One month more...what to do? I cannot believe it. Times flies faster than you could possibly think especially when 5,000 miles away from Rockville, I have found a new home. One where, when I'm feeling under the weather, each of my roommates trades off in making me warm pasta and honey-drenched tea, where my Italian mamma Sus whips up rice with olive oil and parmigiano and tells me twice a day, "Prendi la tua medicina!," where the Chicago native at the pizza shop next to school gives me daily discounts and I now know how to call a skeevy Italian guy an asshole (stronzo!) After a week of battling some serious sickness, I decided I had to take my recovery into my own hands and eke out some major sightseeing and Italian journeying this week...
Galleria Borghese
I wish I had some of my own images to accompany this commentary, but, unfortunately, you aren't allowed to snap any photos in the Borghese galleries. Still, there's nothing like seeing the gorgeously decorated interior, the lifelike Bernini statues or the dark, enchanting Caravaggio paintings. I have been to countless museums in the past couple of months, but nothing stuck out quite so much as this fantastic collection. We went with Pier Paolo's class this past Wednesday and I can say without a doubt that this museum, situated in the breathtaking Borghese gardens, is my favorite, no doubt topping il Vaticano. Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, amassed the incredible works, mainly awesome Baroque pieces like Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" and Caravaggio's "San Gerolamo" (you can see photos of these from Pinterest below). So, if any of you are starving artists seeking inspiration, please plan your next trip here.
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| Apollo and Daphne c/o Pinterest |
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| San Gerolamo c/o Pinterest |
The Perks of Pigneto
Friday, pre-Venice, I had to meet up with a partner from Sociology class to get a feel for the Pigneto neighborhood of Rome and conduct a couple of interviews for a Powerpoint presentation. The one-hour, two bus trip there seemed to forebode a taxing experience wandering unfamiliar streets and begging on hands and knees for an interview in English. Luckily, the day turned out to be a great success from the moment I arrived and hopped a few streets over for a delicious crepe to the bus ride home. Pigneto is an incredibly diverse neighborhood filled with immigrants of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and African origin who are respected and made to feel at home. The area is also a residential hotspot for young students who attend the nearby Roma Tre or La Sapienza universities and for several families. We enjoyed the edgy graffiti and striking street art that lined the corners as well as the boatload of advertisements for upcoming films and concerts. There are several theaters in the neighborhood and it attracts an artistically engaged group. The individuals who live there are also incredibly politically knowledgeable and expressive. Given how cool and intelligent they are, it was a shocker to learn that they were actually friendly, unlike those charming (*sarcasm*) Italians who frequently edge me off the 870 bus. An aperitivo at Necci (chicken with tzatsiki sauce...a nice change) and a couple interviews later, we were on our way back, but it was nice to get into the nooks and crannies of Rome that might be lost to the naked eye. The few pictures below evoke how intriguing the area is...sometimes the hidden gems make for the greatest experiences!
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| Typical street corner in Pigneto... |
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| Graffiti gallore... |
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| Aquila Theater |
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| Free expression at its finest... |
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| Radiation records...so artsy! |
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| Necci and Alexandra, one of our interview victims! |
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| Yummy pollo con salsa tzatsiki |
Venezia: La Vita Sull'Acqua
After much anticipation and deliberation as to whether we could fit in the trip, we booked our Venice tickets last week...which unfortunately involved an overnight train that landed us in the City of Water at approximately 5:30 in the morning this Saturday. Crazy, I know, but you take what you can get as a study abroad student. When we arrived, all we wanted was more sleep, a caffeine fix and some warmth for goodness sake. We weren't prepared for the tundra that is Venice in mid-November. Actually, you sort of forget about seasons in their entirety when it is still in the 50s and 60s in Rome. After a cornetto and some hot tea at the train station, we set out on a brisk morning walk to the local fish and produce market. The smell of spidercrabs and swordfish isn't exactly the kind of wake up call I normally seek out, but it did the trick. We got a non-touristy view of St. Mark's square, albeit the foggy weather, and ducked into a chic coffee shop for espresso before making a game plan. After a decent amount of port-hopping (many water buses were closed due to fog), we finally found an available line to Murano, the island specializing in breathtaking glass. Once we landed, we must have visited (I kid you not!) 30 glass shops looking for souvenirs for friends and family. I have seen beads in every fathomable shape and color...ovals, spheres, squares, strange glass daggers, Nativity figures, you name it. We took a later bus back to Venice after our cash and stamina was exhausted and had to desperately search out a restaurant that was still open at 3. Luckily, we found a nice corner joint where I ordered spaghetti with squid ink and grilled salmon, a nice sampling for a city specializing in fresh seafood. After, we toured and shopped around a bit more before taking a "gondola" (AKA water taxi...we're students, we have to think cheap) to Ferrovia for our train back. The city is certainly one of a kind with its array of brightly colored buildings and its elegant gondola paddlers gracefully swinging the long boats across the shining waters that coat the entire isle. It's the kind of city you can typically only imagine in a daydream so I am thrilled we had the chance to see it for ourselves.
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| Fresh fish at the market |
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| Wish I could have brought these home... |
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| Morning fog doesn't obstruct the lovely views |
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| St. Mark's |
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| Chilly, but enthusiastic |
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| Still chilly, still happy...in Murano! |
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| Just a day's work for these guys...but so much fun for us! |
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| A kiln in Murano |
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| The gorgeous go-to for glassblowing! |
All in all, a week well spent. Today, after showing one of Sara's friends around the city center, I split to take the 44 bus home and met a lovely Italian teenager and her mom. The most rewarding part of our hour-long conversation was when her mom chimed in to Marla (my new friend), "Lei sembra italiana." She seems Italian. What? Who? Me? I think the woman meant that I simply looked Italian with my dark eyebrows and hair coloring, but to me, it meant a lot more. Because when she said it, I felt a bit proud with my newly granted title...I felt come una vera italiana. Like a real Italian. I hope that I retain even a glimmer of that feeling when I return home in less than 4 weeks. But until that time, I'll enjoy what precious few days remain here.
Baci,
Alexi
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