Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 18:11:20 +0200
Subject: Rome
Hey! It's taken all year, but I've FINALLY finished my whole story of Italy! (Now to finish telling the REST of my stories!) ;)
Take care!
The next few days Allison and I spent in Rome before we headed to Zürich to move in for the year. It is an absolutely chaotic but fantastic city, that cannot possibly be grasped in such a short time, and I love it! In this I envy all my friends- I will have to come back to Rome someday!! :D
I got to see the marketplace that takes place every morning in the Campo, right outside the apartment- in fact, I went shopping with Matt the one day, then did the shopping on my own the next! (I was glad I had taken the Italian course with everyone, and was impressed/relieved that I could remember things like parsley=prezzemolo!)
This place is crazy! First thing in the morning the entire square is packed wall-to-wall with umbrella-covered stands, selling every kind of fresh fruit, veggie, meat, flowers, you could possibly want! Then, midday everything is packed up, the leftover stuff is thrown onto the ground, and the whole square is hosed down, and everything is scooped up. It seems like such a messy way to do things, and as hypocritical as it may be for me as an American to complain about how wasteful people in other countries are, the whole process did seem like an incredible disorganized waste!
But it's Rome, and that's how they do things here.
Matt also pointed out the fountain at their doorstep that is constantly flowing with potable water, and how it seems to be a lost cause to try to save water with quick showers, because if the water doesn't run through their pipes it'll run through this fountain. (twisted logic, but whatever.) Granted, there are fountains like this all over Switzerland, too, but the water doesn't have to travel through miles of acqueducts or city water purification or anything, it's spring water fresh out of the ground!
Anyway, the first day Matt and I went to the Vatican to mail postcards and develop film. (aren't those the reasons MOST people go there??) :) Seriously, though, the Vatican post is a whole lot more reliable than the Italian post- 7 months later I STILL have a package floating around somewhere in the Italian postal system that was supposed to arrive within one week! It also made for a good way to decide what to see in this colossal city first! I was glad Matt was leading the way, much as I was glad Cinzia was in Naples. Everything is so fast here- not the same hurried fast of NYC, but a more disorganized, much livelier fast.
We followed main thoroughfares the whole way there. We crossed the Tevere (Tiber) at a point where we could see Hadrian's tomb.
There's something so surreal about suddenly being in a city, walking around just doing normal day-to-day things (grocery shopping, going to the post office, etc), and seeing these things that you've seen pictures of your entire life, just sitting there as normal parts of the city landscape!
The next big street was a main axis leading straight to St. Peter's!
Its facade was completely covered in scaffolding, in preparation for the big celebration next year, but it was really cool to see. We spent some time walking through the colonnade and the piazza, which is immense.
The cathedral itself seemed to be even bigger, and so ornate!
Later Matt lent me his map of Rome so Allison and I could explore the city some more while everyone was in class. (the first day Allison wasn't feeling well, so I went alone.)
One of the first things I did was go to the Pantheon, which is practically just around the corner. I remember Anne Marie telling me how strange it was to her that this monument was so deeply embedded in the city fabric, that you walk down this narrow side alley, look up, and suddenly, without warning, the Pantheon is sitting there right in front of you!
I went inside and thought about all the drawings we had done first year analyzing this building, how it was built, etc, and that now I was here, looking at it for real!
I tried to see if I could feel this simultaneous pull from the axis and the circular form that Nicole had talked about in class, but I think the swarms of people had much more of an influence on where I stood than any architectural form of the building!
I went over to one side and tried to do a sketch of the disc of sunlight hitting the inside of the dome. I found a free place, then sat down.
Suddenly this man came up to me and started screaming at me furiously in Italian! I had no idea what he was saying, but from his gestures I figured out I was supposed to be sitting here, so I quickly stood up and apologized as best I could. He walked away still grumbling, and I, still shaking a bit, tried to finish my sketch.
Then a few minutes later he came back again, with a second man, pointing at me, loudly yelling as they were obviously talking about this serious crime I had committed. They said something to me, and I had no idea what, and I just looked at them kind of cluelessly, and the second man asked me if I spoke Italian, and I said no, and he tried to tell me I wasn't allowed to sit on the floor in the Pantheon, which I figured out the first time, then they walked away, saying something that I'm guessing was something to the effect of "dumb tourists...."
