When in Rome...

In the words of Robert De Niro, "Italy has changed. But Rome is Rome."  Before seeing this magnificent city, it could be hard to understand what this quote means.  Now that I've been fortunate enough to visit Rome twice this term, it simply means that mere words cannot describe Rome.  There is so much splendor and things to see that it becomes an overwhelming experience of ancient times combined with modern days.

The first time I was in Rome, I went with Katie to see her family that was visiting.  I got to meet her brother, her aunt, and her grandma.   They were all so welcoming and gave me that little taste of family that I had been needing.  Something about having a maternal figure around put me at ease and the family atmosphere was very comforting.  During our first trip in Rome, Katie and I visited the Trevi Fountain, the outside of the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, and we trekked all over Palatine Hill.

The great family that adopted me for the weekend

Vittoriano Monument

The Spanish Steps

The Trevi Fountain

Piazza Navona

Ruins on Palatine Hill

View of Rome from Palatine Hill

On my second trip to Rome, I spent three days there with my classmates and my art history professor seeing the things we have been learning about in class.  It was nice to travel when everything was already all planned out and someone actually knew where we were going!  The first day we were there, we did a walking tour of Rome.  We went to see the Column of Trajan, which is a tall column near the Roman Forum with 23 spirals of continuous narration that we have been talking about in class.  We also walked through the Roman Forum.  It was amazing to think about how magnificent it was when it was originally built.  Just the ruins are completely massive, so it's really awesome to imagine them in their prime.  After the Roman Forum, we saw the Colosseum (something I have always been fascinated with) and the Arch of Constantine.  The arch was being cleaned so all of the scaffolding made it difficult to actually see.  However, the Colosseum was definitely my favorite view of the day.  On the inside, we were able to see the underneath where lions were once kept for use in gladiator battles.  That night, we went to the main student area of Rome, Trastevere.  Here, we had something called apertivo.  This is the equivalent of the American happy hour- you buy a drink and get to eat all of the appetizers they offer! It was a really great bonding experience for our group.

The Column of Trajan

Continuous narration on Column of Trajan

View of Roman ruins

Roman Forum that housed the Vestal Virgins

 The Vestal Virgins were responsible for the eternal flame of Rome.  There were six women that took a vow of chastity to fully tend to the sacred flame.  If a Vestal Virgin broke their vow of chastity, the woman would be buried alive and the man she was with would be burned.

Inside the Colosseum

Colosseum interior/underneath

Entire group at the Colosseum

Our second day in Rome was spent in Vatican City, which is actually its own country!  Here, we got to see many other works of art that we have discussed in class.  Despite the hundreds of people swarming the buildings and rooms, we saw the Belvedere statue court, other statues from class, The School of Athens painting, and the Sistine Chapel.  The Sistine Chapel didn't allow pictures, but it was absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring.  It was recently cleaned, revealing how bright the colors were that Michelangelo used when he painted it.  Michelangelo had to complete one section at a time and couldn't observe his work until he was completely done, so the figures start out small and get larger as he moved across the ceiling and could critique his previous works.  After the Vatican, we went to St. Peter's Square then went to dinner at a place that gave me a much needed taste of home: Roadhouse Grill.  That night, Katie, Joey, and I went to an ice bar in downtown Rome.  Everything inside was completely made of ice, even the cups!  The facility is kept at -5 degrees celsius.  It was definitely a cool experience!

Bronze pinecone in Vatican

Apoxyomenos by Lysippos

Belvedere Statue Court

The Laokoon

Apollo Belvedere

Belvedere Venus

Belvedere Torso

Pontifex Maximus - Augustus

Ceiling of map corridor

"School of Athens" by Raphael

 The School of Athens by Raphael represents different aspects of philosophy- it shows a debate being had by Plato and Aristotle about what is real.  The painting also has a portrait of Michelangelo in the front as well as images of who scholars think are Ptolemy, Pythagoras, and Socrates, just to name a few.

Staircase to leave the Vatican

In front of St. Peter's

On the third and final day in Rome we spent the morning in the Capitoline museum.  Here, we saw even more things that we have seen in class.  Getting to see these artworks in real life after learning about them in class has made this experience way better and made everything seem much  more relevant.  We saw the colossal statue of Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome.  Just his head is about 8 feet tall!

Courtyard of Capitoline Museum

Remnants of statue of Constantine

Also in the museum, we saw one of the most copied figures throughout the ages; the Spinario, which is simply a young boy pulling a thorn out of his foot.  This figure is seen in bronze and marble statues and also in many paintings.  One of my favorite figures in the Capitoline museum was the Capitoline Wolf.  It is the shewolf from the mythological story of Romulus and Remus.  Copies of this statue can be seen all over Italy, including many depictions in Siena.

