Today was a class day so we spent the morning in Italian and afternoon in Mary's history class.
In Italian class with Mary, Marco and I worked on reading chapter nine of A Ciascuno il Suo, where we learn in the story more about the politics of Sicily in the 60s, and the plot thickens when they go to talk with the widow of the friend who was murdered.
In the Italidea class the girls learned about adjectives and descriptions, and took a field trip out to Farnese and Campo dei Fiori to describes sights... in Italian! Brava.
Later on we had class with Signora Mary, where we learned about Pope Sixtus and looked at some of his commissions, and began an quick introduction on Machiavelli for next week.
After class, since we had a 3-day weekend, everyone got ready for their trips to Prague, Istanbul, and Lyon!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Eggs in Purgatory
Roma Reporta—February 18, 2009
Posted by Reed
Today was a very relaxed day. Our usual Wednesday morning art history class had been rescheduled, since Lisa was with the honors group in Southern Italy; so, we decided to spice things up with an impromptu group brunch. Jenna was the master chef of the affair. She was assisted by her sous-chef, Stacie, who flipped a mean pancake. The meal—and it was a meal—consisted of two courses. For the first course, pancakes topped with Nutella whetted our appetites for the complex and delicious second course. The second course, appropriately named “Eggs in Purgatory” was a unique and delicious brunch experience, consisting of marinara sauce, a fried-mashed-potato concoction, a fried egg, and plenty of parmesan to top it off. As if all of that was not enough, there was also freshly squeezed blood-orange juice to wash everything down. It was a very tasty brunch and an excellent way to start the day.
The Master Chef at Work
After our feast, it was time for history with Mary. With our second paper due on Friday, we discussed several more aspects of the medieval family, but the majority of class today was focused on a discussion of popes and the papacy. To add to our already relaxed day, Mary decided to end class early in order to give everyone more time to work on their papers. Unfortunately, this was the end of my relaxed day, as I had to get right to work on my paper in order to turn it in before travelling to Prague for the weekend. Much of the class was in a similarly hurried state with the paper, since everyone had travel plans for the weekend, except for Heather, who had chosen to stay in Rome for the weekend. Bryan, Alex, Matt, and I went to Prague; Stacie, Carly, and Maya went to Lyon, France; and literally everyone else (except for Heather) went to Istanbul. My apologies to Heather if it sounds like I’m picking on her—apparently we missed some great weather in Rome.
The Final Product: Eggs in Purgatory
Posted by Reed
Posted by Reed
Today was a very relaxed day. Our usual Wednesday morning art history class had been rescheduled, since Lisa was with the honors group in Southern Italy; so, we decided to spice things up with an impromptu group brunch. Jenna was the master chef of the affair. She was assisted by her sous-chef, Stacie, who flipped a mean pancake. The meal—and it was a meal—consisted of two courses. For the first course, pancakes topped with Nutella whetted our appetites for the complex and delicious second course. The second course, appropriately named “Eggs in Purgatory” was a unique and delicious brunch experience, consisting of marinara sauce, a fried-mashed-potato concoction, a fried egg, and plenty of parmesan to top it off. As if all of that was not enough, there was also freshly squeezed blood-orange juice to wash everything down. It was a very tasty brunch and an excellent way to start the day.
The Master Chef at Work
After our feast, it was time for history with Mary. With our second paper due on Friday, we discussed several more aspects of the medieval family, but the majority of class today was focused on a discussion of popes and the papacy. To add to our already relaxed day, Mary decided to end class early in order to give everyone more time to work on their papers. Unfortunately, this was the end of my relaxed day, as I had to get right to work on my paper in order to turn it in before travelling to Prague for the weekend. Much of the class was in a similarly hurried state with the paper, since everyone had travel plans for the weekend, except for Heather, who had chosen to stay in Rome for the weekend. Bryan, Alex, Matt, and I went to Prague; Stacie, Carly, and Maya went to Lyon, France; and literally everyone else (except for Heather) went to Istanbul. My apologies to Heather if it sounds like I’m picking on her—apparently we missed some great weather in Rome.
