Contemporary Rome

Pictures:

#1: Renzo Piano's Outdoor amphitheater 

#2: Piano's auditorium (the biggest and best)

#3: Olympic arena structure

#4: Interior of arena (crazy dome structure)

#5: Zaha Hadid's building... not fitting well in context?

#6: Interior of Richard Meier Building

#7: The Ara Pacis, dating to 9 BC

#8: A Mendini "Proust" chair

July 8th:

Contemporary architecture in Rome? You must be joking...

But it's true! We took our first contemporary architecture tour today with Luigi, a practicing Roman architect. We began our tour at Renzo Piano's Auditorium for Music, which I had studied before, but didn't realize was in this city. It is an amazing design, but with an odd roof structure that resembles an armadillo. But the interiors were spectacular, as well as the site plan, with three different auditoriums of varying sizes surrounding a central outdoor auditorium (that acts as an agora).

Then we visited an arena used for the 1960 Olympics that were held here. Another building that I studied (in Structures class) that I had no idea was here. It was an interesting building, but in poor disrepair. I can't remember who designed it...

We also stopped by Zaha Hadid's current project. Well, it's not really current, because it was designed in 1993, and was scheduled to be completed in 1996. It has cost 120 million euros so far (double the original budget). As well, it is going to be a Contemporary Art Gallery, so they still have to buy the art for it. Yikes!

Lastly, we visited Richard Meier's Ara Pacis Museum (the same designer for the Getty Museum).  It is beautiful with its white travertine and interesting light and water displays.  It houses the Ara Pacis (Altar of Peace - commemorating the Pax Romana).  It also has temporary art exhibits, and this one was featuring Mendini, an Italian architect who also designs things like coffee pots and chairs.  The one thing they all have in common?  Color.  His designs were great, but I really enjoyed looking at his sketches.

"Hey, Look! More old stuff..."

Pictures:

#1: The Gateway to the beach

#2: The cascading town.

#3: Ah... Sperlonga.  My favorite Italian beach (so far...)
#4: Sunset on the beach

#5: Holy gelato, batman.
#6: Basilica of Constantine.  Pretty quaint, really.

#7: Arch of Titus, commemorating the conquest of Jerusalem (AD 70)

#8: Chilling in the 1' of shade in the Colosseum.

#9: The cats hanging out in the ruins.

#10: Inside the forum, tour guide Richard in hand.

#11: Inside the Colosseum.  I'm surprised we got a shot without any other people in it.

July 11th

It's done. I've seen the Colosseum! Next up... who knows?

We had our first official three-day weekend of freedom. So we woke up far too early on Friday
for a day trip to Sperlonga, which is supposed to have the best beaches. After an hour on the train and twenty minutes on a bus, we made it to paradise. It was beautiful. It felt more like Greece or something (not that I've been there). We found a nice private beach (the free public beach was tiny!) and camped out for the day. The water was lovely, and the town was picturesque. There was also this huge cave at the end of the beach, but it was part of a national park, so you had to pay to get in. Also, we found an inexpensive gelato place, that we visited on the way in and way out. The only unfortunate thing about the day was that I got a bit lobstered by the sun (sunblock must have washed off in my many trips in) but I guess it had to happen sooner or later.

On Saturday (early, again), we hit the Roman Forum and Colosseum. Finally. It was a pretty warm morning, so I'm glad we got out there early, but we were all a little tired (and quite a bit hungry) by the end of it. We started at the Forum, where we walked around constantly saying, "Look at that old stuff." Along with my "Mahble Callums." Thankfully, Rick Steves came to our rescue with his Rome tour book, so we walked around reading his plethora of knowledge. Otherwise we would have had no idea what this or that column used to be. It is hard to imagine what it used to look like, but as this was the center of the Roman Empire, it must have been pretty nice.

As we got closer to the Colosseum, my interest peaked, as well as the number of tourists. I knew it would be packed (it was Saturday, after all) but it was crazy! There were people EVERYWHERE! Especially if it was shady. I think the answer for everyone in this city to "When in Rome..." is "Go to the Colosseum." And yet, I was still so impressed. I didn't get quite the one-on-one experience with the monument that I'm used to, but when it is towering over your head many feet, it is still pretty powerful. And now I can say I've seen it. Check.

