Finalmente.

It's not goodbye, it's just see you later.

I repeated this phrase in my head at least once an hour as I went through the motions of our final day in Rome. I decided to take advantage of the free time and bought souvenirs for my family with Rebecca and Kathryn. In the process we revisited some of our favorite places. It seemed as if every street, every store and every building had a memory. That's when I realized that I had dedicated the last month of my life to learning everything I could about this nation, it's history, it's culture and the people that I shared the experience with.

We walked down Rienzo towards the Vatican. I thought of the Billa, the Christ Cops at Sunday Mass and morning coffee with Dr. Bednarz. We hopped on the metro to the Colosseum and I thought of Lady Gaga, our tour of Michelle's kingdom aka the Colosseum, our walk to the Colosseum at sunset and, of course, the gladiators that dubbed me Beyonce for the first time. Who could forget those things?

Our last stop was Repubblica, where we found the Hard Rock Cafe Roma so Rebecca could get t-shirts for her dad (I thought it was so cute that her and her father collect the shirts together). We were just around the corner from the bone church. Dr. Sebastian and I learned that day that apparently the word "EW!" screamed by a 4-year old is universal in all languages.

When I returned to the collegio Kylee and I had a packing party and picked out our outfits for our last excursion with the group. I knew we had a group dinner planned, but I had no idea what was in store that evening.

Domenica, Dr. Bednarz and Dr. Sebastian surprised us with a traditional full course Italian dinner at a restaurant a few blocks away from campus. We had drinks, proscuitto and mozarella, melon, bruschetta and a seafood salad to open. Not to mention the wine and beers cascaded across our tables. While we enjoyed our opening courses we had a little fun sneaking our thank you cards underneath the dinner table to each other. I tried my hardest not to laugh as I signed Dr. Sebastian's card while I was talking to him. He had no idea. By the time the seafood salad came out I was ready to throw up my white flag. But just as I said this to myself I remembered that we still had our main dish to go.

Our waiter brought out pizzas, pastas and salads the group ordered. Michelle Rau and I agreed that we would split each other's dishes because we were both stuck on the same two options on the menu. She had some of my gnocchi and I had her lasagna. Between the two of us we still couldn't finish our plates. We admitted defeat and handed the rest to Jacob.

Full and exhausted, we decided to let our food settle and enjoy each other's company. We stayed at the table for an hour after our meal was served to us and reflected on all of the great things we saw and did during our month in Italy. I couldn't believe we created so many memories in such a short amount of time. So many inside jokes came flooding back to me. It was a little overwhelming, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

We walked, slowly, to Saint Peter's Square for our final meeting. Dr. Bednarz and Dr. Sebastian thanked us for coming on the trip and told us they had an amazing experience because we each brought something special to the table. They were right. There are so many personalities within our group; so many idiosyncrasies, thoughts, theories and opinions. I loved the fact that everyone had something insightful to say every day that I was there. Believe it or not, I learned just as much listening to my peers as I did during our class sessions.

As they wrapped up their final thoughts we surprised them with our thank you cards and Domenica with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that Antonia picked out for her on behalf of us. I was happy that we were able to show our gratitude and express how thankful we were for everything that happened during our month together. Just as we finished hugging I looked up at the sky and saw seagulls flying rapidly towards the Vatican. I let out a quick, "What the hell?" before being surprised with fireworks!

It was a great surprise, but at the same time I wasn't surprised at all. From day one I've thought there was something about our group that attracted good luck in a borderline magnetic way. During the show everyone in Saint Peter's Square stopped in their tracks to watch the sky. I glanced around at our group laying against the warm rocks admiring the show and I saw unity. I can't imagine a better way to end our last night together.




When we headed back to campus we ran into a street fair. The fireworks were set off from Castel Sant'Angelo to celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. I'm sure the celebrations on the street were a continuation. We saw a band performing on the riverfront and sat on the wall to watch for a few minutes. I have to say I was impressed. Even the security guards couldn't stop themselves from dancing.

For at least a mile you could see people running, singing, dancing and laughing in every direction. The carousel was in full swing and tap dancers rapped against the cement to put on a show for anyone who wasn't playing games or indulging in the endless sugary treats available at the giant candy bar. Castel Sant'Angelo was definitely the place to be that night.

