First Week of Classes!

Getting back into school life has been a bit of a shock. Having two weeks to do whatever I want and wander aimlessly around Rome has put me into vacation mode. I've gotten accustomed to just having a relaxing dinner, writing my blog, studying Italian, and reading. Now, it's back to the hard grind. Everyone said not to worry too much about classes in Rome, but I don't think they had the course load that we do as architecture students. Still, I can't complain when my classes are this great!

Monday I had "Neighborhoods of Modern Rome." I'm so excited because this is an almost entirely experiential learning course, which means every week, we will be meeting at a different site so that we can both learn about and explore the area simultaneously. We will also be discussing readings each week on architecture, urban planning and housing. This really is a great course for me because I am primarily interested in sustainable dense urban housing, and in this course we will be exploring the factors involved in making a 'good' neighborhood, and ultimately, a livable city.

Tuesdays, I will typically have "Communications" class in the morning and Workshop in the afternoon, but because our professor was away travelling with the Pope (!), our class was moved to Friday this week. For the Workshop, which is called "As if People Mattered," we will be working closely with the students from Colorado to submit entries for a national architecture competition. The winners of the competition receive a 5000 Euro cash prize and a trip to Paris where the award ceremony will be. While this is great, I'm mostly excited for the experience. This will be my second architecture competition. I worked on a competition for a pavilion on Flint, Michigan a few years ago, but this one has higher stakes, and I have better guidance this time. Our professor, Andrew Kranis, is fantastic, and I'm so excited to work with him. For our first class, we got a walking tour around Rome and did some sketches. Even though it was raining a bit, we had a great time. Andrew took us to this amazing Panini shop where I ate one of the best sandwiches of my life (turkey, arugula and mozzarella). Then we visited the tomb of Augustus and the Ara Pacis Museum by Richard Meier. What an interesting contrast between old and new. We talked a lot about the ways in which the modern Ara Pacis museum both does and doesn't fit into it's context. It definitely stands out because of its stark, smooth white walls, and its orientation doesn't seem to acknowledge the river or the tomb of Augustus. However, its shape and dimensions do seem to fit into the line of buildings erected by Mussolini to encompass the tomb. Next, we went to Piazza del Popolo right at the edge of the Aurelian Wall, Villa Borghese, and the Spanish steps. Unfortunately, the Spanish steps were under renovation, but it was still great to see them and to experience the oddly shaped piazza below. We did a sketching exercise here in which we had to determine the shape of the plan simply from walking around. I'm very out of practice with sketching right now. However, I'm excited to have the opportunity to get better this semester. I specifically want to work on being able to sketch quickly and without too much detail. I'm terrible at large overview sketches because I can never decide which details to include, and which not to.

Wednesday is my busiest day of classes. In the morning I have my internships class, then Italian an Sustainable Foods in the afternoon. The Internships class surprised me. I knew that there would be a class along with the internship, but I didn't realize how much time outside of the internship it would take. We have class almost every week with lectures, guest speakers, and films, we have papers and readings to do, and we will be volunteering in small groups. It sounds great. We will be learning all about what the workforce is like in Italy, including discrimination and politics. I'm just a little worried about how much time the class will take if I am also spending 12 hours per week at my internship. We'll see. I have the most amazing internship, though! I had my interview on Friday, and it seems as though I got the job. I will be working with a firm called Aka Architects. They were started in 2001 by Federica Caccavale, Alessandro Casadei and Paolo Pineschi. They work on a broad range of projects from landscape architecture to urban planning, to villas and housing projects. They also have a strong emphasis on sustainability in their projects, which fits in very well with my interests and goals. Federica told me that a primary reason they were interested in me was because I know German. They have a few German clients who I can help communicate with, and I was thrilled because this means that I will get to practice my German as well! I'm so excited to get started. Hopefully, I can meet or exceed their expectations. They all seem so nice, but I'm hoping I can get better at Italian quickly because although they all speak wonderful English, I feel bad that I can't converse in their native language yet.