After a quick (by Roman standards) but enjoyable lunch, we headed to San Giovanni in Laterano, the original base for the Catholic Church before it moved to the flashier St. Peter's. It was beautiful! It was slightly more subdued than St. Peter's, but still dramatic. They were setting up for some event, with chairs and tv screens all over the place. If I knew more Italian, I might be able to figure out what was going on. Across the street, we went to the "Scala Sancti " or "Holy Stairs" in another church. Supposedly, these stairs were brought from the house of Pontas Pilate by Constantine in 300 AD, and they are the stairs Jesus walked before his death (with the blood spots to prove it). Now they are covered in walnut wood, and you are required to ascend all 28 of them on your knees. (let me tell you, it gets quite painful at the end) At the top is the Holy of Holies, where there are kept sacred documents in an altar. I had no idea this even existed, but a few Catholic girls in Assisi told us about it. I'm learning lots about the Catholic church, though. Who'd have thought?

Assisi Weekend!

Pictures:
#1: Some little hilltown on the drive up, overlooking the countryside
#2: The 

quintessential view of Assisi, with the castle looming above
#3: St. Francis Cathedral
#4: The winding streets of the hill town
#5: Overlooking the city from the castle. AMAZING views!

#6: Inside the "window" of the castle

#7: The craziest tunnel ever (a clautrophobics nightmare)

#8: At the top!  It was SUPER windy

#9: Sunset on the Piazza Santa Chiara

July 4th - July 6th

I. Love. Assisi. I can't get over it. I had such a wonderful time there and the place was gorgeous; it's basically a place where fairy tales may actually exist. We took a class field trip there last weekend and I wasn't sure why they chose Assisi. I have no doubts now. It is a classic Italian hilltown with a lot of history, just a 2-3 hour trip from Rome. It is the birthplace of St. Francis (of Assisi) who is the patron Saint of the environment, quite fitting.

We left Rome Saturday morning, and we had our own private charter bus. Let me tell you, it was wonderful to get out of the busy city, and even more wonderful to do it on clean, non-public transportation. Our hotel was 1 km outside of the town (Hotel Da' Angelo) and the first thing we did there was hit the pool! Mind you, this was not an ordinary pool, but one with a view overlooking the beautiful Italian countryside. We did the adult thing, and participated in the animated games of Marco Polo and Sharks and Minnows. That night, we had a big group dinner in the hotel's restaurant. I had my first pasta with truffle sauce, and I was hooked. We headed into the town, and it was great to be in a place that is a little less touristy at night (except for our large group). We went to the main square, and there were a ton of kids out playing games, and it was like 11:00. Totally different time schedules. Oh! I almost forgot it was the 4th, but I covered that mistake by eating my first watermelon gelato. You have to pay your respects somehow...

Sunday was a busy day. We headed straight to the Cathedral of St. Francis (I found out later that there are actually two churches and a crypt all combined into one building, and that I totally missed one of the churches, but oh well) and did lots of sketching. The tomb of St. Francis was pretty eery, and there were a lot of people pilgrimaging to this site. Our next stop was the castle on the top of the hill, Rocca Maggiore (a medieval hilltown with a castle overlooking it? It was magical). We got a little lost on the way, but saw some great sites. It cost five euros to get into the castle, but it was the best five euros I've spent the whole trip. The sign outside it said "For those who suffer from claustrophobia or vertigo, do not enter," and I suffer from mild cases of both. The castle contained twisting stones spiral staircases, incredible views, overlooking towers, and the best part: a long tunnel through the wall connecting two of the towers, that was probably 6 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 300 feet long. There was very little light, and the acoustics were crazy (it really distorted voices) and let's just say that I had fun playing down there.

After the castle, I was exhausted after all the stairs, so we just walked through the winding streets of the town, did a bit more sketching, then ate dinner on this terrace overlooking Piazza Commune's fountain. On Monday morning, a few people hiked up into the mountains where St. Francis hid in a cave, but I wanted to soak in more of the city. We sketched (a common theme here) and did some window shopping, then loaded back onto the bus back to Roma. Quite a sad parting, because who knows if I will ever return to this place, but I'm so glad I got to come here.