We walked back to via Marcantonio for a final late night gelato run, said our farewells and went to our rooms to pack. Honestly, I barely slept that night. This will sound certifiably nuts, but if I fell asleep I knew I would wake up to a clock that finally ran out. So instead, I watched the sun rise and listened to the seagulls laugh one more time.

Eyelids heavy and bags in tow, Kathryn and I set out for the shuttle stop. I couldn't believe we were leaving. But, I was at peace with it. I knew that this was one adventure of out many that life would undoubtedly offer me. So when the plane took off three hours later, I said, "Until next time, Italia."

Until then, I'll be on the edge...

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part Three

Florence.

We left Siena early that morning to make our final trip, Firenze! It might have been the fact that I tried banana yogurt for the first time that morning, or maybe I was just in high spirits because I felt great about our travels that day. We actually ran into a parade of one of the contrade of Siena, which was awesome!

Two bus rides later and we arrived to Florence. The hotel, yet again, was beautiful and gave us a direct view of Piazza del Repubblica where the hotels were lively, street musicians and break dancers didn’t miss a beat and a picturesque carousel straight out of children’s books glowed. I fell in love with our surroundings.
Jeff, Kathryn, Rebecca and I went exploring. We found a cute pizza shop that I swear doubled as a perpetual dance party. The cooks were so outgoing and they had great music playing inside (ironically this was the same pizza shop where the cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore worked while they were filming their most recent season, but we’ll overlook that). Across from the pizza shop there was an outdoor wine bar. You could literally walk up to the bar, place an order and sit curbside with your wine. I imagined it would be a great place to go at night.

After lunch we passed by Chiasa di Dante and toured the Church of Saint Margaret where Dante supposedly met his beloved Beatrice. It was…different, for lack of better wording. I didn’t expect the watercolor paintings on the wall – I think I spotted Jonah inside the whale on the wall to the right of the altar – but I really liked the basket of love letters. I thought it was adorable. I thought about leaving one, but decided against it when Kylee started recording people reading the letters. Maybe next time, Dante.

We had the rest of the day to ourselves, so I grabbed dinner and went to the bridge to watch the sunset and listen to street musicians with the group. We stumbled upon the perfect spot that had a huge crowd brewing. Dr. Bednarz, Michelle Brenes and I each made wishes on coins and threw them into the river, which I thought was a really sweet gesture. It felt great to have so many of us together. Once the sun set I leaned across the bridge and saw the buildings in the water’s reflection. I caught a few snap shots on my camera, but it honestly didn’t do the scenery justice. It was gorgeous.

When we got back to the hotel I watched Italian cartoons with Jeff, Chris, Michelle Rau and Jacob, but we gave them our own dialogue. Hilarious. I switched off between the cartoons and listening to the band at the bar downstairs. They were playing all of my favorites that night: Earth, Wind & Fire, The Jackson 5 and Norah Jones which was a pleasant surprise. Jacob and I decided to go on our own adventure and check out the bar.

The bar tender was the coolest! He gave us our drinks half price and gave me extra fruit (which I’m a sucker for). We caught the tail end of the band’s performance. I didn’t want to disturb them once they were finished because I knew they had a long gig, but I couldn’t resist.

The band just finished their last gig at the bar and were preparing to set sail and take their act on a cruise that was sailing through the Caribbean to the United States. Their guest singer’s name was Carla. She was from Chicago. I was inspired by her story the most because she decided to quit her job a couple years ago and follow her passion: singing. After her gig in Florence she was headed to Switzerland. That just goes to show you sometimes God has a plan for us that we can’t envision for ourselves. I congratulated her and wished her nothing but the best.

Jacob and I finished our drinks and I headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part Two

Siena.
Cattle. That’s how Dr. Bednarz described the scene of our class hauling it to Track 12 at the train station. We’re not really running. Are we really running? Oh. I guess we’re running, I thought to myself. We made our connecting train to Siena within seconds, poor Dr. Sebastian’s backpack strap nearly being gnawed by the closing doors.

Once we arrived to Siena we walked through the town to get to our hotel. At first glance it seemed like a city of walls, the exact opposite of Assisi where you could see sky and landscape for miles. But I didn’t mind it. It was beautiful in its own way.

