Blog Nine - What Rome Means to Me

It's hard to think about what Rome means to me, especially when also trying to consider what this trip as a whole means to me. The two are certainly not mutually exclusive to each other, but I think it's also worth considering as two separate, but complimentary, ideas.

This trip has meant so much to me- it's not the first time I've been overseas, but it is the first time I've been to Europe without my parents and it's the first time I've paid for much of what I've been buying myself. There's a lot of responsibility and independence to be learned by taking this trip, immersing oneself in a foreign culture in a place where you don't know the language. The independence becomes very important, wandering off to explore and eat by yourself sometimes, being willing to go and see things that you want to see.

But equally important, I think, is finding people to also enjoy the experience with you. As amazing as it can be figuring out Italy by myself, especially trying to navigate stores or directions or food (though I was never quite brave enough to try ordering from the deli, not going to lie), there's something equally as wonderful about sharing that experience with others. Finding friends who're willing to stumble around with you and go shopping, or go out to eat, or run to the store for last minute stuff with you are really amazing. To be able to experience this trip with the unique personalities within this group has been a great experience, for which I'm extremely grateful to be a part of. I love that so many of us have become friends and will absolutely be remembering this trip for a looong time.

Rome itself, to me, is extremely layered- the guest lecture especially hammered that point in for me, in some ways. Throughout this trip, we've been learning over and over about how many sites have been built in place of other things, or repurposed, or pieces taken and being used for other monuments. That, to me, plus being able to look around and realize how much of this city has been a mixture of ancient and modern is something magical all on its own.

My favorite instance of this is the cat sanctuary- in the middle of ruins. There are cats being taken care of and fed and healed all in this place where history itself is surrounding them.

There's something really enchanting about being able to see cats chilling out on these crumbling walls, or sprawling out for pettings right next to ancient buildings.

Blog Eight - VATICAN MUSEUM

Wow, where to start with the Vatican museum? I suppose it's worth mentioning that I've been to the Vatican museum before, when my parents and I had come- buuut it was late into the trip and most of the museum was a bit of a blur for me. Lots of walking and really, really hurt feet. Which may not be super different from now except I'm older and I like to think that maybe I'm a bit less of a wimp. That may or may not be true, but still. I was super thrilled to have the chance to come back and look around more!

The amount of areas closed, however, was extremely disappointing. I'm really glad we (as a class) walked through the Egyptian exhibit even briefly, given that it was closed off when I returned later for another look. I really missed that there were areas I wanted to explore, such as the Etruscan hall, were closed off when we were there. It would've been really great to look around now that I have an expanded understanding of what I would've been looking at!

Regardless, however, the Vatican is an amazing place to be. The map room in particular, for me, is especially gorgeous- it's really neat to be able to look around at how the world used to be seen and the details of Neptune or ships was really neat to see. I also really loved how many rooms were sculptures- seeing a basin from one of the baths in the center of the room surrounded by Greek gods and heroes (and some Roman as well, I imagine) was a really great experience. The courtyards with the statues were also really great to see- I love the combinations of natural light that the Vatican museum can use, with fountains and greenery around the statues.

And the Sistine Chapel, of course, is an experience in and of itself. A little unnerving in some ways, with so many people packed into one room with people saying "Silencio!" or "Quiet please!" every few seconds, or tourists trying (unsuccessfully) to hide the fact they're taking pictures all over the place. But, people aside, looking around the Chapel is really amazing. I love how cheeky Michaelangelo can be in his work- it's a glorious testement to the Bible and the faith, absolutely. But there's some moments and areas of the work that are really fun, once you know what you're looking for. When I got back to the apartment, I had to go and look up the poem of discomfort he wrote, complaining about how much he disliked working on the chapel- you wouldn't know it, sometimes, looking at how gorgeous the final result is! Sculptor or not, Michaelangelo's final result is truly magnificent.

Blog Seven - Rome Beyond the Walls

The Via Appia was, admittedly, not really a place on my radar previous to this trip. Much as I love ancient Rome, on my previous trip with my parents we hadn't (at least to my knowledge) really had enough time or interest to explore the historical sights outside of the city and the Vatican. It was a really neat experience to be able to step outside of some of the "normal" tourist sights and adventure around.

