Days 18-20: Life in Rome and touring the sites

Rome is magnificent, beautiful, and brutal.
In the few days we have stayed at St. John's University, Rome campus, we have lightly toured the many historic sites to get acquainted with the area and using the metrebus and metro systems.  The fact that there is a metro station two blocks away from campus is extremely convenient, none of us have had to use the buses yet, mostly because the metro reaches everywhere we need to go and none of us know what buses go where.  Besides, walking is better for ya.

On the first day we visited Piazza Cavour and Palazzo di Guistizia, walked on down to Castel and Ponte Sant'Angelo, and to top it off Piazza San Pietro, the main piazza of the Vatican.  Pretty mind blowing for a first day tour, and any one of these places is merely a 15 minute walk from where we are staying.  It was overwhelmingly beautiful.  It was my first (technically second or third) time seeing the Vatican and I am impressed by its architectural might and symmetry.

The next day was June 2, a national holiday in Italy, Festa della Repubblica.  It is the Italian National Day, where in 1946 the Italian people held a vote on which form of government to institute after the fall of fascism at the end of World War II.  Because of another walking tour our class was going on that day, only Rosie, Joanna and I made the trip into town to attend the military parade.  We were told by our professors that the Colosseo metro stop would be closed so we planned to get off at Cicro Massimo.  And when we sailed right through that stop we had to modify our plan, especially since our map didn't cover much past that metro stop.  We hopped right back onto the metro heading the other direction and hoofed it from Cavour to the Colosseo.  So we got our own introduction to the metro before anyone else did, complete with changing metros at the junction and how the whole system works in general.  Remember that I have barely any personal experience on metros or any public transportation, short of following my family on the in Washington D.C. as a child.

And boy was there a lot of people.  Poor Joanna was so short she could barely see, but eventually we found a wall to climb atop and view the procession.  There were all sorts of groups of soldiers marching in all sorts of uniforms with all sorts of weapons, and the music conveyed a profound feeling of national pride and victory, and I'm not even a citizen.  People had flags everywhere and were cramming at the fence to get photos and applaud the military.  If only we held such events in the United States, perhaps we wouldn't feel so separated from our government.  Or at least I wouldn't feel so, anyways.  You could see the pride and excitement in the eyes and voices of the Italian people and they truly loved and supported their military as one.  It was a wonderful event to attend, and although from where I was there was little opportunity to get some good photos, I did get some of a small procession that made its way past us.  A small group of soldiers on horseback, I don't know who or what they were, but they were decorated and fancy.

The decorated and fancy horsemen, not sure who they were.

And for our class tour we visited The Scalinata (The Spanish Steps), Fontana di Trevi, The Pantheon (which was closed that day, as it was a holiday), and Piazza Navona.  I chuckled on the inside as we visited the latter two, as I have already visited these places on my own, but with Dr. Murphy's knowledge it made the experiences more meaningful.  The first visit was wonderful for simply exploring someplace new, and this was wonderful for understanding why these places are so famous.  My favorite part of this was definitely visiting Trevi Fountain.  One, for securing my return to Rome, but also for a certain detail Dr. Murphy pointed out in the fountain.  While the entire fountain is a beautiful work of art depicting the beauty, importance and life-giving properties of water, the detail that struck her the most was the at far right corner, where the corner appears to be broken and in need of repair.  While it may appear this way, it is not because it is actually in need of repair at all, but was intentionally included as a reminder of its destructive power.  Rome has suffered numerous floods, some more tragic than others, and in the construction of this fountain commemorating the greatness of water was included this detail to remind us that water is also a force of nature.

Far right corner of Fontana di Trevi.

The next day we hit the Colosseo, and grand and magnificent it was.  Construction of the Flavian Amphitheater began in 72 AD and was completed in only eight years.  Eight years!  That's insane, especially for the Roman's tallest structure built during their reign!  There is so much I can say about it, but I won't bore you with the facts and just say that you need to see it in person.  Make sure you bring sunscreen, snacks, water and a hat, or you will be grumpy half the time like I was.  But I still enjoyed it.  Photos of it would always confuse me of where the actual area ground would be, but when I was there it was quite clear what would have been underground and where the area would have been.

An overview shot of Il Colosseo.

Afterwards we toured the Foro Romano (Roman Forum), seeing the massive Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine), Arco di Tito (Arch of Titus), Basilica of Maxentius (or Constantine), Palatino (Palatine Hill), Atrium Vestae (House of the Vestal Virgins), Templum Veneris et Romae (Temple of Venus and Rome), Tempio di Vaspasiano (Temple of Vespasian), Tempio di Saturno (Temple of Saturn), and a few others we briefly covered.  It was a lot to take in that day, not really having an art or Roman history background.  It has made me want to learn about these things in greater depth though, so that when I do return I will be able to more fully appreciate each and every one of these places.  I wonder what that place much have looked like at its peak, in its full glory...

The first few days have been quite packed with places to see and things to do.  Even if I do not possess the knowledge that some of my fellow classmates do of these historical places, I want to learn.  I want to know.  It is a lot, and I regret not paying as much attention in the single art history class I took freshman year, but there is always tomorrow to read, explore, converse and learn.  Dr. Murphy's perspective and knowledge motivate me to know all that she knows, complete with the little details which sometimes make a work of art so much more than one initially perceives it.

Not to be pushed to learn, but to be inspired to learn.  These are the people I need to surround myself with.
Goodnight everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful day and continue to follow my adventure over here in Italy.  Love and miss you family and friends.  Buonanotte a tutti!