On the first travel weekend of the semester, Claire, Deborah, Jamie and I took a bus ride to Siena. The Tuscan countryside was beautiful yet alien, with large fields full of nothing but gigantic sunflowers, drooping towards the ground from the lack of sunlight. Fields full of sheep were watched by shepherds in cloaks. Upon arriving in Siena we checked into our hostel. It was probably the most amazing hostel we'll ever stay at, and really cheap too! We had little cabins for two people with our own bathrooms, comfy blankets, really cute and clean, and even a mini fridge.
We walked back up to the bar at the site to get some snacks. It started to rain, and we lamented the fact that none of us had brought umbrellas, and I was the only one who had brought even a coat! We continued with our snacks, and noticed that the rain was now pounding unnaturally loud. Hail was now falling from the sky, and pounding against the wooden awning. I picked up some scattered pieces of hail, and the cold things were as big as large marbles. The day had been warm until then, and steam was rising from the ground from the freezing impact.
Finally it cleared up, and we were able to venture into Siena. We saw the famous Piazza del Campo, where college students study, children run after pigeons, and tourists gawk at the high tower stretching for the blue sky. We grabbed a slice of pizza for a euro, and walked over to the Duomo, the beautiful Cathedral. Though it looks modern with its horizontal stripes, it is almost 1000 years old. The rainbow-colored mosaics on the facade of the church have not faded with age, and this Gothic church is one of the most beautiful I have seen, even with all of Rome's. As we were about to leave the Piazza, we heard the sound of drums and singing from a distance. We turned back and saw a parade of people with colored scarves and a large banner with a black horse and the Virgin on it. They waved flags and marched to the center of the Piazza. Siena has many ancient neighborhoods, and each year in August they compete in a horse race on the Piazza. This was the winning neighborhood in a victory celebration. This was a very welcome surprise to see a little bit of the fun of living in Siena.
The next morning we took the bus into Siena and went to the Church of San Domenico, which displays relics from the life of St. Catherine of Siena, among them her finger and her head. Then we stopped at her house, and rain started to pour into the courtyard. After we finished our visit I led the way into the cold rain, up and down the hills and alleys to the Duomo Museum. It displays beautiful artwork that used to be in the Cathedral itself, and was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We also saw the Baptistery, where we met some students from Benedictine College who were studying in Florence. The cathedral itself did not contain one inch that was not elaborately decorated. The floor was engraved with mythical figures and scenes from the Old Testament, and the chairs behind the altar had a different painted scene on the bright wood. The rest of the day we spent listening to a choir in the city hall below the tower of the Piazza del Campo, and walking about the rainy streets. We were soaked by the time we got home, and our shoes didn't dry until we got back to Rome the next afternoon.
I would highly recommend this city for a weekend trip, it's picturesque and small enough to visit everything in a day or two. The food is delicious, both the Italians and foreigners are pretty nice, and the medieval town is amazing.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Adventures in Roming
Just some short accounts of the two other trips I've made to Rome so far, and our trip to Lake Albano:
Not much to say about Lake Albano, except that for some reason it's a lot cooler to say you're swimming in a lake in Italy, than just going to any old lake in the states. It was pretty cool and refreshing, because it took us forever to walk uphill in the sun to the town of Albano. Way up on the hill above the lake is Castel Gandolfo. Who knows, the Pope could have been watching us swim! Now to get out into the lake, you have to trod your way through shin-deep mud. There was lots of screaming on the way into the water, but once the water came up to your neck, the lake bottom was solid, and the water was surprisingly clear! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the blue skies and green hills. Then we padded across the black sand up to a little shop selling water bottles and gelato. The walk back to campus was much shorter since we now knew our way, and the only excitement was when someone saw a piece of bungee cord on the side of the road and thought it was a snake. Again, lots of screaming.
