Instead of Studying..

Ciao! I just got back from my Italian Oral Exam and I think it went pretty well. :) I am just relieved that 1 out of 3 finals are done! Instead of studying all day, I decided I would quickly recap my last weekend in Rome.

So, our last 'sabato sera' I went out for a nice dinner at a restaurant called Gusto. It was delicious and I'm glad I finally got to go out to a legit nice restaurant instead of cooking my simple pasta dish again. We then all hung around Campo de Fiori for the last time! So sad. :( Here is a picture of us from that night. I will definitely miss the atmosphere at Campo de Fiori. It is more American and I have just had a lot of fun when we get to go out around there.

The next day, we went to Ponte Milvio. Here is a link to an article about Ponte Milvio: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/world/europe/06rome.html?_r=1 . Basically, couples go there and write their names on the padlocks, lock it to the chains around the bridge and throw the key over the bridge for good luck. It is super cute, even though it has become a tourist attraction. Here is a picture of me on the bridge! I definitely enjoyed going there and feeling the romance. :) I am so cheesey! I would like it.

On Monday after class, I went with Lizzie to San Pietro in Vicoli to see Michelangelo's Moses. It was pretty cool to see even though I am definitely sick of seeing basilicas. Here is a picture of me on our way back from the church passing the Colosseum. I will miss being able to walk around the corner and seeing historical monuments like this. It is crazy that all of these things have been literally in my "backyard" for 2 months.

Last night, Lizzie and I had dinner in the Jewish Ghetto at a restaurant called Giardino Romano. We were requested to try the fried artichokes and they were actually pretty good! I also tried suppli (fried rice and cheese with sauce) and it was delicious! I had tagliolini pasta with shrimp and zucchini! YUM! I will miss the pasta here but I am definitely overloaded on carbs. Can't wait to get back to a normal diet! Besides the gelato. I still would want to eat gelato every day!!

I have been busy preparing for the oral exam and attempting to study for my finals tomorrow. I'm a little worried, obviously, but I know they will be fine. I started to pack today and it is a mess! I'm literally shoving stuff in my luggage.. Let's hope I get everything home!

Thinking about it more and more, it's crazy that there is only more 2 days until I come back to reality. (Sort of. I won't have school so that's a plus. And I'm not working. So, basically, it's nothing like reality. It's just summertime in Chicago. For me, that means sitting by the pool and reading. YAY!) Tomorrow - finals. Friday morning - 9 hour flight! It's outrageous! AHH. Allora, I should probably be studying now. (Even though most of you would disagree ;) ).

A venerdi! :) Ciao Ciao!

One More Week

Ciao a tutti! The past week has been pretty low-key. I have just been going to class, field studies, and hanging out in Rome. We had a field study this week to the Galleria Borghese. It was probably my favorite museum to go to! The Galleria Borghese has a lot of Bernini's masterpieces and they are just amazing! I never really understand statues, I would usually just walk by because I don't know anything about the person they are resembling, etc. However, the Bernini statues actually tell a full story and they are so cool! We weren't allowed to take any pictures while we were inside the museum but, believe me, these statues have so much movement and I definitely was able to appreciate them. They are meant to be seen from many angles which is awesome; It is amazing that you can create these intricate portrayals with one block of marble!

We also had our first, and probably only, field study with our Italian class. We went to Villa Borghese and rented bikes! It was a lot of fun to bike around the park, but my butt was definitely sore! I have not been on a bike in years and my legs were definitely tired for the hour we were there! (It didn't help that the bikes were old and crappy..) It was a good time, though, and the park is really spacious and beautiful. I also took a walk in the park near my apartment and took pictures around that area so I can remember my jogging path. :) It has been way too hot here the past couple of days for me to run. AHH. :(

Last night, we went on the Spanish Steps Pub Crawl. (One last big night out before our finals!) Although not as crazy as our first pub crawl experience, it was definitely still a blast. How could it not be! Here is a picture of us hanging out on the Spanish Steps before the pub crawl. Tonight, we are seeing the opera Tosca. It is outside, which should be pretty cool, but I know I won't understand a word of it!