The Final Product: Eggs in Purgatory
Posted by Reed
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Ragazzi Piccanti
Today was loaded with scores of amazingly fun activities! As usual on Tuesday, we started the day with Italian. The class was more intense and interactive than ever before. In class, Paola taught us two new verbs: sapere and conoscere. Cosa significa sapere e conoscere? Sapere, an irregular verb, means to know something. The verb usually is followed by: 1) a phrase, such as “Sai dove vanno in vacanza;” 2) a direct object, such as “So il francese;” 3) another verb in the infinite form, such as “Franco sa suonare il piano. Non lo so, which means “I don’t know” and is one of my favorite Italian phrases, is derived from the first person singular of sappere. Conoscere, a regular verb, which also means to know, is always used with a direct object, for example, “Conosco Seattle.” After learning these new verbs, we played an intense game of trivia. First, Paola split the class into two groups, the A-Team and the Ragazzi Piccanti. Then she had us listen to a dialogue in Italian. After listening through the dialogue a few times, each group constructed five questions for the opposing team to answer. Things got competitive between the two groups. Stacie and Jenna battled it out over points, but in the end, the A-Team barely squeaked by, earning 3.5 points to Ragazzi Piccanti’s 3 points.
After Italian we had a nice three hour break, in which most of us worked dexterously on our essays for History class. Art History class convened at 2:45 in Villa Borghese at the Galleria Borghese. At the museum, Maya gave her art presentation on four of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculptures: David (1623), Rape of Proserpine (1621-22), Goat Amalthea with Infant Jupiter and Faun (1615), and Apollo and Daphne (1622-25). Although, I enjoyed all of the statues, I found the Rape of Proserpine particularly intriguing as it vividly captures so many human emotions, as well as, vividly portraying the action of the moment. The details on the statue are absolutely mind-blowing, for example: the teardrop running down Proserpine’s face, the different textures of the characters skins, and finally, most impressive, was the impressions of Pluto’s two hands imprinted into Proserpine’s skin. After the presentation, we were free to enjoy and walk around the rest of the museum. Other interesting art pieces at the Galleria included: the statue of Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, Caravaggio’s St. Jerome, Sick Bacchus, and Raphael’s Entombment of Christ.
After looking around the Galleria for about an hour, we made our way to the Piazza Navona, where Jenna gave her art history presentation on Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. The Fountain of the Four River’s depicts the allegorical figures of the Ganges in Asia, the Nile in Africa, the Rio de la Plata in America and the Danube in Europe. One of the most interesting facts that I learned from Jenna’s presentation was how Bernini got the commission for the statue. Originally, Bernini’s archrival Borromini, who had reconstructed the façade of the nearby Church of St. Agnus and designed the Acqua Felice, was assumed to be a shoe-in for the commission. However, after the pope saw a model of Bernini’s design, which had been dropped off inside the papal palace, he decided to pick Bernini, reportedly proclaimed, “the only way to resist executing his works is not to see them."
To cap off the day, we ate dinner at a restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto. We had fried artichokes, fish and zucchini leaves, all of which were delicious! The food was the perfect ending to another wonderful day in the Eternal City.
After Italian we had a nice three hour break, in which most of us worked dexterously on our essays for History class. Art History class convened at 2:45 in Villa Borghese at the Galleria Borghese. At the museum, Maya gave her art presentation on four of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculptures: David (1623), Rape of Proserpine (1621-22), Goat Amalthea with Infant Jupiter and Faun (1615), and Apollo and Daphne (1622-25). Although, I enjoyed all of the statues, I found the Rape of Proserpine particularly intriguing as it vividly captures so many human emotions, as well as, vividly portraying the action of the moment. The details on the statue are absolutely mind-blowing, for example: the teardrop running down Proserpine’s face, the different textures of the characters skins, and finally, most impressive, was the impressions of Pluto’s two hands imprinted into Proserpine’s skin. After the presentation, we were free to enjoy and walk around the rest of the museum. Other interesting art pieces at the Galleria included: the statue of Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix, Caravaggio’s St. Jerome, Sick Bacchus, and Raphael’s Entombment of Christ.
After looking around the Galleria for about an hour, we made our way to the Piazza Navona, where Jenna gave her art history presentation on Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. The Fountain of the Four River’s depicts the allegorical figures of the Ganges in Asia, the Nile in Africa, the Rio de la Plata in America and the Danube in Europe. One of the most interesting facts that I learned from Jenna’s presentation was how Bernini got the commission for the statue. Originally, Bernini’s archrival Borromini, who had reconstructed the façade of the nearby Church of St. Agnus and designed the Acqua Felice, was assumed to be a shoe-in for the commission. However, after the pope saw a model of Bernini’s design, which had been dropped off inside the papal palace, he decided to pick Bernini, reportedly proclaimed, “the only way to resist executing his works is not to see them."