Sunday was the last day before classes started, so my roommate Jamie and I decided to travel to Rome. We waited at the bus stop with many other Romers and wished we had remembered to bring the bus schedule with us. Some students got bored and went to the bar across the street. A few minutes after they left, the bus pulled up. The bargoers were left behind. After a hot and sweaty ride, we reached the Metro. Jamie and I intended to go all the way to the Spanish Steps, so we got on the A line of the subway and settled in for the ride. We had gotten as far as San Giovanni when the lights on the car began to flicker. Suddenly everyone in every car got up and off the train and headed for the "uscita." Thinking we had better follow the crowd and hope these Italians knew what they were doing, we also headed for the exit. At the top of the stairs were some very angry Italians, and lines of buses. Weighing our options, we decided to stay where we were and visit San Giovanni en Laterano, a beautiful looking church we had passed on our way into Rome a few days before. The statues on the roof were enough to lure one close to the magnificent building. We crossed the threshold and I gasped at the beautiful statues of each of the apostles. Peter with the keys to heaven, and all the rest with various symbols of their lives and deaths. The church was adorned with scores of angels and cherubs, the most beautiful fixed on the ceilings above side altars. Then we went across the street to the Church of Scala Santa. Here the Emperor Constantine's mother brought the steps from Pontius Pilate's residence that Jesus walked upon. Pilgrims can only go up the stairs on their knees. At the top is the Pope's private chapel. We didn't climb the steps because we were tired and Jamie wasn't feeling well, but before we returned to the subway we visited the large statue of St. Francis which points to the Church of St. John Lateran. The subway wasn't working North of San Giovanni, but luckily there was no problem heading South to our stop. A little unexpected hitch in our trip turned out to be a very pleasant alternative.
Today we finally made it to the Spanish steps, and they were very impressive. Beautiful and stretching on up a hill, they are filled with people in the evening. Men and women of all ages, but I mostly noticed young people watching the tourists and shoppers alike. The church at the top was busy with mass but we were able to go in the back and see a few statues in the shadows created by the sunset. For the rest of the evening we wandered the streets, getting lost in the art and ancient twists and turns of the city. At dusk we found ourselves at the Tomb of Augustus, across the street from a large, modern looking cafe called Gusto. Andrew, who had the best knowledge of Italian, talked to the host and got us a table inside. We all had a pizza (yes, they serve each person a whole pizza). I don't remember the name of mine, but it was delicious. Black olives, artichokes, and my new favorite cheese, peccorino. Then we headed to the nearest Metro station, crossing the Piazza de Popolo, filled with sphinxes and obelisks, saxophone players and men handing out roses, and saints and churches. Then the subway and the bus, then a starry walk to the campus gates, and relief at the lights of home
Not much to say about Lake Albano, except that for some reason it's a lot cooler to say you're swimming in a lake in Italy, than just going to any old lake in the states. It was pretty cool and refreshing, because it took us forever to walk uphill in the sun to the town of Albano. Way up on the hill above the lake is Castel Gandolfo. Who knows, the Pope could have been watching us swim! Now to get out into the lake, you have to trod your way through shin-deep mud. There was lots of screaming on the way into the water, but once the water came up to your neck, the lake bottom was solid, and the water was surprisingly clear! It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the blue skies and green hills. Then we padded across the black sand up to a little shop selling water bottles and gelato. The walk back to campus was much shorter since we now knew our way, and the only excitement was when someone saw a piece of bungee cord on the side of the road and thought it was a snake. Again, lots of screaming.
