June 30. 2009

The second day of the second week of classes got off to a strange start! Just as we were ready for a trip to the great Vatican City bright and early at 9:00am all of us received the unfortunate news that Lisa was too sick to proceed as usual. We would meet at the Portone at 12:30pm. Many of us studied hard in the library to make the most of the spare time. We had just enough time to grab some panini before our departure!

Thankfully Lisa wasn’t too sick and appeared more or less fine when we met her outside. Everyone had their tickets so it was time to head out. It was a very hot and uncomfortable ride on the bus to the walls of the Vatican City State, but once we stepped inside the door of the cooler museum our spirits rose.

It was incredible to see so much gorgeous and moving art in one place! Lisa kept us informed with lots of interesting information about everything we were seeing as we staring unwittingly at the wonder before us.

 

Indeed, after walking past so much classical majesty it was a bit of a shock to arrive at a modern art gallery in the middle of the Vatican museum. The overall theme of the exhibition was Christian of course, but with wholly different colors and approaches than most of the work we had been around just a minute earlier. It was interesting to see how painters and sculptors today still conveyed the same message as their predecessors hundreds of years ago through such radically different means.

As we stood along the curb waiting for the bus home to arrive we were exhausted and sweaty, but grateful for the experience we had.

After the long day it was time for some quiet work and dinner at home. All in all it was another beautiful week in Rome for all of us!

Monday, June 29th

The Weekend

Hello, everyone. I'm C'havala, your Daily Diary guide for the day. We had a very full first weekend. After a late night of fried fish and limoncello, most people slept in on Saturday. We all got started on lot of reading. The girls in the Campo apartment got restless in the afternoon, so we took a field trip across the Tiber to Trastevere to what is probably the largest grocery store in Rome, roughly the size of a small Safeway! Then, it was back to work. In the evening, we met up with the boys to go back to Trastevere for dinner. After an hour of wandering and Peter's careful ranking of all the restaurants we were passing, we decided we were hungry and desperate, so we stopped and ate at a quaint little corner restaurant. Then, we returned to Giolitti's for some delicious gelato.

On Sunday, we had originally planned to go to the beach, but inclement weather put a kibosh on that one. Instead, everyone woke up early to go to the world's biggest flea market, in Trastevere. There were lots of exciting finds. In the afternoon, it was back to work. Most people ate in on Sunday night. Eating out could get to be a dangerously delicious but expensive addiction. Overall, it was a busy and fun first weekend in Rome together.

Classes

Today was rather an unusual day for us. It was a holiday here in Rome – Saints Peter and Paul Day. The farmers market in the Campo wasn't open, so the morning was a little quieter than usual.

In Mona's class, we discussed interesting examples from Mauss and Strauss. One particular group favorite was Strauss' example on the honorary dinner party, in which “rich” foods, like champagne and caviar are almost always served. These delicacies are a gift from the host, appropriate only for special occasions in which they can be shared. Indeed, eating such luxurious foods typically precedes a nagging feeling of guilt not due entirely to concern for one's delicate waistline.

Next, we discussed theories on the gift by Marx, Hyde, and Simmel. The economics boys were particularly excited about Marx. We learned about fetishism, gratitude, and faithfulness, and got confused (which, Mona assures us, heralds true progress.) When we come home, I expect we'll all be completely stumped about gifts and sacrifice, but we'll also probably be more generous!

In the afternoon, Elroy gave a lovely presentation on the urban renewal work of Pope Sixtus IV (1414-1484). Elroy took us first to the plaque on the corner that we all pass every day but no one ever reads. Now we know a little more about the Campo dei Fiori (Field of Flowers), our home for the next 4 weeks! Sixtus built roads through the Campo to the Vatican, making it a flourishing little square full of city life.

A short walk away is the Ponte Sisto, on of the bridges over the Tiber river. At the Ponte Sisto, Elroy told us about more of Sixtus renewal and renovations, including his work to provide clean drinking water. He also commissioned the bridge to replace one that had been compromised 700 years earlier. Now, it connects us to Trastevere's nightlife and suffers from a persistent and very unpleasant smell.

