Bella Roma

We made it back safe and sound on Sunday after travelling to Rome and Pompeii. We were exhausted after our journey and were very happy to return to our 'home' at Santa Chiara. Alli has a pedometer and kept track of the miles that we walked each day. In total, we walked 60 miles in 6 days. The maximum for a single day was 14 miles, 2 of which were done in the Vatican Museum winding our way to the Sistine Chapel! While at the Vatican, we made a visit to St. Peter's Basilica to see the splendid architecture. However, as we walked in, we found the basilica was set up for Mass with pews in the main nave and curtains on the right side of the church covering Michaelangelo's famous sculpture of the Pieta. I grabbed a program and used my limited Italian to decipher what was happening. I opened the front cover and written in red, it said that Pope Benedict XVI was saying Mass in celebration of the 15th World Day of the Sick! We crowded our way to the end of the barricades and landed behind some exuberant Asian tourists. We had a view of the main altar and decided to stay around to see if Mass would begin soon. All of a suddern, the Asians in front of us decided to leave, so I wedged my way in to the very front. A few moments later, Mass began and seemingly docile nuns lept up onto their chairs to get a better glimpse of B16. From my vantage point, I was able to take some pretty good photos considering how far away I was from the action. This was the point in the trip that it would have been beneficial to have lugged the telephoto lens with me! A very kind man that had a ticketed seat in the congregation offered to take a photo with my camera. It is to him that I give credit of the photo above.

We went back to St. Peter's another day to try and climb the dome and get into the crypt, but the line was too long for us to wait. I know that I will be back when my family comes to visit, so I was not too disappointed.

The day that we saw the Pope we had a scheduled tour of the Vatican Museum. The company we booked our tour with didn't know that the museum was closed that day. Personally I found it to be much more rewarding to go back to the museum on my own time and linger or skip past less engaging pieces. This sculpture is entitled Laocoon and I just love the way emotion is seen throughout the body form and facial expression.

Another site that I went back to numerous times was the Colosseum. The first time was on a tour with a large group of people and guess what...it was raining! Rain followed us on the first few days and it even snowed on the way to Pompeii, but the weekend turned out to be much warmer and we had blue skies for our photographs. So, I went to the Colosseum at night to see it lit up and again in the morning to see it with good sunlight. I have heard that it is good to get the audioguided tour if you enter the Colosseum and your ticket also allows you to get into the ancient Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. Another thing that I will be taking my family to when they visit.

At night, the Colosseum and many other Roman sights take on a different glow and are worth visiting at various times of day. For example, the Trevi Fountain is illuminated at night and hundreds of tourists, and annoying street venders selling fiber optic statues of the Colosseum, crowd the steps.

The Pantheon is another site that is worth visiting at different times. The sunbeam traces a path around the coffered dome throughout the day. I had been told that the dome was so tall that the rain evaporated before hitting the multicolored marble below. That is not true because the first time we visited...it was raining. Raphael the artist, not the turtle, is buried at the Pantheon.

Our scheduled itinerary with K-State ended on Friday at the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Our History of Science professor Giovanni (it seems like everyone is named Giovanni here) got us into the site without having to pay the entrance fee and took us to the archaeological labs that are not open to the public. The scientists there were very proud of their findings and got great joy out of our ooohs and aaahs. They had a loaf of bread, slightly charred, that was almost completely whole. They had large quantities of a type of pea that is no longer found on Earth. They had wax tablets and textiles and a basket! It was truly astounding at what we saw on the shelves and in open containers.

Mt. Vesuvius was shrouded in snow and provided an ominous reminder of the fate of so many people trapped in the city and along the coast. Of course, one of the most famous artifacts from Pompeii is the casts of the imprints left by people buried in the ash and hot gasses. The scientists have learned a great deal about the people that lived and died in Pompeii and yet there is much more to be excavated. The Italian government has run out of money for the project and so the scientists are just trying to preserve what has already been uncovered with the hope that the things left buried will be safe for a few more years to come.

All in all, Rome was a very rewarding trip. It gave me a sense of confidence in my navigation skills and I gained a little more insight on my host country. Rome is a very different place from Castiglion Fiorentino. I am glad that I can visit such amazing wonders in such a short journey, but I know that Castiglion Fno (as the train sign abbreviates) is where I am supposed to be. In Rome, I tried to practice my Italian with different vendors and many times they would just answer back in English. It came across to me as kind of an insult, as I felt I was labeled as a foreigner even though I am trying to immerse myself in their culture. It was very strange to be able to eavesdrop on a conversation of complete strangers speaking English as they were walking down the steps of the Piazza di Spagna. I much prefer the sometimes awkward exchanges with the locals, such as Bruno the owner of the laundromat or the Moretti bus driver taking me to my first watercolor class. Rome, minus the typical sites that define it, could be mistaken for any other large city.

After just getting back, we will be travelling to Florence on Wednesday. It is also time to make final Spring Break plans. Several of us had wanted to go to Greece, but due to its economic situation and recent transportation strikes, I am rethinking my options. The economic downturn is being felt here too, as there is a train strike scheduled for Friday, the day we were going with our professor to the nearby town of Cortona. The key words of this trip are "Be Flexible."On our last day in Rome, we made a short excursion to Santa Maria in Cosmedin. In the portico of the church, the Bocca della Verita, or Mouth of Truth, can be found. It is rumored that if you stick your hand into the mouth and are a liar, your hand will be bitten off.

Also at the church, a relic of St. Valentine can be found in a side chapel. It was kind of a happy coincidence as the day that we visited the church was Sunday, February 14th!