Update in Pictures (3)

So, here is another update in pictures. This update is pretty hosh-posh and is really just a recycling of all my favorite pictures that I never had a reason to post.

Graffiti can be found almost everywhere here. Although you see it more in the outer parts than the center of Rome and you see it less in Trastevere than anywhere else. Most of the time, its politically minded teenagers writing pointless things on very important walls. But every now and then, you'll find the exact opposite, which is something entertaining (like this sad-face) on an idle wall next to an out of the way bus stop.

I just look really fly in this picture. Other than that, it has no importance whatsoever. It's in Pompeii, but the post I'm leaning on doesn't have any particular significance within the ruins. Relatedly, I've found a recent affinity for scarves. Sadly, that scarf isn't actually mine.


This was the clearest day Rome has had since I've been here! This picture was taken at around 8:45 A.M. on a Sunday morning. How glourious! I don't know the guy in the picture, but he looks like he owns the city.

These are from the top of the Pontifical North American College. My friend who studies there offhandedly told me that it has a "nice view of Rome". Well, that turned out to be quite the understatement. It has one of the best views of Rome (and Vatican City for that matter) and you could even sit down and have a coffee while you enjoy it! I love rooftop seating.

More later! Thanks to Mike for the camera, Sally for the scarf, some punk teenage Italian for the grafitti, Charlie for the amazing rooftop view, and to the man with the long jacket for his determined strut.

Ciao!
Matt

5 Things Italians Do Better

This is by no means an exclusive list. Obviously, Italian living holds more than five advantages over American living, which is bound to be true the other way around as well. These are just the advantages of Italian living which relate most to my personal experiences so far.

Eatings

Italians eat better for two big reasons. They use better ingredients and they take time to enjoy eating.

Better Ingredients

Everything here is fresh, and can be found in more specialized stores than in America. I have at least 3 meat shops, 4 fruit and vegetable shops, 2 pastry shops, and 3 bread/ pasta shops in my immediate neighborhood. This doesn't count the nearby market which is packed with excellent food for very cheap prices.


I really don't know how to cook very well, but the few meals I've made here have turned out great. I didn't use any recipes, but it's tough to make anything poor with fresh stuff. The last meal I made with a friend was a sauce based on sausage, onions, and red wine. It was beautiful.

The downside to all these great ingredients is that stores here don't really ever carry out of season vegetables. I made risotto (pictured below) with a friend the other day and we wanted to use butternut squash but it was nowhere to be found. Instead we used fennel and carrots and it
was just as good.





















The Ritual

Italians have dinner later than Americans, but it can often serve as the nights entertainment. A typical meal contains the antipasti, a primo (usually pasta), secondo (the meat dish), and then maybe salad and a simple dessert with wine, water and bread throughout. Nothing is rushed, and everything is enjoyed with good company and meticulous enjoyment.

Appropriately, there are hardly any microwaves here, and fast food chains struggle to enter the market. In short, Italians eat better.

Greetings

The double kiss thing is hard to get used to, and I never really get to practice it until its an eminent threat, but it's a lot smoother than a handshake. Italians give genuinely warm greetings. Even when they simply say "buongiorno" they say it in a way that makes you feel like they really are wishing you a good day.


I love watching Italian friends greet each other in public places. It's very natural and very enthusiastic. People here are not ashamed to show someone they love that they are excited to see them. One of my Roman-born friends from school tried to explain this to me; she simply said "Italians are more warm". I completely agree.

Apartments

Italian apartments lack many of the conveniences Americans are used to like driers, dish washers, and an endless supply of hot water. But they also hold a few priceless advantages.

I have an unhealthy obsession with balconies. At home, my favorite thing to do is sit on a deck or a balcony (i.e. the deck of the Lucia R. Marino beach house, or Greg's newly renovated balcony) and waste away a warm summer night shooting the breeze with friends. Almost every apartment here has at least two balconies and every building is covered with layers of terraces. It is truly a beautiful thing. My friends who live one building over from me actually have a full terrace (see below). It's the size of a courtyard and we could probably get a good game of soccer going there if there wasn't any risk of falling 6 stories.