Hotel Athena is located literally on the opposite side of Siena just a short walk from the city gates. This hotel was gorgeous too. We quickly dropped our stuff and made our way to the piazza for lunch. Kylee and I weren’t hungry though, so we decided to do some shopping (can you blame us? I mean, it is Italy). Six dresses, two fitting rooms and one missing water bottle later we sprinted back to the piazza to join the class for a tour of the museum (which had an excellent medieval bell tower, but that’s just my opinion).

Inside the museum we saw frescoes dating back to the 13th century. My favorite was the Allegory of Good and Bad Government. The detail in the faces of each character, human and mythological, conveyed so much emotion. You could read their faces and know the thought process and mood of the painter, the mark of any good artist. In the room with the painting we saw a scale model of a duomo. I asked Dr. Bednarz why the Star of David was located in the duomos. Jeff and Chris noticed the same thing. We briefly discussed it and I made a mental note to research it later.

After the museum we were free to explore the city. I wandered through some more stores, picked up some gelato and walked back to the hotel where I stumbled upon Chris, Jeff, Michelle Rau and Michelle Brenes watching a sport that we nicknamed “Medieval Rugby.” At the time we had no idea what to call it because it seemed like there were so many sports going on at once. If I described this sport to you, you’d think I’d gone mad. But, it’s worth a try:

Imagine 30-50 shirtless men (sometimes pantsless as well, please don’t ask why because I still haven’t figured it out) running around an outdoor court the size of half a football field with a dirt floor. These men can kick or throw the ball to their team mates, but run the risk of causing boxing matches between opposing team members on the side. I don’t mean on the side of the court. These men will drop the ball to start boxing or wrestling in the middle of a game already in progress without a second thought, which is probably how pants began disappearing. If they grew tiresome they would either hug it out or lay on the ground until one of 20 referees – who were all dressed in neon costumes that rivaled the Swiss guard – blew their whistle. Once a team member managed to trek across the court they received a point only if they threw the ball over a six-foot fence out of bounds. Wait, did I say a point? I meant half a point. At certain intervals in the game the score would be 2 ½ to ½ . Oh, did I mention that there are 6-10 teams that were all serviced by a circus of paramedics between plays?

Yes, this game actually exists.

Anyway, when the game ended I went to the hotel’s computer to do some research. After my experience in Assisi I wanted to learn as much about Saint Francis as possible. Fun fact: his feast day is October 4, which is my birthday. Coincidence?
I ended my night at the piazza with the group. I loved Siena’s night life because everyone seemed perfectly content with enjoying each other’s company. It was a big, outdoor party. Who doesn’t love one of those?

Siena, Day 2

The next morning we met early for breakfast and a trip to the Duomo. We saw some wall frescoes that blew my mind. I guess I should be used to it by now, but it still amazes me that some of these artworks were created thousands of years ago and to this day harbor colors so rich and brilliant.

Heather and I analyzed the frescoes. We saw that the emotions of the devotees of Christ just after his crucifixion were depicted in ways that most of the gospels don’t cover. Most artists don’t capture Mary kissing her deceased son on the cheek on the apostles removing the nails from Christ’s feet. They cover the important moments through the parables and the miracles, but the fact that this artist took the time to extend the story and consider every emotion they felt through every phase of Christ’s burial? Amazing. Clearly this person is devout in their faith. Their heart(s) shows
through the work.

After the Duomo we briefly visited a baptistery, quickly followed by the Church of Mary of the Assumption. In my research on Saint Francis the night before I looked through a long list of patron saints. It took me a moment to remember, but once I did my jaw dropped. Mary of the Assumption is the patron saint of Jamaica. I was nearly brought to tears when I entered the church.

I loved the complexities of the church. The chapels weren’t closed off and the main aisle was decorated with flags from the 17 districts of Siena. I also spotted floor carvings which, if I’m not mistaken, were depictions of the Massacre of the Innocents. Somehow it fit like the perfect puzzle. The assortment of colors and light made for organized chaos.

I found the gift shop because I was considering finding a rosary with Mary of the Assumption on it, having just discovered she was another patron saint of mine. I looked at the bracelets and rings and saw one in particular that caught my eye. The beads were red and gold ladybugs. I had unknowingly visited the church of the patron saint of my country and found a rosary that connected it to my experience in Assisi. It seemed as if everything was falling in to place. I bought the rosary and said a prayer for Jamaica just before leaving the church.