Sunday was the last day before classes started, so my roommate Jamie and I decided to travel to Rome. We waited at the bus stop with many other Romers and wished we had remembered to bring the bus schedule with us. Some students got bored and went to the bar across the street. A few minutes after they left, the bus pulled up. The bargoers were left behind. After a hot and sweaty ride, we reached the Metro. Jamie and I intended to go all the way to the Spanish Steps, so we got on the A line of the subway and settled in for the ride. We had gotten as far as San Giovanni when the lights on the car began to flicker. Suddenly everyone in every car got up and off the train and headed for the "uscita." Thinking we had better follow the crowd and hope these Italians knew what they were doing, we also headed for the exit. At the top of the stairs were some very angry Italians, and lines of buses. Weighing our options, we decided to stay where we were and visit San Giovanni en Laterano, a beautiful looking church we had passed on our way into Rome a few days before. The statues on the roof were enough to lure one close to the magnificent building. We crossed the threshold and I gasped at the beautiful statues of each of the apostles. Peter with the keys to heaven, and all the rest with various symbols of their lives and deaths. The church was adorned with scores of angels and cherubs, the most beautiful fixed on the ceilings above side altars. Then we went across the street to the Church of Scala Santa. Here the Emperor Constantine's mother brought the steps from Pontius Pilate's residence that Jesus walked upon. Pilgrims can only go up the stairs on their knees. At the top is the Pope's private chapel. We didn't climb the steps because we were tired and Jamie wasn't feeling well, but before we returned to the subway we visited the large statue of St. Francis which points to the Church of St. John Lateran. The subway wasn't working North of San Giovanni, but luckily there was no problem heading South to our stop. A little unexpected hitch in our trip turned out to be a very pleasant alternative.
Today we finally made it to the Spanish steps, and they were very impressive. Beautiful and stretching on up a hill, they are filled with people in the evening. Men and women of all ages, but I mostly noticed young people watching the tourists and shoppers alike. The church at the top was busy with mass but we were able to go in the back and see a few statues in the shadows created by the sunset. For the rest of the evening we wandered the streets, getting lost in the art and ancient twists and turns of the city. At dusk we found ourselves at the Tomb of Augustus, across the street from a large, modern looking cafe called Gusto. Andrew, who had the best knowledge of Italian, talked to the host and got us a table inside. We all had a pizza (yes, they serve each person a whole pizza). I don't remember the name of mine, but it was delicious. Black olives, artichokes, and my new favorite cheese, peccorino. Then we headed to the nearest Metro station, crossing the Piazza de Popolo, filled with sphinxes and obelisks, saxophone players and men handing out roses, and saints and churches. Then the subway and the bus, then a starry walk to the campus gates, and relief at the lights of home
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Overwhelmed
As I wrote that title I started cracking up internally thinking of that line from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. "Can you ever just be whelmed?" "I think you can in Europe."
Anyway last Friday, I was very overwhelmed. Still recovering from jet lag, UD woke us up at five in the morning and we piled into buses, dressed in our very best. We knew we were nearing Rome when we began to see aqueducts running parallel to our route along the Appia. Then we passed through the walls of the City and saw St. John Lateran on our left, a Church with amazing huge statues on the roof. We made our way northwest past more and more ancient landmarks, stopping just outside the Vatican. As soon as I got off the bus I linked arms with several other girls, and we strolled briskly under arches and past impressive embassies, squealing with delight at our first steps in a city more ancient than any in America. We entered the Piazza and passed the fountains and the ancient obelisk brought all the way from Egypt to rest in the Circus of Nero, where the Vatican is today. Luckily we all passed the Basilica's strict dress code, and then we arrived in perhaps the biggest building, and certainly the biggest church I have ever been in. There is no way to describe how big it is. You can't help but look up as you walk along, hoping you don't bump into an ancient nun or some young Italian priest. The ceiling is high, the floors are long, the statues are graceful giants, and the paintings show beautiful shadowy scenes on every wall.
We couldn't stop to take in any sights just yet. We hurried over to a side altar, the Chapel of San Giuseppe, where the bodies of Sts. Simon and Jude are buried. There the UD chaplain presided over mass for us, while we gazed in awe on the beautiful paintings and statues that surrounded us. After mass had ended, we walked around the church attempting to be able to remember even a small portion of the sights that covered every surface. The breaking dawn (heh heh) came through the eastern windows, lighting up the spirals of dust started by the shuffling tourists. Michelangelo's Pieta was behind glass, but you could still see how beautiful and calm the expression of Mary was. Out in St. Peter's Square we took a class picture and then began walking tours of Rome in small groups with different professors and RAs.