The Villa of Maxentius didn't seem that interesting at first glance, but the freedom of being able to wander around and actually climb on the remains of the structures inside was really amazing. The dead hedgehog we found, not so much, but still! Very cool stuff. It was really neat to be able to walk around the grounds and see the arch of triumph (if I remember correctly- it might very well have been called something else and it's just completely escaped me. if that's the case, as always, please tell me in the comments so I don't just look silly) up close. It's one thing to say you've seen these ruins- it's another matter entirely to be able to say we ran around on top of the ruins. That's something worth bragging about.

The tomb of Caecilia Metella (which really looks like it's much more difficult to say than it actually is) was neat, but I'm rather biased towards anything involving a castle- even if the castle came later than the tomb itself. It's too bad that there wasn't much left to see, beyond the artifacts found within the courtyard (ish?) area.

I especially enjoyed the burial urns (I believe that's what they were), that I unfortunately didn't get a great picture of from my phone. But the statues pictured were also very beautiful, I loved the detail in the folds of the clothing, even though the head of the pieces had been missing.

The catacombs of Saint Sebastiano were amazing to go through, though I really wish we would've been allowed more freedom to wander the catacombs without the guide. The information about the two apostles was really interesting, especially that they had been believed to be currently buried within the catacombs after being moved. The carvings on the ceilings and the fresco above one of the tombs was really amazing to see- I really wish we could've taken pictures!

Inside the church was also really beautiful to see- the sculpture of Saint Sebastiano was really breathtaking to see in person.

Blog Six - The Fourth Century

The Basilica San Clemente was really amazing to go into, especially with the lecture from the guest professor who was awesome enough to walk us through under the church and its foundations as well as the upper church. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures of the inside, but the frescos were absolutely gorgeous. It was really interesting especially to learn about Saint Alexius and his story, being able to trace it through the frescos- especially the inclusion of his wife in the window in the condensed version of his story- was really amazing. I also really enjoyed the area from the Mithraic cult that had been the basis of the church before it was used by the Christians. I also really thought that the renaissance fresco on the main level of the church today was especially beautiful, the recovered base sketch was really cool to see. I loved that the change of posture from the sketch to the actual fresco showed like these decisions of art were still being made as things were being worked on.

Personally, despite spending so little time there, I most enjoyed seeing the Ludus Magnus. The only visual I'd had of a ludus previously was from Spartacus- which, I'm pretty sure isn't a very good source of information. Despite the presence of Lucy Lawless. BUT, regardless, to actully see a ludus and see that layout was very cool. Especially knowing that it was connected to the Colosseum- I only wish that we could've seen the armory! It's neat to know that some of these ruins are still not fully excavated, that there's still more left to discover despite how much has been discovered previously.

The Arch of Constantine was also really neat to see, though the "recycled" aspect of it was more entertaining than anything else. I loved that you could  always tell which was Constantine- the lack of beard was a dead giveaway with that. The different shades of marble, where you could tell his face had been carved on separately and added on later was neat but sad, in some ways. While I appreciate that the Romans tend to reuse a lot of materials, it's also sad that so much had been altered from its original state and removed from forums or other arches to create something new.

Blog Five - POMPEII

This trip was optional, as it took place on one of our three free days but, c'mon. It's Pompeii. Pfft to the optional, that's a "must do" for me, thanks very much. I expected killer heat, a distinct lack of shade, and probably overpriced drinks but more importantly? It's Pompeii. Pompeii! The ruins are something I've been in love with since I was little, an obsession that was not exactly helped by putting on a muscial in 6th grade all about Pompeii. As a sidenote, to this day I still get some of the songs stuck in my head. The Colosseum song is the only way I can spell that right every time I have to type it out. C-O-L-O-S-S-E-U-M YEAH! That song will be stuck in my head forever, I'm increasingly convinced of it- though now that I'm older I'll forever be baffled on why there was apparently a Colosseum in Pompeii...

BUT to return to my original point: clearly this trip was one I was going to attend, even if I had to wake up at some ridiculously early hour to do it. Before 6AM is usually a no-go for me, but hey, it's Pompeii. I might have even been willing to skip sleeping entirely for it! Super glad that I didn't, but still. Gotta be willing to do whatever it takes.