To cap off the day, we ate dinner at a restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto. We had fried artichokes, fish and zucchini leaves, all of which were delicious! The food was the perfect ending to another wonderful day in the Eternal City.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Jewish Ghetto and Campidoglio
We started our day with not one but two presentations! Stacie presented the Jewish Ghetto and led us around this very small quarter, while Carly presented on the Campidoglio.
The Ghetto was built in the 16th century on the banks of a frequently flooded bend of the Tiber River, and was the forced home of the Roman Jewish population for more than 300 years, between the Counter-Reformation (16th century) and Italian unification (19th century). The Ghetto is very small and at certain points up to 7000 Jews were squeezed into its confines.
The Campidoglio is the piazza on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome which houses the city government building as well as two museums. The façade of the buildings and the brick pattern on the ground are all from the designs of Michelangelo, even though he did not see the project through to completion.
It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time!
The Ghetto was built in the 16th century on the banks of a frequently flooded bend of the Tiber River, and was the forced home of the Roman Jewish population for more than 300 years, between the Counter-Reformation (16th century) and Italian unification (19th century). The Ghetto is very small and at certain points up to 7000 Jews were squeezed into its confines.
The Campidoglio is the piazza on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome which houses the city government building as well as two museums. The façade of the buildings and the brick pattern on the ground are all from the designs of Michelangelo, even though he did not see the project through to completion.
It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Palestrina
by Lia Pittman
Friday the 13th! Ahh!! Fortunately there was no bad luck today! We took a joint visit with the honors students to Palestrina, a town just an hour outside of Roma. The bus ride was a little bumpy....I think the bus driver could have used a bit of a refresher course on how to drive a giant automobile. The weather was absolutely beautiful outside, however, so the views on the way there were great.
View from the hill where the museum was located
The main thing we went to see in Palestrina was the museum which was the home for one of the most beautiful mosaics I have seen. It contained intricate details of landscape, animals, and people in an amazing style. Also in the museum there was a large collection of ancient trinkets, statues, and other artifacts. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I got a picture of this case of artifacts before I was told "no foto!" Oops!
Trinkets in the museum
After we had finished in the museum, we ventured outside and ate our sack lunches on the sunny steps while we looked at the pretty scenery of the town below and of the mountains nearby. A few of us looked around at the ruins outside of the museum and the church that was close, too.
Lunch time!!
Later today, we went with our Italiaidea intern to a cafe/bar called Pourquoi that is slightly outside of the main parts of Rome, over by the University of Rome. A group of us went there by bus with Daniele, the intern with an awesome English accent, and another group of us tried to find their own way. Well, the group without Daniele got lost and we had a fun adventure trying to figure out where we all were! It all ended up great, though, and Pourquoi was a great little place with a fun atmosphere. We all had so much fun interacting with the locals and ordering our drinks in all Italian. After that, we took buses home and called it a night! :)
The main thing we went to see in Palestrina was the museum which was the home for one of the most beautiful mosaics I have seen. It contained intricate details of landscape, animals, and people in an amazing style. Also in the museum there was a large collection of ancient trinkets, statues, and other artifacts. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I got a picture of this case of artifacts before I was told "no foto!" Oops!
After we had finished in the museum, we ventured outside and ate our sack lunches on the sunny steps while we looked at the pretty scenery of the town below and of the mountains nearby. A few of us looked around at the ruins outside of the museum and the church that was close, too.
Later today, we went with our Italiaidea intern to a cafe/bar called Pourquoi that is slightly outside of the main parts of Rome, over by the University of Rome. A group of us went there by bus with Daniele, the intern with an awesome English accent, and another group of us tried to find their own way. Well, the group without Daniele got lost and we had a fun adventure trying to figure out where we all were! It all ended up great, though, and Pourquoi was a great little place with a fun atmosphere. We all had so much fun interacting with the locals and ordering our drinks in all Italian. After that, we took buses home and called it a night! :)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
All about the Michelangelo
Today was a day all about Michelangelo, our buddy. In the morning we all went our different Italian classes. Marco, Mary, and I read Sciascia's A Ciascuno Il Suo (to each his own). Everyone else went to their Italian class, and made some new Italian friends, word on the street says he looks like a tall Harry Potter?....
