spending some time in lazio

23.9.08
This week in Italian culture we had a discussion with some Italian students again. This time we asked them about their daily habits and home life. One of the questions was if they knew anyone who had emigrated from another country. In my group there were two Italian guys (Gianmarco and Orfeo, cool names right?!) and they only knew one person from another country, combined! I don’t know if we live in a really multicultural area or what but I just found that really surprising since I can name several people I know from other countries and even more who had their parents immigrate to the US. The next question was if they had ever had ethnic cuisine, really just asking if they had ever had any food other than Italian food. One guy said he’d had a hot dog before and a hamburger from McDonalds a few times (which doesn’t count!) while the other guy said no. We were like, really?! not Chinese or Japanese, Thai, Indian, or Mexican food or anything?! Ever?! And they were like no. And we talked about how Italian men are mammone (momma’s boys) because it’s not uncommon for them to live at home until they are 30… which they do not deny.

26.09.08
Free day! Everyone is in Italian cities class and went on a field trip.. but I slept in until 1 after going to bed at 3 after getting back from Try (club) and 2. And it was wonderful. Then I spent a bunch of time at the internet café and then we went for Chinese food!! Hurray for a cuisine other than Italian. We went to the one Chinese place (slash only non-italian food place) in Viterbo and it was so good!

27.09.08
On Saturday USAC organized a trip between us and some Italian students to go to Lago di Bracciano, a huge lake about 40 minutes from Viterbo, halfway between Viterbo and Rome. Not many Italians ended up coming (maybe like 3 did) since they are apparently taking exams now, but almost all the USAC people went. Lake Bracciano was so beautiful and it was formed from a volcanic eruption! The water was blue and clear (its one of Italy’s cleanest lakes) water and had a huge castle (Castel di Odescalchi) on the top of a hill overlooking the lake. It turns out it was where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married! We took a tour of the castle and then got lunch to eat near the water. After that we got back on the train and went to another town called Anguillara, which was also on the lake. There we walked around a bit then hung out by the water where a car/motorcycle show was going on. It was nice weather and a fun relaxing day. Plus I had gelato AND profiteroles that day. Good stuff.

28.09.08
We took the 6:54 train to Rome from Viterbo to get to the Roma San Pietro station by 8:40 to visit the Vatican. The last Sunday of every month the Vatican and the Vatican museums are free. They open at 8:30 so we thought getting there at 8:40 and it being almost October would make it easy to get in. That didn’t turn out to be so true. First we went to Saint Peter’s Basilica, which we probably waited in line for 15 or 20 minutes for, so that wasn’t too bad. The inside was amazing and well worth the wait. There was even a mass going on at the time. I also saw the Michelangelo’s Pieta, which I remember doing an art history project about. That was cool! Then we had to walk over to the Musei Vaticani, which are right near St. Peter’s, except you have to enter through the opposite side way far away. We ended up not having to walk too far, though, because the line wrapped around a lot, almost to the Basilica. At that point we didn’t really know where the entrance was so we didn’t know how long the line was. But we ended up waiting in line for about an hour and a half before getting inside. Everything in the museum was amazing and definitely worth the wait. Not to mention that it’s huge. We walked through room after room decorated with amazing frescoes, intricate moldings, high decorated ceilings and marble statues. Among some of the more noteworthy things that we saw were the School of Athens by Raphael and the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted by Michelangelo. A lot of things that I had studied in my art history class in high school were there right in front of me, and they looked so much better in person, I can’t even begin to describe it. The Capella Sistina was also just amazing. I just can’t imagine the kind of effort and time put into those massive works of art. Not to mention that there was no electricity or modern day tools or anything to facilitate this process for the artist or builder. Things were built so sturdily then too, always out of stone and marble. And they still exist in such good condition today. It makes me wonder what kinds of things will be around from us for other generations to look at, considering nothing is built like that anymore; and while all their devotion is displayed in works of religious art, our most intricate buildings house shopping malls or government buildings. Is that really a good reflection of the values of our society? The only bad part about the Vatican was that after awhile you get tired and there is so much walking and stairs. After you get to the Sistine Chapel you still have to turn around and go back though the museum on a different floor. After we made it through the Vatican, we went to some sights in Rome that we didn’t get a chance to see the first time. We went to the Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. The Pantheon is really old, like 2000 years old. Scholars and architects are amazed by the structure of the building; the dome is a perfect half circle and is also the biggest of its kind, with no supports or anything to hold it up. After that we walked along the Corso and stopped at the Vittorio Emanuele monument. Then we went back and walked along the Corso going into any and every shop on our never ending quest for shoes and bags or cute souvenirs. Everything in Rome is so expensive though! Even the non-expensive stores are expensive. And the other streets are lined with high-end fashion stores like Chanel and Dior. So another long, packed day in Roma, the eternal city!