One of my favorite things to discover was all the public water fountains Rome has to offer. The water is cold and delicious, and spouts from water fountains both decorative and practical, some near every major landmark. My group wandered from the Vatican to the Castel St. Angelo, and down the Bridge of Angels, through beautiful side streets to the Piazza Navona with Bernini's famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (sadly it was under renovation, so we couldn't get a good view of it). We also saw the Pantheon in its strange juxtaposition of pagan and Christian, a church with a famous painting by Caravaggio, the Trevi Fountain with blue water flowing around beautiful white statues, and we ended up on the Capitoline Hill looking down on the Roman Forum. There we reunited with the rest of the class and passed by the towering walls of the Colosseum as we walked to try our first Italian pizza.
As you can tell from the title, it was too much. I can't remember half of the things I saw, and could appreciate them even less. I'm so thankful I have months to spend here to see these things again, even if I do miss my home. I can tell you that the highlight of the day was St. Peter's Basilica. It is gorgeous and gigantic and amazing.
That reminds me of another one of my favorite quotes.
"Crime?"
"Stampeding cattle."
"That's not much of a crime."
"Through the Vatican?"
Anyway last Friday, I was very overwhelmed. Still recovering from jet lag, UD woke us up at five in the morning and we piled into buses, dressed in our very best. We knew we were nearing Rome when we began to see aqueducts running parallel to our route along the Appia. Then we passed through the walls of the City and saw St. John Lateran on our left, a Church with amazing huge statues on the roof. We made our way northwest past more and more ancient landmarks, stopping just outside the Vatican. As soon as I got off the bus I linked arms with several other girls, and we strolled briskly under arches and past impressive embassies, squealing with delight at our first steps in a city more ancient than any in America. We entered the Piazza and passed the fountains and the ancient obelisk brought all the way from Egypt to rest in the Circus of Nero, where the Vatican is today. Luckily we all passed the Basilica's strict dress code, and then we arrived in perhaps the biggest building, and certainly the biggest church I have ever been in. There is no way to describe how big it is. You can't help but look up as you walk along, hoping you don't bump into an ancient nun or some young Italian priest. The ceiling is high, the floors are long, the statues are graceful giants, and the paintings show beautiful shadowy scenes on every wall.
We couldn't stop to take in any sights just yet. We hurried over to a side altar, the Chapel of San Giuseppe, where the bodies of Sts. Simon and Jude are buried. There the UD chaplain presided over mass for us, while we gazed in awe on the beautiful paintings and statues that surrounded us. After mass had ended, we walked around the church attempting to be able to remember even a small portion of the sights that covered every surface. The breaking dawn (heh heh) came through the eastern windows, lighting up the spirals of dust started by the shuffling tourists. Michelangelo's Pieta was behind glass, but you could still see how beautiful and calm the expression of Mary was. Out in St. Peter's Square we took a class picture and then began walking tours of Rome in small groups with different professors and RAs.
One of my favorite things to discover was all the public water fountains Rome has to offer. The water is cold and delicious, and spouts from water fountains both decorative and practical, some near every major landmark. My group wandered from the Vatican to the Castel St. Angelo, and down the Bridge of Angels, through beautiful side streets to the Piazza Navona with Bernini's famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (sadly it was under renovation, so we couldn't get a good view of it). We also saw the Pantheon in its strange juxtaposition of pagan and Christian, a church with a famous painting by Caravaggio, the Trevi Fountain with blue water flowing around beautiful white statues, and we ended up on the Capitoline Hill looking down on the Roman Forum. There we reunited with the rest of the class and passed by the towering walls of the Colosseum as we walked to try our first Italian pizza.
As you can tell from the title, it was too much. I can't remember half of the things I saw, and could appreciate them even less. I'm so thankful I have months to spend here to see these things again, even if I do miss my home. I can tell you that the highlight of the day was St. Peter's Basilica. It is gorgeous and gigantic and amazing.
That reminds me of another one of my favorite quotes.
"Crime?"
"Stampeding cattle."
"That's not much of a crime."
"Through the Vatican?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)