After we breaked for lunch, we met up at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). This church was built to house the chains of St Peter that were used when he was inprisoned in Jerusalem. The relics are actually housed in the church, and we were able to get a great look at them.
The Church however, is more famous for the sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo. Built for the tomb of Pope Julius II, it was completed long after his death, and turns out that Pope Julius never actually was buried in this tomb, in fact, his tomb is actually quite simple and ordinary. In an article we read for class by Freud, we learned that the Moses was his favorite sculpture. But he explains his interpretation of the sculpture, because in order for him to truly appreciate art, he needs to intepret the artist's intention on the subject-matter. His interpretation of the sculpture was that Moses was intended to show him not in an a wrath before he threw the tablets, but rather in a more relaxed pose of thought and submission. We discussed as a class whether or not we thought this was a legitimate argument, and concluded that art is meant to be interpreted, and there is not only one interpretation of a piece of art, or a right or a wrong one.
It was a great day to visit the churches and bask in the sun! Although it was really cold, it was worth it!
The second church we went to was called Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which translates as St. Mary's on top of Minerva, which was the name of the temple that the church was built over. This church is one of the few Gothic style churches left in Rome, and is quite impressive inside. Some famous names such as the 2 Medici Popes, St. Catherine of Siena and Fra Angelico. Michelangelo's most criticized work, Risen Christ, is located near the high alter. Upon first glance, the frontal view of this sculpture is quite unappealing. However, from our readings by Wallace we learned that in fact the statue is viewed in the wrong way, which makes it unappealing to the viewer. The view that is normally photographed is with the face facing front, which is the wrong angle. This therefore shows that wrong proportions, which makes Jesus look unrealistic. Also, the first evidence that sparked this movement was a letter that was written to Michelangelo, suggesting that the assistent had damaged the sculpture during transport. However, Michelangelo did not change anything, and his clients were happy with the result of the work. Below is a photo of the way the sculpture is meant to be viewed, which is in fact quite moving and spectacular, with the exception of the loincloth that was added on later, to cover up the scandal of his nudity.
After we breaked for lunch, we met up at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). This church was built to house the chains of St Peter that were used when he was inprisoned in Jerusalem. The relics are actually housed in the church, and we were able to get a great look at them.
The Church however, is more famous for the sculpture of Moses by Michelangelo. Built for the tomb of Pope Julius II, it was completed long after his death, and turns out that Pope Julius never actually was buried in this tomb, in fact, his tomb is actually quite simple and ordinary. In an article we read for class by Freud, we learned that the Moses was his favorite sculpture. But he explains his interpretation of the sculpture, because in order for him to truly appreciate art, he needs to intepret the artist's intention on the subject-matter. His interpretation of the sculpture was that Moses was intended to show him not in an a wrath before he threw the tablets, but rather in a more relaxed pose of thought and submission. We discussed as a class whether or not we thought this was a legitimate argument, and concluded that art is meant to be interpreted, and there is not only one interpretation of a piece of art, or a right or a wrong one. 
It was a great day to visit the churches and bask in the sun! Although it was really cold, it was worth it!
The second church we went to was called Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which translates as St. Mary's on top of Minerva, which was the name of the temple that the church was built over. This church is one of the few Gothic style churches left in Rome, and is quite impressive inside. Some famous names such as the 2 Medici Popes, St. Catherine of Siena and Fra Angelico. Michelangelo's most criticized work, Risen Christ, is located near the high alter. Upon first glance, the frontal view of this sculpture is quite unappealing. However, from our readings by Wallace we learned that in fact the statue is viewed in the wrong way, which makes it unappealing to the viewer. The view that is normally photographed is with the face facing front, which is the wrong angle. This therefore shows that wrong proportions, which makes Jesus look unrealistic. Also, the first evidence that sparked this movement was a letter that was written to Michelangelo, suggesting that the assistent had damaged the sculpture during transport. However, Michelangelo did not change anything, and his clients were happy with the result of the work. Below is a photo of the way the sculpture is meant to be viewed, which is in fact quite moving and spectacular, with the exception of the loincloth that was added on later, to cover up the scandal of his nudity.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Villa Farnesina: Wednesday 11th, Feb 2009
Today our group traveled to a quant little country villa located just across the Tiber river.
