Ancient Rome at its Finest

I'm going to start with, going to school in Rome is so much more FUN than going to school in Fayetteville. Don't get me wrong, I love Fayetteville but I am really enjoying my small classes that are really specialized and applicable. I have finally had both my classes separately and have learned a ton in each. I am going to combine two days into one post so there will be a lot of information and pictures (so sad I know) :).

Yesterday I had World Civ 1 with Professor McCoy and we stayed in class and caught up on lots of Ancient Roman history. I felt like Hermione Granger because I was asking a lot of questions and answering a lot of his questions. But it was so fun being in a group of six and listening to Professor McCoy lecture on all the things he knows about Ancient Rome. We talked about the major powers in the Mediterranean and how they changed, as well as how Rome gained power. We learned that grain = money back in the BCE times and that even though we think of Rome as being wealthy, they were actually always poorer than the Eastern countries such as Greece. However, once Rome took over those lands it gained that wealth. We also talked about Ancient Roman social structure such as women's virtues and father power. I won't say too much more but we also talked about Rome's changes in politics. They were first ruled by kings, then they began the Republic and created a Senate. Around 31 BCE Augustus took over as Emperor and began the 300 years of the Roman Empire.

After three hours in class I grabbed lunch at this sandwich place right by campus. I go every day at the same time and the owner knows my name now :). I'd like to note that tomatoes are SO good here, and I don't even like tomatoes!

I sat in on Italian again and then that afternoon we all met up with Professor McCoy and Professor Jacobs at the Arch of Constantine and they took us on a tour of the Roman Forum. Professor McCoy informed us that Palatine Hill is said to be the area where Rome was founded and we walked the ruins of the ancient palace. The Forum was a place where there would have been markets, administrative offices, as well as speeches. It was the central meeting place and all that is left are ruins. It was really amazing to walk around in an area that was so old. Another fun fact that Professor McCoy told us was that the reason that all the buildings in Washington D.C. are white is because the Founding Fathers came to Ancient Rome and saw the ruins and wanted to copy the buildings of the first Republican government...except they didn't take into account that all the structures would have been painted haha. We also saw the house of Emperor Augustus and the original stone where the first Romans lived around 800 BCE!

Later we all went to Nick, Davis, and Akash's apartment and we brought lettuce and drinks and they cooked dinner for all of us! It was so fun. We had salad, tortellini with spinach, cheese, and ham, french fries, and bread and olive oil. Italian food is the BEST.

"Allora," on to today! I had my art lecture class this morning and we listened to Professor Jacobs talk about Roman sculpture and paintings. I listened to her talk about the extreme realism that Roman sculpture exemplified in their portrait busts and their reliefs. We talked about how the Romans really tried to develop depth and space in their sculptures as well. The main difference between Roman art and Greek art was their subjects. Romans did a lot of narrative art that was of real people and historic events, while the Greeks created lots of art that displayed mythic stories. After lecture, we went to the museum that contained Augustus's Ara Pacis or Altar of Peace. It's a massive altar that was used for sacrifices and is finely decorated with reliefs of the procession that occurred when it was built and also of images that portray fertility. Augustus really wanted to put a positive image on his reign. Then we went to the Pantheon and examined all of its geometry with the triangular roof, the rectangular entrance, and the circular attachment on the back. The manipulation of light through the oculus and the way the building wraps around you makes you feel controlled. The floor even has a drain for when water and snow fall through the hole in the top.

So that's all that happened in the last two days. I think we have seen most of the tourist hotspots in Rome now. To give you an idea of how much we walk, we walk a total of 3 miles to and from campus every day and then I don't even know how much we walk around the city each day. We are all getting calves of steel (and ankles of steel on the cobblestones)!

Enjoy all the photos!
Ciao!

Arch of Constantine

Ruins of the palace on Palatine Hill

Anne!

Enjoying the lovely weather! (so much better in the shade)

Basilica in the background

We were pretty high up

So high up that this is the top of the Colosseum

This is one of the water fountains of Rome. The water is delicious!

The first settlements of Rome from 800 BCE.

Relief on the inside of Arch of Titus. The there is lots of depth in this sculpture and it's hard to tell but it's supposed to look like the horses are coming out and then curving back to their right.

Our group examining the reliefs.

There were lots of free standing columns in the Roman Forum. They are all that's left of some buildings. Professor Jacobs's husband compared it to if all that was left of the Lincoln Memorial was a few of the surrounding columns.

The Forum

This stands where important speeches would have been given such as Mark Antony's funeral speech for Julius Caesar.

Our group that toured the Forum. (L-R) Me, Madeline, Davis, Chelsea, Nick, Anne, and Megan

Arch of Titus

Another angle of the Colosseum

The bust of Augustus

The figures on the top of the Ara Pacis look like they are coming out of the structure. This captures the procession.

Love the detail!