Between churches I visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo with Jeff, Michelle Brenes and Lauren. This museum had artifacts that were once housed in the church. I saw bones of Pope Leo X that were encased in a gold display. I thought it was very pretty (surprising coming from me, I know). I think my favorite display was an assortment of sculptures of the apostles. I think I spotted Thomas and Judas. Either they still aren’t getting along or someone was in the mood for a practical joke because all of Judas’s fingers were missing except for the middle one, which was pointed like a missile directly at Thomas.

Our next church was the Church of Saint Dominic. I had dreaded this church since we visited Santa Maria sopra Minerva and saw Catherine’s body. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the church though. This church was different because it had a staggering amount of open floor space (Dr. Bednarz later explained to us that there was a tradition of riding a horse into the church for good luck), little decoration outside of the chapels and lots of light to bounce off the bare walls. It seemed as if it were a work in progress. I appreciated its simplicity because the Dominicans don’t believe in indulgence. Their sanctuary is a reflection of their beliefs. To me, that’s beauty.

And then came her head.

I thought I was ready. I reminded myself that, like everything else in this world that’s new to us, it shouldn’t be feared due to lack of understanding. However, all rationale went out the window when I saw her. I honestly don’t remember how long I was frozen, but Dr. Sebastian told me he didn’t see me blink. Poor Dr. Bednarz must have been worried. She had to remind me to breathe!
I felt like I was in the church for hours, but truthfully it couldn’t have been more than 45 minutes. Our final excursion was to the Sanctuary of Saint Catherine. We saw the cross she was praying to when she received the stigmata, portraits of her in her youth and some of the original rooms in her house. The church we visited had beautiful frescoes and boasted blue and gold motifs (sidenote: I find the art work in Siena has a central theme of blue and gold, I made a mental note to research it when I got back to Rome).

After we left the sanctuary I went back to the hotel to rest for a while because later that night we went out for Jeff’s birthday! I was a little jealous that he was able to spend his birthday in a foreign country, I’ll be honest. But he seemed perfectly content with dinner and relaxing at the piazza. One of the things I like most about him is that he’s not demanding. He was extremely thankful for everything that happened that day.

We ended the night in the piazza once again. If I ever return to Siena not only do I hope I have time to see the horse race, but I hope I get the chance to lay down in that piazza again and listen to the sounds wafting from the lounges and restaurants. Something about that area is so relaxing, but makes you feel like you’re in the place to be. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I’m fortunate enough to see it again.

Assisi, Siena, Florence: Part One

Our final week in Italy consisted of a fast-paced, enticing, unforgettable roundabout through Tuscany. My professors decided to save the best for last. I divided the posts between the three cities instead of doing six separate posts to save space and time. I’ll do my best to recall as many details as I can. First up on our agenda…

Assisi.

My alarm went off at 5:30, again at 5:45 and thrice at 6:00. The seagulls, confused as usual, ushered me into our early morning departure with their raucous, yet amusing laugher (if you’re wondering why I find it funny that their shrill voices disturb us at all hours of the night, don’t ask; I’m still uncertain). We met in the map room at 6:30 and set out for Lepanto. Our wait at the Termini was extended due to a scheduling glitch, but an iced coffee from across the street and good conversation were enough to lift my spirits.

Our train arrived in Assisi around noon. When our shuttle dropped us off in town I was taken aback. Six months ago I went to Jamaica with a friend of mine who told me that Assisi was her favorite place in Italy. She said its beauty was unparalleled and true to form with its patron saint, Francis. Honestly, her words didn’t do this gorgeous town justice. I don’t think mine will either, but I’ll try:

Imagine boarding the Delorean with Marty McFly and setting course for Medieval Italy. Then, hit the pause button on life. This is how it feels to travel to Assisi. The only modern additions to the town were cars and cell phones. Everything else was perfectly preserved. We put our bags down at our hotel – which boasted a view that could’ve been dreamt up by Michelangelo himself – and walked to the Basilica of Saint Francis.