In the early 16th century, Rome’s wealthy papal banker Agostino Chigi commissioned Baldassarre Peruzzi to build a pleasure palace for his mistress Imperia. Located in the
surrounding countryside outside of the city walls, Villa Farnesina’s exterior was surrounded by lush gardens while its’ interior was decorated with lavish frescoes. This villa is well known for its characteristic renaissance architecture as well as the great art works housed inside.
Chigi commissioned several painters to decorate the loggias and dinning rooms of the villa. Those who were lucky enough to be invited to one of his elaborate parties would be entertained under the works of Guilio Romano, Sebastiano del Piombo, Il Sodoma, and best of all...Raphael.
I think the group was a bit relieved to find that none of the frescoes in Villa Farnesina were of the Madonna and Christ, or any other religious scenes for that matter. Because Chigi's palace was used for leisure, the paintings depicted secular, mythological scenes, many inspired by Ovid's Metamor
phoses.
On the left is a picture of the entrance way ceiling (Loggia di Psyche), which depicts Raphael's "Cupid and Psyche". Although Raphael was not able to paint the ceiling personally, his sketches were used by his apprentices to create the romantic tale of Cupid and Psyche.
In the early 16th century, Rome’s wealthy papal banker Agostino Chigi commissioned Baldassarre Peruzzi to build a pleasure palace for his mistress Imperia. Located in the
surrounding countryside outside of the city walls, Villa Farnesina’s exterior was surrounded by lush gardens while its’ interior was decorated with lavish frescoes. This villa is well known for its characteristic renaissance architecture as well as the great art works housed inside.Chigi commissioned several painters to decorate the loggias and dinning rooms of the villa. Those who were lucky enough to be invited to one of his elaborate parties would be entertained under the works of Guilio Romano, Sebastiano del Piombo, Il Sodoma, and best of all...Raphael.
I think the group was a bit relieved to find that none of the frescoes in Villa Farnesina were of the Madonna and Christ, or any other religious scenes for that matter. Because Chigi's palace was used for leisure, the paintings depicted secular, mythological scenes, many inspired by Ovid's Metamor
phoses.
On the left is a picture of the entrance way ceiling (Loggia di Psyche), which depicts Raphael's "Cupid and Psyche". Although Raphael was not able to paint the ceiling personally, his sketches were used by his apprentices to create the romantic tale of Cupid and Psyche.
On the right is a picture of Raphael's "Triumph of Galatea", located in the dining room next to the Loggia di Psyche. This fresco is important because it represents a combination of Raphael's techniques. He seems to have perfected his idea of beauty. It is said that Raphael culminated the most beautiful features from several women in order to create his Galatea. Also, the fresco portrays perfect balance. The cupids all point downwards toward the central figure of Galatea. There is a perfect balance of light and dark, as well as figures. It is also interesting that Galatea rides atop a seashell, which closely resembles Botticelli's "Birth of Venus".
Above the "Triumph of Galatea" and surrounding the ceiling are scenes from Ovid's metamorphoses, which also represent the astrological symbols.
Chigi's bedroom was frescoed by Il Sodoma; the 4 walls portray scenes from the life of Alexander the Great. This picture shows the wedding of Alexander and Roxanne. The viewer may notice a stark contrast from this scene (which is well done), compared to the other 3 walls. This is because Sodoma felt that Chigi was not paying him well enough. Sodoma's brush painted to the sounds of coins, meaning the quality of his work decreased if he felt he was not paid appropriately.
After we left the bed chamber of Agostino Chigi we decided we were long over due for a group photo, so we snapped a shot in Chigi's stairwell.
After our visit to Villa Farnesina, the group had a few hours until Mary's history class. Lisa, Nicolette, Shannon, and I went and grabbed a small bite to eat in Trastevere and poked into a few small shops until finally retu
rning to our side of the river.
rning to our side of the river. While returning over the Ponte Sisto we got caught in a snow/hail/sleet/rain storm, whatever you might call it.
In Mary's class we spent our time learning about Leon Batista Alberti and his ideas about the renaissance family. That Alberti is quite the guy!
I can only speak for myself here, I spent the rest of the night, reading, making pasta, playing guitar, and reading some more.
Another great day in Roma! Ciao
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