So after an adventure of trying to find our train and dodging kinda sketchy people in the train stations, we made our way into Naples and, soon, to Pompeii. I was bouncing on my feet, I was so excited- Steve was too, for the record, so I was absolutely not alone in being a total dweeb while waiting for our tickets to enter the city (sorry Steve, it's meant as a compliment deep down, I swear). Walking into Pompeii was an experience in and of itself, especially with Mount Vesuvius looming in the background. Even covered by clouds so early in the day, it was a gorgeous sight.

My favorite stops- which were thankfully open, considering how many we tried entering only to find closed and locked- were the wooden pyramid where they kept the casts of the bodies, the brothel (because, yes, I am immature enough to be deeply amused by the dirty pictures on the walls and I fully admit this), and the vineyard. Admittedly, we weren't actually able to go looking around in the vineyard, but I love that they've recreated the spacing and vines as best they can based on the root structures recovered. The wine they produce must be expensive, but how cool would it be to say that you drank wine from Pompeii?

The Temple of Mysteries (I believe it was called?) was also great fun, if only because we had to keep wandering around trying to find the frescos and were beaten to the discovery by a very smug dog. The dog was ridiculously pleased with himself for finding a nice, shady room, while we had to peer in through slats in the window- presumably an attempt to preserve the art.

Sadly, not a super special thing I'm posing with here, just a random selfie I took while we were there
I blame my mother entirely for making me take these throughout the day.

Later, the museum was also a gorgeous find to walk through. Admittedly, the special exhibit's rule about not being able to take pictures annoyed me more than a touch because I absolutely loved so much of the work in there, but it was wonderful to walk through. Not only were there things recovered from Pompeii being shown, but works from around Europe at the time, some of the reactions to the eruption.

My personal favorite painting that struck me was one of a gladiator fight during a dinner at Pompeii. In the background seemed to be a noble party, with people smiling and laughing- but the foreground almost made their merriment obscene, twisted. The foreground showed a smear of blood across the floor, stemming from the gladiator who lost being dragged off as the "winner" clutched at himself, presumably stemming his own wound. Since seeing that painting, its vivid colors and brutality in joy as well as the combat itself have really stuck with me.

Blog Four - Day 9

Field trip day! Well kinda, anyway- we took a train out to Ostia Antica, a port city for ancient Rome that managed to stay mostly preserved after it was abandoned with the fall of the empire. Not so great for Ostia, maybe, but pretty awesome for us to be able to wander around the city and see some of the types of houses people would have lived in, laundry facilities, a forum, the firemen's station, the theater, etc. Might've been a little creepy, really, if you went when it was dark out but for us it was pretty amazing. As we were walking in past the necropolis to enter the city, we came across what was my favorite statue of the day- Winged Victory or a more rare depiction of Minerva with wings. Absolutely gorgeous to look at, whatever goddess it was meant to represent. 

Most impressive to me, I think, was seeing the mosaics for businesses and in homes that have remained intact on the floor. The one featuring Neptune was my favorite. It was extremely well preserved and beautiful to look at. I only wish that the one near it, that possibly had Christian symbols on it, hadn't been covered! They must have been working to restore it or something, but I wish I could've seen it! 

Walking around the city, I was really impressed with the grain-keeping house and several of the housing areas. What struck me most, however, was the theater! The wood on the stage was a little silly, I thought, considering that it wouldn't have even been wood originally, but it was very cool to be able to stand on the stage and look out at the nearby temple and where the businesses would've been set up nearby. 

The laundry facilities were also really amazing to look at as well, but considering the detergent being used was usually urine? I think I'll stick to being thankful for laundry machines and laundromats. Whoever decided that hey, maybe urine isn't that great for washing clothes, thank you. So much. 

Inside the museum of Ostia, there were some unique pieces of sculpture presumably from the town itself. A smaller museum, maybe, than the others we've been visiting, but I really enjoyed being able to look around. My favorite piece from the museum is included below, as I really liked the detail done on the cow/bull? Reminded me of how delighted my cousin would be back home that I've managed to find a cow in Italy. 