Sustainable Foods is going to be fantastic. Just the name of the class was what sold me. I knew I had to take the class because I love food and I am passionate about sustainability, and what better place to learn about it than in Italy? Our professor, Sergio, is a friendly and adorable man who is extremely passionate about Italy and food. His passion just emanates from him as he speaks. In addition to lectures, we will have three cooking classes throughout the semester at his apartment nearby, and a chef, Fiori, will be teaching us a series of classic Italian dishes (and maybe pastries if we're lucky!). We have a fairly large class of 18, but I was very impressed that we don't have a single vegetarian. We are also all very willing to be adventurous with food. I was so happy to hear this because it opens the doors to a lot more possibilities and exciting food experiences. I'm someone who will try anything at least once. We'll see if I come home with some new spectacular recipes and techniques!

Communications was extra long this Friday because Sean, the professor, is just too popular and will be gone again next week to give a lecture, but it was fantastic. He took us to St. Peter's Basilica and told us all these captivating stories about the symbols on the walls and the people who are buried beneath the ground. St. Peter's was paid for with indulgences from people who had sinned. I never knew that. It is also the home of the famous Michelangelo sculpture, the Pieta, which depicts Mary holding the dead body of Jesus in her arms. The sculpture was made even more powerful by Sean's explanation of it. He said, Mary's gesture of the open palm seems to represent the helplessness that comes with the death of one's child, the feeling that there is nothing she can do to change what has happened and she must simply let it be. He showed us so many spectacular things there. My experience of the Basilica the second time was made so much richer by his explanations and stories, which gave meaning to what I was seeing beyond just awe.

After the tour, Kristin, Nicole and I ventured up to the roof of the basilica. I made us take the stairs even though poor Kristin is claustrophobic. She made it, though! and it was spectacular. We got to see the spectacular mosaics on the walls up close, we got to look down on the center of the basilica, we got to walk on the (very uneven) roof, and best of all, we got to see the view from the very top of the dome of St. Peter's. It was windy, but we were lucky that it was a clear day and we could see practically all of Rome. We are definitely going back. We were told that the views and the experience of the Basilica is best in the early morning when there aren't as many people around. I'm going to see if this is true for myself.

View from the top

Mosaic up close

The dome

We had a break for lunch, then we had class again, in which we talked about the meaning of a name. He told me that "Evelina," which comes from "Evelyn" means hazelnut, and that I am full of fertility. He said I tend to spread the fertility to other people, as in giving them advice, or knowledge, or good ideas, or help. Maybe that's why I like teaching? In any case, it was interesting to hear.

Well, those are all my classes! I will have Italian class for the next two weeks, then it will be over. I wish it continued, because I have already learned so much from our awesome professor, Mario. However, I plan to continue studying as often as I can.

In other news, I found this great grocery store not too far from the apartment called "La Capra Rampante" or The Rampant Goat. It's basically the closest thing to a "Whole Foods" store that I've seen. They have really great local, organic produce, lots of specialty foods like Spirulina Bread, every type of gluten free snack you can imagine, and vegan proteins. They also have a pretty good selection of granola bars, and they had almonds!!

Day 10

Today we practiced our Italian in the market. After a brief review, we got coffee and pastries at a charming coffee shop near the ACCENT Center, then headed back over to Campo di’Fiori where the market is. I love this market. They have everything from exotic fruits to specialty cheeses to shirts to salts. Mario and Marco gave us all some money and sent us off to make our purchases in Italian. My group got some strawberries, apples, sun-dried tomatoes, and Fanta. It was fun, and I was happy to practice Italian, but I definitely want to go back to actually do some shopping at this market.

Cappuccino at the coffee shop

For the afternoon, we got a tour of the Colosseum with the History professor, Pia Kehl, but first, we went to lunch at this great restaurant called La Carbonara. Nicole got the pasta carbonara and Lindsey, Kristen and I tried the lasagna. Both were delicious. This is another restaurant I would definitely recommend. There’s writing all over the walls and cured meat hanging from the ceiling, which gives it a very homey feel.