I'm not really sure what else I'll be doing this weekend, my last in Rome, but I am definitely getting kind of sad to leave. I know that I will totally be ready to get on the plane in ONE WEEK but it will be weird at the same time to be at home in Chicago.. lots of mixed feelings! I just wish that we had finals earlier and could spend a few days here without having to worry about class! Finals are for sure already stressing me out a little, but I'm sure it will all be OK.

This will all be over in one short week! Can you even believe it has been that long? I'm not sure how much more I'll be posting on the blog since I will just be studying for finals and packing up to go home! This has definitely been an experience I will never forget! But, I can't wait to see every one at home! 7 days and counting.. Tanti cari senti e a presto!

The Beauty of Venice

Ciao! I just got back from my LAST weekend trip to Venice! It was absolutely beautiful there: I LOVED it! Everything ran very smoothly (for once!): our flights were on time, we landed safely and figured out how to get to our hotel easily. On Friday, we got in around 9 AM and were still pretty exhausted. So, all 8 of us napped in our one open room for a couple hours (definitely a sight to see sharing twin bunk beds). Around 11:30, we then headed to lunch (which was the best pizza I have had all trip!), and walked around S. Croce, S. Polo, and finally made our way to S. Marco. We just leisurely walked around the city, admired its beauty, and shopped! (Definitely the MOST I've shopped all trip!) It was so relaxing to not have a strict itinerary (did I just admit that?!) but it was like our own vacation away from our vacation in Rome. :) Here is a picture of me at the Grand Canal! Isn't it pretty! Ah! There are tons of shops, restaurants, and gondola rides around this area and it is just so amazing! Even though Venice is probably "touristy", it is like Florence in that it is small and seems so much less crowded and busy than Rome. It was such a relaxing trip and, shockingly, I loved just aimlessly walking around Venice and even getting lost! Some times the best stuff is found in those back alleys!

I could not help myself from literally walking into every glass shop in Venice! The Murano Glass is VERY big in Venice (obviously) and so there are glass stores, legit, every where! Depending on the area it gets pretty expensive, especially in S. Marco, but I seriously am in love with the glass and couldn't get enough! The pieces are all so gorgeous and so unique. I can't wait to, one day, come back after I'm married and pick out cool glass pieces to decorate our house!! My dream! HAHA. Here is a picture of these specific glass pieces that I honestly wanted so badly: they are called "eggs of life" and I think they are just gorgeous. I was too worried about getting them home and they were pretty pricey, so I didn't get one. Shoot. :( But, how freaking amazing are these! I wish I would have gotten to see how these are made! That would have been sick!

We also went inside S. Mark's Basilica on Saturday, which was pretty cool. I am kind of "churched out" but it was still cool to see. Night life is kind of quiet in Venice but we went to a really nice dinner by the Canal on Friday (I had baked lasagna and veal! YAY!) and we went on a Gondola ride on Saturday night which was very exciting. I can definitely see how gondola's can be very romantic, but it was just nice to relax on the boat and view the scenery. We were on the boat for like 25 minutes, starting at the Grand Canal, through some back streets, and then making our way back to the canal. Here is a picture I took on the ride: I think it's a pretty cool picture if I do say so myself. :) On Saturday night, I REALLY was not feeling well so I went home early to try and lay down and rest. I'm kind of disappointed to have missed out on what I heard was an eventful evening in Venice. Apparently, 3 of the girls on the trip ended up swimming in the canals of Venice (obviously, not in the right state of mind). I heard it was hilarious, but I can only imagine! They came back soaking wet and smelled like swamp water. I would NEVER have done that so I guess I didn't really "miss out", but I'm sure it would have been hysterical to watch.

I'm so glad we had this full weekend in Venice: it was gorgeous and relaxing and perfect. I'm now back in my apartment, slightly tired but can't really fall asleep (hence, writing this post!). This is my last full week (13-17th), with a weekend in Rome to see an Opera, and then the following week I have my projects and final exams! The summer is almost over!! But, I'm hoping to "live up" these last 12 days in Rome. I feel like I have seen pretty much all the sights in Rome that I wanted to, but maybe I'll explore more of the night life in Rome this week and the next! :) Maybe I'll treat myself to some nice dinners, too! I'm going to try and rest for a little, maybe take a leisurely walk in the park later. Talk to you (and SEE you) soon!! 12 Days will go by fast!!