Goddess of Earth

Love all the lines matching up with the ceiling

The Ara Pacis

Copies from other museums of busts of the family of Augustus

The portrait busts look so real I feel like he is about to turn and look at me.

Our Art Lecture class with Professor Jacobs behind me.

Oculus in the Pantheon

It is really hard to get a good picture but I think this was my best one.

The Flavian Amphitheater (or il Colosseo)

Benvenuti!
Oggi (Today), my two classes, world civ 1 and art history, were combined again. I listened to Professor Jacobs and Professor McCoy each give their own lecture about the Colosseum. Professor McCoy talked about the background to how the Colosseum came to be built. It was important for emperors to hold games to gain political support and when the Flavian Dynasty came to rule they began the construction of the "Flavian Amphitheater" on top of where the previous emperor's lake used to be. It was important for them to put in the first permanent building for games to affirm their legitimacy of power. He also informed us it actually opened under the time of Titus's rule and it helped relieve some of the negative feelings toward him. The structure of the Colosseum also shows the stratification of the Roman society because the elites sat at ground level to see the gladiators up close, while the women and children sat up at the top. So, the higher you were in the amphitheater  the lower in status you were. Psychologically, the structure is very enclosed and portrays how the emperors wanted to be in control of the viewers. Professor Jacobs talked about the Roman architecture represented in the Colosseum such as the various arches, vaults, types of columns, use of concrete, and how the arch allows for wider openings. She also noted that the concrete would have been covered in marble. The grandeur of the Colosseum when you're standing right next to it really captures the emperors' expression of power over the people of Rome. I had no idea all the thoughts and ideas behind all the structures here in Rome and I am so privileged to have our knowledgeable professors on the trip to teach us about them.

After the Colosseum a few of us went with Professor McCoy to see the Circus Maximus and  there is not much left at all. There's not much of the structure and it's mostly just a grassy area in the shape of where it had been. In it they would have had chariot races, and executions among other things. However, Professor McCoy pointed out how the emperor's palace was right next to it and it really emphasized the imperial rule by the fact that the emperor could come to his box at the game or he could just sit in his palace and look out at the people and the races...

I think it is time for another grocery run today! I would like to also note that I have been getting back and forth from my apartment and the campus with no more mistakes, winning!

Grazie e ciao!

This is the lower part underground (without the floor covering it). This is where the animals would be caged and the gladiators waiting and they would be raised up by sets of pulleys.

Hahaha oh Nick. He's been taking candid shots of us so I took one of him! ;)

It's so large! So sad that there's not more of it left. Sometimes it was hard to imagine where more of the structure would have been like the seats.

Davis taking it all in while Professor Jacobs on his left is teaching.

Roman Forum or the central public place and marketplace

Titus's Arch

Constantine's Arch

Taking a sitting break from all the walking! (L-R) Davis, Krissy, Meredith, Ellie

Adventures!!

This picture goes with the other column pictures below but it is the Doric style of column featured on the bottom of the Colosseum.

What's left of Circus Maximus

The emperor's palace looking down on the Circus Maximus and our group down on the right corner.

Temple of Portunus, has a Greek style front with the columns but you can enter it unlike the Greek temples and the rear has engaged columns where they are touching the wall.

This is the Ionic style column on the second level on the outside of the Colosseum.

This is the Corinthian style column on the third level on the outside of the Colosseum.

Lots of framing! The inner window looks into the Colosseum.

Walking along the inside of the Colosseum

Buonasera, di Roma

I have the privilege of auditing the Elementary Italian 1 class here at the Rome Center each day in addition to my two classes. I have been to two Italian classes so far and have learned a lot! It is very similar to French and knowing how to learn a language after learning French makes it a lot easier to learn another one. Professor Barbara Spaccini is really cool. She speaks mostly in Italian and helps us understand by context clues. She goes pretty fast but since it's the intro it's not too bad. We've learned how to ask someones name, ask what something is or how to say it, say how you're feeling, numbers, letters, some pronunciation and other common phrases like "allora," which I frequently hear because it's like our "and then" or "umm".

"Allora", today I met up with an old friend I haven't seen since moved from Pittsburgh 5 years ago. I found out she is studying abroad here in Rome too through facebook! Gotta love technology :) So we met at St. Peter's Square and she showed me this great crepe place and the best gelato place yet!! You can get three scoops of gelato for 1.50 euros when normally you get one or two scoops for 2.50 euros! Definitely going back! I got caffe, cioccolato, and carmel. Allora, we chatted for a long time and I got to ask about all my old friends and hear about where they are going to school now. She also showed me this bar that is famous from Pittsburgh because the guy who owns it is a big Steelers fan so it's covered in Steelers garb and people from Pittsburgh visit it. It also had all sorts of American college pendants which was awesome. I really need an U of A one to hang up there! They even had an LSU one...

Domani (tomorrow), I am going to the Colosseum and Roman Forum with my world civ and art history classes. I am all caught up on my reading of Roman architecture and the Roman games so I am excited to analyze it tomorrow!

