Family Visit: Day 1

Ciao Tutti,

I had the craziest week I have had this semester (not including my spring break).  My Dad and brother came to visit me on Tuesday and spend the week.  I had a great time and it was so nice to see their faces and have their company.

They arrived at Rome Fiumicino Airport, the main airport of Rome, two hours late.  Their plane was late coming into JFK and the tardiness was passed onto them.  I picked them up at the airport at 11:00 AM and we took a taxi to our hotel, Hotel Orange.  We arrived by 11:45 AM, but the room wasn't ready.  I had to be in class by 12:15 PM, so we walked towards my apartment and my school.  After a quick tour of my humble apartment, my Dad and brother, Matt, went to have pizza at one of my favorite take away pizza places in Rome while I went to my three hour film class.

I directed a scene from "Caterina in the Big City".  We had three hours to shoot the whole scene and were not able to waste a minute.  It was the craziest class I've had here, but we shot great quality shots.  We start editing the footage in two weeks.

After my class, I met up with my Dad and Matt outside my school and we took a taxi together to my next class, Italian.  I had a field study in the Testaccio district of Rome where I had to give a presentation on the Pyramid of Cestius.  My presentation went very well, but was a bit of a different style than usual.  Normally, we just present to our class, but this time we also presented to our teacher's 200 level Italian class.

After my presentation, I left class early and met back up with my Dad and brother and we caught another taxi back to the middle of Rome.  We commenced our sight seeing week with a visit to the Capuchin Crypt - the monastery with the monk's bones arranged as artwork that I wrote about two months ago.  Matt got a kick out of it, but my Dad and I are still wondering how the monks came out with that idea.  It does not sound like anything the Catholic church would condone.

After the Capuchin Crypt, I was able to show my navigational skills as we walked to the Spanish Steps.  I brought us right out atop the the steps with a great view of Rome.

View from the Spanish Steps

We then walked down the Spanish Steps to Piazza di Spagna and saw the famous fountain, the Fontana della Baracaccia (Fountain of the Boat) at the base.  We also posed for a few pictures.

Fontana della Barcaccia

Matt & I

Dad & I

Dad & Matt

After this, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and Matt threw a coin over his shoulder which guarantees his return to Rome one day.

Trevi Fountain

Then, we went to a cafe that my Dad and I went to my first week here that had really good Caffe Lattes that we thought Matt might like.  They were not as good as the first time we had them and the coffee taste was a bit too strong for him.  We then went to one of the most famous gelaterias in Rome, Giolitti, for Matt's first gelato in seven years.  It was an expensive gelato, but it was phenomenal. 

After gelato, we went to try and get into the Pantheon, but it was closing as we walked up to it.  We then went to my favorite piazza in Rome, Piazza Navona, and people walked as we walked around it.  It is so beautiful at night and my Dad and brother loved it.  The artists were out painting their beautiful artwork, street entertainers were scattered all around, and musicians were rocking out.  It was perfect!

After Piazza Navona, we walked down to my Dad and I's favorite restaurant in Rome, Monte Carlo Pizzeria, where Matt had his first "real" Italian pizza of the vacation.  The food was great, as usual.

Matt eating his first bite

After our dinner, we took a leisurely stroll back to my apartment to grab my bags.  I showed Matt and my Dad some of the highlights of my neighborhood at night including the Steeler's Bar that I still have not been to.  I did, however, take a picture next to a banner outside of it.

We Are....PENN STATE!

By the time we made it back to our hotel, we were exhausted.  Our room was very, very orange and grey (I guess that's why it was named Hotel Orange).

I will post about the rest of our trip tomorrow. 

Ciao,
Michael

Rome as a Tourist!

Ciao Tutti,
I am currently on a plane to Barcelona, Spain & can't wait to get there!  I've heard great things about it and many people have told me that it cannot be described in words.  We will see if I can do that in my next blog post, but I wanted to update you on what I've been up to over the past week.
I spent all of last weekend doing "Rome as a Tourist" and got a lot accomplished.  I downloaded a few audio tours from Rick Steves on iTunes for free.  I put them on my iPod and listened to them as I navigated some of Rome's most famous attractions.
On Saturday, I went to Vatican City - namely St. Peters Square and St. Peters Basilica.  I was there when I was 12, but was completely taken aback by the grandeur of the Basilica.  I walked inside and felt like I was an ant compared to everything else.  The church itself was huge - 400 meters long, but what struck me even more was the size of the sculptures inside of it.  The statues that were "babies" were taller than 6 feet!  Everything about the church was amazing, my jaw hung open the whole time I was inside!  Rick Steves even joked about the size of St. Peters Basilica by saying that birds don't even realize they're inside when they fly around.  I may not understand anything about art, but I could definitely appreciate the beauty of everything inside of St. Peters.  It was certainly a great experience!
After St. Peters I went to the Trevi Fountain and did the typical tourist stuff.  After taking what seemed like 100 pictures, I ventured down the steps to throw a coin in the fountain.  They say that if you put your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your shoulder you are guaranteed to return to Rome one day.  I did it when I was 12 and now I'm studying there.  Coincidence? I think not.  After I finished with the Trevi Fountain, everything was closed so I headed back to my apartment to rest up for Sunday.
On Sunday, my first stop was the Pantheon - another building that made my jaw drop.  It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you get inside your eyes immediately gravitate to the  huge hole in the ceiling.  It is amazing that the Romans built it almost 2000 years ago without any machinery.  I had another audio tour by Rick Steves for this which was nice as I was able to gain insight into the history of the building.  It was once a place to worship Pagan gods, but was converted to a Catholic church after Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire.  Another fun fact I learned is that Victor Emmanuale (the person who united Italy & the first king of Italy) and his son have their tombs inside the Pantheon.  It is also Rapheal's final resting place.
After the Pantheon, I went to a place called the Capuchin Crypt.  It was an eerie place.  Located beneath a church, it is the bones of 300 Friars arranged in a way that makes it a work of art.  It was very, very weird.  At the end of the crypt, there was a sign that said "What you are now, we once were.  What we are now, you will be."
My final stop was the Spanish Steps.  I honestly have no idea why they are famous, but felt like I had to at least climb them once as a student in Rome - what a workout!  I was exhausted when I got to the top and dreaded going down.  Now, I can check that of of my bucket list.
I decided to get organized on Sunday night and make a list of everything I want to do before I leave Rome in May.  Now I have a list of things to do over a page long - I will post it when I get back to Rome.
I had a relatively normal week of classes.  We went on a field study for my architecture class to see a piazza designed by Michelangelo.  My time in Rome has definitely taught me to look at art in a different way.  I'm beginning to appreciate the small details of everything.
In Italian, we had to give two oral presentations.  The first was during a field study around Roma Storico (Historical Rome) where we had to present two different places of interest.  Afterwards, our teacher rewarded us by buying the class Ciocolato Caldo (thick hot chocolate) - it was amazing!  Our second presentation was on anything we wanted.  My group talked about a film we saw the first week of class, La Finestra di Fronte.  It went pretty well - we think.
Before I conclude my blog, I would like to reflect on something I have noticed from a lot of Italian people - specifically older ones.  They are highly critical of their country and their people in general.  My Italian teacher said the quality of life in Spain is much higher than in Italy because Italians are never organized and nothing ever gets done.  Coming from America where I bleed red, white, and blue, I am not used to this type of criticism from people about their home country.  I personally love Italy and would love to work over here at some point in the future - I have only been here for 6 weeks though.
I will update soon about my experiences in Barcelona as well as a few pictures from my "Rome as a Tourist" weekend.
Ciao,
Mike