Let the touring continue!

Pictures:
(a lot!)

#1: Rain on the Campo!
#2: Sun shining on rain-drenched campo... and people.
#3: Quirinale Palace
#4: Quattro Fontane by Boromini - my favorite dome
#5: Courtyard of Quattro Fontane - he loves his white
#6: One of very few Gothic cathedrals in Rome (name?)
#7: St. Teresa in Esctasy - I totally read the part of Angels and Demons with this statue in it the night after our tour, what are the odds?
#8: St. Ivo Della Sapienza's amazing spiral spire
#9: Villa Barberini's garden view
#10: Barberini ceiling: one of the best examples of Baroque ceilings
#11: Jubilee Church














June 29th-July 3rd

We had a couple more Jeffrey tours this week, which were (as usual) long, and slightly interesting. We saw a few great things, but it was accompanied with a lot of walking and standing while he gave a dissertation. Monday's tour was focused on palazzos, so we learned a lot about the rich cardinals who became even richer when they became Pope (they had access to the Papal treasury, you see). For example, right down the street from us is the Farnese Palazzo, which is a well-known rich family (whose sign is the fleur-de-lis). The most unfortunate part about the tour, though, is that we never went inside any Palazzos! (well, we went into the courtyard of one) I wanted to see some interior rooms. It was also a city holiday today (the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul) so a few places were closed. We did, however, go inside a few well-known churches, which were nice, but I can't remember their names. I'll have to look them up.

On Tuesday, we had our "Bernini and Boromini" tour, which began at the Quirinale Hill (Italy's version of the White House). At one point during the introductory lecture (45 minutes long, standing in the square) we got to see the changing of the guards. It wasn't Buckingham Palace, but it was interesting. We went up the street and visited a few amazing Bernini churches, and finished with Boromini. Bernini did some pretty nice designs, but they have a lot going on. Many colors of marble, frescos, bronze and gold guilding: it gets pretty intense. Boromini, however, stuck with more modest materials, but yet did innovative building plans. We also went into the crypt of Boromini's church (which wasn't scary at all) because everything was painted white, just like the church above it. It also had a great courtyard.

On Wednesday, we had our first real assignment due, as well as a collection of our sketch journals, so I spent the entire morning in studio, working on my drawings (not much different than studio in Eugene). During our afternoon class, it started thundering REALLY loud (which was funny, because our designs we were talking about are based off of Dante's Inferno) and the wind was blowing through the building. Then all of a sudden it downpoured. It was pretty intense. It has been trying to rain all week, and it finally let loose. Hopefully it got all the rain out of its system before our trip to Assisi this weekend, where we can lay by the pool at our hotel (in between hikes). Oh, I'm excited.

Thursday we just had class in the morning, and then we took the afternoon off. I mostly just we on errands, and watched more thunderstorms. This weather here is crazy! That night I took a night trip to St. Peter's Square to do some night-sketching. It was nice to see it when it wasn't packed with people. It was also nice to be able to just stroll over to the Vatican on a whim. (It's another country, you know)

We had a tour with Oregon professor Jamie Harper on Friday morning, and I think it was one of my favorite tours so far. He took us to Villa Barberini, with a few stops along the way (one of which I missed - St. Ivo della Sapienza - because we lost the group, I guess I'll have to visit it later). The Villa had beautiful gardens and a beautiful gallery inside, including some works of Caravaggio. After the tour, I went with classmate Jeff out to Richard Meier's Jubilee Church (outside the city of Rome). It was quite the journey, including two bus transfers, totaling about 2 hours in total travel time (longer for the way back, because we took the wrong bus). In all, I would say it was worth it, simply because it was nice to take a break from all the historical buildings and see some modern. It was in a strange location, though. I think I would like the building a lot more if it was in the middle of a garden, or on a hill or something. Just a thought, Richard. More adventures to come!

Just a day at the beach

Sorry, no pictures, they disappeared from my camera!