Capitoline Museum and The Vatican

Hey! I guess this week was full of tours! (Which is a good thing considering I have been here EXACTLY a month and finally made it to the Vatican!) On Tuesday, my art history class went to see the Capitoline Museum. Lucky for us, it was open. Today it was closed because Michelle Obama came to Italy! :) Anyway, the museum was really interesting and it is the house of many famous statues. It was the first public museum so it is of great historical important for Rome. Here is a picture of the original bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. The marble copy is what it is outside in Campidoglio Sqaure. The museum also has the remains of a colossal statue of Constantine and the She-Wolf statue. Our tour was cool but it was really long! I was definitely museumed-out. Or so I thought..

Today, we had a guided tour of the Vatican. It was a 2 hour tour through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. We literally sprinted to find the entrance; we were definitely going to be late and had no idea where to go! Probably one of the most sweaty days in Rome.. but we made it! It was really amazing to be inside the Vatican and see first hand these amazing works of art. I could definitely upload a zillion pictures from our tour, but it would get too over loaded. But, here is a picture of the Vatican. It is honestly HUGE and the Vatican is it's own country! The smallest one in the world! To go through what I saw (briefly): we first entered a courtyard which was very pretty. We made our way into a gallery of statues and into another octagonal courtyard that holds the famous Laocoon statue and Apollo del Belvedere. We then saw the, also famous, Belvedere Torso statue which is supposed to show "perfect form" and was the inspiration for Michelangelo. It was really cool to see many of the frescos; ones that looked like reliefs (3D) were actually painted! It was amazing!

We also went through a gallery of tapestry and it was so ridiculous: one of the tapestries was of Jesus and his eyes follow you as you walk past it and the table beneath him switches sides! How did they make an illusion in a tapestry! AHH! We then went into the room's of Raphael and saw all of his famous pieces like the School of Athens. We then headed to the Sistine Chapel and I tried to sneak some pictures, but they don't turn out that well without the flash. Here is a picture of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment. It took him 4 years to make it! It was seriously mind-blowing to be inside the Sistine Chapel. I still don't understand how it is possible to paint on these huge walls with such detail. But, it was beautiful and highly decorated and I really enjoyed being there. I am glad I learned a little bit about all the statues and the paintings history and hopefully will continue to learn more about them.

We made our way to St. Peter's Basilica and that may have been one of the best parts. We almost didn't go in but we would have definitely missed out! It was so large, overwhelming, and so beautiful! I run out of adjectives so I know I sound repetitive, but I really don't even know how else to describe it! Here is a picture of me inside the Basilica. I have also attached a video. It obviously does not capture the view beauty of it that I was able to see, but, it will do. There is a statue of a man, I'm not sure of who it is portraying, but apparently people rub his right foot for good luck. So, of course, I did. The marble statue is changing shape (you can't even see the lines of the foot anymore) due to the amount of people that rub its' right foot: it is crazy! I am going back to the Vatican again tomorrow with my art history class, but now I feel much more prepared to see it. It was DEFINITELY worth the 30 euro to get a tour of the Vatican. I would not have known ANYTHING and would have walked right past tons of important statues, frescoes, tapestries, mosaics, and paintings.

I am leaving on Friday morning for Venice! It is my last weekend of planned traveling; I can't believe the summer here is coming to an end! It has been a month, even though it feels longer, but time is going by very quickly. I only have this weekend in Venice, one more weekend in Rome (I am going to see an Opera!), and then the last week with finals! Maybe next summer I will study abroad some where else? Just a thought! ;) Arrivederci!

Cinque Terre, Florence, and Pisa

Hey everyone! I'm just settling back in the apartment in Rome after a long, busy, and sometimes stressful weekend in Cinque Terre, Florence, and Pisa. Let's just get right down to it..