When I came back there the next day with Allison I saw a sign sitting on the other side of the building, stating in several languages that it is strictly forbidden to sit on the floor. oops. So the moral of the story is that if you visit the Pantheon and want to avoid being thrown out of the building, let alone the city or entire country, DON'T SIT ON THE FLOOR!!
Allison and I walked around the city for a while. We saw the Spanish steps, which weren't much more than just a huge staircase that I guess is much more impressive when it is overflowing with flowers. Nice, but I can't see it as being a reason to go to Rome.
We went to Trevi fountain and threw our coins in. Legend has it that if you throw a coin (or coins??) into the fountain you will come back to Rome. (Hey, if this is my ticket back, I'm certainly not going to pass it up!) :) We weren't exactly sure of how the whole procedure worked, but Mike and Graham had told us we were supposed to throw three coins.
So we fished in our wallets for three coins apiece, then decided we should stand with our backs to the fountain and throw them over our shoulders- it just seemed so much more ceremonial that way! So on one, two, three, we threw the coins.
Then this woman came up to us and said we had thrown them over the wrong shoulder, that it was supposed to be left hand over right shoulder (or something like that, I don't really remember/care anymore) We said that oh, we didn't know any better, and had only heard that we were supposed to throw coins in. Then she asked how many we threw in, and we said three. Then she shook her head and said, oh no, we did it all wrong- it's one coin to come back to Rome, two to get married in Rome. So we asked what three meant, and she said she wasn't sure, but thought it meant we'd get divorced. (what??) She was really obnoxious about it, and was very obviously an American tourist herself, so it wasn't like she was really an expert on the subject anyway. She just seemed like someone who had to present herself as being big and important. We weren't too concerned- with a legend like that, that's been told who knows how many millions of times so is bound to change over time (besides the fact that it's just superstition anyway) we figured the discrepancy didn't make that much of a difference- it was just irritating to have to listen to.
ANYWAY, we headed to Roma Termini to reserve our seats on the train, and went through a HUGE hassle there! First we found out that we were about two hours too late to reserve seats on the train we wanted, and would have to take one the following day. Plus, they were much more expensive than we had expected, and it looked like we'd be getting those same uncomfortable reclining seats we had on our way to Rome. (which, by the way, turned out to not be true- we had very comfortable bunked mattresses in a train compartment we shared with a really sweet Italian couple who live in New Jersey!) So between figuring out what was going on (keep in mind the whole conversation was in Italian) and calming Allison down, the whole process took way too long, and I was NOT a happy camper by the time we left the station. BUT it did mean that we'd be able to spend another day in Rome! (I was happy about it, but Allison was miserable- she just wanted to get to Switzerland.)
On our way back we stopped at the Coliseum and walked around a bit.
It was a bit expensive to buy the entrance ticket, and we didn't really feel like spending the time or money, so we just walked around the outside.
But even so, we could see a lot of it through all the gates, and it was so crazy to try to imagine what it must have been like in ancient times and then realize how much of it was dismantled later on for other buildings. (The outside was all pock-marked from where all the precious metals and everything were removed.)
We got back to the apartment, and while Allison went to lie down for a while, I went to Piazza Navona (also just right around the corner) to sketch a bit and wait for Matt to get out of class.
We then walked around the city some more as he tried to time his presentation/walking tour he had to give in a few days. I thought it was really cool- they were doing all kinds of city analysis projects, looking at things like the hills or the walls.
The next day Allison and I made it to the Sistine Chapel, which was actually kind of disappointing. We had to go through the entire Vatican Museum to get there, which was such a winding labyrinthine building. By the time we finally got to the chapel it was so completely packed with people, and much smaller than I had expected. I think I expected it to be really serene and profound. The painting on the ceiling really was beautiful, but the room was so packed with LOUD, gawking tourists, that I think some of the effect was lost. I couldn't even stand still for a minute to really look- I kept being bumped from all sides. I felt more like I was standing in a crowd for a concert than inside a church.
That evening we packed up all our stuff and left right after dinner. Although I was looking forward to moving in in Zürich, and I knew Allison couldn't WAIT to leave, I was really sad to go. It was such a great week or so, and I knew I wouldn't see everyone again until next fall.
