A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the Pantheon, and the Colosseum

 This past weekend my room mate, a friend, and I took to the city to tour some of the most famous places in Rome

 On Friday night, we went to the absolutely stunning Trevi Fountain. It was amazingly beautiful, nestled into a little square between the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Barberini that you would never find, unless you were really looking for it. We went just before dinner when it was lit up really beautifully and all proceeded to take ridiculously tourist-y, yet satisfying pictures of each other.

The legend of the Trevi Fountain is if you throw a coin into the fountain backwards, you are guaranteed to return to Rome, so obviously I had to do it.












Then, early Saturday morning, we made our way into the city once more. This time we made many stops at beautiful and historic churches that we just happened to walk by. One of the churches we made a special stop into was the Pantheon, the oldest Catholic Church in Rome. The pantheon's name means 'many gods' because it was originally a pagan temple devoted to all of the Roman gods. It was changed into a Catholic Church and you can still go to a mass inside, although there are very few pews and very noisy visitors.

The show-stopping feature in the Pantheon is its oculus, a giant hole in the roof that provides natural light to illuminate the building. There is a legend that says it never rains inside the Pantheon, despite the gigantic whole in the roof. The Romans are lying to you. After a typically soggy January week, the floor in the middle of the Pantheon, just below the oculus, was housing some significant puddles. I loved it there, every detail was so beautiful and rich in history. 

Inside the Pantheon you can visit the tomb of the famous artist Raphael Santi. It is located on the left side of the altar and is really, very pretty.

Then, we mad our way to Rome's Imperial Forum. The forum is located between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills. It was the heart of Ancient Rome. It housed everything from judicial basilicas to market vendors. Now, the forum is a site of ruins and also an active 'scavi' or excavation site.

Although, once inside, The Forum can look like a glorified park, there is so much history, quite literally lying around. There are a few columns still standing, but the majority of them are not. However, the detail of each column is that much closer and easier to appreciate. Intricate designs of patterns, plants, and flowers are skillfully applied to each marble block. 

Lots of people just sit on the thousand+ year old columns and eat lunch, or plan their next site visit, or pose for pictures.

Finally, we went to what is possibly the most famous sit in Rome, the Colosseum. The site of countless deaths, suffering, and panem et circenses. The first thing we saw when we entered the Colosseum was a huge cross. I believe that there are stations of the cross during the Triduum in the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is really amazing to stand inside of and is a testament to the awesome engineering power that the Romans possessed. It had a retractable roof, a basement to house the animals and the gladiators, three sections of spectator seating, and was able to be flooded so that they could have ships inside of the building.

They have a recreation of part of the floor so that visitors can see what it would have looked like on part of the building.

The hardest part of getting around in the Colosseum was climbing the craziest, oldest, steepest steps I have ever seen. Nobody ever tells you about that part of the Colosseum.

It was a really lovely weekend, I appreciated Rome so much more because of this weekend. I loved every second of walking around and seeing little treasures around the city as well as Rome's statement pieces. I can't wait to explore some more in this really lovely and ancient city.

Study Abroad Kids Do Homework?

Indeed, we do.

This week has been the first full week of real coursework, and HOMEWORK, for my five classes.
Five page theology papers? Check.
Literally more than one hundred pages of readings? Check.
History Journals? Check.
Italian Midterm? Check.

Yes, you read that last one right, a midterm in the middle of January. The reason is that Italian class is intensive, a.k.a. the wost thing ever -- could be considered a form of torture, and is complete on February 1st.

The cool thing about going to class in Rome, besides being in Rome, is that we aren't stuck in a classroom all day, everyday. For example, in my Roman History class we go on a site visit during every class. Last week we went to the Palatine Hill and this week we will climb the weirdest steps ever to get to the museum on top of the Capitoline Hill.This coming week in Theology we will have site visits on both Monday and Wednesday in the heart of the city.

This coming Tuesday, in English, we will be visiting the Non-Catholic cemetery in Rome where authors Shelley and Keats are buried. This is particularly exiting for me because I absolutely LOVE John Keats' poetry. Its amazing, unbelievable, and awesome. If you have time to read any of it, do it.

Whoops...

You know that sinking felling you get when you realize you totally forgot to do something you were really excited about... well, jeeze. I was really excited at the idea of spending part of my Spring Break with my friend, Roberta, in Vienna and Budapest. The icing on the cake was the plan to see Mumford & Sons in Budapest that Saturday before returning to Rome. My heart sunk this week when I realized I hadn't bought the tickets and their European tour is completely sold out.

