The mass was probably the cutest thing I have ever been to.  First of all, the priest was this sweet old man with big black square glasses who definitely thought he was an opera singer.  At every hymn, he stood up, front and center and put the microphone as close to his mouth as possible (oh, and I must add hand gestures were absolutely necessary).  Every person in the congregation also did what ever they felt like doing.  Standing up and sitting down whenever; they sang to their own pace; and let me just say, the communion line had no order what so ever.... I couldn't help but smile the entire time. After mass, we went to get some lunch.  The two men working absolutely loved us.  And by the end of the lunch we got free penne pasta "just to taste", a free little dessert called Dolce Mandorla, which tasted just like Mommas' Ricciarelli, and two bottles of wine to take home for only 3 euros each.  He really wanted to give me the wine for 5 euros, but they didn't have the right change in the cash register.  So he said' "just bring me 2 euros next time".

My first week of class was just wonderful.  I have never been so excited for school!  Here is a list of my classes: 

• Italiano - My teacher is hilarious her name is Elda and has crazy curly hair and never stops talking.  So far my fav class.  We watched Anthony Bourdain: Roma the other day to see what the Roman Specialties are and where the best places to taste cheeses and meats and where to get the most Authentic Italian dishes.  One of the biggest specialties is Caccio e Pepe (which I so happened to try my second night in Roma, by accident) and Roman style Artichokes (which just so happen to be my favorite food).  We will get a chance to visit a market during one of our classes to practice buying.  
• Photography- So excited for this class because we will never be in the classroom.  Every session we will be exploring Rome and we will even have a few night sessions for nightlife photography.  (Thanks mom and dad for my wonderful Cannon I got for my bday) 
• The Culture of Food and Wine in Italy- EVEN MORE EXCITED FOR THIS CLASS. Every single session we have a chef come in and prepare dishes from a specific region in Italy and we taste wines that pair with each type of dish.  We also have to keep a food journal documenting everything I eat and all of the wines I try.  I also have to write a restaurant review and prepare my own regional Italian meal for my roomates: Antipasto(appetizer), Primo piatto(first course): pasta, riso (rice), zuppa/minestrone (soup), Secondo piatto (second course): carne (meat) and pesce (fish), Contorno (side dish): insalata (salad), patate fritte (French fries), contorni misti (mixed vegetables), etc., Frutta (fruit), and Dolce (With an accompanying vino of course). 
• International Marketing- My teacher is a funny, old, British man who has the biggest sailors mouth (every other word is "Bloody" or "hell").  I am very interested in this course though becasue it just consists of a presentation each week on an international case study, so we actually only have to go to class once a week.  He also told us our textbooks are useless so that saves me a good 50 euro. 
• The New Testament and the Eternal City- This class consists completely of excursions! Not a bad way to take theology.  Practically every place on the list are places I have been dying to go to like: San Clemente, the Catacombs, the Scavi Tour, An audience with the Pope, San Luigi dei Francesi, St. Paul outside the Walls, and the list goes on and on. 

My roommate Lucie arrived on Wednesday which was so exciting :) It is so funny having all of these Providence people you spend everyday with back home reuniting in a foreign country... I was sooo lucky to have her here for my birthday and just made the weekend so much more fun.  After class on thursday, I came home and the girls decorated the apartment (with random items from the Chinese shop down the street).  It made me so excited to start the birthday weekend!  On my actual birthday, we had a class excursion to the Colosseum, the Forum, the house of the Vestal Virgins and the other main locations around the heart of Rome.  (Being such an art history nerd, I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Bday).  Lucie just pretended she was a student and tagged along for the ride.  That night, we went back to Piazza del Popolo for a bday dinner.  Afterwards we went to the Famous night club, White, which is also a Gelato shop during they day, to celebrate my 21st.  The Italians LOVE American music, but they have contributed some good songs that we have come to love (and have become our theme songs) that we are hoping become big in the states: "I Follow You" by Lykke Li and "Musica" by Fly Project.