"There is no joy in possession without sharing." -Erasmus of Rotterdam
Subject: Rome
Hey! It's taken all year, but I've FINALLY finished my whole story of Italy! (Now to finish telling the REST of my stories!) ;)
Take care!
The next few days Allison and I spent in Rome before we headed to Zürich to move in for the year. It is an absolutely chaotic but fantastic city, that cannot possibly be grasped in such a short time, and I love it! In this I envy all my friends- I will have to come back to Rome someday!! :D
I got to see the marketplace that takes place every morning in the Campo, right outside the apartment- in fact, I went shopping with Matt the one day, then did the shopping on my own the next! (I was glad I had taken the Italian course with everyone, and was impressed/relieved that I could remember things like parsley=prezzemolo!)
This place is crazy! First thing in the morning the entire square is packed wall-to-wall with umbrella-covered stands, selling every kind of fresh fruit, veggie, meat, flowers, you could possibly want! Then, midday everything is packed up, the leftover stuff is thrown onto the ground, and the whole square is hosed down, and everything is scooped up. It seems like such a messy way to do things, and as hypocritical as it may be for me as an American to complain about how wasteful people in other countries are, the whole process did seem like an incredible disorganized waste!
But it's Rome, and that's how they do things here.
Matt also pointed out the fountain at their doorstep that is constantly flowing with potable water, and how it seems to be a lost cause to try to save water with quick showers, because if the water doesn't run through their pipes it'll run through this fountain. (twisted logic, but whatever.) Granted, there are fountains like this all over Switzerland, too, but the water doesn't have to travel through miles of acqueducts or city water purification or anything, it's spring water fresh out of the ground!
Anyway, the first day Matt and I went to the Vatican to mail postcards and develop film. (aren't those the reasons MOST people go there??) :) Seriously, though, the Vatican post is a whole lot more reliable than the Italian post- 7 months later I STILL have a package floating around somewhere in the Italian postal system that was supposed to arrive within one week! It also made for a good way to decide what to see in this colossal city first! I was glad Matt was leading the way, much as I was glad Cinzia was in Naples. Everything is so fast here- not the same hurried fast of NYC, but a more disorganized, much livelier fast.
We followed main thoroughfares the whole way there. We crossed the Tevere (Tiber) at a point where we could see Hadrian's tomb.
There's something so surreal about suddenly being in a city, walking around just doing normal day-to-day things (grocery shopping, going to the post office, etc), and seeing these things that you've seen pictures of your entire life, just sitting there as normal parts of the city landscape!
The next big street was a main axis leading straight to St. Peter's!
Its facade was completely covered in scaffolding, in preparation for the big celebration next year, but it was really cool to see. We spent some time walking through the colonnade and the piazza, which is immense.
The cathedral itself seemed to be even bigger, and so ornate!
Later Matt lent me his map of Rome so Allison and I could explore the city some more while everyone was in class. (the first day Allison wasn't feeling well, so I went alone.)
One of the first things I did was go to the Pantheon, which is practically just around the corner. I remember Anne Marie telling me how strange it was to her that this monument was so deeply embedded in the city fabric, that you walk down this narrow side alley, look up, and suddenly, without warning, the Pantheon is sitting there right in front of you!
I went inside and thought about all the drawings we had done first year analyzing this building, how it was built, etc, and that now I was here, looking at it for real!
I tried to see if I could feel this simultaneous pull from the axis and the circular form that Nicole had talked about in class, but I think the swarms of people had much more of an influence on where I stood than any architectural form of the building!
I went over to one side and tried to do a sketch of the disc of sunlight hitting the inside of the dome. I found a free place, then sat down.
Suddenly this man came up to me and started screaming at me furiously in Italian! I had no idea what he was saying, but from his gestures I figured out I was supposed to be sitting here, so I quickly stood up and apologized as best I could. He walked away still grumbling, and I, still shaking a bit, tried to finish my sketch.
Then a few minutes later he came back again, with a second man, pointing at me, loudly yelling as they were obviously talking about this serious crime I had committed. They said something to me, and I had no idea what, and I just looked at them kind of cluelessly, and the second man asked me if I spoke Italian, and I said no, and he tried to tell me I wasn't allowed to sit on the floor in the Pantheon, which I figured out the first time, then they walked away, saying something that I'm guessing was something to the effect of "dumb tourists...."