Lasagna

Pasta Carbonara

 

Going back to the Colosseum with a guide was great. The first time we visited, I was awed, but it is so much better getting to hear the history behind what I’m seeing. Pia pumped us with a lot of information, not all of which I can relay here, but I will bring up some of the most interesting points. The holes in the walls are actually from people trying to extract the metal pins within the walls, which were used to keep the blocks together during construction. The barrel vaulted ceiling on the lower level was only possible because of newly discovered concrete construction. 

Holes from the excavators

Barrel vaulted ceiling

Pia talked a lot about social life in Rome. The emperor and all the most important people would always sit on the lowest level right in front of where the action was happening. The emperor had a chair (now marked by a cross) that was specifically oriented so the wind would blow into his face as he was watching. From the sounds of it, this definitely would have been appreciated, because the events would last the entire day and it would have been very hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. It’s estimated that 70-80,000 people could be seated for the events, but one had to have a personal invitation from the emperor to attend. Refusing the invitation was unheard of. The poorest classes were seated in the top rows in wooden seats instead of stone. There were awnings spanning across the top of the structure to provide shade and possibly also to circulate air.

The cross showing where the emperor sat

The pins where the awning was attached

Places where the brick has peeled away to reveal how the walls were constructed

The gladiators themselves were usually prisoners from other countries who had been given the choice to either die or fight for their lives. They had to train intensely and be extremely fit because the armor they wore was made of bronze. The helmet alone was around 7 kilos. They had to wear this armor in the hot arena, running through sand to battle large, ferocious animals. Pia said that if they did make it out of the arena alive (which was almost never), many of them died soon after from infections and diseases from wounds. They were never allowed to go back to their home country, and only a lucky few might have been chosen by a Roman woman to start a life with her. Many woman would take interest in the gladiators. If this happened, the one she chose would be escorted by guards from his training camp to her house where they would spend the night together. Infidelity was common in Rome because people did not marry for love.

 

The gladiator armor

The animals were kept in cages and to make things more dramatic, they were led into the arena from all sides, rather than just the two ends. Especially dangerous animals were kept in their cages and lifted onto the stage by elevators located below. Little rectangular shafts that still remain and indentations in the rock where the ropes were seem to be evidence of this.

Diorama of the elevator system for the animals

 

Remnants of the elevators for the animals

We found another grocery store called "Simply Market" just a few blocks away from our apartment which is much larger than he COOP one, so we stopped there on our way home to get some more ingredients and some wine. I actually got a nice Venetian Merlot from a specialty wine store. For dinner I made a lentil stew with sun-dried tomatoes from the market, eggplant, and red peppers. The bell peppers here are enormous! Then I taught Nicole how to make risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and white wine.

We were tired after a long day of walking, but we had planned to meet Kristen and her host-sister who is sixteen, at Campo di’Fiori in the evening. We invited Lindsey, another girl in the program, over to our apartment for some wine, then we decided to walk over. We had a pretty good night and met some nice people, but Kristen’s sister had to go home early, so we mostly ended up hanging out with Americans, Australians, and even some people from Cambridge.

Day 9

Orientation Day 2:

We had a walking tour of the city with our architecture professor, Andrew Kranis, this morning. He is one of the best speakers I have heard in a long time. Every sentence is spoken with purpose and extreme intelligence. When he is explaining something, it almost sounds as though he has rehearsed it many times, but he is just coming up with it as we walk.

First, we went to Piazza Navona. On the way, he pointed out some basic information about Rome. The city is comprised of three basic elements: the inner courtyard, the street, and the piazza. “Piazza” literally translates to “place,” making a piazza an area where void is a means for creating a sense of place. Piazzas are extremely important as gathering places. The counterpart to the piazza is the inner courtyard, which appears in almost every neighborhood in Rome. Because of the density of the city, inner courtyards are important for breaking up the dense clumps of buildings and allowing for light and air circulation. Instead of broad open streets, closely positioned buildings make for very narrow streets, but the courtyards served as a relief from that density. Kranis also pointed out the historic drinking fountains that pop up along the streets. They are very old and provide some of the best drinking water because they are sourced directly from fresh springs through aqueducts. Water was an extremely important aspect of ancient Rome. Not only were the aqueducts an example of their masterful architectural and engineering ability, but they allowed the Roman Empire to thrive by preventing disease, and providing sanitation and hydration. They are still a pride of the city today, and I have to say that the water is, indeed, delicious.

