Second Week of Classes

The second week of classes went really well. I'm really enjoying most them. My Italian teacher is the funniest woman ever, and is just so cheerful all of the time. Italian is becoming one of my favorite classes. She is also from Florence, so we always hear how wonderful it is there, which is making me excited for our trip to Florence this weekend. My Italian Cinema class has also proven to be quite interesting as well. I don't know anything about Italian Cinema so I can't wait for all of the movies that we are going to watch. Right now we are looking at neorealism. For my on site course, we went to the Capitoline Hill which was designed by Michelangelo. It separates the old center of Rome from the new. We also got the opportunity to go into the museums which had some really interesting sculptures and frescoes. I got to see the original wolf statue, which is an iconic symbol for Rome referring back to it's founders Romus and his twin brother Remulus who are said to have been raised by a wolf. 

We had our train early Friday morning that would be taking us to Florence so going out was definitely not an option. However, we wanted to hang out with some of our guy friends so we invited them over for a little dinner party, which ended up being a blast of course. The boys brought over most of the food, and Tony played the role of Mr. Cook for the evening. Sarah L. and I lent our helping hands. We ended making a feast of breaded chicken breasts, a tomato and zucchini side dish, spaghetti and sauce, as well as a big ‘ole salad. With some very good wine from Rome and with some good company we all sat down and enjoyed our dinner at the dining room table. We ended up playing a card game that is new to me, and I was the president in the first round with some serious beginner’s luck! For whatever reason, I didn’t end up going to bed until around 2 or 3 in the morning and had to wake up only three hours later, but it was worth it and I had a four-hour train ride to sleep on. 

Bargain Shopping

Sunday morning we woke up early to go find the flea market that we had heard about that is in Porta Portese. Basically it is a straight shot down the Tiber River. The Sarha’s, Taryn, and I all headed there for the morning. It reminds me of Rice’s outdoor market in Pennsylvania that I often go to when I visit my family out there. They had everything from boots, to scarfs, to jewelry, and even bras and underwear. It was such a fun time, despite how cold it was! I bought myself a pashmina scarf, which comes from India I believe, because I lost my cream scarf at the club. I was also able to find a cute pair of black boots for only 10 euro! They were great deals and it was just a fun experience going from vendor to vendor and trying to haggle. I know I’ll definitely be coming back here on another Sunday (especially since it is only open on Sundays). That night we decided that we had to get some gelato again and we went to this place not far from the Pantheon called the Gioleteria. My oh my did they have an assortment of flavors, and what I got was absolutely amazing! I ordered raspberry with this type of caramel flavor, and they put fresh whipped crème on top! I love this country. 

Not Quite Coyote Ugly

 I met this really cool guy in my Italian class this week, named Jared. We decided to get together and to have a dinner party at his apartment tonight, which is up by the Vatican. So the Sarah's, Taryn, and I whipped up some bruschetta and bought some wine and made our way to his apartment. We had to walk through this extremely large tunnel and pretty close to where the Vatican is. We finally made it to where his apartment was and went up to the sixth floor. There we met his two other roommates, Jack and Mike. Jared had made an awesome dinner all by himself, obviously being the chef of his apartment. He had a great time chatting and then decided to show them our apartment too and to go out. We came back to the residence and had our first experience with having to check in our guests. You have to check in guests here and they have to leave by 11:30. They keep their ID's so they know whether or not you have indeed checked them out. So we made sure that we were out on time and headed to Testaccio, which is one of the club districts in Rome. All seven of us squeezed in a cab to get there, it was quite a sight. We went to this club called Coyote, and again got in for free. Unfortunately it wasn't like Coyote Ugly, but it still had a pretty sweet name. The place was pretty chill at first but then after a while as it got later, the energy definitely picked up. There were crazy lights and there must have been a fog machine too and we all had a blast! We actually ran into the other guys’ roommate, David, who I had actually talked to a bit on the Facebook group before we came. So it was great to meet him in person! We also met his friend who is an Italian policeman who does some sort of secret police business. Some of the girls were ready to head home, so we grabbed a cab and were on our way. 

Some Catching Up to do

Ciao everyone! Yes, I am FINALLY updating my blog. I apologize for the delay, but things happens here and there and before you know it you are extremely behind! I've never been the best daily journaler, but I swear I'm working on it. So since there is so much catching up to do with all of my adventures, I'm going to try to post a few stories each day so as not to overwhelm you with too much at once. I have already been here for over a month, which is absolutely insane, and so much has happened! So if you are looking for a good read for the next few days, you've found definitely found it. We are going to pick up where we left off with my second weekend in Rome.