Thursday July 2nd: First stressful event. After class, we went to Termini Station to catch our 6 PM train to La Spezia. After reading numerous signs, asking various people, and checking multiple platforms, we realize our train was cancelled. Bummer. They eventually sent another train, which we got on, but the train didn't go all the way to La Spezia because of some kind of accident. It went to a city called Livorno. After getting off in Livorno, it was another 2 hour bus ride to La Spezia so we finally arrived at midnight. At this point, we couldn't get our shuttle to our 'campsite' for the night, so we had to search for a random hotel in La Spezia. It turned out fine, the manager of this particular hotel was very nice and we were able to stay there. So we were finally headed to bed after a long day of traveling in order to prepare for our next day early wake up. :)

Friday July 3rd: We woke up really early to catch the first train out from La Spezia to Vernazza (one of the 5 fishing villages of Cinque Terre). Once in Vernazza, we began our estimaed 2 hour hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. It was absolutely gorgeous to see Cinque Terre - it was so natural and beautiful and I was so glad we got to hike at the National Park. It was the most stairs I have ever and probably will ever walk up (or so I thought). It was pretty hard at first, with all the stairs, but then the trail finally hit its peak and it was smooth sailing from there. Here is a picture of Vernazza - isn't it beautiful!? I have a lot of pictures (obviously) but nothing really can show how clear the water is or just how cute the village is. It was really cool to hike and I probably would have hiked more but the heat was killer and after baking in the sun at the beach, my body definitely would not have made it. I would love to come back to the coast and stay here longer than one day (maybe see all 5 villages!), but it was super relaxing and an amazing site to see. Here is a picture of me on the hike, all sweaty and disgusting, but I'm in Cinque Terre so it's OK!

We got on our train to Florence and thought everything was running according to plan. However, to our surprise, when we got to the hotel we booked online there was a sign on the door saying it was not in operation. Second stressful event, but to spare you all the creepy long story, here is the short version. A man told us he had arranged us a new hotel to stay in. We got there and it was a hostel, with not enough rooms for all of us to stay and in a very shady area of town. We were totally uncomfortable and obviously not paying for anything less than what we originally planned, so we walked around until midnight to find a new hotel to stay at. We sent a nasty e-mail to Hostel Bookers for still allowing individuals to make reservations at a non-operating hotel, so we are getting our money back which is good. But, after that we were all exhausted and sacrificed a night out to get some sleep for tomorrow's fully packed day of sight seeing.

Saturday July 4th: We had a reservation at the Uffizi Gallery at 8:45 AM. I wish I knew much more about art and art history before going to the museum, but regardless, it was very cool to see as it holds much of the major works of art of famous Italian artists. My favorite room was the Botticelli section, especially the Birth of Venus painting. After the gallery, we went to see the Duomo and decided it was well worth the 8 euro to climb to the top! I can't decide which had more stairs: the hike in Cinque Terre or the Duomo. The Duomo has 463 stairs with no lift and the staircase is super narrow, claustrophobic, and dark. However, the view from the top is definitely well worth the sweat! Here is a picture of the Duomo and a picture of me at the top! You can see all of Florence from the top; it is spectacular!

We walked around the markets in San Lorenzo and Ponte Vecchio; the leather in Florence is all over and very nice quality! After some browsing, we went to the Academia Gallery to see Michelangelo's famous David. I was rebellious and snuck some pictures of it, even though you're not supposed to. It is amazing how it is so deatiled and realistic: I feel like Italian artists were so talented then and no artists now even compare! (This goes for statues and paintings in the Uffizi). It is just mind boggling how these artists can paint such realistic and huge pieces of art or even sculpt something like the David out of a block of marble. Crazy!!

We went out for a nice dinner right along the river called the Golden View. I had a delicious meal: crostini with pomodoro e mozzarella and a tagliolini pasta con zucchero e pomodoro. :) Afterwards we had to go out for the night in Florence and celebrate the Fourth of July! It was definitely a fun night except I was thinking a lot about true American food on the 4th and watching fire works. But as much as I missed it, undoubtedly, being in Florence tops it.

Sunday July 5th: After checking out of our hotel, we went to the train station to make a quick visit to Pisa to see the leaning tower. We were honestly in Pisa for an hour and a half, but it was worth it to see the Tower with my own eyes! It was so cool! I obviously attempted to take cool pictures with the tower, although I'm not sure mine really turned out that great. I also have been attempting to increase my photography skills so starting in Florence, I took some black and white pictures which I think will eventually be printed and hung up in my apartment next year. :) Here is a picture of the Tower!