Alexandra's presentation on Michelangelo's Moses was postponed. We are certainly excited to see it soon. We also hope Lisa feels better soon!

Evening Adventures

The afternoon was spent staying caught up on readings. For dinner, most people decided to eat in again. Some did group cooking. That night, he Campo Girls and the Colosseum Boys met up for an aimless walk to escape our apartments for a bit. Mayme led us to the Trevi Fountain, where we found most of the rest of the class! Then, we headed out for Giolitti's gelato, the most delicious nightcap of which we could think. Mmmm!

Day 4!

It’s hard to believe that our first week of classes is already over! Time goes by so fast!

We had a full schedule today beginning at 10am with Mona’s class of Gift and Sacrifice where we had an in depth discussion about Goethe’s fruit basket based on Marcel Mauss’s interpretation of the gift.

At 11:30 we took our lunch break and many of us bought sandwiches at a nearby deli in the Campo de’ Fiori.

We then crossed the Campo to eat them at one of the apartments which houses 8 of the girls. This particular apartment is exceptionally spacious and overlooks the ever-bustling Campo.

45 minutes later we were back in class to finish off Mona’s class with a lecture on Marshall Sahlin’s response to Mauss and Pierre Bourdieu’s Outline of a Theory of Practice until we were released at 2:00.

Art History class began at 3:00 and we had two speakers, Mayme Marshall and ME! Mayme gave an excellent presentation on Tajan’s Column, Forum, and Marketplace.

I had to follow her with my talk on the Pantheon. I was really nervous coming into the presentation. I’ve never been much of one for public speaking but I had my notes in front of me, which was very reassuring. It’s so true that the build up was so much worse than the actual presentation. Once I begun talking everything just flowed out naturally. What a relief to be done so early in the program!

Following class Lisa, our Art History professor, took us all out for gelatos, two scoops! There were over 100 flavors but I settled on white chocolate and champagne. The champagne choice was mostly out of curiosity and it turned out to honestly taste just like the real thing! Nothing sweet or particularly smooth about it, the true bitter nature of champagne was unmistakable.

When it got a little later my roommates and I all went out for a “Family Dinner” of pizza and lasagna. The food in Italy is to die for and I can not figure out why we cannot reproduce this level of deliciousness in the states.

Directly following dinner we met up with a group of the girls from one of the other apartments and walked to the Spanish Steps.

The Steps are gorgeous at night and the weather was very cooperative keeping stars in the sky and the temperature in the mid 60’s.

All in all it was a great day to be in Rome. We are always so busy here it is hard to imagine we have time for anything else. Ciao!

It's all about the plumbing

Today we visited two sites: the Colosseum and the Baths of Caracalla. While this two sites many appear to be very different from each other, they both were built for use by the public (although different purposes) and they both had water features.

The Colosseum
Prior to the construction of the Colosseum, Rome did not have a permanent amphitheater. The plan of the Colosseum featured two amphitheater placed back to back, which creates the elliptical shape. Construction began in the 1st century under Vesapasian and was completed under Titus. The Colosseum hosted a number of events, including gladiator matches, executions, re-enactments of battles, and mock sea battles. Prior to the Colosseum, an artificial lake existed on the site. When the Colosseum was built, it was possible to 'flood' the lower levels to create a lake where sea battle could take place. As time passed, the floor was raised so that trapped doors could be added. These trap doors surprised participants when animals or people were hoisted up onto the arena floor.




The Baths of Caracalla
The Baths of Caracalla were public baths, or thermae, estimated to be able to hold 1600 bathers at any given time, with between 6000-8000 visitors per day. The Baths of Caracalla featured not only cold and hot water (heated underground... the floor would get so hot that people had to wear wooden sandals over risk burning their feet) baths, but also gymnasiums, changing rooms, and libraries.

Today, it's hard to get a really sense of what the Baths were really like. Only a few walls, tiled floors, and mosaics remain.