Whoops!

I really wanted to see them, and I'm a little disappointed. Especially because they'll be in NJ for TWO shows in February... But now I have a bit more freedom in planning for spring break. Hopefully I'll be able to see them soon. I'll just keep listening to their albums until then.

Anyone is welcome to buy them for me as a gift if/when they announce their next tour @ mumfordandsons.com.

Catatonic Classrooms

So... Classes. They started on Monday with Italian. We meet for Italian everyday at 4pm, for three hours. I have no idea how I am going to survive that class. The only positives about Italian class is that, because it is intensive, it only lasts until the first week of February. Also, I have to walk by the beautiful Spanish Steps everyday to get to class.

 I started my English class yesterday as well. Its all about English and American authors and how their experiences in Italy influenced their writing. We started Byron and Shelley in class and our assignment is Daisy Miller by Henry James. I already read that my first semester, but hopefully I get more out of it now that I'm in Rome. One of our class excursions is to go to the non-catholic cemetery where my favorite poet, John Keats is buried. I have to go to the Keats Shelley house by the Spanish Steps, especially because I pass them everyday to go to Italian class.

This morning, I had my first Theology class with Msgr. Irwin. It was lovely. He's really personable and  knowledgeable and is going to take us on fascinating trips into the city to meet people, go to different churches, and experience liturgical celebrations. We already received our first homework assignment, a 5 page paper due next week... oi. I have another Theology class with him tomorrow as well, hopefully there will be even more interesting excursions and guest lecturers. Friday's class is Roman History. I'm pretty sure we will be having trips to the Forum and the Colosseum as well as places like the Pantheon, but we'll see.

Now, I am going to clean up my room and watch homeland whilst I prepare to venture to Italiaidea for the longest Italian class ever... boo.

Ciao.

Today's the day!

I made it! It took awhile, but I finally made it. Two plane rides with absolutely no anxiety and even less sleep. It took me a few days to warm up to the city, and also to realise that I am no longer in America. I am the foreigner, the alien, and everybody knows it. I've spent three full days in Rome so far, the first days were tough. Adjusting to the time change, customs, and rhythms are going to take the entire semester, but it is going to be really fun figuring them out. The director of the study abroad program, Dr. Dawson, said that we should treat every challenge as an adventure and make sure to do things that make us uncomfortable. I hope to adopt that attitude during my time here and embrace the city, rather than sinking under some kind of a security blanket.

The most shocking thing hasn't been the language, or the weather (although it is about 60 degrees in the afternoon as opposed to New Jersey's 30 degrees) Its the people in the city. The pace is slower, the people are really warm and friendly-- but I've already witnessed an attempted pick-pocketing... oi.

The ruins, monuments, statues, and obelisks are so much more beautiful than any picture makes you think. The city itself has a character that I didn't expect it to have, the buildings are all bright, cheery, and old. Getting my bearings in the city has been pretty challenging. The street signs are hidden on the sides of buildings, many streets look the same, and the city isn't a grid like I'm used to in D.C. There are corners, alleys, and most especially piazzas where the whole neighborhood gathers during the day. And, of course, the food is delicious, everything is better than I have ever had it in America.

In all of my research before coming to Rome, everyone said that it was pretty hard to navigate Rome because it is such a big city, to European standards. In reality, Rome is smaller than many American cities, especially within the Aurelian Walls. All of the ancient city is relatively small, the forum, Colosseum, and all of the biggest tourist destinations are in walking distance of each other.

Two days ago, the school was split into groups and we went on a scavenger hunt throughout the city, it was amazing. We got so lost and stumbled onto things that I'm sure I never would have seen if it weren't printed on the task sheet. The Villa Borgese was phenomenal, so pretty. Its next to the Spanish steps and has one of the most beautiful views of Rome that I have ever seen. I loved it. It was funny to see all of the church steeples.

Yesterday, we had tickets to the Epiphany mass at St. Peter's church in the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI said the mass and ordained 4 bishops during the 3 hour mass. The mass was crazy! People were standing on chairs and getting wild to get a glimpse of the pope. The basilica itself was really beautiful and there was something new to see every time you looked around. I don't think I am ever going to forget it.

Now, the rest of the dorm students and I have been adjusting to our new home away from home at St. John's University's campus. The dorms are new-ish with a beautiful courtyard and settled into a lovely neighborhood that's only about a 10 min walk from the heart of The Vatican. It all seems unreal, I can't believe I'm here.