   

Julius Caesar's Cremation Spot 

"She doesn't even go here" - Mean Girls 

Sunday, I met with a family friend, Matt Kopp, at the Vatican for mass.  (I MADE IT THERE ALL BY MYSELF ON THE METRO) He gave me a tour and I was completely overwhelmed. I barely took any pictures because I was just in awe by the beauty, the size of the building, and the ornate decoration of the interior.  Of course, I teared up when I saw the Pieta and I also had a chance to say a prayer at JPII's tomb, which was brought upstairs into the main church on his beatification.  Mass was supposed to be at 13:00, but the priest just decided not to do it (very Italian, I am figuring out).  So instead we went to grab lunch and then he showed me around the St. Thomas Bernardi House where he and the other Catholic Studies students are living.  I then went back home to Lucie, who was dying to get out of the apartment and explore.  She went with me to Mass at Santa Maria della Vittoria at 18:30 and had the same experience as I did the first time I went there.  Now both of us could not stop grinning and giggling at how adorable the priest was.  His entire homily consisted of the repetition of three words "Piccolo" and "Bambino Gesu" which were very stressed when spoken and hand gestures, of course, accompanied. Afterwards, we went for an Italian meal at restaurant just down the street.  Lucie and I were the only ones in the entire restaurant and were literally treated like celebrities.  First, the entire kitchen staff leaned out from behind their window the entire meal, next they called the owner out to also watch us and then we had three different waiters taking turns serving us.  For antipasti, we ordered prosciutto and mozzarella, and Roman style artichokes.  I then ordered the Penne Arrabbiata and Lucie ordered the Tortellini e Funghi.  They begged us to stay for dessert, which they claimed made you lose calories when you ate it, but I really wanted to take Lucie to get my favorite coconut gelato down the street.  Once we got our Gelati, we took a stroll to the Spanish steps and window shopped.  Even though I have been there twice already, this third time was the most beautiful because it just had rained which made the cobblestones sparkle and the lights reflect off of everything.  We did not escape the Indian flower vendors though.  Every one came up to us saying the same thing: "Beautiful flower for beautiful girl. I give to you for free!" But then by the end of the convo, they always said, "could you please just give me a small coin?" Overall, I had a great date night with my Minnesota twin.   

Well, that overview was not as quick as I thought it would be, but I love to share the little stories that, to me, are more important than the big events.  

Bacioni 

xxxx

The Rules of Cappuccino

One thing that is absolutely essential to Italian Culture is the Cappuccino.  The Italian's take their Cappuccini very seriously have have certain rules that appeal to the idea of Civilita' which  translates civility.  This is the most highly regarded value in Italian Culture.  In order to perfect oneself, they must learn how to follow the rules (Italians love rules but they also love to break them especially the rules of the road......I swear, there is no such thing as a parking space in Italy).  But the Rules of Cappuccino are to never be broken!  If so, you will be considered a Cafone (hick) which is one of the worst insultes an Italian could be called.

I learned all of this in my Italian Food and Wine class today.

THE RULES OF CAPPUCCINO:

(Cappuccino da portare via "to-go")

1. Never drink in the Afternoon. 
2. Never drink with or after a meal. 
3. Never add any additional flavors.  
4. Never drink without sugar. 
5. Never drink with a savory dish. 
6. Never add any alcohol. 

I have had a Cappuccino every single day so far (surprising?) so these rules will be extremely helpful.  The best Cappuccini I have had have been at the Bar (remember this means Cafe in english) right next to school.  A mother and daughter work together there and make every thing fresh (best paninni as well).  They are also so sweet and helpful with teaching us the rules and how to say everything correctly.  Unlike the French, the Italians love when you try to speak their language and won't get mad  if you break a rule, they will be happy to teach you. I also learned this in class today, but have experienced  this first hand.  

                                                                                                        

We even have a Cappuccini vending machine inside our school..... so no matter what, you will be able to get your necessary pick-me-up throughout the day.  The Cappuccini i have gotten from this machine have been better than most of the one's I have had in the US.  They even add sugar if you press a button and comes with a spoon to stir.  I think PC should invest in one of these... or even in my house next year.... 