Blog Three - Days 6-8

The last few days have been, of course, busy- but amazing, as always. We've been wrapping up our "Caesars" section of the course, in some ways, and beginning to move into the "Saints." Mostly though, the past few days have really been hammering in the point of Augustus as a very effective and progressive leader. Part of his appeal is certainly due to his repairs of Rome and effective propaganda- sometimes though, I wonder if Augustus was so celebrated because he was so much better compared to some of the other rulers Rome has had to put up with! With examples like Nero around or Caligula, no wonder Augustus looked so good. 

But, that's besides the point. On our sixth day here, we went to the National Roman Museum at Palazzo Massimo, which was absolutely gorgeous. I loved many of the sculptures there- it's fascinating to me, to see how some of the styles evolve and change with time as the ages progress. Some more romanticized and "perfect" images, while others remain more realistic. The detail of robes and facial features of several of the sculptures were also wonderful to me. Below I've included a picture of one of my favorite pieces, reaching to pluck Apollo and Artemis' arrows from her back- the agony of her posture seemed almost resigned, to me? Which made it all the more powerful, in my opinion. As though she realized how pointless it would be to fight against the gods, or perhaps realizing that her fate was earned, thanks to her own hubris. 

I also fully admit I'm a sucker for a mummy, so seeing one in the museum was a definite plus for me. My only disappointment was the lack of Egyptian books to read aloud from too- someday. Someday, I'll find a mummy and a book- and THEN I'll get a nice Rick O'Connell to look forward to. *cough* BUT that's off subject, so anyway. We also visited the Mausoleum of Augustus that day, which was very stunning in person. It's amazing to consider how much Augustus was able to accomplish with his long reign, so many beautiful pieces to admire that he was responsible for creating. 

Our seventh day here was one I was admittedly a little wary about- the Palatine Hill and Palatine Museum, the Arch of Titus, and the Colosseum. All in the afternoon. I already get super sweaty and gross by the end of each day, but those sites? In the afternoon with very little shade? Just the thought of it makes me want to wrinkle my nose. We got extremely lucky though, the weather decided to be kind and lend a little rain to smooth the way. Lucky us! Maybe not when trying to get to the museum's bathroom, as everyone congregated there to escape the rain, but otherwise it was extremely pleasant. I love the gardens of the Hill especially, along with the views that can be seem of the rest of the city. Absolutely gorgeous and entirely striking to look at.

The Colosseum is another matter entirely for me, I could spend an entire day just there, to be honest. The Colosseum has been of interest to me since I was little, loving the idea of it and utterly enchanted as all little kids can be- the whole "bloodbath" thing was kind of lost on me, at the time. I blame watching Xena and Hercules. Knowing and understanding the history as I do now, I can't say I'm any less enchanted by the Colosseum, but at least now I understand how much blood has been spilt as well. Amazing, how much death has occurred there and yet you couldn't tell just looking at it. Someday it's a wish of mine to be able to explore underneath the Colosseum- maybe when I'm rich, some glorious day faaar in the future. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to satisfy my curiosity by stealing my dad's copy of Assassin's Creed and hop around there digitally. At least it's something! 

Day eight was more forums, specifically the Forum of Augustus, the Forum of Vespasian, and the Forum of Nerva. Of these, the Forum of Augustus was certainly the most impressive in terms of size and being best preserved, but the others provided an interesting context to just how much Rome was changing structurally. The Forum of Nerva in particular was extremely oddly shaped and the layout seemed strange while trying to shove yet another forum where there seemed to be space. I did appreciate the Forum of Nerva for being dedicated so much to Minerva, as she and Diana are my favorite gods by a longshot. 

Blog Two- Days 4 and 5

The last two days have been all the more interesting and informative, I think, because of their extreme differences in time. Yesterday, we visited Tarquinia and the necropolis there, sites that are part of the Etruscan roots that eventually grew into Rome. Today, by contrast, we looked at the late Republic- Largo Argentina, the Forum of Julius Caesar, and Centrale Montemartini. 