When I came back there the next day with Allison I saw a sign sitting on the other side of the building, stating in several languages that it is strictly forbidden to sit on the floor. oops. So the moral of the story is that if you visit the Pantheon and want to avoid being thrown out of the building, let alone the city or entire country, DON'T SIT ON THE FLOOR!!
Allison and I walked around the city for a while. We saw the Spanish steps, which weren't much more than just a huge staircase that I guess is much more impressive when it is overflowing with flowers. Nice, but I can't see it as being a reason to go to Rome.
We went to Trevi fountain and threw our coins in. Legend has it that if you throw a coin (or coins??) into the fountain you will come back to Rome. (Hey, if this is my ticket back, I'm certainly not going to pass it up!) :) We weren't exactly sure of how the whole procedure worked, but Mike and Graham had told us we were supposed to throw three coins.
So we fished in our wallets for three coins apiece, then decided we should stand with our backs to the fountain and throw them over our shoulders- it just seemed so much more ceremonial that way! So on one, two, three, we threw the coins.
Then this woman came up to us and said we had thrown them over the wrong shoulder, that it was supposed to be left hand over right shoulder (or something like that, I don't really remember/care anymore) We said that oh, we didn't know any better, and had only heard that we were supposed to throw coins in. Then she asked how many we threw in, and we said three. Then she shook her head and said, oh no, we did it all wrong- it's one coin to come back to Rome, two to get married in Rome. So we asked what three meant, and she said she wasn't sure, but thought it meant we'd get divorced. (what??) She was really obnoxious about it, and was very obviously an American tourist herself, so it wasn't like she was really an expert on the subject anyway. She just seemed like someone who had to present herself as being big and important. We weren't too concerned- with a legend like that, that's been told who knows how many millions of times so is bound to change over time (besides the fact that it's just superstition anyway) we figured the discrepancy didn't make that much of a difference- it was just irritating to have to listen to.
ANYWAY, we headed to Roma Termini to reserve our seats on the train, and went through a HUGE hassle there! First we found out that we were about two hours too late to reserve seats on the train we wanted, and would have to take one the following day. Plus, they were much more expensive than we had expected, and it looked like we'd be getting those same uncomfortable reclining seats we had on our way to Rome. (which, by the way, turned out to not be true- we had very comfortable bunked mattresses in a train compartment we shared with a really sweet Italian couple who live in New Jersey!) So between figuring out what was going on (keep in mind the whole conversation was in Italian) and calming Allison down, the whole process took way too long, and I was NOT a happy camper by the time we left the station. BUT it did mean that we'd be able to spend another day in Rome! (I was happy about it, but Allison was miserable- she just wanted to get to Switzerland.)
On our way back we stopped at the Coliseum and walked around a bit.
It was a bit expensive to buy the entrance ticket, and we didn't really feel like spending the time or money, so we just walked around the outside.
But even so, we could see a lot of it through all the gates, and it was so crazy to try to imagine what it must have been like in ancient times and then realize how much of it was dismantled later on for other buildings. (The outside was all pock-marked from where all the precious metals and everything were removed.)
We got back to the apartment, and while Allison went to lie down for a while, I went to Piazza Navona (also just right around the corner) to sketch a bit and wait for Matt to get out of class.
We then walked around the city some more as he tried to time his presentation/walking tour he had to give in a few days. I thought it was really cool- they were doing all kinds of city analysis projects, looking at things like the hills or the walls.
The next day Allison and I made it to the Sistine Chapel, which was actually kind of disappointing. We had to go through the entire Vatican Museum to get there, which was such a winding labyrinthine building. By the time we finally got to the chapel it was so completely packed with people, and much smaller than I had expected. I think I expected it to be really serene and profound. The painting on the ceiling really was beautiful, but the room was so packed with LOUD, gawking tourists, that I think some of the effect was lost. I couldn't even stand still for a minute to really look- I kept being bumped from all sides. I felt more like I was standing in a crowd for a concert than inside a church.
That evening we packed up all our stuff and left right after dinner. Although I was looking forward to moving in in Zürich, and I knew Allison couldn't WAIT to leave, I was really sad to go. It was such a great week or so, and I knew I wouldn't see everyone again until next fall.
"There is no joy in possession without sharing." -Erasmus of Rotterdam
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