I take it back

Ashley and I just went to get some celebratory gelato, and we had to sidestep about 12 piles of dog poop just to reach the end of our street.



America, here I come!!!

something unexpected

Somewhere between finishing my ancient city final and gazing out at the clear, sunny blue sky, I've realized something.

I don't want to leave.

I wonder how much of that is because I have to?

It makes perfect sense now why they tell you to study abroad for a full year, if you can. There were times, halfway through the semester or so, when I said I was ready to go home. But weeks later, I feel like I've finally acclimated to life in Italy, to the Centro, to my classmates. I feel settled. I don't want to be uprooted again. I haven't soaked up enough of Rome. There's so much more to see, to do, to try; in four months I've only scratched the surface. Don't get me wrong, I'm still excited to come home! I just can't believe that this is over, that it's all behind me now. It seemed so momentous when I started out, and now it's just...part of me. I like that.

happy december!

I've decided to scribble off a super-quick update while I'm waiting on my laundry--I'd make it longer if I didn't have so much work to do. Anyway! Here are the basics:

• I went to Florence a couple weeks ago (wow...it seems like so much longer!) with my friend Kristen. We saw the major sights (David, the Uffizi, the Duomo), drank a LOT of hot chocolate, and spent most of our time hunting for the perfect pair of Italian boots, which we eventually found. YES!!!
• Thanksgiving at the Centro was, despite all odds, pretty amazing. We had all the typical dishes (turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes) and pasta (because the Italian cooking ladies couldn't restrain themselves). But the highlight was the dessert table, which offered many dozens of pies, at least half of which were pumpkin.
• My friend Luke came to Rome last weekend with a couple of friends. We all went to the Villa Borghese, did some window shopping downtown, and then stood in line at Mondadori to meet the Backstreet Boys (yeah, you know you're jealous)! We were seriously almost crushed to death by BSB's crazy Italian fangirls. But it was worth it, my 11-year-old self can die happy now.
• Finally, after many long months of searching, my quest for a shot glass with the Pope on it has come to an end. Sweet victory! There was only ONE left, and I snatched it up! HA! And I found it in Tivoli, of all places--weird, huh? Perhaps there's a ban on papal shot glasses within a 10-mile radius of the Vatican.

As you can see, I've had a very productive past couple of weeks. However, that is rapidly ceasing to be the case in light of the two presentations, one huge paper, three finals and oh yes, all the regular work I have to do in the next two weeks. But the good news is...I'll be home in 15 days, baby! WOOHOO!

a condensed recapitulation of events

I know, I know, I'm a huge blogging failure. I've been promising entries for Sicily and Greece for ages but they're so far behind me now that it would be really hard to write a detailed entry about either of them (especially Sicily, where we were constantly on the move and switched hotels every single night). Plus I've already told most of the people who read this regularly about those trips. So...I'm just going to skip ahead and fill you in on more recent events. A week ago we got back from our Campania trip! It was slightly less enjoyable than our Sicily trip just because it rained almost the entire time. It was the worst during our visit to Pompeii, though. It was almost the end of the day and it had been raining off and on...we had only one more house to visit, the Villa of the Mysteries...and we were running late, worried that we were going to miss it, because the site closed promptly at 5. Anyway we were shuffling along through the streets in small groups when all of a sudden we hear a mighty crack of thunder, and the rain starts POURING down. The wind was going crazy, so carrying an umbrella had become completely pointless. Now, the drainage system in ancient cities generally wasn't the best--at this point running down the street was like running through a small river. The thunder was sounding more and more threatening, people were screaming all around...a bunch of us desperately ran for cover in a small cave on the side of the road. It was a tight fit, but at this point we were so elated from laughing and screaming that no one cared too much. We knew everyone else must have also found cover, because we were towards the front of the group and no one passed our cave. But of course, being the classics nerds we are, we didn't want to miss the Villa of the Mysteries just because of a little (ok, a LOT) of rain. The rain wasn't easing up and we were worried it would only get worse...so we boldly threw caution to the wind and made a run for it. My feet were literally submerged underwater at times and my shoes (the only pair I had brought, might I add) were damp for days. But I have to admit, the "thunderstorm in Pompeii" experience was a fun (albeit wet) one, which I will recall with fondness and amusement in the years to come whenever I'm dry and warm.