An inner courtyard with a view of a church by Borromini

 

Piazza Navona itself has an interesting history. It is horseshoe shaped, curved on one end and flat on the other because it was once used for chariot racing. The sides were not buildings, but seats of a stadium. There is a plaque on the end of the square inscribed with the year of the great “inundation” or flood of the Tiber River. The line on the plaque shows the level to which the water rose, and represents an important point in Roman history when the emperor decided it was time to build walls along the river to prevent another flood from happening.



Plaque showing the level of the huge flood

Sant’Agnese in Agone is a 17^th century Baroque church located in the center of Piazza Navona and was designed by Borromini. It is unique because of what Borromini managed to create in very little space. Because of site restraints, there was no space to create a long-axis church like most of them are, so instead, Borromini extended the length of the arms of the church and lifted the dome so that the church is almost three times as high as it is deep. He also used visual illusions at the end of the transepts to make it look as though they extended a lot further than they do, which I find fascinating.

The dome

The illusion to make the sides look longer than they are

 

The front
 

The fountain in the center of the square, which faces the church of St. Agnes, does not have much relation to the church because it was designed by Borromini’s rival, Bernini. Kranis told us a story of how Bernini got the commission. Apparently, the emperor favored Borromini and was most likely going to give the commission for the fountain to him, so Bernini made a scale model of his idea for the fountain and secretly left it on the emperor’s desk. As soon as the emperor saw the model, he said he had to have it, and the commission went to Bernini. It’s a magnificent fountain not just because of the gorgeous craft involved in the sculptures, but also because of its masterful engineering. Since there were no water pumps back then, they had to use gravity to get the water flowing, and running the water through a series of small tubes built up enough pressure that when the water reached the large spouts, it would come out in gushes. The tall column on top is an Egyptian obelisk. They show up all over Rome, having been found and taken by the Romans, and although no one knew what the runes on them meant, they were still used often as decorations.



The fountain by Bernini



We also passed a building with hardly any windows. Kranis explained that this was most likely once a mini fortress where people could go if they were in danger. To give it protection, there were no windows, the walls were very thick, and there was a lookout spot on top where they could go to throw things on their enemies below. They most likely never lived in the building, but nearby where it was accessible from an inner courtyard. A few windows have since been added to the structure, and it has been adapted to the modern city. Newer neoclassical buildings were simply tacked on to either side of the structure and made to fit together. I love this about Rome. Not only is it historical, but it can also adapt. There are so many hidden treasures among the streets and even in the homes. As we walked through one of the richest districts of the city, Kranis said that there were probably countless relics and masterpieces inside many of the homes, simply lying undiscovered. There is always more to find and more to learn here. It seems every building, street, or courtyard has a story behind it, and a lucky few of us have the opportunity to uncover those stories. I wish we could build like they once did, creating beautiful structures meant to last, so that someday in the distant future, the stories encapsulated in those walls can be discovered and appreciated.

The old fortress with few windows



Old relics

 Next we went to the “most important building in Rome,” which is, of course, the Pantheon. It was my first time seeing it in daylight, and getting to see the light from the oculus streaming in really was spectacular. “Pantheon” means a temple to all gods. Hadrian is given credit for its erection, and his goal was to create a structure that was both spiritual, providing space for a statue of all the Roman Gods, and civic, giving people a place for gathering and even holding public trials. First and foremost, the Pantheon is a masterpiece of architecture. The front is built in the typical Greek style with a line of columns and a pedimented roof, but then one enters and is taken almost completely by surprise by the dome spanning the entire structure, which can’t be seen from the front. There is still debate as to how the dome was built, but the general consensus seems to be that the wall were built first, the interior was filled with dirt and mounded into the perfect dome shape that they wanted with the coffer designs on the exterior. Then, the concrete was poured over the top and allowed to set. However they did it, its genius, in my opinion. There was no modern technology. Sheer man power and masterful engineering brought this structure into existence, and it is still standing today.