Bacioni xxxx

Gladiators and Celebrities

Well yesterday was a packed day of activities.  The sun was shining and we were ready to tackle the Heart of Rome.  We said this was the one day where we weren't going to mind looking and acting like tourists.  Katherine brought a Rick Stevens guide book with her that had a map (thank goodness) for a walking tour.  We decided we wanted to do a quick run through of all the main spots just to get our bearings so we could go back to them later and spend more time there later.


We started with the Campo di Fiori where there was a huge open air market with fruits, vegetables, truffle oils, spices, hats, and pretty much anything you could think of.  In the center of the Campo is a statue of Giordano Bruno, who I remembered was from Dante's Inferno (thank you Providence Academy and PC) and was placed in one of the circles of Hell.  There are also a lot of cute sidewalk cafes and pubs surrounding the Campo.   We all beamed when all of a sudden we found a man singing and playing "Volare".  At that moment, we felt like such a part of Rome.

Next stop on our list was the Piazza Navona.  In the middle of the Piazza was an incredible fountain created by Bernini.  It is one of his most famous pieces and is a representation of four river gods all representing the 4 known continents during his time.

We then stumbled upon Trajan's Column and then moved on to the Pantheon.  I was so much more impressed with it than I ever would have thought.  The inside was so beautiful and moving.  I had no idea that Raphael's tomb was inside!  We thought the funniest thing was the men dressed up as gladiators outside.  Usually when you see someone dressed like that they like to stay in character but these guys were smoking cigs and chatting on their cell phones.  We snuck pics with them because you had to pay.

It is so interesting that all these places are so interconnected and it is so easy to get from one to the next. So then we made our way to La Fountina Trevi.  We all tossed our coins and made our wishes and then  had a panini lunch.






Then we walked back to the Spanish Steps because our two other room mates had not seen them yet.  We also wanted to explore the fancy high-end shops as well.  When we were in front of Cartier, my room mate, Danielle, recognized an actor from the TV show Homeland so she went up to him and introduced herself.  He was really flattered actually and was nice and seemed very genuine about wanting to talk to us!  She later tweeted at him and he tweeted her back twice!

For dinner we went to a place right next to our apartment, Gran Sasso.  Christine knows a girl from Providence who lived in our Apartment the year before and she said the restaurant was so good.  Its amazing to have such incredible food so close!  We ordered Bruschetta and two Pizzas.



We then met up with all of our friends from Providence and new friends we met through my roommate Katherine at the apartment in the Piazza Regina Margherita and decided to go to the place we got Gelatti from the other day because at night it turns into a place to go out.  It was really fun and we made some Italian friends!

Bacioni
xxxx

Oh, Look! The Spanish Steps!

Buongiorrno!

Today was one of the first really sunny days in our Pizza Bologna area.  We had a meeting with all of the PC students at the Villa so we woke up and walked there.  We are finally getting our bearings straight, we didn't even need a map today!!! We did not have time before to get our usual breakfast of Cappuccino and cornetti so afterwards we found a Bar (Bar is a place for caffe and beverages not what it is in america, those are called pubs or clubs) right around the corner of our apartment.  It was called Bar Mediterraneo and it is a little hole-in-the-wall place owned by the nicest old man.  We ordered correctly in Italian!!! His face lit up when we attempted to order in italian and was very impressed.  The people here really appreciate you trying to speak their language and they have always helped us to either pronounce the words correctly or show us what something is called. We were prepared to just stand at the bar and drink our cappuccinos but he insisted that he set a table up outside for us (the sidewalk allowed for only two tables).  He said, "Solo per le ragazze!" Which means "just for the girls!"  We sat outside while we watched all of his local cronies walk into the cafe one by one.  Danielle, Christine, and I enjoyed ourselves and sat outside for a while.  Our directors told us to get to know the locals because they will really help you out and really enjoy getting to know the American students.  We went inside and joked around a bit with all of the "regulars" they were so friendly and talked about their "architect work" in New York, which the owner of the bar said jokingly with hand gestures (of course) was just taking smoking breaks.