June 27th-28th

After a long week of touring, we decided to get out of the city for a day, and go to the beach. It took a while to get us all gathered together (there were 14 of us going) but we finally left. It was a bit tricky figuring out the Metro system at the main train station, and we even had to transfer once, but we made it to the Mediterranean. We went to the city of Ostia, which was only about an hour's metro ride from the city. It was perfect weather. I was surprised, though, when we got to the beach edge, and found gates! Every foot of the sea's edge was private property, owned by resorts and clubs. We ended up paying 10 euros at the place we went, which is the cheapest you can find. Thankfully, it also turned out to be one of the nicest places in that area (I'm not sure how that works out). We spent the day jumping in the waves (the water was cool, and very salty) and lying on our lounge chairs reading good books (or Dante).

On our way back into town, we stopped in Ostia Antica, which is supposed to have ruins that rival Pompeii. However, the place was closed, so we just walked around the town. At the center was this old castle (which didn't look open to the public), and right next to it was a church. I don't know if it was National Day of Weddings in Italy or something, but the church had four wedding groups outside of it taking pictures. It was a pretty nice church (and there was a castle next door) but it was still confusing...

As for Sunday, I went on my own little exploration of Rome outside the walls. I was actually looking for an LDS church, but it was so far out of the city, it wasn't on any of the maps I had. I only had a street address and general directions to it, but apparently that wasn't good enough. I just kept getting on bus after bus (I would get off when the bus started going the wrong way). I actually got pretty close to it, then bought a bigger map and walked the rest of the way there. It was a pretty small building, but it was full. I guess I looked Italian or something, because no one gave me the English-translation headphones for the first talk. It was quite different, and yet the people acted so similarly to people in the US. For example, I had two little brothers sitting in front of me, and the older one kept sprinkling cracker crumbs in his younger brother's hair (I don't think he ever figured it out). I'm going to be out of town for many of the next weekends, so I'm glad I got to experience the church in Rome at least once. After an eventful hour long bus ride back into the city, I spent the rest of the day finishing homework (it was just drawing - not that bad) but it still wasn't the most relaxing of days. I can't wait to see what this week has to offer!

A Week of Tours

Pictures:
#1: First view of the Colosseum (I still need to see that thing...) behind the Roman Forum.
#2: Ponte Giribaldi
#3: Castello Sant' Angelo from across Bernini's Ponte Sant' Angelo.
#4: St. Peter's from Castello.
#5: St. Peter's Square
#6: In the Basilica, at the end of the nave. (for scale, that bronze altar thing in the middle is 7 stories tall)
#7: Sunlight coming in through one of the many domes.


June 23rd - June 26th

I was going to write a few notes this week, but I'll just do one long one to sum up. I has been pretty crazy, finding time to explore this beautiful city, while going on class tours every morning, going to class every afternoon, reading Dante's Inferno, and trying to get on a normal sleeping schedule. We had two tours with a professor from Virginia, Katherine Rinne, on the waters of Rome. We followed the ancient aqueducts to the fountains they supply, and learned all about their designs. I'll tell you about it sometime. She was a great guide and knew a lot, but kept it interesting. Our other tour guide was Jeffrey Blanchard, a historian who lives in Rome. He was less apt at keeping it interesting. We liked to think that he knew everything there is to know about the city of Rome. We could ask him any random question, and he could write a book about it. We saw many interesting things on his tours, but he sure liked to talk (and it is starting to get pretty hot here).

On one of Jeffrey's tours we went to the other side of the river to see Castello Sant' Angelo and Vatican City. It was so amazing! The Castello was just like any other castle, and yet it is so close to the heart of the city. Serving as the hideout for the Pope during Rome's many sacks, it also has some pretty nicely decorated rooms. The best part, though, was the rooftop. It gave the best views of the city, and St. Peter's especially, that I've seen so far. I didn't want to leave, but we had to go to St. Peter's next. After a drawn-out lecture on the Basilica's history in the middle of the Square, we stood in line to get into the church. Mind you, it was the middle of the day, in direct sunlight, and we waited in line for 45 minutes. It felt like the line wasn't even moving. By the time we finally got inside, it felt wonderful. Wow is this place showy. Huge doesn't even begin to describe it (the bronze Baldaccino altar in the middle of the crossing is 7 stories tall) as it is the biggest church in the world. There was so much to see, I didn't know where to begin. And the materiality of the space was overwhelming. We stopped for a while to watch them replace a piece of marble in the floor, and it was quite the process. I will definitely have to go back and see it, especially because I have not been to the top yet! (and it's the Sears tower of Rome - you have to go to the top).

