Florence and First Field Studies

This weekend I went to Florence! It was my first time outside of Rome and although Florence was nice, I'm happy that I chose Rome.

I first went to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Duomo. The dome of this famous cathedral was designed by Brunelleschi. I climbed up the hundreds of stairs to the top of the dome. The view from the top was gorgeous!

The Duomo

The inside of the dome

View from the top of the dome

I also saw the David at the Accademia di Belle Arti. It was so amazing! I never realized that the statue was so big! And the detail, showing the veins and muscle definition, was so incredible! Pictures weren't allowed, but here is a picture of a replica in the square where the original used to be.

Copy of Michelangelo's David

I visited the Uffizi Gallery, which I had to wait for 45 minutes to enter. I saw two paintings that I recognized, Botticelli's Primavera and the Birth of Venus. I wish I knew more about art so that I could be familiar with more of the pieces there, but everything was very impressive.

I also had my first field studies this week. I had class here on Thursday:

The Roman Forum

I love having class at the actual sites that we are studying. The Roman Forum was really interesting and we learned about the functions and time period of the buildings. The forum was buried under mud and used as a cow field during the Middle Ages. The mud actually preserved the carvings in the arch so you can see the details. Many of the buildings that are mostly intact are reconstructions, from the time of Mussolini. We also went to a couple of ancient Roman temples that are now Catholic churches. I like that they recycled the buildings instead of demolishing them. There's so much history in the one building.

Rome-ing Around

I just finished the first week of classes and all of them seem really interesting! I'm taking an art history class called Renaissance Art and Its Classical Heritage, a class on ancient Roman history, a class called Rome As A Living Museum, an anthropology class, and Italian 101. Three of the classes go on field studies almost every week, which is so cool! This week I am heading to the Roman Forum for one of my classes.

This week has been especially eventful since the news broke that the pope is resigning. My walk to school has been obstructed by news crews. A few people from school have been interviewed by reporters from the Today Show and an Austrian news station. We watched a documentary of Pope Benedict XVI's life in Italian on the television one night. It is so cool that I will be in Rome when they choose a new pope. 

News crews in front of St. Peter's

Last weekend we went inside the Pantheon, which is actually used as a Catholic church today. I'm thinking of going to Mass there one Saturday evening. 

We also went to the Spanish embassy to see Rodin's sketches inspired by Dante's Inferno. The view from the hill was beautiful.

This weekend, we threw our coins into the Trevi Fountain ensuring our return to Rome. The Trevi Fountain was so much bigger than I had imagined! We spent some time walking around and found gelato, which was delicious. The food in Rome is so good! I tried potato pizza today, which sounds strange, but is quite good.

Today we went to Carnevalone, a festival held on the first Sunday of Lent. It is like Carnivale with a more anticlerical sentiment. There were people dressed up as popes, nuns, and priests, but also people dressed up in clever costumes. My favorites were the group of dominoes that would fall over every once in a while and the Lego people. It was so interesting to people watch. It took place in a small medieval town outside of Rome that was very picturesque. 

The view from Poggio Mirteto

I'm starting to feel more like I live in Rome, instead of just being a tourist. I went grocery shopping for the first time this week and bought school supplies, speaking only in Italian. There have been a few minor inconveniences, like the fact that there is no hot water right now and the oven is not working, but I feel like nothing has been too distressing. According to my anthropology professor, I should be experiencing culture shock at some point, but so far I have been fine.

I like this video that my Italian professor showed us about the differences between Italy and the rest of Europe. So far, I feel like the parking and pedestrian crossing part is especially accurate. 

First Week in Rome

After being in Rome for five days, I can actually imagine myself living here for four months. Our apartment is really nice and spacious, which I was not expecting. It's about a mile walk to school, but I pass by this:

St. Peter's is so beautiful!

And then this guy and other statues:

And finally this:

Castel Sant'Angelo

And on the way back home at night this is my view:

I still cannot believe that I am really here! We've had orientation the whole week, so I haven't gotten to explore that much. We had to sit through talks about adjusting to Roman culture, health, academics, and safety. An apparently common incident is drunk people falling into the Tiber. We did see the Pantheon while walking around one evening and I am excited to return and go inside.

Yesterday I went to the Vatican. I thought that there would be some sort of indication that you are leaving Italy and entering Vatican City, but you can just walk right in. I climbed to the very top and being the frugal person that I am, I refused to pay 2 euro to take the elevator and I climbed the 551 steps instead. It was exhausting, but totally worth it.

The view from the top of St. Peter's

I've had a couple classes of Italian now and it's exciting being able to speak some Italian, even if it's just basic greetings and ordering food. Most people that I've run into speak English, so not knowing Italian hasn't been a problem. My professor has given us assignments, like ordering coffee and going to a market.

All of the buildings are so beautiful!

I have been walking everywhere, which I love. Today we ended up in Piazza Navona, which is also beautiful. I had my first gelato there! It was so delicious. The food is so good here. I have been eating pasta and pizza every day.

Piazza Navona

Overall, I feel like I am adjusting to living in Rome pretty well. When my flight took off from Nashville, I was so worried that I would be too homesick to stay. Now I feel like I will not want to leave in May.