Before we left for Assisi I did some basic research on Tuscany. I knew Saint Francis was the patron saint of Italy, Assisi, nature and animals. That was the extent of my information. I could have never anticipated the experience I would have when I visited his church.

When I first walked in my eyes had to adjust to the lighting (we visited many churches in Rome that filtered their light by level to represent the ascension of Christ, the basement level being the darkest and the cupola glowing; I figured this building was modeled to do the same which Chris later confirmed for me). The structure of the building was different than any we had visited. The chapels were not sectioned off, rather they were all connected through walkways, giving it the appearance of a labyrinth that was wrapped around the congregation.

I walked through the chapels and made my way downstairs to the tomb of Saint Francis. I knew thousands of people traveled from around the world to pray to him and other saints. I saw nuns, monks, business owners, wives and children kneeling at the tomb immersed in prayer. It was a connection deeper than any I witnessed in Rome. I walked around the tomb and saw pictures of people taped to the gates surrounding it. I realized the enormity of what I was witnessing and took a moment to pray as well.
I went upstairs to the basilica and found a balcony where you could see the entirety of Assisi. The atmosphere was breathtaking. Miles of illuminated trees, farmland and flowers stretched to the horizon. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a place so beautiful and quaint. At that moment I felt as though I stumbled upon God’s best kept secret. I felt more safety, security, light, love and peace of mind than ever in my life. I couldn’t explain the emotions that dwelled within me or why they chose to reveal themselves in that place, but I felt God talking to me in a voice louder than ever before. I repeatedly told Him, “I get it. I understand.”

I reluctantly left the balcony and decided to continue exploring. I stumbled upon the gift shop. I considered buying rosaries for friends while I was in Rome, but never for myself. I felt different in Assisi. I knew that day it was the right thing to do. While I was at the store I asked Michelle Brenes and Dr. Bednarz how to pray the rosary. I think they knew I felt a little disconcertment about buying the rosary, because they told me I didn’t have to be Catholic to use one. At the risk of sounding dramatic, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and purchased it. It’s the most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.

I lingered in the church as long as I could, not wanting to chase away the feelings I’d experienced moments before. Soon enough the group was ready to move on and I decided to go exploring with Rebecca and Kathryn. We walked to the outskirts of Assisi in search of the statue my friend told me about. We didn’t find it, but I couldn’t be too disappointed because in the process we had an adventure. I took pictures of the farm houses and the flowers that sprinkled the roadside while we waited for the bus back to town. While we sat on the curb ladybugs began crawling at mine and Rebecca’s feet. Rebecca reached down and, without realizing the alarm that sounded in my voice, I said, “Don’t touch them! They’re good luck. They’re the one insect you shouldn’t kill. Besides, what would Francis do?” Rebecca and Kathryn laughed and more crawled towards us. I figured it was a good omen for what was to come within our final week.

When we caught the bus back to town we found a restaurant that appeared as, literally, a hole in the wall. When you walked inside the lighting was soft. You saw a wall of wine bottles, giant paintings on the wall across and out of the window was a view of a building across the street that had dilapidated frescoes (I think we agreed it was a scene from the Gospel of Mark). The music was fantastic and the family who owned the restaurant had infectious personalities that warmed the environment. The pasta was the best I had tasted during the trip as well.



After dinner we caught up with the rest of the group for a glass of wine on the hotel balcony. But before drinks I grabbed my rosary from my room and found a private section of the balcony. I prayed at sunset. The skyline glowed with subtlety in the distance. The hotel clerk donned Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black on the balcony stereo that day. Her voice hummed in the distance, but my attention was focused on the birds. Their chirping was, much to my astonishment, harmonic. The sound was infectious. I listened to their song as I prayed, thanking God for every struggle, frustration and moment of stress that laid the path to my Italian experience. I knew at that moment that I was meant to be there and God brought me to Italy for a purpose. For the first time I prayed to Saint Francis. I asked that he continue to watch over his beautiful town, over Italy and over me. It was an amazing feeling speaking to someone who held no prominent place in my life just days before but suddenly filled my heart. Lutherans recognize saints, but only pray to the Holy Trinity. However, I knew he was listening.



