Sunday, July 10, 2011

Culture Shock

It's real; and this Sunday afternoon, I had my first dose of it.  After a week, I finally feel like I'm beginning to settle in and am steadily learning my away around the city (buses are still scary- more on this later).  I don't necessarily feel like a tourist as much as I did upon arriving after being stopped more than once while walking on campus and asked where the Vatican and other popular sites are.

The flea market was more than I could handle.  I know this is a pretty "normal" way for people to shop in Europe, but I can only describe it as thousands of people and complete chaos.  It's scorching hot, dirty, smelly, a breeding ground for thieves and pick-pockets, and down right uncomfortable.  We hopped the same bus assuming it would circle back to Trastevere but ended up taking us back to the terminal in the heart of the city.  This was also the first time I felt truly lost here.  (Side note- The websites and maps for the metro and train systems are god awful) Before getting on we had asked the driver if the bus stopped at Via del Corso, but he was annoyed when we decided to go home after he had helped us.  Essentially, I was finding it very difficult to communicate with the drivers at the terminal and it took us over an hour to find the correct bus home.

Sunday is also considered a holiday in Italy, and literally everything, I mean everything, is closed.  Shops, grocery stores, cafes- you name it.  It's been a frustrating day, but with that said... you should:

1.  Wander with your map and learn the city, alone
2.  Get out of your comfort zone
3.  Learn the language, try it, speak it- you will get so much more respect
4.  Don't be afraid of public trans, you'll always find your way home
5.  Go where the locals go, they're generally friendly but don't be offended by those who aren't

I still have to:

1.  The Vatican- Sistine Chapel, museum, St. Peter's
2.  Borghese Gallery, villa
3.  Go inside the Colosseum
4.  Capitoline Museum
5.  Piazza Navona
6.  Florence
7.  Amalfi coast, Pompeii
8.  Venice- maybe

Beautiful Tivoli

Tivoli:  A small, hilly town about thirty minutes outside of Rome, home to Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa.  I'm really just going to let the photos speak for themselves since both of these UNESCO sites were unreal.

But first, we enjoyed a real five course Italian meal!


Villa d'Este (Renaissance)

Le Cento Fontane from The Lizzie McGuire Movie!

Hadrian's Villa (Emperor Hadrian's villa, Roman)

This is summer school?

Truth be told, I forget I have to attend class four days out of the week (no Fridays woop!) and stroll in just before they begin.  "History of Ancient Rome" is your standard history class and meets Monday through Thursday from 4 to 5:45 PM; however, the time never interferes with dinner plans because it is taken so late, after 7 PM.  I adore my professor and definitely appreciate anyone who can teach history in an interesting and story-like manner- he's great!  It's an entirely different experience when you can walk to any place studied in class and see it in person; for example, we have two field trips to Ostia Antica and even Pompeii, is this real life?

"Art History:  Ancient Rome and Its Monuments" compliments my other course so well.  Get this, it's onsite, basically Rome is our classroom!  I can't even take notes half of the time because I'm so intrigued by the history that I can see, walk on, and touch.  Incredible.  We meet only twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9 to 12:45, it's intense.

Our first class met at the Foro Romano, the Roman Forum which has the best ruins, hands down, of Rome and gives you an amazingly clear view of how the city originally looked.

On top of the Palatine hill
Garden of the Vestal Virgins

One last interesting thing, Rome has been built and rebuilt and much of the marble that once covered what remains of the temples was stripped away during the Renaissance for other building, art purposes.

Gnocchi for dinner- simple & perfect

I haven't eaten one meal inside here!