Ciao!

St. Peter's Basilica

part of the St. Peter's Square in front of the Basilica

Rain Rain Go Away

Our study abroad group took a day trip today with our director Davide Vitali. He took us to Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este right outside Rome. Both were places where wealthy Romans had built villages to live in outside the bustling city of Rome.

I think the Earth is trying to tell me to buy a real rain jacket because it poured all morning and our field trip was all outside. Next time I will be prepared with a Northface. Also, you should definitely pack an umbrella because so many people had umbrellas today and they stayed pretty dry, while the rest of us got soaked. Poor Professor McCoy was wearing a t-shirt and got drenched and cold, but he was a trooper. We weren't expecting all that rain because usually it just lightly rains and then blows over. It was hard to really enjoy the area and landscape when you're looking down at the ground and seeking shelter. Hadrian's Villa was pretty cool and we learned about how large it was. It was surprising that such a rich house could be in ruins but we learned that when it stopped being run and occupied it began to deteriorate.

We took a lunch break at Trivoli and got warm again with pizza and cappuccinos. We all left all our bags on the bus because they were so wet and so of course it stopped raining and we couldn't get out our cameras. All my pictures today are from Anne because I didn't have my camera but Villa d'Este was gorgeous! It was on top of a hill and looked down over ornate gardens, fountains, and out across little towns. We had fun walking around and we found a cat that enjoyed being pet. It was darling!

We got finished early today and are curling up after showers and watching the Hunger Games! Tomorrow me and the roomies are going to a large flea market and to the beach!

Loving this life!

Hadrian's Villa ruins

As you can see my bangs are soaked. I thoroughly enjoyed that cappuccino. This picture kind of describes how I was feeling at the time. At little crazy haha.

Villa d'Este

View down from the top of the house of Este

Awesome fountain

KITTY!!

Hehe :) Embracing the excess of water.

so thoughtful ;)

These faces in the wall looked like monkeys haha.

First Day of Class

So you have NEVER been lost until you are without a phone, in a foreign city, with a language barrier, completely alone, and you have a time limit before class starts... That was me this morning. None of my roommates had class this morning so I decided to try to venture to class by myself. I gave myself an hour and fifteen minutes just in case and I needed it. I walked very quickly and didn't linger too long anywhere. Of course I got lost on the way there and on the way back. "Stupid American" didn't know there was a big difference between Navona and Nuova but I did make it to class and I will not be going alone ever again! I will admit it was a very victorious feeling when I finally made it.

My art history and world civ 1 class were combined today and I had no idea how it was going to go. Both professors Jacobs and McCoy lectured for about 30 minutes each, although they didn't get as much as they wanted in and they took a little longer than they wanted to. Then it took us 30 minutes to get to the site we were touring today, Musei Capitolini. We got to view the Greek art that we had talked about in class and it was a great reinforcement to look for the style and characteristics of each time period. Professor McCoy added some of the historic backgrounds of sculptures and inscriptions such as the bronze of the she-wolf and the twins Romulus and Remus which came from the legend of the founding of Rome. We took a lot longer than our class from 9-12. We actually went until 1:30 or 2. But it was so worth it and what better way to spend time!

On our walk back to the University we went by 3 gelato shops that all had different flavors. It's amazing! Did you know that 55% of gelato in Italy is handmade? Good thing we walk everywhere!

By the time I finally found Anne and Kat I was so desperate to finally be back at the apartment after getting lost so much I like attacked them haha. We went to another grocery store and found breads, jams, fruit, juice, and pasta so we don't eat out so much. It's so fun having our own kitchen!

This afternoon we went to the big street with lots of shopping. We bought shirts, Anne found a sweet leather jacket, I found a leather belt, and it was so hard not to impulse buy. But we had so much fun. Then we had dinner at this lovely restaurant outside and I got handmade tortellini filled with pumpkin, cheese, and topped with sage and butter. WOW. It was so delicious. We saw the Trevi Fountain by night and walked allllll the way back to our apartments.

I am absolutely exhausted after every day. There is too much to do and not enough time to sleep, oh the college life ;)

We are going on a day trip to Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este with our big group tomorrow!

Salve!

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius - the fake one in front of the museum.

Bronze Capitoline Wolf with Remus and Romulus added during the Renaissance

Early Greek Paintings on jugs. This one is a black-figure.

Marcus Aurelius real bronze - ultimate portrayal of an emperor's power

Hellenistic Period sculptures were developing more realism - detail of the lion biting and the horse's expression of pain

Capitoline Venus - Greek beginnings of female nudes and this portrays the contrapposto where the body's weight is shifted with a bent leg and starting to turn. This emphasizes movement.

Pumpkin Tortellini!

Trevi at night!

My roomies out to an Italian dinner. (Me, Krissy, Anne, Kat, and Ellie)