I rejoined the class for drinks on the balcony and hiked with them to the top of Assisi to look at the stars. They were brightest in Assisi, away from the light pollution of the city. I closed my eyes a few times in a desperate attempt to capture mental pictures. I didn’t want the moment to end, but all good things must.
We walked back to the hotel and said goodnight. I knew the next morning we would have to leave. I made a promise to myself that I would come back to visit Saint Francis again. I had no choice. Clearly, we were linked.

Ventunesimo Giorno

Me time. Those were my first thoughts when I woke up this morning. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with our group, but it was about time for me to get lost in the city on my own (don't worry, I actually knew where I was going thanks our impromptu excursion to the Lady Gaga concert).

I decided I wanted to see the Arco di Giano and Piazza della Bocca Verita. I surprised myself by waking up early and making a beeline for the Lepanto station before 9am. I go off at the Circo Massimo station and went for a stroll. It didn't take long for me to find the arch, but I stumbled upon a few things along the way and decided to play photographer.

I snapped some photos of archaeologists at work at a scavi. This dig was set up behind a church around the corner from the arch on via Di Monte Caprino, one of the historic districts of Rome (I'm still trying to figure out/remember the name of the church, work with me). I found myself walking along the back side of the Forum and turned on to a street with a monastery. I guess I had perfect timing because I could hear the monks chanting and church bells ringing in the distance, which reminded me that we'll be in Assisi soon! Sidenote: A friend of mine told me she could hear monks from their monastery in the distance when she went to visit the statue of St. Francis during her last visit. That's one of the things I look forward to most during our stay.

Anyway, I passed the monastery and made my way to Piazza della Bocca Verita. I researched the site before going there and found the art work Bocca della Verita by accident. It's a sculpture on display at Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Archaeologists believe it was originally a part of a fountain and the face represents the ancient god of the Tiber river. As it turns out, I took a picture of this weeks ago without realizing it. During our first week I ventured to the Trevi with Lauren, Kristen, Kylie and Rebecca. On the way back I took some photos of the novelty shops lining the street. At the time I called it "the Mantelpiece" because I thought it would be a perfect trinket to decorate with, but I didn't think I would see the original weeks later.

Needless to say I liked the Piazza. I didn't stay there for long though. While I was walking I was approached by a guy who started speaking to me Italian. I told him I spoke English three times and turned to leave, but he persisted in speaking and tried to maintain eye contact with me. I automatically put my defenses up and looked around to make sure he wasn't trying to distract me from something or someone. He gave me a rose and said, "For you bella, smell it!" and raised it to my nose, which was odd because it wasn't the entire rose, just the flower that had been almost entirely cut from it's stem. Who walks around with roses in their pockets? All too suspect. I bid him adieu, threw the rose away when I was out of sight, washed my hands and headed back to campus.

I was frustrated and discouraged when this happened because I had such a good morning, but it reminded me that, as comfortable as I've become in our new city, you can't forget to remain alert, especially when you're alone. I was just around the corner from the Embassy when this happened and would have never guessed that I could find myself in a bad situation in broad daylight. But such is life. I shook it off and returned to campus.

On a lighter note, I enjoyed class. I gave a presentation on Pope Clement V and we began wrapping up Dante. Afterwards I grabbed some delicious Chinese food around the corner from Rienzo, which was a nice change of pace (I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants to try something new before we leave) and Sebastian treated us to gelato! Overall a great night.

Ciao.

Ventesimo Giorno

Sundays usually mean crowded churches. They also mean that you'll have the museums to yourself because the tourists are sleeping in and families, for the most part, are spending time with each other. I decided to take advantage of this and headed for the Capitoline Museum with Kathryn and Kylee. I heard nothing but good things about the Capitoline, so I was looking forward to it.

The view from Piazza del Campidoglio was stunning. The statues leading the path to the entrance of the museum were enormous and a little intimidating. They didn't get any smaller once you entered the museum. The first glimpse of the museum was a http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcourtyard that displayed the remains of a Colossus, which was awesome because I've never seen one in person. When we left the courtyard things got a little tricky because the museum is sectioned off in to two buildings. En route to the second building we saw the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the bust of Medusa by Bernini, the bust of Constantine I and the She-Wolf of Rome (which was pretty cool because we saw a replica on the hike to the top of the hill at Piazza del Popolo our first night in Rome). Fun fact: Pope Sixtus IV was a huge fan of sculptures. He placed the gigantic statues in the courtyard in 1471 which eventually expanded into a museum designed by Michelangelo in 1536.