Although a rushed and crazy weekend, with only one day in each city, it was a weekend trip I will never forget! I absolutely adored Florence and am for sure going to have to come back there some day. It is much smaller than Rome but the feel of the city is much calmer and less touristy, which I liked. I could definitely see why people choose to live there. I loved it!!

I definitely need to get some rest tonight and catch up majorly on sleep. My Italian midterm is tomorrow morning and I still haven't really studied, but I think I should be OK for that. Sorry this post is so long but I just did so much and this doesn't even do the weekend justice! I hope every one had a great 4th of July! Buona Notte!

Midterms

Hello! I'm currently studying for my Art History midterm and, let me tell you, it is NOT going well! I just need to pass so I'm hoping I can pull it off. I obviously have been in class and paying attention but I just don't know how specific the test is going to be. I definitely know all of the monuments, since I am interested when we talk about those, but knowing the historical background of Rome gets tough.

I had my first presentation in class today, presenting the Forum of Augustus at the Imperial Forum. I actually think that went well so maybe this test will, too. I had to put together the project last minute so I was a little nervous (obviously, since I never do that at school!) I have my Italian midterm on Monday when I get back from a long weekend trip to Cinque Terre and Florence so I'll probably have to study for that on our train rides. GRR and I'm having some trouble "packing light". I just don't know what to wear! I love having options but I guess I'll have to figure it out and "make it work". I just wish I could spend all of my time here traveling and sight seeing instead of worrying about school!! I don't really have any motivation or reason to care, but I can't bring myself to NOT study. It's silly, I know.

I'm really really really excited for this weekend. I have only heard amazing things about both Cinque Terre and Florence! :) We are staying the the Cinque Terre National Park and camping out in tents (what an adventure this will be) and then staying at the Hotel Spagna in Florence. So many places to see, so little time!! (And, hopefully I find some good shopping in Florence! I'm ready to splurge!) The time has been going by pretty quickly now that we have started to travel! Soon enough, I'll be complaining about packing for home.. I definitely think I am going to miss this life in Rome! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say after this weekend so, be aware that a long post is coming soon!

Avere un buono fine settimana!

The Colosseum

Hey! This is going to be a quick posting but I went to the Colosseum this morning with my room mates Lindsey and Tessa. Now that we've learned a little bit about the Colosseum in class, we FINALLY got to go inside and check it out. The museum part was pretty cool, I would have probably needed a guide to fully be engaged though. But, seeing the actual Colosseum was awesome! It is just so huge and its amazing to picture what kind of events occurred in this building. We tried to use our 'new knowledge' as we walked around to describe the old seating arrangements, where they kept the animals, where the Gladiators came in from, etc. It is really hard to imagine since so much has been lost and reconstructed, but, you can't go to Rome without stopping in the Colosseum! Here are some pictures that I have and... Surprise! A video! I HATE hearing myself recorded on video but, for some reason, I thought it'd be cool. It's not. HAHA. Ciao for now!

Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast

I just got back from our IES weekend field trip to Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast. It was a great trip and I was so happy to finally see some other places besides Rome! Every one on our program went and it was an amazing trip with beautiful sights: a once in a lifetime experience. First we went to Pompei and, basically, the city is all in ruins or buried due to an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It is hard to imagine the bustling city that it once was, but it was very cool to walk around and see what remains. Here is a picture of us at the Forum which is in front of Mt. Vesuvius! It was very cool to see it even though that's basically as close as we got to it. It was really kind of creepy to see the preserved bodies of people, and dogs, that remained after the eruption. I was NOT a fan of that aspect, but I enjoyed the city. Our tour guide was really funny at first but then he got angry at us for taking so many pictures. We are TOURISTS.. That is something to be expected, I think. Plus, we paid for the tour so I guess it's our own fault if we were sidetracked. Oh well, I got some good pictures so I'm happy! :) We had lunch in Pompei at a restaurant called MEC and it was soo good! I had some pasta, a lemon chicken, salad, and some cake! I love when IES takes us to meals. On our own, we never order the typical amount of Italian courses (we're cheap). But with IES, they provide it all!

