to rome and back: a photo summary

Ciao tutti! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve written. Everything got so busy after our long weekend in Rome–a paper in Italian, an application for a job in the admissions office that I really hope to get for next year, etc.–and now I’ve let almost two weeks pass without writing! Since I’m pretty intimidated by a blog post that covers everything from the past two weeks (a lot!), I’m going to try to hit all the good stuff in photos!

giovedì 21 aprile: I wake up feeling awful. Even oceans away, I was somehow able to catch the cold both my Dad and Nery had come down with back in Claremont. Tomorrow (friday) we leave for Rome. Perfect.

venerdì 22 aprile: After a 5-hour train ride that was almost unbearable, a metro AND bus ride, we arrive at Plus Camping Roma, a hostel/campground that might as well have been in another country it felt so far away. Though it wasn’t quite the environment we were looking for, in the center of Rome with all the hustle and bustle of a huge city, I must admit it was still pretty cute. The campsite was half tents and half bungalows, with pool, bar, club, grocery store, tutto! I stayed in a bungalow, but to save money (only 6 euro a day–not worth it in my opinion) many people in our group of about 20 stayed in tents with only a bed and one blanket. They were freezing at night, freezing when they showered in the communal showers without hot water, and constantly laughing at their decision to tent it. Thought the bungalow was sufficiently warm and had hot water, it was no villa. It felt a lot like a room in a cruise ship (with one of the beds hanging from the ceiling), and any time one of us turned over in our beds, the entire bungalow shook. Our bungalow also shook every time the people in the bungalow attached to us shared a not-so-private moment. When that happened, I sat outside and flipped through my Italy guide book. Since we were so far out from the center of Rome, we spent a lot of time at the campground, and I actually really enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of Sierra Camp.
The Ritz.

Friday night we headed to the Colosseum, where there was an event called the Stations of the Cross. The Pope blessed the event, after which he read from the Bible the events of Good Friday. The Italians we’re going nuts! The celebrity of the Pope is something I struggled to understand the entire time I was in Rome, but it was pretty amazing to see all the Italians out and about and the Colosseum illuminated in red light.

sabato 23 aprile: Saturday was our only day to soak in the main sights of Rome. We left early Friday morning and weren’t heading home until Monday afternoon, but we had no energy to sight see on Friday and all of the museums were closed on Easter Sunday (Pasqua) and Monday, an official Italian holiday called la Pasquetta. So Saturday, despite feeling absolutely miserable, I was up at 7, boots on, ready to explore as much of Rome as I could handle. First, we saw St. Peter’s Basilica. As much as I love Florence and wouldn’t want to have this time anywhere else, nothing in Florence can really compare to the grandeur of the Vatican. After waiting in a line that wrapped completely around Vatican square, we finally made it into the church and spent at least an hour there, struggling to comprehend the intricacy and perfection of everything there.

After leaving St. Peter’s Basilica, we realized we only had one hour until the ticket office for the Vatican Museum closed, and we were certain after looking at the line that there was no way we could make it in time if we waited in line. So we fell victim to the tour group. Expensive as they are (35 euro vs. the regular entrance fee of 8 euro) and as much as I LOATHE the tour groups in Florence, I kind of think a tour is the way to go for the Vatican Museum. We were able to skip the line completely and also get a 2 hour tour with a woman who seemed to know her stuff pretty well. There was no chance I was going to come to Rome and NOT see the Vatican, especially after taking my Renaissance Art class with Verdon, so it seemed like the best choice for us. I’ve never gone into a museum before feeling like a semi-expert, so walking through the Vatican museum already familiar with most of the information the tour guide was giving us was a pretty incredible feeling. I never understood the scope of many of these pieces, but that weekend I was able to stand in front of a piece of work and finally feel knowledgeable about its impact on Renaissance art. Thank you, Prof Verdon.
Alex pointed at this one and said, “You like her, huh?” I nodded and asked how he knew. He said, “Because I know you want her dress.” My favorite character in the Sistine Chapel. Pretty unreal. Made two weeks of sitting in a dark room while Verdon flips through three hours of slides totally worth it.

domenica 24 aprile: It’s Easter Sunday and Rome is packed. Alex was able to get tickets to the Pope’s Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square, which allowed us entry to stand somewhere in the square, and it was something else. We arrived at 9 for the 10:15 service and there was already a 45-minute line just to get in the square. Once we got in, we made it to the right side of the square. Though we were pretty far from the Pope and the altar, I felt like we were really getting the whole experience. When the Pope arrived in a white Mercedes, blessing the crowd as he passed them, it was complete insanity. I had really never seen anything like it before. (Well, maybe something comparable occurred when I sat in St. Peter’s Square on New Year’s Eve in 1999, but I can’t remember anything about that except feeling completely frozen.) Once the mass started, the crowd became very calm and respectful, and the worst of my sickness settled over me. Though I felt pretty awful, it was amazing to watch the mass and even more amazing to watch the Italians stand in the hot sun for almost two hours with the most intense reverence. You can’t help but be constantly amazed by the profound role of Catholicism in the lives of nearly everyone in this country.