We initially didn't realize that you had to enter an underground tunnel to cross from one end of the museum to the next, so in the process of finding the opposite end we accidentally crashed a wedding reception at a caffeteria on the top floor (their dresses were stunning, let me tell you!) and tried to sneak a peek at the Pope John Paul II exhibit on the top floor - turns out you needed to purchase a second ticket to gain entry, oh but no - and stumbled upon a war museum in the Vittorio Emmanuel monument. Initially our goal was to find the exit so we could get back to the museum as quickly as possible, but then I spotted a model of Mount Vesuvius erupting mounted next to a sculpture. It automatically caught my eye considering we were in Pompeii just days before. It was also very out of place in comparison to the decorative guns, uniforms and war-time doctrine that surrounded it. Creative liberty on behalf of the curator, I guess?

We found our way out of the war museum and stopped for a moment to view the city. I caught about seven different basilicas and tried to take a photo, but it didn't turn out well (Note To Self: ditch the Casio when you get back to Jersey). After about two hours of viewing the sculptures we began our trek back to the Barberini station. As much as I liked viewing the art inside the museum, I have to mention some of the things I noticed on the walk there and back. For example: this wall frescoe at the bottom of Capitoline Hill. I was told it's a portrayal of the baptism of Christ; a scene that solidified the beginning of his ministry. The baptism is mentioned in all of the gospels, but I think the artist of this fresco didn't take inspiration from Luke because he referenced a baptism by water (And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, Luke 3:3), whereas Christ is seated with Mary surrounded by icons in this image. I'm not sure why this artist decided to portray this scene differently, but I saw it and thought it was gorgeous.

Kathryn and I also ran into this art work on the way to the metro stop. Unfortunately the artist wasn't there so I couldn't ask him any questions about this piece, but his tools were left behind so I'm assuming we missed him by a few minutes. On the ground is a 3D image of a woman in robes surrounded by Angels and Demons. I've always been impressed by artists who could make images come to life with chalk and pastels, so I spazzed when we saw it. I think I may have scared Kathryn a little.

We wanted to visit the Crypt of Capuchins right after the Capitoline, but then I remembered I had shorts on. By the time we would have made it to the Collegio and back siesta would have started, so we decided to reschedule. If/when I return to Rome I seriously need to remember to pack more skirts.

After a personal siesta and classes, I went out to dinner at a cute spot around the corner - we saw Cooper Nielson: breakdancer edition, YES YES YES! - followed by another night at Piazza del Popolo. It was a fun time. I plan to take a personal adventure next.

Ciao!

Sedici, diciassette, diciotto

I missed the laughing seagulls.

This was my initial thought when we emerged from the underground of Lepanto station yesterday afternoon. Many of us couldn't wait to get a slice of €3 pizza or a riceball from Mondo Arancina, while others just wanted to lay in bed and sleep. I personally missed the seagulls perched on the rooftops of St. Johns that laugh all hours of the night. It's funny what you notice about your environment once you've been removed from it for a certain amount of time.

Day Sixteen - Pompei

7:00 wake up, 7:30 meet up time. 8:00 arrival to the Termini, 9:00 departure from Rome. Nothing about that morning was simplified. After staying up until 3am with Kylee reading about Pompei and cramming three days of necessities into my tote bag (Navy Seal Swag), Jacob's iPod lulled me to sleep on the train ride to Napoli, which was surprisingly a lot shorter than we anticipated. I missed my Daft Punk! Between them and Aesop I was good to go.

The Napoli Termini was a beast, but the buses were something else. The defenses I usually have up in Rome went in to overdrive the moment we left the train, and for good reason. Within minutes of boarding the train poor Dr. Bednarz caught a hand creeping in her purse. Thankfully nothing was stolen. After 45 minutes or so of exploring - that's the word I'll choose for our journey to the hotel - we arrived to Hotel Toledo. We dropped off our bags and headed back to the Termini to meet with the archaeologist, Rosario, for our walking tour of Pompei. By that time most of us were starving and raged on the McDonald's at the entrance. I haven't felt much separation anxiety from American food, but I have to admit having a small piece of home was nice. A few chicken nuggets, fries and an orange Fanta later and we were headed back out of the Termini. Change of plans. We explored some more until we found the archaeologist and boarded the train to Pompei, where I napped again. It was fantastic.

