Let's Get Down to Business

The last few days have taught me that this trip is not just about traveling and getting to see lots of different places. I'm actually going to have to do some work while I'm here.

This work comes in a couple of different forms:

1. Learning to Speak Italian - It comes in handy to speak the native tongue of a country you are going to be living in for eight months. There is no way around this fact, even if the English language is kind of a lingua franca and a lot of people over here know it. Knowing Italian just makes things easier and can fix a lot of problems before they get started. I took two semesters of Italian last year, but its a bit different speaking with natives who basically talk like their a cassette on fast-forward. For instance, I was outside sketching the other day and an Italian guy came up to me and asked for directions. He asked me how to get to Piazza Navona. I think. I pointed in the direction of Piazza Navona and off he went probably in search of someone he could actually communicate with. Maybe with a bit more time and practice, I can expand my vocabulary beyond the names of different foods, furniture, rooms around the house, and how to order food.

This would come in handy right about now. Not really.

2. Washing Clothes - This is another fun task. I've been doing it for years now and I consider myself pretty good at it; however, I have never used an Italian washing machine before. Before today, at least. The hotel we are staying at was kind enough to buy a front-loading washing machine for the students to use a year or two ago, but, as I found out, it isn't the most user friendly machine ever made. I put a load in the washer, thinking it was going to take the standard hour to wash. 90 minutes later it was still spinning and turning. I will not actually blame this on the machine, but my own impatience. I ended up turning some knobs that I probably shouldn't have turned and basically reset the washer a couple times, meaning it sent my stuff through the wash twice without a spin cycle to keep it from being dripping wet. At this moment, all my jeans and shirts are slowly air drying in the bathroom. I forgot to mention the fact that there is no dryer to compliment the washer. Awesome.

3. Food - If I was back at Notre Dame, I wouldn't have to even think twice about food. If I was hungry I just went to the dining hall and got lunch or dinner, and if I needed a late night snack I just walked over to LaFortune and picked up a couple of hot dogs. It isn't as easy in Rome. Nowadays, we either have to cook everything for ourselves, go to a restaurant, or starve. Also, not too many places near the studio are open late at night, so you have to take a decent walk in order to satisfy late night hunger. If only there was a Taco Bell somewhere.

Pizzette - 2 Euros. A decent lunch on a budget.

4. School Work - Oh yeah, that's important, too. In the two weeks I've been here, I've put out 30 odd pages of sketches and notes in my various notebooks and sketch books, finished one project, and been assigned a second that is due in two weeks right before out field trip to northern Italy, all while being in class between 3 to 7 hours every day. In short, I've been fairly busy and it's only going to get more intense from here as we get deeper into the semester.

Let's get cracking.

Cinqueterre: First Weekend Away from Rome

I can describe my trip to Cinqueterre in one word: Incredible

Yeah, wow.

Cinqueterre, for those of you who may not have heard of it, is a group of five villages nestled along the ocean on the northwestern Italian coast about 4 hours by train from Rome. They are all linked together by a group of four trails that go over all kinds of terrain and have the most spectacular views you will ever see. I had the oppertunity last weekend to take a trip to this amazingly beautiful part of Italy and saw some of the most incredible scenery I've ever seen in my life.

We arrived in the northern most of the five villages, Monterosso al Mare, a little after noon on Saturday after a long morning on the train. Even the view from the train station was spetacular. In front of us were the clear blue waters of the ocean flanked on either side by beautiful mountains that got lost in the low lying clouds all the way out to the horizon. We ended up eating lunch in Monterosso al Mare and then went down to the beach below the town.

The beach itself wasn't all that great because it was covered in rocks and dark, coarse sand, but the water was absolutely amazing. We spent around and hour swimming in the beautiful water where you could see the bottom no matter how deep it got. It's really difficult to describe the feeling of swimming amidst such beautiful scenery.

Unfortunately, when we got out of the water it started to rain a bit. So, instead of exploring more of Monterosso we decided to go back to the train station and head up to Levanto, were we would be spending the night in a hostel.

Levanto is just north of the five famous villages but is equally as beautiful. It is set in between two mountains at the edge of a hemispherical natural harbor. Later in the evening, I ended up going to a Vigil Mass at San Andrea, a beautiful Romanesque church a minute or two from the hostel. It was the first time I'd ever been to Mass in Italian. I paid attention to the homily, but I didn't understand a word of it. Other than that the Mass was a really great experience. We ended up getting dinner, strolling along the beach, getting some gelatto, and then went back to the hostel to get some sleep before a long day of hiking on Sunday.

Sunday itself was a blur. Beauty was everywhere we went and after a while you become almost desensitized by it. We started in Monterosso al Mare and took the first trail to the town of Vernazza. The trails on the first half of the journey were pretty challenging. The path took you to the tops of mountains, over tiny waterfalls, up and down flights of crude stone steps, and along narrow ledges. It was a real work out, but the views were definitely worth it. It literally feels like you are on top of the world as you see everything sprawled out before you.

Vernazza from the trail

Vernazza was an incredible little town right at sea level. We ended up eating lunch here and took a refreshing dip in the harbor after a long morning on the trail. The water was even clearer here that it was at Monterosso. The town is built into the side of a hill, so most of the streets were basically stairways. The main "street" that went down to the beach from the trail was a stairway maybe four feet wide. It is so interesting to think about how much the terrain can affect the look and layout of towns.

After lunch, we hiked to the next town of Corniglia, which was much more laid back than the previous two. It was perched high on a hill that juts out into the ocean and had sweaping views in every direction. As we walked into town, I noticed an old lady sitting on a bench talking to herself. At least that's what I though she we doing. In reality, she was actually talking to another old lady sitting on a third floor balcony in the apartment building across the street.