Pantheon dome

On the way to the Trevi fountain, we passed through one of the largest indoor malls in Rome with gorgeous stained glass roofs. It is so different from malls we have in the U.S. Back home, malls tend to be plain concrete structures. Here, they are art in and of themselves, and the architecture trly enhances the shopping experience.

The indoor mall

 

 

Unfortunately, the Trevi fountain is being cleaned, so all the water was drained and there is scaffolding everywhere, but we were able to walk across it and get closer to the sculptures than if the water had been flowing.

We ended our walking tour in Campo De’Fiori, which means place of flowers. It has a spectacular market as well as one of the most famous “pizza-to-go” restaurants called Forno. To order, you tell them how much to cut off, and they charge you by weight, so half a pizza could end up only costing 2 Euros. My mushroom pizza was right around there. Typically, the pizza is folded in half and eaten like a sandwich in the streets. They also have amazing pastries and actual pizza sandwiches there, which are made with the same famous Roman bread as they use for the pizza crusts. It was a spectacularly delicious lunch for a reasonable price, and I am definitely going back to try more.

After the pizza, Kristen, Nicole and I went in search of gelato. We ended up going back to the place we had tried on the first night and eating it in front of the Pantheon just as before. I have to say, I like it better at night, but there was still music in the piazza, and it still didn’t seem real to be eating gelato in front of the Pantheon.  

Pistachio and Hazelnut...yum!

 

Our last class of the day was called, “Survival Italian.” I was really looking forward to this because I am tired of not being able to converse at all in Italian. Of course, I have been picking up phrases here and there, and Kristen has been teaching me a lot, but I still can hardly order a coffee.

We were split into two groups, and I was in the group with Mario. He was great! Such a nice and encouraging person, he made the learning fun, and he made me feel as though I was doing very well. We learned numbers and basic greeting expressions and such, and I felt a lot better afterwards!

We went out as a large group after dinner. Nicole and I just stayed in and cooked because I missed home-cooked food and was tired of eating out. I made chicken with spinach and mushrooms in a wine balsamic sauce. It was delicious. Then I taught Nicole how to make a bechamele sauce for her pasta. Unfortunately, all we had was wheat flour to make the roux, so it didn’t get as thick as it normally does, but I think it was still pretty good.

Almost everyone from the program went out, and it was a large group to manage. We walked back to Campo di’Fiori where there were a few bars in that area. “The Drunken Ship” was the name of one of the most popular ones, but it was filled with Americans. Personally, I want to go out to an Italian bar and meet some Italians, but until my Italian gets better, I’m a little nervous about that. It was good getting to know the people from our program a little better. We are with people from Colorado State University, and five of them are in architecture. They have an “Environmental Design” course that sounds fantastic.

Day 7: The Move

We woke up fairly early so we could make it to the ACCENT Center with plenty of time to move into our new apartment. It was sad to leave. We already had so many great memories from this little apartment, and all we wanted to do was stay, just the three of us together. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. The program had to begin, so we packed up the last of our luggage, cleaned as much as we could, and started our trek down the main street towards the center, our new school and home base. It wasn’t an extremely long walk from our apartment to the center, but it was still rather difficult with our bags to drag along behind us and the uneven cobblestone sidewalks. One of my bags is older and the wheels are fairly close together, so it tended to tip over as I went over bumps on the ground. Despite our fatigue and frustration, we made it to ACCENT in one piece and with all of our luggage. We left our luggage at the bottom of the stairs with the extremely friendly security guard, Ludo. Then we went upstairs to get our housing information.