Spinario

Capitoline Wolf

Three other major statues we have learned about in class were present in the museum.  One of the largest and most interesting to me is the Equestrian Marcus Aurelius.  This statue originally stood atop the Column of Marcus Aurelius, another continuous narration column with 20 spirals also located in Rome and portrays the clemency of the emperor as he grants the lives to the people who originally were under the horse's raised hoof.  Another statue of a river god was a large statue that is actually made very crudely but was still a great find during an excavation.  The third extremely influential statue is the Capitoline Venus.  This statue has stood as the ideal woman and was very controversial in its time because of it showing the female body nude.

Equestrian Marcus Aurelius

River god

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Capitoline Venus

After we saw many more sculptures in the Capitoline Museum, we visited the Pantheon.  The Pantheon is made of three parts, the columnar porch, the rectangular portion where the only entrance is, and the large dome in the back.  The entire dome is called an oculus because it appears to be an eye.  At the top of the dome in the Pantheon, there is a 9 meter (almost 30 feet) opening.  This opening allows light in and is thought to connect the movement of the Earth with the heavens, showing a large circle of light that moves around the building throughout the day.

Oculus

How light shines into the building

That afternoon, we went to the Ara Pacis Augustae, a sacrificial altar dedicating to the goddess Pax (Peace).  The Ara Pacis was commissioned in 13 BC as a way to honor Augustus.  This altar was used to sacrifice white cows to show the piety of Romans under the Augustan rule.  The entire structure tries to show how things were under the rule of Augustus.  The altar represents myth, history, and allegory on its different sides.  All over the structure, there is vegetation, specifically acanthus, representing the fertility and security Romans felt under the Augustan rule. 

Before we ended our day by having gelato in Piazza Navona, we went to the Basilica di Santa Maria sopra Minerva. This church had the tomb of Saint Catherine, the patron saint of not only Italy, but all of Europe.  Saint Catherine lived in Siena and was a member of the Goose contrada.

Inside the church

Tomb of St. Catherine

Statue on Mount Cavalli

Rome definitely lived up to all of the expectations I had for my dream city.  There is so much to see and experience there and while I did see a lot, I hope that the saying about the Trevi Fountain is true.. I tossed in a coin so maybe someday I will return to Rome.

Wanderlust Wears

It is common to always share with friends and family all of the wonderful memories of traveling experiences; the beautiful views, the amazing food, the funny people, and the difference in culture.  While we share some of the struggles that we encounter, sometimes those of us bitten by the travel bug neglect to identify to ourselves, or especially share these experiences with those around us.  I am currently seven weeks into my study abroad experience and while looking at all of my previous blogposts and my pictures on Facebook, it's easy to tell that I have had a great time so far, I have seen so many things and have experienced so much that it is bound to cause me to grow as a person, but there is much more personal growth gained from the every day challenges faced while studying abroad.

Everyday, I deal with a language barrier. This makes even the simplest of tasks very challenging.  Take going to the grocery store for example.  You think you know what you're buying and most of the time you do, but sometimes, you make the rookie mistake of buying body wash, thinking that it's lotion, and you end up rubbing soap all over your legs. While this is something that is very humorous, after an extended time of constantly questioning yourself and feeling like there is no one you can ask, it gets very frustrating just to get your items, talk to the person at the register, and get rushed out of the store.  Now imagine if there is a mess up with a bus ticket.  Maybe you bought a ticket for a Saturday, but the person working thought you meant Friday and you can't read the sign that says: "You are responsible for checking the dates for your ticket," so you end up having to purchase a whole new ticket (this is a true story).  This is where things begin to make life's everyday difficulties much more challenging.

I made a goal my junior year of high school that I was going to be a positive person.  I was going to have positive thoughts, see the good or the lesson in every situation, and try to make people's lives better because I remembered to notice when they got their hair done or they dressed up for that specific day or I wished them good luck on their test/interview coming up.  I have learned that it is the little things in life that really matter and that can make a difference in the lives of others, as well as my own life.  This mindset has proven to make a positive impact on my life and has made me a happier person.  However, this attitude was challenged more than ever when I had my wallet stolen at a train station in Cinque Terre.  I tend to have a trust in people; I want to believe that people wouldn't intentionally do bad things.  When I felt the violation of having my entire wallet stolen right under my nose, I felt very betrayed and frustrated for up to three days afterward.  To be honest, I was pissed off at the world and that was the first time during my travels that I have questioned myself and my faith in humanity.  This was my first taste of culture shock.  I was frustrated that people here would do that, I suddenly hated the transportation system, I resented the fact that I couldn't just call my mom on the phone, and finally, I was upset that no one else around me had the slightest idea why I was upset because most of them couldn't understand my language.   