That was probably the highlight of the trip, but we also visited Naples (a contender along with Syracuse for the Most Unpleasant City award), Herculaneum (the houses were preserved even better than in Pompeii--the wooden doors and upper levels of houses were still intact!--because it was covered with mud-lava instead of ash), and Cumae (where we saw the Sybil's cave). But my favorite stop was our last one: the Benedictine monastery at Montecassino. It's situated high in the mountains, which were dusted with snow. We arrived at twilight and didn't have too much time to look around, but by some stroke of luck we were in the cathedral when the monks started chanting the vespers. It was such an incredible experience...I feel like I'm running out of adjectives here, but honestly I don't know how to describe it any other way. It was very moving.

Ok, I have to go now--a couple of friends and I have an appointment at the Villa Borghese at 1 and we're leaving soon. But I'll update again soon (no, really) to tell you about my weekend trip to Florence and Thanksgiving at the Centro. Get excited!

americana undercover

At some point in the past few weeks something indefinable has shifted in me. I don't feel like such an imposter in Rome anymore. I mean, it doesn't feel like home by any means, but to a certain extent I feel undaunted by the city where I used to feel reticent. I'm no longer hesitant to set out on my own. In light of this realization I decided to go to a nearby cafe--alone--for breakfast this morning. Feeling daring and vaguely European, I decided to glam things up a bit. Instead of my trusty North Face fleece and sneakers, I put on some leather flats, my brown trenchcoat and the striped scarf I bought in Athens, and topped it off with some dark, smoky eyeshadow. On my way to the cafe I stopped in a cartoleria (I needed pens) and greeted the shopkeeper in Italian. Now, normally when I do this, they immediately reply in English. But the lady continued chatting with me (or more accurately, at me) in Italian! I couldn't believe it! It soon became apparent to her that I did not, in fact, speak Italian...but I was gratifed even so. Intrigued, I continued on to the cafe, where once again no one attempted to speak English to me...this was very interesting. Emboldened by these encounters, I went on to the tabacchi where I was complimented on my Italian by an old man and then to the grocery store where I was NOT met with the usual contemptuous glares but rather spoken to in Italian in perfectly civil tones! I didn't understand much of what was said, but that's hardly the point. The point is, I totally passed for an Italian this morning.

Sweet.

it's vacation time!

For those of you who don't already know, I'm going to be gone for the next two weeks--tomorrow morning, we leave on our weeklong trip to Sicily. We return to Rome next Saturday and then...fall break begins!!! I'm going to be in Greece until Sunday the 21st :) I'll probably have minimal internet access for the next two weeks, but you can expect a massive blog update upon my return!

Ciao ragazzi!

happiness is floating in the tyrrhenian sea

My feet may never forgive me for this week. But I have hope that we'll reconcile; after all, we made it through the Parisian Forced March incident of 2003. Either way, I couldn't care less right now, because Tuesday's trip was so awesome. We took our longest bus ride yet to the Latin colony of Cosa, a few hours north of Rome on the west coast. The bus dumped us at the bottom of the hill (I say hill, but I what I mean is massive mountain) because the roads were too 'narrow' and 'unsafe' for it to manage. The professors assured us that we'd reach the site after a 10-15 mintue walk, so we began the hike with relatively little mutinous muttering. However, I've learned to triple whatever they tell us in order to get an accurate time estimate, and sure enough we reached the outer wall of the colony a full 45 minutes later, wheezing and gasping for breath. After a brief pause, we continued on to the Arx (citadel), situated on the highest point of the hill. As soon as we arrived at the top my annoyance vanished--the views were jaw-dropping. The citadel overlooked the sea on two sides, bordered by lush greenery. It looked almost tropical! After exploring the citadel and the surrounding ruins, we began our descent for what would be the most rewarding part of the day: our beach swim. We had the beach all to ourselves, except for a couple of locals sunning themselves on the sand. We swam far out, so far that you couldn't see the beach over some of the higher waves. The water was incredibly clear and beautiful, the sun was sparkling on the waves, and even though it was cold I never wanted to leave. That beach swim may be my favorite moment of the trip so far :)

Today I didn't have class, so Ashley and I spent the afternoon at the American Academy library doing research for our presentation on Alba Fulcens. We didn't find much, even with the help of the reference librarian, but it was worth it to be able to say I spent my day in the basement of a very prestigious institution, reading archaeology articles written in French and Italian. There's no denying it, being a pretentious scholar is fun.

