Wow- where did the time go? I am writing right now from the airplane, sad to say goodbye to Rome. It feels like just yesterday we were all gathered in JFK, awaiting our flight, unable to predict all of the memories that we were about to make.
I knew that I was going to enjoy myself because, after all, it is Rome, how can you not? I knew we were going to see amazing sites, learn about both Rome’s past and present, and eat loads of delicious pastas, pizzas and too much gelato. But, I did not expect to build the friendships that I did. There is something about being displaced, put into a foreign country, that brings everyone together in ways that are indescribable to those who have not experienced it.
Before we left for Rome, I was hoping that during the trip I would find one or two people to have dinners and shop with. Never did I expect the nightly “family” dinners that we would share together. It was never a matter of whether or not we would be together, just a matter of where we would be eating and more importantly the restaurant’s proximity to gelato.
It is remarkable that even in the airport this morning there was still so much to say and so many laughs to be had. In fact, trying to contain our noise and excitement was probably the biggest challenge of the trip (aside from the bus system).
Apart from the other students, who I absolutely love and wish I had become this close with earlier in my Skidmore College career, Sarah Breitenfeld has been remarkable. She went above and beyond as a peer mentor, not only playing the role of mentor, but also friend. From day one, when she took me for my first Italian coffee, to the excursions she led us on, bringing us to her favorite stationery store, helping us order in Italian and figure out how to split the dinner bill every night, my experience would not have been the same without her. I hope that in the future she gets to fulfill her dream of leading a travel seminar of her own- she would be fantastic.
Another factor that made my trip as incredible as it was were my professors. The fact that we were fortunate enough to have not one but two experts in both classics and religion willing to take the time out of their lives and leave behind their families to share their endless knowledge with us and guide us through this once in a lifetime experience is priceless.
Not only did I find their duo teaching style effective, I also liked the duality of taking both an on-campus and then off-campus course. Much like the way my two professors were able to play off of each other, in regards to both knowledge and humor, the courses played off of each other as well. To me, the greatest tie was spending all semester studyIng my site, the Arch of Constantine, and then presenting on it in Rome. I cannot explain how much more rewarding it was to give my presentation at the actual site and the feeling of both excitement and possessiveness I had when I finally got to see the arch first hand.
Aside from giving my own presentation, I also really enjoyed watching all of my classmates present, especially as our friendships grew. It was great to see everyone have their moment to show off all their hard work and information they had uncovered.
I have to say, after seeing so much, it is extremely difficult to pick a highlight from the trip. So, I have narrowed it down to two. The first was being blessed by the pope. That was on my bucket list and I still cannot believe that we were there and were so close to him. All the selfie stick haters were silenced by the close up shots Kristen and I were able to snag of him as we stuck them out and blindly snapped hundreds of pictures as he passed right in front of us. My other favorite moment would be our day spent in the Jewish Ghetto. Apart from the fact that I found David, our tour guide, hilarious, it was great to spend time in a community and synagogue that is of my religion. I really felt a deeper connection with being there and the food coma inducing lunch was the cherry on top.
Although we are all sad to leave both Rome and each other, this is the way it should be and means we have done it right. Not only is this moment the goodbye for the travel seminar for me, but also the end of my college career. I truly could not think of a better way to close this chapter of my life.
All that's left to say is a huge thank you and big hugs to all for an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Although it's the end, I know our paths will cross again. It's not goodbye, it's see you later (at Giolitti’s).
As Professor Curley likes to say into the whisper-ma-phones “signing off.”
