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?

the joys of tiramisu, obelisk hunting and public transportation

The highlight of yesterday, apart from my first Italian class (from which I retained next to nothing) was the extravagant welcome dinner the Centro put on for us. It was a warm, gorgeous night and we ate outside in the garden; they had candles lit around the fountains and served us pretty much every delicious Italian dish you could imagine. Pasta, prosciutto, fresh bread, tomato and basil salad, red wine, tiramisu and of course, espresso. It was just such a wonderful night! I had a great time chatting with the people at my table, and the staff's kids running around the place added an element of hilarity...especially when Professor Roman's six year old daughter advised our table on the wisdom that comes from "tasting both younger and older boys"...we were all choking with laughter, but maybe you just had to be there ;)

I slept really badly last night--I just couldn't fall asleep--but today was so much fun I didn't even care. Seriously! I had been dreading the obelisk walk that was supposedly going to last for eight hours, but it turned out to be more of an Amazing Race-esque scavenger hunt for certain monuments all over the city. We split up into groups of three and, reliant on our wits alone (normally an unreliable resource at best), ventured throughout Rome to locate several obelisks, do some first-hand research and return with proof that we had been there. But somehow we figured out the bus lines, the maps, and everything else, and after we found our Obelisk (in the Villa Celimontana, the most obscure location possible), our group decided to have lunch in the Piazza della Rotonda, in front of the Pantheon. We ran into another group of Centristi in the middle of the Piazza and all ate lunch together on the steps of the fountain. After lunch we explored the Pantheon for a bit (I was hoping it would rain while we were there, but it didn't until later) and broke off from the other Centristi in search of the famed gelateria in the area. Our search ended pretty quickly, though, when we remembered all gelato is delicious beyond belief and settled for the nearest place we could find. From there we took what would soon become my least favorite bus, the 64, to San Pietro. The bus was packed completely solid--you could barely move your head from side to side--and I since I was wearing my backpack I was especially nervous about pickpockets. My anxiety worsened when I was separated from the group and some random Italian man began miming to me to watch out, there was a pickpocket behind me. Greeeeat, I thought, nervously trying to inch my way to the corner of the bus by the door, eying everyone around me with extreme suspicion. Luckily, the bus cleared out a bit pretty soon after that, and for the rest of the day I clutched my bag desperately to my chest. (Later at dinner one of the Latin professors was telling us that bus 64 is notorious for pickpockets. That would have been good to know before I got on, but oh well, no harm done.)

Autumn is definitely setting in. The street along the Tiber is littered with crunchy leaves, and it's much cooler outside today. There's a soft breeze coming in through my window and surprisingly, the air smells almost exactly like autumn in Washington...who would have thought?

ciao roma!

I'm finally here! I got in yesterday afternoon (after minimum taxi terror, might I add--the cab driver only ran two red lights), and mere minutes after my arrival a bunch of us decided to walk to Vatican City. I was exhausted but determined not to miss out on actual sightseeing, so I went along. This turned out to be a foolish mistake, as I had not eaten since 5 am on the airplane. Luckily I bought a bottle of water (non frizzante! yay) on the side of the road to tide me over. St. Peter's Square was beautiful, but smaller than I expected...the basilica, on the other hand, was enormous. we saw the Pieta, St. Peter's tomb, and took a stroll through the grottoes (Pope John Paul's tomb has an armed guard!) After the Vatican, we walked along the Tiber in search of food and photo ops. Eventually we came across a little pizzeria in what I think was Trastevere, but at that point I was delirious with hunger so I can't be sure. Our group of 10 split up and we sat in smaller groups outside. Alissa, remember when you almost got hit by that bus in France? Well, I was having vivid flashbacks last night at dinner--our tables were literally in the road. I had to pull my feet in several times in order to avoid getting flattened by passing trucks, scooters and yes, the occasional bus. Even eating dinner here is a life-and-death experience. Will we live through the appetizers?? God only knows... Anyway, after dinner, two other girls and I broke off from the group and headed back to the Centro, but we of course got lost and spent a sizable chunk of the night wandering through Trastevere, trying to read our maps in the dark and trying not to get hit by cars (sidewalks are rare in this neighborhood...)

This morning was perhaps the greatest adventure thus far--a trip to the Italian grocery store! I remembered what Jules said about weighing your own fruit and luckily avoided getting yelled at in Italian...although I didn't have exact change, and the checkout lady was none too pleased about that. If I have learned one thing so far here, it is that the Italian people love exact change. After our excursion to the grocery store, we went to lunch at an adorable cafe a few blocks from the Centro, where I had a salami panini and "cafe freddo," which I expected to be like iced coffee but was actually a cold shot of espresso. Still, it was tasty, and I followed it up with some yummy blended strawberry ice drink. Deeeelicious!

Since then I've pretty much just been unpacking and staring adoringly out my window at the gorgeous view (that's the photo at the top). Most of the group is moved in now, although we're still waiting on a few stragglers. I'm completely in love with the Centro--the sink and furniture in my room is nice and new, much better than Roho was! The bed's sort of a cot in disguise, but it's not bad. And the most glorious thing of all? There's an ice machine in the basement! YES!!!!!!!!!!! Life is good.