such great heights

I know, I know...I'm a failure, I've neglected my blog. I just didn't think there was anything significant to report, so now you're all going to have to slog through a post jam-packed with many insignificant things. Ha! Anyway, our most recent all-day trip was to Tusculum, where the rich and famous of ancient Rome (most notably, Cicero) had their holiday villas. We had to hike up a cliff face in the most powerful winds I've ever experienced (yes, that includes Chicago). Actually, that's a lie--we didn't have to. We could have stayed at a lower altitude and looked for the remains of the villas, but the high citadel was on the very top of the bluffs, and you just can't tell a group of classics majors there's an ancient citadel to explore and expect them not to go find it. Even if that means getting dirt lodged IN YOUR EYEBALLS from the gale-force winds (which it did for me). Ah well, the view alone was completely worth it. I could see all of Tusculum stretched out around me, the Alban Mount across the valley where they would make sacrifices to Jupiter, and lush mountaintops in every direction. It was simply jaw-dropping. None of my photos managed to do it justice; it's impossible to capture the sheerness of the cliffs, the dizzying sense of looking out at the countryside from so great a height. So you'll have to use your imaginations...

We also had our first trip the Roman Forum this week--the first of five. Now, I understand there's quite a lot to see at the Forum, but honestly, five trips? It seems a tad excessive. Couldn't our time be better spent elsewhere? Say, at a gelateria somewhere? I think you see what I mean.

This weekend has been really fun--we had a wine tasting at the Centro, and today Stephanie and I braved the bus lines in search of the Valentino exhibit at the Ara Pacis museum. And guess what? We finally found it! The exhibition--45 Years of Valentino--was just beautiful. Mannequins in haute couture were arranged in pyraminds, hanging from the walls...there was even one rotating in a pit set deep into the floor. But the most amazing part? They had gowns on display that had been made for and worn by individual celebrities! We saw the gowns Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts were wearing to the Academy Awards when they won their Oscars. It was incredible to see them up close; a combination of pop culture and art. I can remember seeing them all for the first time on television, or in my endless collection of magazines. There were others less familiar but equally beautiful--gowns worn by Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Onassis and Sophia Loren. It was like being in the presence of Hollywood royalty. Also on display were hundreds of Valentino's original sketches, some with fabric samples attached, which you could examine with a magnifying glass.

The rest of the day we spent wandering down the Via del Corso, which is packed with shops. (NOTE: I strongly discourage shopping here on the weekends. You will only get trampled/get elbowed in the eye/develop a severe sense of claustrophobia.) However, I did visit Italian Zara (which paled in comparison to the glory of Parisian Zara, in case you were wondering, Alissa and Casey) and Italian Sephora! Where Benefit's Dandelion costs--brace yourself--32 euros. That's over 45 dollars! Nearly double what it costs at home! I almost had a heart attack. To console ourselves in the face of this harsh reality, Stephanie and I took up another quest: the search for the best gelato in Rome. Now, legend has it there are two places vying for the title, both in the same area. All we knew was that the name of one of the places started with "G" and to find it, you must find a little green sign on the Via del Corso. But find it we did, and even though it's tucked away on a tiny street near the Pantheon, it's by no means unknown. At least not to the Italians; we had to elbow our way through an unusually large gelato-crazed mob. But when we did...ohhh man was it good. The place is called "Giolitti" and let me tell you, if you are ever in Rome, it's well worth taking the time to find.

I'm going to have severe gelato withdrawl when I go home...

tombs: dank, but fun!

After slogging through a full day of class on Monday, our academic diligence was rewarded on Tuesday with--finally!--our first full-day field trip! We went to the National Archaeological Museum in Etruria and spent the next several hours exploring Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia and Cervetere. Now, clambering over rocks and exploring dank tombs may not sound like fun to some, but despite the indisputable hiking element and the fact that I went all day without touching up my makeup (gasp!), I had an absolutely amazing time. Tarquinia was amusing mostly because of the British man on our audio guide, saying things like, "on the east wall, you will see a slave defecating" and describing scenes as "orgiastic." (Why anyone would want a picture of their slave defecating on the wall of their eternal resting place remains a mystery to me.) The Tarquinian tombs were all enclosed behind glass to protect the wall paintings--once you descended underground you could only stare through the windows--so I was expecting the same at Cervetere. But there we were allowed to actually enter the tombs themselves! It was so unbelievably cool. The tombs were inside these giant mounds called tumuli, carved into the solid rock within. Some of them were much harder to access than others--you would have to either lower yourself down a narrow staircase through a cave-type opening or climb up rocky hillside. Each tomb had markers outside to indicate who was buried there, and the burial "couches" inside the more elaborate tombs were also designed specifically for either men or women. Some of them were deep underground and had multiple burial chambers, which we explored with flashlights. Others had half a foot of stagnant water in the bottom...those we generally avoided. After several long hours of spelunking, we managed to find the snack bar and I bought tasty lemon granita. I thought it was pretty hilarious that there was a snack bar in the middle of a necropolis...but I was really thirsty, so I wasn't about to make a point about disrespecting the ancient dead. But really, what would the Etruscans think if they knew there were people wandering through their tombs and then buying cool refreshing treats? Actually, if in two thousand years my grave was a tourist attraction, I'd be pumped, but maybe that's just me.