The last leg of the journey took a lot less time. The third path that led to the town of Manarola was closed because the rain from previous night increased the risk for mudslides. We ended up hopping on a train to get to Manarola and then hiked the last leg to Riomaggiore, the easiest part of the journey, just as the sun began to set.

In all, it was an incredible trip. The scenery was gorgeous, the towns and the buildings in them were fantastic, and the experience was unlike anything I've ever done before. It's incredible how much beauty there is in the world, and it was amazing to get the opportunity to see some of this beauty first hand.

Finally, before heading back to Rome, I had a very traditional Italian meal, a Big Mac and fries from the McDonalds at the train station. Very Italian, indeed.

Rome: La Citta Eterna

I've been here long enough now to have a pretty good idea of what makes Rome the city it is. There are ridiculous amounts (not portion sizes, mind you) of delicious food on every corner. There are the Romans that speed by on motorcycles in personally tailored suits and those that just sit on a stoop and throw bread at pigeons. Don't forget about the gypsies either. Although all these things and people contribute to Rome in their own way (even gypsies), I feel the city itself (the streets, buildings, and the connection between them) makes Rome one of the most fascinating places on Earth.

As I've walked the piazzas, gotten lost in side alleys trying to find the hotel, eaten pizza at restaurants in the shadow of famous buildings, I've learned that wherever you go there is history in every step. Rome is a city that has been built up over the centuries. The basements of today's buildings were yesterdays store fronts. Rubble and refuse from ancient structures and everything else that has piled up over the years has raised the city up dozens of feet in some places. I have learned so many interesting things about the city within the short time I've been here and I'm sure that I'll keep learning new things about this place until the day I leave.

Sketching in Piazza della Maddalena. An Italian guy walked
by a few minutes later and started oinking at me. Odd.

As far as life in Rome goes, its pretty interesting. I have a better idea of how to get from A to B and not get lost, and I've also found a place where I can get some decent pizza for under 3 euro. That being said, "pizza" in Rome can mean an couple of different things. There are three types of pizza I've found:

1. Pizza that is basically a sandwich with meat and cheese in between
2. Pizza that is like American pizza other than the fact it's really plain and is cold because it has been sitting at the counter for 3 hours
3. Pizza that is freshly cooked at a restaurant (aka Pizza Margaretta, etc.)

Types 1 and 3 are really good. I have tried to stay away from the second type. It lacks pizazz (no pun intended) and could use about a pound of pepperoni and sausage and get the assistance of a new invention that just came out a few years ago. The oven.

Nightlife has been great, too. After classes, my friends and I have gone out and explored the city and all it has to offer. There was one night where we sat on the Spanish Steps and just chatted. Another night, we ventured off to find a pizza place that we soon found out didn't exist and did the next best thing by eating at the restaurant across the street from its supposed location. We've seen quite a bit so far, but it still amazes me how much there is still to see. Luckily I have eight more months to see all the sights.

Flights and First Perspectives

I woke up at 4am on the morning of the 9th and couldn't go back to sleep. I was just too excited about Rome. Even with the excitement, it had not yet set in that I was actually leaving. That moment didn't come until I left my parents at South Bend Regional Airport later that morning. After, getting my bags checked, I said my goodbyes, went through security, and began what will become a journey that I will never forget.

The domestic flights were pretty enjoyable and short, but the flight to Rome was not as comfortable. Where the flights from South Bend to Chicago and from Chicago to Washington, D.C. went by in a flash, the final flight dragged on and on. I could just never get comfortable. Economy class seats just aren't made to be comfortable for 6'7" people. Even though I tried to fall asleep, I ended up sleeping for only about 20 minutes of the eight hour flight. I ended up watching The Karate Kid twice and bits and pieces of Robin Hood in French. Yeah, I was that uncomfortable.

Any negative feelings disappeared when we reached Rome. I gladly got off the plane, got through passport control in the terminal, got my luggage, and within a few minutes took my first steps into Italy. I took my first breath of the fresh Italian air, and to my dismay instead got a lovely whiff of cigarette smoke. Not as romantic of a first impression as I had imagined, but I was enthralled to finally be in Italy none the less.

We all hopped on a bus which then drove us into Rome. There were a couple of things I learned from this experience. First, Italian drivers a very, very different than drivers in America. Cars were flying around all over the place in choreographed madness. It didn't matter if there was a lane or not. If there was pavement it was open game for driving. Motorcycles buzzed in and out between cars. Interesting to say the least. Second, the buildings in Rome are incredible. Seriously. The bus only went down a couple roads on the way into the city, but I got to see all sorts of structures, most older than any building back home.

Rome is a truly magical place, and I saw this first hand as we spent the afternoon wandering the streets. There was something interesting around every corner. We found churches tucked away in tiny hidden piazzas, sometimes difficult to spot among the hundreds of shops, restaurants, and bars. We went inside a couple different churches as we walked around. The one that left me in awe was Il Gesu. The painted ceiling was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was so vivid and the contrast between all the figures was incredible. I literally stood there with my mouth open.

Ceiling, Il Gesu

The first day in Rome was a long one and there was so much thrown at me all at once. It is going to take a lot of time to process everything and get used to this place. The lifestyle, even within the first couple of hours, I have found to be entirely different. Life in the city is much faster and nosier than what I'm used to. The language difference and communicating with people is another barrier to hurdle. Even trying to find out where I'm going has been an adventure. Take a wrong turn at an intersection and you could end up wandering down a random side alley with no clue where you are at. I did it twice. At the same intersection.

With that in mind, I have spent the last hour or so studying maps.