Day two: Busy busy!

Today was our first class with Professor Modiano, called "Gift and Sacrifice." Since it was our first day we were all excited to figure out what exactly the class was going to be about and how much more we could learn about the gift. To our surprise, the gift is incredibly complex and confusing (which Mona said was the point so most of us were relieved). The thing about the gift is that there are so many interpretations of it and so many different ways to view it, that it's impossible to define.
After 4 hours of poring over readings and delving into the intricacies of the gift, we got an hour to relax and unwind before our next adventure with Lisa. Today was Andrea Roberts' presentation of the Ara Pacis Augustae. The Ara Pacis is a sacrificial altar dedicated to the goddess Pax. It was dedicated to Augustus (the first emperor of Rome) by the senate in his honor and to celebrate his return after a long absence. We were amazed by its size and beautiful reliefs. So much detail was put into the work and each figure seemed to have a purpose and a meaning.

The Ara Pacis is located inside this building, which

was very modern, and contrasted with the ancient monument inside.

The Ara Pacis: If you walk up those steps you walk right up to the sacrificial altar

After an in depth and interesting explanation of the Ara Pacis we all went our seperate ways.
Some of the group joined Lisa for gelato at a gelateria she recommended by the Pantheon (which was delicious) and some headed back home to grocery shop and do a bit of homework.
I'm sure everyone was hungry after such a full day and we all retired to our kitchens to experiment with making Italian food (or at least food with italian ingredients). Everyday we get a little better so that by the time we get back, we will be as good as professionals.

And we're off!!

Ciao! Welcome to the first of many daily diary entries for the Summer 2009 Honors Study Abroad in Rome! It has been such a rush to be in Rome, some of us for the first time, and quite a few of us for the second or third. But we can all agree, no matter how many times you’ve visited the city of Rome, it is still as spectacular as ever. There is just so much to see; I personally have been to Rome once before, but I can already tell that I am in for quite the learning experience this trip. Today being the first day of classes, we had Art History bright and early (ish) at 9 AM at the Roman Forum. Starting us off, on a bright sunny, breezy (thank god) late June morning, giving the first of 24 art history presentations was Aaron Perlmutter who taught us all about the intricate history of the Roman Forum.

The Forum has been here for thousands of years, and has been used as a market place with a key central location between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills as well as the stage for political evolution through the ages of the monarchy, the republic and into imperial Rome. Below are some snapshots taken of the forum from a distance in which we can various important monuments of the forum.

As we walked through the Forum we learned about the various temples built to honor the gods and emperors, Basilicas, Churches (which also doubled up as Senatorial houses)…etc. Every part of the forum had a story behind it, a reason for being built, a reason behind why it was a ruin and a reason behind why it looked the way it did.

After making our way through the forum we stopped at the arch of Titus, a Triumph made in honor of the Roman Emperor’s victory over the Jerusalem Temple. Teaching us all about Triumphs was Jackie Lin. Jackie taught us all about these great marvels and the magnificent processions held for the ancient roman emperors.

The Arch of Titus (as shown below!!)

A depiction of the triumphant procession of goods taken from the victory over Jerusalem

Titus being pulled by four large horses accompanied by winged victory, again further depicting the procession.

The inside of the arch decorated intricately decorated with a large center piece at the top with the symbol of an eagle carrying a man into the heavens (representing Titus and his ascension into the realm of the gods)

After this we broke for a nice hill top luncheon on the Palatine hill. It was perfect conditions, sunny yet shade, blue skies, a nice cool breeze, great company and of course, FOOD!

We met up around 6 in the evening with to have a tour of the Campo de’ Fiori and the surrounding area to get a better idea of where the different shops in the area.

There was so much to see and experience as the campo is a very exciting area to be in especially in the evening time. We all decided to take a more hands on look at some italian culture

You know what they say, when in Rome.... :)

Overall it was quite a wonderful day full of learning, sight seeing, walking, good weather and great company!

I can't wait to see what day two has in store for us!