After the tombtastic fun, we got back on the bus and headed to the beach in a small town that really reminded me of southern California...it had a plethora of palm trees and a very mellow, Pacific coast vibe. I got gelato at a beachside pirate-themed stand and just soaked up the sun. Interestingly, it seems the Italians don't like to actually go in the water. For some reason they think it's dangerous. I think the Centristi were the only ones actually swimming! Although I suppose the sea in September is nothing special to the Italians...they've got gorgeous beaches all year, after all.

Today after our Latin class, my friend Carla and I went to a cafe for a coffee break, where I realized too late I had made the treacherous mistake of ordering cappuccino after 11 am. I expected jaws to drop and Italian laughter to echo through the streets, but the server didn't so much as raise an eyebrow! Did she expect nothing better from a foolish American? Or is the whole cappuccino thing just a much-exaggerated myth? I don't know, but I may have to do it again to find out...it was really good. Plus, it only cost 1.20! And an apple tart was only one euro! That's dirt cheap compared to Starbucks. Now, I'm not renouncing my roots in the slightest--Starbucks will always have a special place in my heart, and no Italian bar has produced a delicious frappucino as of yet--but I'm not going to lie, it was nice to have an afternoon snack that only set me back a pocketful of change. Mmm...cappuccino.

la notte bianca

Hey you guys, I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post! This past week has been INSANELY busy...but I'm updating now, even though I should be working on Latin. You should all feel very lucky :)

So, Saturday was La Notte Bianca--the night once a year that Rome stays up all night long! Shops, restaurants, museums, and basically everything else stayed open until 8 or so Sunday morning. There were concerts in the piazzas, light installations at the monuments, street performers, special museum exhibitions, fireworks and SO much more. The city was out in full force--every street was completely packed full of people! To add to the excitement, my friend Nikki came to visit that night, and after we all had dinner together, our group of thirteen (in retrospect, about seven too many) set out from the Centro around 9:30 and caught a bus into the city. Our first stop was the Circus Maximus (that's the picture at the top), where a huge light installation was covering the entire field. There were hundreds of small glowing spheres scattered across it, which would periodically change color. In all the excitement (and the pitch dark) we lost four girls in our group--unfortunately, they were the ones who knew where we were going. After vainly searching for them in the dark, we ploughed bravely onward, and found ourselves near the Arch of Constantine, face to face with an enormous praying mantis. (Yeah, you read that right.) Perched atop it were several musicians dressed in what looked like Venetian carnivale outfits and gold body glitter...this alone was worth sticking around for, we decided. Our decision would soon be rewarded when the musicians started to play some funky italian techno and a bunch of fire dancers on pogo stilts came charging down the hill toward us. After some dancing and juggling, an acrobat on a hula hoop was lowered from the head of the praying mantis and dazzled the crowd with some gravity-defying stunts, all without the use of a safety line. As if this wasn't cool enough, the praying mantis then came to life and began following the fire dancers down the Via di San Gregorio...it may have been the most ridiculous, incredible thing I've ever seen. Although it's tough to find something cooler than a giant praying mantis, we continued on in search of the Valentino exhibition at the Ara Pacis museum. But it soon became clear that our search would be fruitless; although the buses were running all night, all the main streets were blocked off...so it was impossible to find a bus. We wandered the streets for hours, stopping for drinks and headcounts, and by some stroke of luck we discovered our salvation in a lesser-known piazza: it was "I Love Green," a collection of benches topped with fresh grass where you could rest from the madness of the crowds. We grabbed some gelato (of course) and settled in for a rest. By this point it was around 2:30 am, and we were so exhausted that we couldn't imagine going anywhere but home. So we gave up on Valentino and began to make our long, long way to Termini to drop Nikki off and catch a bus back home. It was after 4 am by the time we got back to the Centro, and I was exhausted...but it was definitely worth it. After all, how many times am I going to be in Rome for la Notte Bianca?