I admit that I'm rather biased towards the Forum as one of my favorite sites, given that I had to research it prior to leaving on this trip. But bias or no, the work and goals Julius Caesar worked towards in his vision for Rome were truly admirable. There's a reason history remembers the man so vividly- his motives for making a decision seem to be always nuanced, filled with double or even triple purposes. His forum, for example, certainly worked into his goals for an extension for the ever-growing people of Rome. But it also allowed him to create a temple that honored his rival's favorite goddess, currying her favor before his opponent could, while simultaneously honoring the goddess that his family allegedly stemmed from. It was showing off in a remarkably practical way, with the added benefit of thumbing his nose at his rival- who wouldn't respect a man like that, at least a little? 

The Senate doesn't count.

The necropolis was nothing short of fascinating for me, especially with a trip to the catacombs of Paris under my belt. There weren't any skulls piled into the shape of a heart in Italy, but what people chose to have painted in their tombs was nothing short of gorgeous. Occasionally grotesque or somewhat alarming, in the case of the Blue Demons or the lewd tomb that would make a satyr blush, but beautiful all the same. To see these paintings of people dancing, or picking olives, or fighting brought their desires home- these paintings, usually commissioned by a Greek artist (originally, anyway), remain to help the deceased be remembered. Perhaps they can no longer be remembered by their descents coming to visit and eat with them, but they're far from forgotten with students crowding down staircases to peer into their tombs.

Entering the Centrale Montemartini was certainly an experience- the museum is an unexpected combination of the industrial world mixed with the ancient. You climb up stairs to see pipes and clunky machinery to better see a mosaic or the set of statues of Heracles preforming one of his 12 Labors; trying to claim the girdle of the Amazonian Queen herself. 

The blend should have been jarring, you'd think, and yet somehow it works. One of the signs coming in explained that the building is a harmony of mythology- the mythology of technology and the mythology of Rome, essentially. And in this context, they compliment each other. The building doesn't detract from the headless Medusa, or the multiple Athenas, or the snake handled cup, etc. Instead, the ancient brings out the machinery and vice versa. 

Blog One - Days 1-3

Part of my fascination and appreciation for Rome that's certainly come further to life here as we explore the city is the relationship between the mythology of Rome, the history of Rome, and the reality of Rome. 

As a culture, we've built this city as an ideal, as a relic in and of itself- a living place where love can be found- just ask Kristen Bell when she did the movie "When in Rome." We expect a city that is full of attractive men on scooters or women on the beach, we expect all the mythology of romance that's tied to Italy in general. But we can also expect instead the history and the mystery to be found in a city that's seen bloodshed for centuries upon centuries- as can be seen or read in books like Angels and Demons. Perhaps these are silly images that we believe Rome should be, but it's there all the same- perpetuated when Rome is featured in games like Assassin's Creed, or as a place to heal and eat as in Eat, Pray, Love, or a place for a struggling director to search for inspiration as in Nine. 

Through Hollywood and literature still today, we are contributing to this mythology of Rome, which in many ways compliments the reality of the city. There are less stellar aspects, maybe, that we don't hear as much about- the heat, for one, but that is very likely just me being a wimp and I admit that. Pickpockets are another, or the ease in which one can get lost in this labyrinth of a city. But, to me at least, I think these only add to the wonder of Rome- I think it helps that I, for one, wasn't expecting to go wading around the Trevi Fountain (which, for the record, I would be shocked to ever find /not/ busy) and pick random things up to have people magically fall in love with me. 

What I am loving about this city is the marriage of all those centuries upon centuries, rebuilds upon rebuilds, damage and reconstructions. Looking out from the Capitoline Museum over the Forum and across the rooftops, you would think all the different styles of architecture, the mix of "old" and "new" (both of which are extremely relative terms) didn't mix. And you would be entirely wrong. Do the cobblestones and marble and dust sometimes lead to ankle twists and falls and general irritation with how in the world people can walk around in this and not be annoyed to some degree? Well sure, but man, it somehow still comes across as charming and almost magical. Walking along to see things like tourist shops, then ruins, then the very modern pharmacy or gelato place is an amazing experience that makes the ridiculous heat entirely worthwhile. Especially when you can find places like the church we visited today, where you could still see the columns from the original temple on the side. 

[pictures to be edited in later, for those interested. Sorry for the delay, but no usb port on an iPad!]