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Today is Monday, June first. I cannot believe that it is already June and that it is one of our last days in Rome. After the morning spent at the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel (which was absolutely incredible) Steven, Ally and I went for lunch at our favorite neighborhood hangout, Gourmet. After lunch, Steven went to rest while Ally and I got in some last minute shopping on Via Cola Di Rienzo to kill time until our last solo excursion, the Church of Gesu which reopened for the day at four(sixteen) o'clock. I was sitting outside of the café at Ostia Antica, enjoying the beautiful sunny day. With my feet up, surrounded by friends, enjoying the sunshine, what could make this day better? You guessed it, an iced cold cappuccino. On Saturday, after our class trip to the Protestant Cemetary, Sarah Breitenfeld led Demaris, Emily, Mark, Sarah, Ally and I to an excursion at the Villa Giulia. To get there from the cemetary, we took two Metro trains, arriving in the area of Villa Borghese. Upon arrival, we decided to stop for lunch. We went to Mondo Arancina, the same chain that is right across the street from our St.John’s University campus. This was my first time eating there, but I hear that this restaurant is much bigger than the one in our neighborhood. We sat outside, which was great because it was a beautiful day. The tables were all for two people, so we split up. I had lunch with Mark which was really nice. Although we have dinner together almost every night in a big group, I have never spent time with him one on one, so it was fun to do so. After lunch, we took our first tram ride a couple blocks down to the Villa Giulia. The tram was great, a nice relief from both walking, the bus and the Metro. Immediately upon entering, I heard several small birds chirping and felt the cool breeze as I inhaled the sweet scent of the orange trees throughout the area. From the top of the hill the smells of people, food, cars and sewers seemed to be miles and miles away.There were sounds of several visitors walking and riding their bikes throughout the paths with the small pebbles crunching beneath their feet. Murmurs of various languages ranging from English, French, Spanish, Chinese and, of course, Italian, could also be heard from all sides as I sat down on a cool, porous stone bench. I put both my soiled, heavy feet up, allowing weight to be relieved while enjoying the cooling sensation of the stone’s surface against my legs. After sitting down to enjoy the breeze, I continued on to wander the space spending time in both areas of sunlight and sections shaded off by the blowing trees above. As I neared the lookout, the street sounds of sirens, horns, and pedestrians became more prevalent as the bird chirping was drowned out. Dissatisfied with this interruption of serenity, I ventured back, over the crunching pebbles, to the central seating area I had left behind. Not only did this area provide relief to my tired body, aching after a day of walking in the sun, it also allowed me to sooth my senses and take in, once again, the serenity composed of the breeze, fresh air, chirping birds and orange aroma that made me forget that I was, in fact, in a major city (Orange Grove, Aventine Hill, 28.5.2015). Standing to my left, was a young Spanish couple. They both were dressed up for the occasion, him wearing a button down shirt and her a dress. Although not church appropriate, because her shoulders were bare, her dress was floor length, covering up her legs. The couple was dressed in coordination, with his shirt containing accents of the magenta color of her dress. Both were adorned with jewelry, him with small studs and her with large wooden dangling earrings. Appearing to be in their thirties, I would guess that they were newly weds, perhaps on their honeymoon. They stood closely together for the duration of the event, all while he held her purse. The woman took pictures of the pope as he initially passed by in the beginning precession, but the camera got put away once the speech began. The two spoke in Spanish to each other but understood the pope’s Italian as well. This was evident through their remarks to one another between certain ideas the pope spoke of. Their thoughts were spoken softly enough as not to be disruptive, but with enough passion to show how much they cared. Like several other members of the papal audience, they were familiar with the pope’s words, chiming in and reciting with him when appropriate. This made me think that this was not their first time in the papal audience, or that they are followers of the pope. Just like us, the couple remained present for the entirety of the event, staying attentive throughout, and, also like us, are now #blessed. Last night, we took the metro to Cipro to try out Pizzarium. It came up on one of the lists as best pizza by the slice in Rome. I would highly recommend it. 🍕 At the gallery, I chose not to focus on photographing the artwork, which could be easily googled, but focused on the amazing space itself. I was blown away by how ornate and overly ornamented everything was and I have included some of these photos on my blog. He is looking at you, the viewer, with his big dark brown eyes. His gaze is shifted slightly to the right, as his head is slightly angled away from a frontal angle. The background is musty, causing the viewer’s eyes to be immediately drawn to the bright colors of his face. His skin is a compilation of several tones of beige, yellows and oranges, giving off a warm glow. The light source is evident with highlights in both of the subjects eyes, his forehead, his noes, cheeks and chin. The highlights on his head help to shape his wavy brown locks. Apart from his face, the other moment of lightness is the color on the collar of his clothing. His lips are a deep pink, framed by his goatee. He is placed almost perfectly centered on the canvas. Despite this taboo, the composition is quite successful with the moments of lightness and contrasting darkness used to guide the viewer’s eye around the page. Not only is there an obvious variation in tone and contrast, the treatment of the paint also changes throughout. While the face and hair of the figure appear much more photorealistic, the clothing he is wearing and the background both evoke more evidence of broken brush strokes and the colors of which these areas are composed of are visible as opposed to being blended together as seen on the figure himself. While there is lots of attention to detail on the figure’s head, his clothing and the space he is placed in have less clarity, clearly identifying him as the subject and most important element of this piece. |
ElyssaStudent studying Rome with Skidmore College |