Another big advantage here is black out curtains. Every apartment has these fully equipped and they are the most dangerous things known to man. The first time I used the blackout curtains, I slept through my alarm and woke up 3-4 hours too late (oops!). But it was a pretty glorious sleep. Now, I hardly ever pull them all the way down, but they can come in handy when you're on a sleep deficit.

Italian apartments also have happier lighting (all the big lights are like the ones in the photo) and nice hard (mostly marble) floors. I haven't seen any carpet yet, which I sometimes miss, but every apartment here looks and feels very clean. The Italians have undeniable style.


Public Transportation

It took me about 2 days to figure out the public transportation here. Now I really have no trouble getting anywhere in the city. It's extensive, easy to use, and fairly reliable.


I'm pretty far out of the city, so a lot of times my commute to school is about 40 minutes when you include walking, waiting, and bussing time. But it really doesn't feel like a 40 minute commute like a car ride would. It's just part of my day. Like having coffee with a friend or sightseeing, etc. There are real experiences and interactions when you use public transportation, and I've really come to enjoy it. This may sound very silly, but I feel very adventurous when I step onto a bus with a backpack. I feel like I'm some weary traveler hitching a ride for an amicable destination.

Cities

Rome is truly a beautifully designed city. Everything here has been built over years and years, one civilisation over another. Roman, medieval, baroque, and many other archtiectural styles have been assimilated over time in a very natural fashion. Lush parks (like the villa Borghese) pop out of nowhere, small winding streets turn into lavish runways for majestic monuments, and gorgeous churches can be found nestled in quiet alleyways.


It is a real playground for humanity. I like New York City, but I must say the place makes me feel like an insect. I feel like it's a city made for businesses not humans. You could argue that business are a collection of humans, and therefore the same thing but I probably wouldn't agree. Either way, the point here is that every building here isn't simply office space. It feels much more important than that.



Just like you're sure the local playground is built to fit the archetype of the local kid, you can be sure the Italian city feels like it was made to fit you.

Conclusion

Italian living is very different from American living. There are definitely things that I miss from home (maybe I'll mention those in another post), but I really appreciate the differences between the two. If anything, enjoying the subtle advantages of Italy is making me appreciate all the great things America has to offer more than I ever have. I've never really traveled past the east coast, and now that I've been to such a radically different place, I've have a new-found passion for exploring my own country just as much as I want to explore this country.

Ciao!
Matt

Villa Borghese Gardens

For the first time since my arrival in Rome, I have taken a step outside the city and into the wild (or as close as you get to it in Rome). It is truly refreshing. This past weekend, I meandered into Rome's two biggest parks, the Villa Borghese Gardens and the Villa Doria Pamphili. This post is about the first because I find it more interesting and because I really only poked my head into the latter.

I ventured out into the Gardens with two of my friends, Caitlyn and Lesley. We were lucky to be there on two amazing days (Friday and Saturday). The first day, we just walked around, stopping at different statues and fountains. The place is truly extensive. I haven't seen much of it, and out of the two days we spent there, I feel like I've seen enough to fill my brain. Many beautiful statues and fountains are arranged and scattered throughout the park. The picture below is the pathway to the beautiful "Temple of Aesculapius" which is situated on a small man-made lake and seems to pop out of nowhere.

Throughout all the adventures, it is most striking to realize that this was once personal property (the gardens were only officially opened to the public in 1903. Until then, it was the personal gardens of the very powerful Borghese family, patrons of Bernini and huge collectors of art). All the statues and gardens are, in a way, very private. Now they serve the needs of the Roman public, and indirectly (as a priceless spot of history, art and architecture) the world as a whole. But because of its private background and because of the way many of the scenes are hidden within corners of the park, the place can seem very intimate.

I was compelled to take a picture of this old man and his dog because he acted like there wasn't anyone else in the park - this bench might of been right outside his front door. He just slumped down on the bench, lost in his thoughts while his dog watched vigilantly.

We especially liked this fountain, nestled in a low spot in the park and accessible only by a dirt path. We refer to it as "our fountain" and we spent a good thirty minutes hanging around it.

