Retrospective

My last seven weeks in Rome have been the most memorable, exciting and educational ones in my life, thus far. Although I was aware of the amazing achitecture and history that is present in the eternal city, I couldn't have prepared myself enough, for what I was able to retain and observe about the different culture change, and every day life in Rome.

These blogs have helped me express my daily encounters and interesting personal experiences that have happened during my stay. I picked my first theme, about panini's, immediately because of my first day at the snack bar, where I had a new appreciation for sandwiches. Although my blogs were not centered entirely around the sandwich itself, I found it interesting to actually take in account the different places and panini's that are offered all over Italy. I found that panini's were the most popular in Rome, which probably explains why they are found at every basic bar or stand. I will not only miss the delicious, warm, fresh panini's of Rome, but I'll miss the bars and the people I have met during my quick lunches and snacks.

My next theme was focused on street entertainers. I'll never forget the first day I walked the chaotic streets, as a stranger to the city. The first street entertainer that I noticed was an older, frail man producing music from an antique, beat up accordion. I was intrigued by both the music and the man. When I continued on, I noticed another man, slowly and desperately playing a violin. Since I had already been observing these entertainers, I knew it was going to be beneficial to continue my observation into a blog.

The last blog I chose to focus on was piazza's. Although my place first started as Campo de'Fiori, I continued to expand my knowledge of piazza's by visiting Campo's neighbor, Piazza Navona. The different settings that take place during the day at Campo de'fiori has probably been the most interesting aspect to witness. Beyond the changes, I have been educated about the history of the markets, square and the center statue of Giordano Bruno. I really enjoyed visiting each piazza daily to observe my surroundings and the variation of both. These assignments have encouraged me to step outside of my element and allowed me to immerse myself into the Italian culture and the city of Rome.

4 Colonne Ristorante

Since it is our last week here in Rome, Brooke and I decided we deserved a nice, hearty, expensive meal to celebrate our trip. She had her eye on one particular restaurant for the past three weeks, called, 4 Colonne Ristorante which was conveniently located at the southern end of Piazza Navona. The restaurant is hidden away, in a back alley away from the busy restaurants that surround the Piazza. When we arrived, a man in a tuxedo politely guided us through the freshly modern, all white furnished restaurant. My excitement and hunger for dinner soon turned to confusion when I opened the large menu, only to find that I could not comprehend one word on the menu. We both stared, as though it would miraculously switch to English if we stared hard enough. With nothing to lose, I asked the waiter what was molto buono (very good). After pointing to a few dishes, describing the food in Italian, his eyes lit up and pointed to a pasta dish and said “fish.” I was convinced, and agreed to order the fish, not knowing what I was in for. A couple of minutes later, I saw our waiter come from the kitchen with a large, bright red lobster that was anything but dead. He held it in front of me to explain that it was what I had ordered. We were both impressed and satisfied with our surprise dishes that we ended up ordering.

This was a perfect example of how you should never eat at the first restaurant that you see. All of the piazza’s in Rome are filled with an abundance of restaurants that offer the usual pizza, pasta and meat dishes. But, it is always important to keep in mind that if you walk away from the center of a piazza and step away from the chaos, you will most likely find a cheaper and more unique menu.

American Music

While I was enjoying a beautiful evening on the Spanish Steps last night, I witnessed a new type of street entertainment, which has come to be my favorite. It was not the usual sight of a homeless man playing a violin or accordion with a money basket begging for spare change. It was a group of about ten Italian men in a circle, freely strumming away on a guitar, singing at the top of their lungs. Although the men we’re not particularly “talented” in respects to their voices, the emotion and passion that they put into their singing was entertaining. To add to our experience, all of the songs that were performed were popular American songs, by artists like James Blunt, Aleisha Keys, R.E.M and the Beatles. I enjoyed listening to the older men, with their tight dark jeans on, belting out the lyrics to Aleisha Key’s high-pitched song, “No one”. They had no open guitar cases, hats or a basket for change. They were purely playing their music for pleasure and their own satisfaction. It was terribly amusing and fun to see how American music is so alive and present in Italy.