Kristen is in a homestay with an Italian woman, while Nicole and I are in an apartment together, so we were split up. Nicole still wasn’t feeling well, and she wanted to make sure she didn’t have strep, so she planned on going to the walk-in clinic nearby while I brought our bags to our new home. Our apartment is located across the river from the ACCENT Center just down the street from the Vatican. It’s a great location, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Rome and quite safe. We accrued our keys and some instructions for orientation over the next few days, called a taxi and were on our way. The taxi driver was very nice. Since I had to bring my bags as well as Nicole’s up to the apartment, he was nice enough to help me carry them into the building parlor instead of leaving me on the street in plain view. Then, the landlord helped me get the bags into the elevator and up to the first (American second) floor.

I spent most of the afternoon unpacking and getting accustomed to the new apartment. It is quite large; larger than I had expected. We have a small living room with a couch and a TV. Next to that is our kitchen right across the hall from the front door. The kitchen is pretty small, with only a small table for chopping, but it has all the basic equipment: refrigerator, freezer, sinks, dishwasher, stove, and oven. However, upon further inspection, I found that we have no cutting board, no saucepans, no cookie sheets or oven mits, the overhead light and fan for the stove don’t work, and the dishwasher is broken. Since the kitchen is the most important room in the apartment for me, I was pretty disappointed, but within a few weeks, I think it will be in comfortable working order. There are three bedrooms in the apartment—two people per room. Unfortunately, Nicole and I were the last to arrive, so we got the smallest room, but we got the one facing the inner courtyard and not the street, so the noise level will be lower at night. I have to say, I will miss having a balcony, though! Our room may be the smallest, but it is still a comfortable size. We each have a twin-sized bed with colorful covers and a single pillow, a desk with a lamp, and half of a large closet with lots of hanger space. I should be very comfortable here.

There are two bathrooms for us to share, but there are some issues with the toilet and shower that need to be fixed. One of the showerheads leaks and sprays everywhere; one of the toilets seems to continue draining for ten minutes after flushing, the toilet seat is broken, the light is broken, and the sink drain is clogged. Hopefully, we can get these issues resolved quickly. We do have a washer, but no dryer, so we have a drying rack on which to air-dry our clothes.

The most impressive room is probably the study room. It is a very large and filled with a large table and chairs, an extra bed and an extra closet. When we first arrived, it also contained two large bookcases filled with interesting books. One can tell that this apartment has been used frequently by study abroad students because many of the books are textbooks (including four copies of the textbooks we were told to buy!) covering topics ranging from design to art history to communications. We have since moved the books into the closet and are using the bookshelves in the bathrooms.

I have five roommates. Nicole, Jenny, Kate, Ali, and Taylor. They are all from the University of Minnesota, but I didn’t know any of them except Nicole beforehand. They seem very nice and friendly. Hopefully, we get along throughout the entire semester.

After settling in and meeting our roommates, Nicole and I went out to explore. First, we went down a few blocks to find a grocery store. We stopped at a COOP store recommended to us by the ACCENT staff. I was able to get most of what I needed for a few days, but it was nothing compared to Seward Co-op. I really missed having fresh, organic, local produce at my fingertips. Of course, much of the food was local and fresh, especially the cheese, bread, and olives, and I am still not accustomed to reading Italian labels, but I wasn’t impressed by the selection.

Nicole and I made some lunch out of our grocery plunder, then took a walk down to the Vatican, which is just down the street towards the river. It was getting dark by the time we arrived, but we were just in time to sneak into St. Peter’s basilica for a quick look before they closed for the night. The basilica really is glorious, especially lit up at night. The entire piazza is magnificent, surrounded by giant columns. Because we came in January, a giant Christmas tree was still lit up in the center of the square next to a stage set with an elaborate nativity scene. The size of the basilica was startling and breathtaking. The light wasn’t very good, so my pictures didn’t turn out very well, but it was nice to just wander around and soak up the experience. The design of the interior really does have a unique atmosphere, as though one is entering another world. The countless mosaics and statues are both mesmerizing and a bit chilling, a reminder of death, power, and faith. I really did love it, and I can’t wait to go back to learn more.

I know I will.