Our program planned a walking tour of Rome for us last night.  We were very excited to finally see everything!  But our plans changed...... they never really explained to us how to use the bus but we needed to take it to the meeting spot.  We got lost, as usual, so we missed it.  But it all turned out for the better! We had the greatest night; since we already missed the meeting time, we decided to stay on the bus and see where it would take us! We ended up in this beautiful shopping area where we got gelatti and cappuccini at this place called Caffe White.  I was absolutely in heaven with my coco gelatto (coconut, of course) and my cappuccino, I bet you can all imagine my obnoxious huge smile and me saying, "wait guys, I am just soo happy, I actually can't believe were in Rome" over and over.  We decided to stroll down a random quaint street for a little while and then we got to the end and saw a huge incredible building.  We wondered what it was but we had a feeling it was important (also because there were those annoying rose vendors everywhere trying to get money from tourists).  Then I looked in the distance, and on the horizon was St. Peter's!  We then looked over the balcony were next to and realized we were at the top of the Spanish Steps! We didn't even need the walking tour :)  At the bottom was one of the most expensive shopping areas in Italy.  Stores like Prada, Missoni, Chanel, and Dior lined the streets.  After we did a little shopping but in the "college student budget" stores.  We were the happiest girls and had the most enjoyable roman evening.  We were exhausted by the time we got home and a bunch of our friends wanted to go out on the town with them, but we were perfectly happy sipping limoncello, blogging, and then playing catch phrase until 2 am.

 


Sorry I am a day late, but Its only because I am busy having Roman adventures ;)


Bacioni xxxx

Ciao!

We woke up to a rainy day in Roma, which would seem like a bad thing, but the rain made Rome beautiful in a different way.  The orange trees and what we call "bonzai"trees seemed to sparkle and the  stucco on the buildings more vibrant and the ivy growing on them looked even more lush and turned into a rich shade of dark green.  


Right: "Bonzai" tree.  They are everywhere.  They also remind us of the lion king.  

Below: Ivy covering the Villa Ferretti

It was our first time going to our global campus, which is the Villa Ferretti.  This villa was made by the Ferretti family and they have been living there for generations.  They still actually live on the top floor!  Our director said they always see the children running through the gardens and have become quite close with the family.  I AM TAKING CLASSES IN AN ITALIAN VILLA. It is absolutely gorgeous.  I am definitely not going to mind studying and going to class... its a "little" different from Feinstein and Accino.  There is a small cafe right next to the villa (very dangerous for me) so before our crash course in Italian this morning we stopped in to get a cappuccino and a Cornetto (which is pretty much a croissant with a lemon glaze).  The lady was so cute and helpful.  She taught us exactly how to order and told us we should sprinkle a little cocoa on our Cappuccinos.  She was right; it was so yummy. We are hoping to become really good friends with her :) She also sells the most delicious looking sandwiches so we will be definitely be getting lunch there between classes.  

Mario Cacciafeste is our italian teacher and he is absolutely hilarious.  He taught us a lot of useful phrases which would have definitely been helpful last night.... especially Mi sono perso! Dove siamo? which means "I'm lost!  Where are we?" Hopefully we will never have to use it!! 

 

That afternoon, we headed over to the market and got all the ingredients for bruschetta and made our first lunch in our apartment.  We also picked up a bouquet of poppies from a flower vendor on our street. 

After lunch, our housing director, Andrea, gave us a tour of our neighborhood and showed us the best places to send mail, get our food, and how to look for things and the correct way to shop in a grocery store.  He was very impressed with how much we already knew.. We told him this was only because we have literally walked everywhere in our area when we were lost!  

We went back to our apartment and took a Roman siesta.  The Italians have a designated nap time between 1 and 4 and it is actually against the law to make loud noises during those hours.  I love that law :) 

I woke up from my nap and Christine had the Lizzie McGuire movie on so of course I had to watch it!  Every girl who goes to Rome secretly wishes she could have the same adventures as Lizzie did and say, "Sing to me Paolo".  

Then we made dinner of pesto pasta in our apartment and bread and olive oil.  After dinner we met with the a lot of our friends at the Campo di Fiori which is a really fun area with a lot of young people and especially American Students.  

Bacioni

xxxx