Buonagiornata!
This weekend the gang was all together in Roma, rather than this coming weekend during which we’re all separating and going all over the country! So we took the opportunity to take in some of the Roman staples. Our first stop of the weekend, however, was not something I had expected to see in Rome; a giant performance piece on the Tiber river! The event was titled “Waterfire” and was directed by Barnaby Evans. Essentially, this piece is a continuation of an event by the same name that occurs in Providence, Rhode Island annually. During the two day event, 30 floating fires buoy in the Tiber river between Ponte Sisto and Ponte Mazzini in the neighborhood of Trestevere. The Artist/Designer was Robert Hammond. Also, accompanying the flames there were a couple of dance pieces choreographed by Linda Foster. So, as an art major and a dancer, I WAS ALL OVER THIS!
Photos Courtesy of our lovely resident photo major (and my future roomie) Tessa Smucker!
Check out her site she is very talented 🙂
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tessa-Marie-Photography/103198486437938?ref=ts
It was an AMAZING way to kick off the weekend. It seemed like almost every Temple Rome student was out that night. Afterwards we stopped for a drink, and I had the BEST mojito of my life! Gma would have loved it! But we couldn’t stay out too late because we all had a big day of sight seeing ahead. Saturday morning a few of us made a trip to the Trionfale open air market right down the street from the residence on the Via Milizie, I’ve been meaning to get there for weeks!
YUM.
When we first came to Temple Rome, our student affairs coordinator told us that Italians thrive on chaos… That was no joke. Trionfale bustles for a few hours a day with colors, smells, and tons of Italians. A few of us went on a Saturday morning, which was probably a mistake. Before you go to Trionfale, make sure you’ve had your coffee and hugged a few kittens because this place will really test your patience for mankind. Italians really aren’t big on the idea of personal space so they will cram themselves in anywhere they fit, so elbowing your way through the crowd can be relatively stifling. But once you make it through the mob the massive expanse of fresh Italian produce, meat, fish, and spices is unreal.
Maybe someday I’ll actually go in there with enough confidence in my Italian to buy something!
After taking an hour to go home and regain our composure from our head on collision with the Italian mob, James, Kenny, Cecily, Andriana, Shannon, and myself headed to see the one place (other than the Vatican) that I NEEDED to see in Rome.
IL COLOSEO!!!
Here is my advice to you for WHEN you come see the Coliseum, Get the ticket and go through the Roman Forum then walk over to the Coliseum. My lovely room-mate Alex’s sister (who studied in Rome in 2007) informed us that going through the Roman Forum in not only totally worth it, but you also skip the line of ignorant tourists who ran straight to the ticket booth at the Coliseum, not knowing there was another ticket booth a block away. But don’t tell anyone I told you because then everyone will know about it and this trick won’t work anymore!
I wasn’t totally paying attention so don’t take my word for this, But Kencyclopedia said that the Roman Forum is essentially where the rich citizens and the politicians lived.
Then we made it to the main event of the day, the Coliseum! But there was something really strange going on other than an inordinate amount of fannypacks; everywhere we turned there were brides. No joke, we must have seen seven weddings. All over the place there were brides and grooms riding in convertibles and getting pictures taken.
As James so eloquently put it:
“How Romantic, you’re getting married where they used to slaughter people for sport.”
… He had a point. It was a little odd. But I wish my BFF from home, Tori, could have been there to see this because she’s studying to be a wedding planner (plus we just love weddings like every other girl on Earth) and she would have died!
Anyway, inside the Coliseum (after skipping the enormous line because we’re smart)
I’ve seen this in so many art history books so it was UNREAL to see it in real life!
Just a couple of gladiators hanging out in the Coliseum.
It’s strange that all that’s left of this massive structure are the bare bones because all the marble was stolen the make churches. But seeing the Coliseum is now something I can check off of my bucket list!
On to another week full of painting and cappuccinos!
Ciao!
Jen