After Pompei, we made our way to Sorrento. Sorrento is probably one of the most adorable towns I've ever been to! It just seemed so colorful, cute, and lively. It is the plateau of the area so all of the houses and buildings are amongst the mountains. I'm not sure why, but this is one of my favorite pictures that I took in Sorrento. It was just this house on top of the mountain that I thought was pretty. The beach we went to was nothing spectacular, although pictures I have seen of them are. We had dinner in our hotel the first night and I had a great green pasta with salmon, a caprese salad, and apple pie. So delicious! They had a beef steak but it was so small and I'm actually glad I didn't order it. I'm sure I will find some, soon! After dinner, we went out to a Kareoke bar and it was so fun! I didn't sing, obviously, but some other people in our group did. Definitely hilarious.

The next day, we got up early, had a hearty breakfast, and got on our ferry to go to the island of Capri. Seriously, this was the best full day experience EVER. Here is a picture of the view of Capri when we got off our ferry. Pictures never capture what I'm actually seeing, but it will have to do. I would definitely get a house on this island if I could. :) Capri had amazing views, extremely tall cliffs, beautiful natural arches, and the clearest blue ocean ever! We took a private boat out with a guide who took us around the entire island for about 2 hours. We went in the Blue Grotta and, let me tell you, what a sight! We had to all squeeze in this tiny boat in order to fit in this small hole to get into the grotta. Once inside, the reflection of the light against the water shows the most breathtaking view of the water! Is that not ridiculous or what!!

Here is a picture from inside our boat, exiting the blue grotta. How small is that! It was so scary but it was amazing to do it. We could have gone swimming in the grotta but we didn't want to pay the extra euros. ;) The boat tour was probably the best money spent on this trip: it was totally and completely worth it. We got to see the whole island, the blue grotta, the white grotta, the three archs, we got to go swimming in the water underneath this arch/cave area (so cold, but again, so worth it!), and lay out on our private boat to catch some sun! We walked around the shopping area, had lunch, and went to the beach: it was just an amazing, relaxing and fun day! Capri could quite possibly be the highlight of my time abroad. It was seriously THAT amazing!! We had dinner back in Sorrento: 2 courses of pasta, a seafood plate, and dessert. I can't handle these huge meals anymore! Plus, the seafood kind of grossed me out with actual fish heads on my plate.. :( But, I tried some (go me!) and ate all of my shrimp and calamari!

Lastly, we went to see a panoramic view of Positano while on the Amalfi Drive to the Amalfi Coast. It was very pretty, as most everything in Italy is, and then we drove and toured simultaneously until we made it to Amalfi. We went to see the Chiostro del Paradiso inside this absolutely beautiful church. I got a glimpse of the actual chapel and it was so pretty. The crypt inside the Chiostro is also amazingly beautiful and I have tons of pictures. We toured a paper making museum which actually turned out to be more interesting than I thought, but definitely not a highlight. We went to Ravello to have lunch and to tour the Gardens of Via Rufolo. The flowers were gorgeous and the view was spectacular. There is a picture of some of us inside the gardens: you can't really see the view behind us but I have other pictures that do, obviously.

We made it back to Rome on a 4 hour bus ride and I'm so tired! I'm scared for my art history midterm this week - ah - and didn't even bring any homework with me to study on the bus! So unlike me! ;) Looks like I'll be cramming for this one seeing as there is 1. not that much time because it's on Thursday and 2. no school tomorrow because it's a holiday celebrating St. Peter and St. Paul!

Sorry this is so lengthy, but, to conclude.. First weekend of traveling = a great success! I'm happy to be back in Rome for a little, I just wish we didn't have school! There is still so much I need to see in Rome and I feel like I have no time! :(

I'm sure it will all work out. It always does. :)

Amo Trevi & Pantheon!

Buongiorno! :) So, Wednesday was probably one of my favorite full days since being here! First, the 870 bus I get on for class was so over-crowded that a group of us decided to take the bus. Let me tell you, the walk is NOT that bad and it has such a pretty view of Rome! I loved it and am highly considering walking to class more often, even though it is blistering hot. Plus, I need the exercise! It was so cool becuase at one point, there is like a gorgeous panoramic view of the city and it is so gorgeous!! That was probably the highlight of my day, because class is kind of a bore.