Learning to be a Wine Connoisseur

This morning was my first meeting of my on-site art history course which will be looking at Rome and it's monuments. I am really looking forward to learning more about the monuments of Rome, especially from a non-tourist perspective. Today we hiked up the top of the Gianicolo hill and were able to look at all of Rome from above! This city never ceases to amaze me, and while that may be due to the fact that I'm still new to the city, I feel that even after four months of being here, it will still have surprises in store for me. On my way back to my apartment I walked past a Ferrari vespa! Perhaps your more affordable option to the sports car.

Tonight after classes I had my wine tasting class. We tried three white wines and three reds as well as a desert wine. We learned a lot about the color and smell and taste differences between better and cheaper wines. We tasted a more floral wine, wine that had aged in oak casks, and other types. We also had some cheese and crackers to compliment the wine and overall it was a very fun evening. I still have quite some way to go before being a wine connoisseur, but I'm making baby steps!

What Pennies are good for in Rome

Last night a group of us wound our way to the Anglo American Bookstore by the Spanish Steps to get some our our textbooks. Since we were over that way we stopped by the Trevi Fountain, since me and Taryn had yet to see it. It was absolutely beautiful and I couldn't believe how large it was in person! There are tons of people there who try to take your picture to charge you, but as soon as you whip out your own camera they tend to shy away. We all dug out our pennies, which are obviously worthless here, and used those to make our wishes. As tradition goes, I had my penny in the right hand and over the left shoulder it went! Apparently if you make a wish here you are sure to return, and I sure hope that legend is true!  I got some creme flavored gelato, yum!, and we made our way back to Gianicolo.

I'm Gonna Have the Best Looking Legs and Butt

On Sunday we literally walked our butts off. We went on a free walking tour that JCU offered and it was so informative. We learned more about the Jewish Ghetto that we had walked through the other night and saw where there used to be a gate that kept the Jews apart from the other citizens. We also found out that Italy has the oldest Jewish population besides Jerusalem.

We found out more about the ruins we had stumbled upon on our quest for dinner and that it was once a theater. It was also dedicated to Octavia, Marc Antony's Wife and Caesar's sister. Right by that was what used to be a theater that actually served as a model for the Colosseum. There was the remnants of Apollo's temple as well as medieval houses too. It is so interesting how there are layers to the city. The street level is from one period, and down below you find ancient ruins, and on top of buildings are houses and buildings put up at different points. All I kept thinking on this tour was how lucky I am to be here in Rome. We stopped at the Capitol Hill which basically separates old Rome from new Rome and it had a very interesting museum there too. One museum is actually having a Vincent Van Gogh exhibit. From that point we moved on to see the Roman Forum and eventually the Colosseum!

Quick Tip: if you ever get to Rome, don't take a picture with the people dressed as gladiators because you will get charged 5 euros. I must say, coming up to the Colosseum and standing next to where democracy was born was breathtaking. All along the way we kept seeing the letters SPQR engraved in columns and on sewage covers. It stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus which means The Senate and People of Rome. It is the official signature or emblem of Rome, so I am going to try to take pictures of everywhere I see it.

After having walked all that way, we then had to rush back to go on our bus tour. It wasn't really much of a bus tour as it was a get on the bus and then walk some more tour haha. But honestly, despite my legs screaming at me, I am extremely glad that I went on the tour, it was so worth it. We went up to the Vatican and went into St. Peter's Basilica. They still also have their Christmas tree and nativity scene set up. Unfortunately my camera died half way through, but I was able to snap a few pictures. Walking into the St. Peter's brought tears to my eyes because it was so beautiful. All of the marble and mosaics were so ornate and intricate. Apparently you can hike up to the top of St. Peter's dome for 5 euros, and my roommates and I plan to do so. I also found it interesting that Swiss guards are the ones who protect the Pope and the Vatican.

After leaving the Vatican we got on the bus and went to one of the 5 catacombs that are open to the public. We went into the first two levels of the catacombs. Apparently many martyrs and Popes were actually buried there along with other Christians dating back to the 5th century. The catacomb was actually ransacked when Rome was sacked. In response to that, the Catholic Church has collected the bones of Popes and martyrs and now keeps them at the Vatican. The other bones were collected and moved to another part of the catacomb that was sealed off in the 9th century. It was amazing to see the various frescoes of different tombs and what marble plates are still left. The area above the catacombs was beautiful and green with many Cyprus tress and orange and olive trees. We were exhausted by the end of everything, but if I keep doing all this walking, my legs and butt are going to be in excellent shape! There's a reason why Italian women can eat all those carbs and still look great.