Realizing that I had no money and no way to contact my mom to cancel my credit card other than finding wi-fi, I found myself crying to a local deli owner in Corniglia.  Tears filled her eyes as she gave me the password to her wi-fi and continued to give Katie and I free bread and water.  This goes to show that even though there are people out there who do bad things, there are still two more good people that make up for that.  

This experience helped remind me that material things aren't what matters in life.  These things can be replaced; however, the friendships and memories made are the things that last.  It reminded me that I am so blessed to have such a good travel partner and friend in Katie, who was there for me when I was cursing about my wallet, as well as there to laugh with me when I rubbed the body wash all over my legs.  It's about remembering how beautiful the Colosseum was at night and how well we learned the metro system when we were lost in Barcelona.  It's about learning that cultural differences can really change a person's outlook on life and that it's important to keep an open mind about things that we see. 

As I begin week eight of my program here in Siena, I know that my time left is going to go flying by.  I think culture shock is an inevitable experience in one form or another when you spend extended times in a different country.  It is how you bounce back from culture shock and what you learn from the experience that matters.

I guess my big take away from this is that traveling isn't all puppy dogs and rainbows, it is still life.   And in life, to be blunt, shit happens and by keeping faith in God and confidence in yourself, we can take whatever life has to throw at us while we are traveling.

Before I left for my trip to Cinque Terre, I read this article Wanderlust and when I returned from my trip, it rang even more true then before.  

The Cinque Terre

 Cinque Terre translates to "The Five Lands," and is located in the Liguria region of Italy.  It is composed of five coastal towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  The rugged shorelines and interesting construction of the houses on the steep hills creates a view that is dramatically different from anything I've ever seen.  While there isn't much in the way of art or sculpture to see in Cinque Terre, the five towns each have a different feel to them and provide different but equally breathtaking sights.

Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso is the only one of the five towns that has what can be referred to as a "beach".  While the day was very beautiful and warm, the water of the Ligurian Sea was still much too cold to swim in!! Talking to a local Italian man, he said locals don't begin swimming here until mid-June at the earliest.  The beach was very clean and filled with sun bathers and odd little blue sea creatures.  They were both on the beach and floating in the water close to the shore.  The rocks along the beach were all so different and colorful, making a really beautiful contrast to the gorgeous blue of the sea water.

Statue close to the beach

Vernazza

Vernazza has a beautiful harbor area.  It is a true fishing village; boats can be seen parked along the sidewalk like cars in a city.  Although in Vernazza, no car traffic is allowed.  The best way to get from town to town in Cinque Terre is by hiking the trails connecting the towns, by ferry, or by train.  From the harbor, you could see the terrain on the hilly countryside of the small coastal town, most of which is covered with lush green vegetation and many vineyards. 

View of harbor and town

 Corniglia

Corniglia is the middle town of the Cinque Terre.  This is where Katie and I stayed in the best hostel we have stayed in this entire trip.  We met two really fun and outgoing girls from Canada and one girl from Brazil.  All of them were doing trips throughout Europe just by themselves.  They were my age, but I was just so impressed with their bravery.  I will always remember Corniglia as the town that my pride was bruised.... I was pick pocketed here getting off the train.  I learned a very important lesson from this experience: don't trust 13-14 year old girls on a crowded train.  They created a distraction by standing in front of me when I was trying to get off the train, making me physically move one of them while another one must've swiped my wallet.  Luckily, my actual passport wasn't in there and I only lost some money and my cards, which were cancelled.  This taught me not to grow attached to materialistic things; they can be replaced.  Corniglia was still pretty and once I got over my wallet being stolen, I did like the quaint little town.

Shoreline in Corniglia

Lardarina

 To get to the center of Corniglia from the train station, you have to climb the "Lardarina".  It is a flight of steps with 33 flights and 382 steps.  Definitely a leg workout!! My calves still felt it three days later!

Sign in coffee shop

Manarola

Manarola was my favorite of the five towns.  I fell in love with the colorful houses along the beautiful rugged coastline.  It is said to be the oldest of the five towns.  Manarola and Riomaggiore are connected by the famous Via dell'Amore, but it was unfortunately closed when we were there. 

Little Poser.....

 

 Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore was the last of the five towns that we saw.  Each town has a very similar look to it, but every one has its own beauty.  In Riomaggiore, I couldn't take my eyes off of the bright red house right on the edge of the shoreline.  The highly contrasting colors are a wonderful sight and make for really great pictures!

Making it to all five towns of the Cinque Terre felt like an accomplishment in itself; but if I learned anything from this trip, it is that there may be bad people in this world who really are out to steal things, that shouldn't make you lose your faith in humanity.  There are still way more good people in the world and it's not the material things in life that matter; it's all about the experiences you have and how you deal with challenges when they are presented to you.  Life is about learning to deal with adversity, learning to expect the unexpected, roll with the punches, and become a stronger person because of it.