On our second trip to the park, we decided to kick it up a notch (as Emeril would say) and rent some bikes. Now there were five of us and we were on a mission. This time, it was a bit more crowded but it didn't matter because we were lions in a hyena's playground (if you understand my Disney references). Below is a picture of our very intimidating biker gang.

I can't wait to do more things in the Park. I think I've seen enough here to have a solid starting point, but not nearly enough to have exhausted its mystery. It's great to find some breathing room in such a crowded city.

Ciao!
Matt

Garfield

I want to tell you about my friend Garfield. He lives outside of my friend's apartment and he's the coolest cat (you like that pun?) I've ever met. His favorite pastime is laying on top of the many cars outside the building. Whenever me and my friends spot him, we wave and he comes inside to have a nice nap on the mat outside the first door. We're not sure if he is a stray or if he actually belongs to the people with the comfortable doormat, but he definitely seems at home at the apartment. Here's a picture of our feline friend. His eyes don't always glow like that, but he does have a generally regal disposition.


There is an unbelievable amount of stray cats in the city. Some are saved and donated to the cat sanctuary at the ruins of Largo Argentina. This place is beyond legit, with over 250 cats in the world's coolest playground. Unrelated, it's where Julius Caesar was assassinated.


I always joke with my friends that we should get some fishing nets and cat costumes and start rounding up stray cats and bringing them to the sanctuary. Maybe eventually we can become urban myths and can inspire copy cats (another pun! I'm on a roll!) to carry on our legacy. But that's just another crazy dream of mine. Maybe we'll bring Garfield to the sanctuary to play with his friends one day. I don't think he'd stay - he's a very fat, lazy cat.

Ciao!
Matt

Update in Pictures (2)

I know it's only a few days since my first update in pictures but the actual photographs themselves were taken a couple weeks apart. So here's some more photos!


I finally went to see Piazza del Popolo. Due to unfortunate circumstances, I was by myself but it was still a great sight. The street between these two buildings ends at Piazza Venezia and the monstrosity that is "Il Vittoriano".



Piazza Navona. Every day it is pretty cold and rainy during these months, so when there's a lot of sunlight it's something to appreciate. The light throws shadows from all the different statues, fountains, cupola's and terraces and it is truly a beautiful thing.


I guess a picture of a picture is a pretty lame thing to post here, but this event itself is pretty noteworthy. While I was missing the snowstorm of my lifetime back home, it snowed here for the first time in 25 years. And I slept through it. I wish I could have captured this photo myself, but I guess the early bird catches the one-in-a-million snowstorm.


This is a more personal picture. Every day I grab an 80 cent cappucino from the "Archi Bar" across the street from my school. It's definitely one of my favorite places in all of Rome. The owners are incredibly nice to us students, and the seating has an amazing ambience with the arches (hence the name) that stand in front of my school rising out of the background. I'm not really a coffee lover per se, but I am a big fan of warm and social atmospheres.

This photo captures my first day of fiction in the city. Thanks to a very clutch loan from my friend Greg, I can enjoy "The Three Musketeers" as a part of my experience here.

More coming soon...

Ciao!
Matt

My First Cooking Adventure

Last night I had my first real cooking adventure. I've been cooking a lot of dinners but mainly with friends of mine. Last night, I did the whole thing on my own. I went to the grocery store and picked up some tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, green peppers, broccoli, tomato paste, two bottles of wine (not all for me) and pasta. I suateed all the vegetables and poured the tomato paste in and made myself a little sauce. I invited one of my friends over to share and judge. Overall, I think it went pretty well. Mom would be proud.


I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. I always thought I should watch and learn as much as I can, especially since I have a mother who is an amazing cook. But since I'm the youngest in my family, I never really learned how to cook like the others did. Eventually, I guess you just have to stretch those cooking wings and see what happens. I didn't have a recipe and I didn't have a plan. I was just a man with some vegetables, the harnessed power of fire, and an empty stomach.


This may seem like a very simple thing to more autonomous people like yourselves, but for me it was a true adventure.

Ciao!
Matt

Update in Pictures (1)

I'm going to start uploading my favorite pictures from my adventures with captions every now and then. As the title indicates, the next one will be called "Update in Pictures (2)" and will be posted at an indefinite date.