Rosario had a nice surprise for us. We were granted the opportunity to visit a Scavi her students were working on. Their site was a mansion that belonged to a wealthy family that lived on the outskirts of Pompei. Their house was reconstructed several times due to earth quakes, but survived its original construction date that's estimated to 62 BC, predating the life of Christ. This blew my mind. The frescoes were so well preserved and the rooms were enormous. I was in shock. Some of the rooms had bodies on display that were preserved from the volcanic eruption. Rosario compared the eruptions to the bursting of a champagne bottle, which was amusing, but painted the perfect picture.




Her students showed us some of their projects, piecing together relics from the house. I respect them for doing work that's so tedious, more so for their determination and pride every step of the way. It definitely showed.







After our tour of the villa we finally saw Pompei. Rosario and Domenica gave us information on the bath houses, the soup kitchens, the traditional Roman house and, my personal favorite, the Villa of Mysteries. I took too many pictures to name:


After a long day of exploring, we had a group dinner at a family owned pizza place by the hotel. I didn't realize how much I missed the mom and pop places that we have in Jersey until I walked inside and sat down. In my neighborhood you know the families that own the restaurants and they're usually pretty friendly people. For me, it was a little slice of home...with the exception of the Italian soap operas that our table watched during dinner. Imagine Jack Bauer meets General Hospital. Sounds weird, but very entertaining. MiRau was surprised with cake and champagne for her birthday, which I thought was adorable. After some well deserved group time, we were off to bed to rest up for our day on the island.



I guess some of us were more tired than others. Sorry Sebastian, I couldn't resist. Muahahaha.

Day Seventeen - Capri!

My day didn't start out the way I planned, mainly because I had been under the weather since we left for Napoli. Most people didn't realize there was anything wrong because I have a mean poker face, but it got to the point where I felt overwhelmed. I didn't like removing myself from the group, but I disliked the idea of being anyone's burden even more, so I thought at the time it would be best to keep to myself and try to get some rest. Fortunately, between Jacob's iPod (shout out to Jacob for having a great selection of music, by the way, I missed my Daft Punk!), the waves - ironically a rocking boat soothes me - and some medicine thanks to Dr. Sebastian I was back to my old self in no time. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Capri is easily one of the most beautiful islands I've ever seen. It was nice to be by the water again. Astrologically, I'm an air sign, but I'm convinced I was supposed to be a water sign. It's my element. I swam to the other side of the rocks that had a castle built in to the mountain, which was gorgeous, and chilled on the beach with a frozen strawberry lemonade courtesy of Rebecca's recommendation. Michelle B. and I gave Lauren a lesson on Shakira and did a photo shoot with the group when the sun wasn't so harsh. It may not seem like it, but I live for these moments with our group. Having a chance to sit back, relax and appreciate everything God has given me in this trip with a bunch of great people has been a daily occurrence for me.




I'm not sure what else to say about this beautiful place, except being there was so soothing. I didn't want to leave, but the sun was setting so we decided to go to dinner before catching the ferry back. I loved the restaurant they picked. Our waitress was bubbly and charismatic and her sons had a great music selection - anyone who can name a Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars song gets automatic brownie points in my book. I'm hoping that when I come back - which I will, revisiting this island has officially made my list of non-negotiables - I hope to eat there again.

Our evening didn't go as smoothly as the day did, which resulted in an early departure. I've decided that I won't recant the events of the night out of respect for my friends, but I think we all learned valuable lessons about safety and became closer as a result of what occurred in Napoli. I have so much respect for every person in our group for the way we conducted ourselves and, more so, the fact that we were willing to carry each other without question. I especially respect my professors for the way they handled the situation. They offered their services and actively sought help from others to make sure we were okay. I commend all of you.

Day Eighteen - And then we rested

Sleep. Breakfast. Taxi fleet to the Termini. More sleep. Roma. It honestly wasn't a bad morning at all. Upon walking into St. John's I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders. I was happy to have left everything behind - with the exception of Capri, I would go back there any day - and focus on what comes next.

After Napoli, we all needed a little Home Sweet Rome.