The mass was followed by a delicious bowl of gnocchi, a three hour nap in my air conditioned bungalow, and dinner at the famous pizzeria, Dar Poeta, in the Trastevere area, my favorite zone in Rome. After a full night of sleep, we headed back to sweet, sweet Florence. I know I’m studying in the right European city, because I was homesick after the first full day in Rome. It was a pretty great trip, other than feeling pretty miserable the whole time, but I was very glad to be back in Florence.

venerdì 29 aprile: (If you’re reading Stacey, I was thinking of you all night!) By Friday I was feeling 100% and ready for a wine tasting with Pino, the beloved owner of Salumeria Verde. In addition to owning Salumeria Verde, home to the best, cheap sandwich you can find in Florence, Pino owns a wine shop called Pozzo Divino, where he holds wine tastings two or three times a week. He loves Stanford kids, great food and wine from Toscana, and putting on a show for anyone who will watch, so we knew we were in for a great night. Along with an American couple and three kids from another study abroad program in Florence (who had been here for 9 months but didn’t speak a lick of Italian), we descended into the tasting room, formerly a 15th century prison rumored to have held Machiavelli. We started by sampling olive oil and a 10-year-old balsamic, which would’ve left me completely content, but then came the wine. Paired with different types of tuscan cheeses, salumi, and prosciutto, we tasted one white and two red wines–a chianti classico and a super tuscan. Pino taught us the three steps of evaluating wine–sight, smell, taste–and how to pair wine with cheeses and meats. Pino was wonderful and very generous, and it ended up being one of my very favorite nights in Florence so far. The cherry on top: my first trip to the one and only Medici for some amazing cinnamon and hazelnut gelato. Just wine tasting in a dungeon. Stanford loves Pino.
The only place I’ve been able to find avocados: Medici Gelateria.

domenica 1 maggio: Una giornata lungha. After La Notte Bianca (The White Night), a night in Florence when most places stay open all night and everyone in the city is out and about until the wee hours of the morning, the fam and I woke up at 8AM for the big day: my host sister’s premiere as an oboist at an orchestral concert in Vinci (as in the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci). After some car troubles, we made it to Vinci around 1, grabbed a panino, and then headed to the da Vinci Museum. Martina, my host sister, was somewhere with her band warming up. At the museum, there were models of almost every one of da Vinci’s inventions, from a bike to a diving suit. I had always thought of him as a brilliant artist, but never so much as an engineer. Though we sped through the museum to make it to Martina’s concert on time, it was truly amazing to see examples of Leo’s genius. It also happened to be the most beautiful day we could ask for. As expected, Martina and her band were a hit! Her sheet music flew away during the second song, but she handled it like a champ and referred to the music on the stand next to her without giving any hint of the mini-crisis. We stayed in Vinci–listening to the other bands, socializing with parents, tanning, eating–until about 730, when we finally headed home. Admittedly, it was a pretty long day to spend in such a small town, but I always enjoy spending time with my family and seeing a new place in Italy. Overall, a beautiful day. Giulia and me taking a break while the parents figured out the car situation. At the Leonardo da Vinci Museum. Martina making us proud.

And now to this week: it’s hard to think about anything else but Andrew’s arrival on Friday. That said, I have so much to look forward to. Tomorrow we are headed to a Jovanotti concert, Thursday I head to Venice for the day, and Friday I train to Bologna to meet Andrew at the airport. We are going to try to squeeze in as much as we can in his 10-day trip, but we’re also going to be sure to take enough time to relax and catch up. I’m sure Andrew’s body could use some rest. Which reminds me, he finishes his 475-mile journey in just two days! He will finish with only one of the friends he started with, but from what he’s told me, they are all very happy they did the pilgrimage despite injuries galore. As expected, Andrew will leave Spain with nothing more than a few blisters. Lucky guy.

Next Monday, Andrew will meet the family and experience Mom’s amazing cooking, and Thursday we will rent a car and drive through Napoli to Positano in the Amalfi Coast. We found a great pensione there with incredible views, so we can’t wait to get some sun and explore a part of Italy that neither of us have been to.

Positano, where Andrew and I head next week. I can’t imagine it gets much better than this.

My next post will probably be delayed, but I will try to at least get some pictures up within the next week!
Happy Mother’s Day (early) to all of the amazing women in my life who’ve made me feel ridiculously loved. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.