Other than tours, I've just been trying to spend as much time around the city as I can. I'm slowly gaining my bearings of the winding, narrow streets, and one of these days I will be able to leave the house without taking a map in my bag - but we'll give it a few days. A big group of us went out for our first pizza on Wednesday, and it was so delicious. I got a Margherita pizza, which is just cheese and tomatoes. When they bring it out, it is an entire pizza, just for you. It is not that difficult to eat the whole thing, though, because the crust is so thin. Then, of course, we went out for gelato, and I'd have to say I haven't had a bad one yet. Tutto bene!

The first day

June 22nd

After arriving at my apartment on Sunday, my first priority was sleep, and I got a good 4 hours. At this point, it was 8:00 pm (11:00 am PST) and I was starting to adjust, although my body had no idea what time it was. That night, I didn't go to bed until 2:30, and then, Surprise! I woke up at 6:30, wide awake. Never fear, I looked on the positive side of things and decided to do a bit of exploring (map in hand) before most people were even thinking of waking up. I went straight to the river (the Campo de' Fiori, where our apartment is located, is about 3 blocks from the Tiber) and went on the search for St. Peter's. I knew you could see it from the river, I just had to find the right bridge. I walked up and down the river (both on the upper level, and down at the river edge) and crossing the Ponte Giribaldi, I got my view. It looked beautiful in the early morning light. Taking a few more pictures, (I don't think there is a single ugly place in this city) I headed back to the Campo, where I made my first (of many, I'm sure) stop at the daily outdoor market.

After the solo adventure, a large group of my fellow Oregonians went out on a tour of the major hot spots: The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, and The Spanish Steps. It was still morning, so these spots are not as crowded as later in the day. We consulted our maps many times, but winding through the narrow streets, we came upon the back side of the Pantheon. Mind you, it only took us about 10 minutes to walk there: amazing! I knew what it was (because it is so huge, and so old -> 27 BC) but I realized I had never seen an image of the back before. Then we came around the front, admired the HUGE columns (made of one piece of stone) and beautiful fountain in the piazza, then stepped inside. It was so beautiful, it seemed like a painting. There is no way this could be real! Despite the single light source: the overhead oculus, it was just bright enough to see and explore. However, it was nicely shaded and we kept thinking this would be a good place to come back again and again.

From there, we set out for the Trevi, and once again, it sprang up out of nowhere. I walked around the edge of the building, and all I could say was, "Wow." It was also quite a surreal experience. We went down to the water's edge, where a local taught us how to correctly toss a coin into the fountain. It includes throwing a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, while you wish to return to Rome. I figure if I do this frequently enough during my visit here, I will surely come back again and again.

The Spanish Steps were not quite as exciting, but when we went all the way to the top (I ran the last few for the "Rocky" experience) we had a tremendous view of the city. On our way down, we stopped on the steps and sat for a while in the shade. I think this is the beauty of this place. It acts as a place for people to gather and just relax, and, of course, watch other people.

Heading back to the Campo after our morning adventure, we stopped by a well-reviewed gelateria (for my first official gelato). Sooo good! I'm vowing to eat this every day. It might add up quickly, though. That afternoon we had our orientation, which was uneventful, as orientations always are, but that night, I had my first official Italian dinner. The guy who owns our apartments treated us to dinner out in the Campo in his cafe. He went all-out with a full course meal, including gelato at the end (that's #2 for today). If I eat like this everyday, I don't think I'll be able to fit in my airplane seat on my way home.

Pics:
#1: First view of St. Peter's! For those who know my laptop's desktop image, this may look familiar.
#2: Brace yourself: it's the inside of the Pantheon (I promise it's real)
#3: Tossing a coin into the Trevi, because I'm coming back!
#4: Hanging out on the Spanish Steps
#5: Dinner on the Campo