Final days at the Snack Bar

As my final days in Rome are quickly approaching, I keep thinking in my head "this is the last time I'll walk this road, this is the last time I'll go into class, and this is the last time I'll order an espresso, the last time I’ll eat a panini at the Snack Bar" and so on. When I began my final walk to Sedi de Roma, the sweat began to pour down my face, and I knew it was going to be another torturous, hot and sticky day. The thought of ordering an iced vanilla latte from Starbucks to cool down made my mouth water. An espresso shot did not seem appealing by any means. But, as I came closer to the small Snack Bar that has conveniently provided me energy and cheap lunches all semester, I couldn't help but stop on the way to class. The same tall skinny man who has greeted me with a large smile each morning, and quickly hands me my espresso's was waiting for us behind the counter. He set down the mini spoon and plate, with a pack of sugar, to prepare me for my espresso. His co-worker, who is a jolly man, with a thick mustache continually, tries to teach us Italian whenever we order a croissant or panini from him. I realized that this daily routine that I have gotten used to for the past seven weeks was finally coming to an end. It feels like just yesterday when it was the first day of class and Mike recommended that we checked out the small snack bar down the street which had some flavorful egg plant panini’s. I still remember the feeling of helplessness when all I could do was point at the most appetizing panini, to place my order.

Although I thought my morning encounter would be the last time I would step foot into the snack bar, I couldn’t help but return for a panini only a few hours later. The bushy mustache man looked at us and smiled, pointing to his watch, showing that we were early. It was only 10:30 am, and he was used to us coming sometime after noon. I sadly ordered my last panini, as I tried to explain to the man that it was our last time at the bar. He smiled, nodded, not knowing what I was trying to communicate to him. We exchanged the usual “grazie” and “prego” and I went on my way. Although the language barrier made it impossible for us to have lengthy conversations, the smiles, waves and “ciaos” always seemed to be enough for us. The men at the snack bar have definitely made an impact on my experience in Rome, and I don’t think it will ever be forgotten!

Botanical Gardens

Our walk through the Botanical Garden, located in our very own neighborhood, Trastevere was a nice change from the chaotic streets of Rome.  The minute we stepped on the stone path that was surrounded by green trees I felt a sense of serenity,which I have not experienced since being in Rome.  Although many of the 7,000 plant species in the botanical gardens were either dead, or had not bloomed yet, I still enjoyed my time exploring.  The greenhouse contained a variety of exotic and colorful cacti that I never knew existed.  The wildlife, including fish, frogs and a family of ducks made a home in the small pond located in the center of the garden.  I was also intrigued by the forests of sturdy, green bamboo.  Despite the heat, we hiked to the top of the hill, which gave us a glimpse of the city, through the trees and leaves.  It was definitely a well spent afternoon, and I would recommend this place to anyone!

Markets on the move

After previously making the observation about Piazza Navona's calm and unhabited space in the morning, I have found some new and interesting information about the history of the square. It's odd, long, skinny, oval space was once used as a site for an ancient Roman circus. Here, people would gather around to watch atheltic and theatre events. The bizzare shape outlines the circus and horse tracks that took place in the piazza many centuries ago.

In the 15th century, the Piazza was then turned into a city market, which was transferred from the Capitoline Hill.  The same market was then moved to Campo de'Fiori in 1869.  I have not been able to find any information, discussing the reasons for why the market was moved from Piazza Navona to Campo de'Fiori.  Although Campo de'Fiori is a smaller square, maybe the oval shape of Piazza Navona was not suitable for a market, as it became more popular, and the crowds grew larger.

Information obtained from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_Navona
http://www.romainteractive.com/pznavona.htm

National Museum of Musical Instruments

Since I have dedicated one of my themes to be focused on street entertainers throughout Rome, I thought it would only be necessary to include some information about the National Museum of Musical Instruments. If you have been to many churches, art museums and galleries throughout Rome and want to explore more, the National Museum of Musical Instruments might just be the perfect change for you.The museum holds a large collection of instruments that were collected by the Italian lyric tenor, Evan Gorga. Although he was only able to keep about have of his collection, due to economic trouble, he was still able to leave about 3,000 pieces to a convention, which agreed to pay off all his debts and financially support him for the rest of his life. The instruments were then gathered into a museum, in 1974.
You will also be given the opportunity to see Barberini's enharmonic harp, which dated back to the 17th century. The museum not only holds instruments of the western music collections, but there is also a section that is devoted to instruments of ancient cultures.
If you are interested in going to the museum, or would like to find out more information please click the link below:

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/nuove/estrumentiinfo.htm