I'm not what you would call a photographer, but anybody can catch a good moment on camera. It isn't really about the actual person taking the photo or the actual place as it is as much about the human/worldly interaction that is captured. So here is my first update in pictures:

This is the view from the top of my school. You can faintly see the Apennine mountains on the horizon. Before it, lays all of Rome. When on the roof, you can find the Colliseum and other landmarks if you're attentive. I believe the cross belongs to the neighboring seminary. I could be wrong though.

This is Castel Sant'Angelo. It's a masouleum turned pope stronghold turned museum. This is the way I see most of the great landmarks of the city - as some tribute to humanity's present identity and rich past looming in the background of every day life. The tree is one of the many which hangs over the Tiber River. St. Michael the Archangel dominates the castle as it's only true adornment and hangs over the city like its only true guardian.

St. Peter's Square. Need I say more?

This was taken the first time I exited St. Peter's Basilica. It was truly a beautiful night and the rainy cobblestone made the lights bleed onto the Piazza. I don't actually know the couple that's walking. He's actually holding an umbrella but it looks like a bouquet of flowers. I wish I knew who they were so they could have this picture. It screams Romance.

Tiber River. These trees hang over it for almost the whole expanse of the Tiber in Rome. It really is gorgeous at night and I'm told it's even better in Springtime.

Well, that's all I have for now. A special thanks to Mike for the camera!

Ciao!
Matt

Living Abroad V.S. Travelling Abroad

Many people were surprised this year when I told them I was living at home for the fall semester. The shock would often subside when I explained I was doing it so I could live in Rome for the Spring. But many of these people followed with the same question: "why don't you just do a Summer or Winter abroad?" I'd always respond to this saying "I don't want to travel in Italy, I want to live in Italy".

I'm relieved to say I feel the same way I thought I would about this distinction. I love being able to see all the different sites in Rome and I love the experience of seeing such a wonderful city. But the things that I really love about studying abroad are the subtle experiences of living in a beautifully foreign place.

Like how I love when I get a coffee at the bar near my apartment. The people there are really nice and always help correct my Italian. Or how the deli near my school makes the best sandwiches and taste really fresh. Or how some Italians will go completely out of their way to help you find somewhere you are going. Or how I can sit on the roof of my school reading a book or listening to a song with all of Rome sprawled out before me.

I love riding the bus. I can get on at anytime and get anywhere in the city. When it isn't crowded, I feel like I could stay on forever and it would be a good day. Its the best feeling when you casually roll by something as epic as the colliseum as if it was just another part of a day's routine.

I could be a tourist and stand in front of Castel Sant'Angelo with my backpack and camera planning all the things I can see in the time I have here. But the actual building seems much more real when it's just another landmark on my way to a more casual destination. It becomes a very personal thing. Like your crazy neighbor's christmas light display. Or the echoes from the local concert venue.

These are things one can only really experience when they feel at home at a place. Now, it's tough for me to call this city a home because it is such a foreign place and isn't exactly made to cater to my life. But it's a place I'm living in and because of that, it feels like my own.

Ciao!
Matt

My First Great Meal

This definitely deserves its own post. It has been tough for me to get out and find a good sit-down restaurant to eat some authentic food. This is mostly because it's difficult to tell what's really good and what's touristy, but it's also because I've been pretty busy and only have time to grab something quick.

So today, I got lunch with someone I met through a common friend last summer. His name is Charlie and he has been studying here to be a priest for the last 3 years. He's a very cool, down-to-earth guy and he kindly treated at a small hole-in-the-wall family restaurant between Piazza Navona and Castel Sant'Angelo.

He said he had always wanted to try this restaurant because it looked humble. It definitely did seem trustworthy. For one, there was no menu. For lunch, they had only two choices of pasta and three choices of meat. Also, the waiter didn't speak any English.

I ordered rigatoni for the Primo and the beef with eggplant for the Secondo. We also got wine, water, bread, salad and biscotti at the end. The entire meal was simple but amazing! I would describe it as a cozy experience.

When we asked for the check, the waiter went back into the kitchen for a moment. He returned with a marker and wrote the price on the paper table cloth. I really enjoy those sort of things.

Ciao!
Matt