Wednesday night we all went out to celebrate Aimee's birthday (we should seriously have a birthday every week!). Here is a picture of the girls before we went out. We ended up going to a club/bar near Piazza Navona and it was so fun! We were finally able to just dance the night away, all together, and attempt to avoid the creepy Italian men. I eventually left the bar with Lizzie and Andrew and this is where my night gets amazing! We walked around Rome to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain at night! This is EXACTLY the kind of night that I have been waiting for! It was PERFECT and just what I wanted to do. We just like sat in front of both of them and stared. It is absolutely gorgeous to see it at night with the lights and, even better, no crowd! I got to throw a pennie into Trevi which means I am coming back to Rome! Woo!! It was honestly breathtaking to me and I was just in complete awe. I loved it and obviously want to go back like every night I can convince someone to come with me! Here is a picture of Lizzie and I in front of the Pantheon! :) How pretty is it!? OMG, I'm actually in love!!!

Thursday we went to a field study at the Colosseum. It was disappointing because we didn't go inside as a class, which I thought we were doing, but it was still really amazing to be there. Again, you never realize how much effort has been put into the restoration and preservation of these buildings! Also, I finally bought a functioning straightener so, to those of you I have been complaining to, the problem is solved! ;) AND, Daria made me try a Latte Macchiato and I actually liked it! Maybe I'll continue to try other types of coffee but, I don't think I'll ever enjoy the strength of Italian coffee.. the latte was perfect because it was basically just warm milk!

We are going out tonight for dinner for Aimee's birthday and then we're off bright and early in the morning for our IES field trip. I am SO excited to start traveling!! I just hope the weather stays clear because right now there is a chance of rain! :( I'm sure I'll have A LOT to post once I get back!

Peace, love, and TREVI.

June 23rd: Field Study

For art history, we went on another field study (we will be going on these once or twice a week) to the Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano. It is really interesting to me to learn about all of these historical places and how they became what they are today. You never realize how much restoration and reconstruction has been put into these buildings and even how much beauty has been lost over the years. Even though these buildings are still astounding to see, I wish I could have witnessed them in their "prime" with all the bronze adornments and even more opulence. So many structures have been reused and transported to make other structures. It is absolutely crazy to me! And, seriously, I am just amazed at how the Romans transported this huge obelisks and stairs, etc from Egypt (or other places) to Rome. I don't get it! I can't even lift 12 pound weights!! Here is a picture of Lizzie and I in front of this obelisk which is the highest obelisk in all of Rome! How cool!! And we always look so small in comparison to these buildings..

But, the basilica was a huge, baroque inspired building: very highly decorated with golden leaf, cosmati floors, a huge alter, etc. This basilica was the first Christian basilica ever created so it is very important for Rome! Here is a picture of the building itself and some of the inside of the building. Hopefully you will be able to see most of it from here, but if not, check facebook for more if you're curious.

We also went to see the Scala Santa which are the Holy Stairs. People have to walk up the stairs on their knees in order to reach the top for atonement of their sins. It was cool to see but definitely not something I could see myself participating in.

We went to grab some lunch after wards but, seriously, I am getting so sick of the "non-variety" of Italian food. I never thought I would say that but, I am! I really need me some steak and fast! I am definitely excited for that when I get home! :) Every restaurant is a Pizzeria, Gelateria, Panini stand or a Ristorante that serves pizza, pasta, and paninis! HAHA. There isn't even variety in the types of paninis! You are offered: tomato mozzarella, salami mozzarella, tuna and mozzarella, etc. I might have to stop getting paninis soon, even though they are so good! Maybe I'll just make gelato a meal of its own!! :) I also had to make dinner for myself tonight and, of course, it was pasta. That's basically the only thing I know how to make from the grocery store. Sadly, that is still true. And their pasta aisle at the store is out-of-control huge. I swear, it's all they eat! It tasted fine, simple and plain, but I'm certain that I could find much better in a top-knotch authentic Italian restaurant! I'm gonna have to get out more!!

I had an Italian quiz today, too, and I think it went well! I know that I don't have to really "try" in my classes here, but it's impossible not to! Giuila makes it impossible to NOT participate and NOT learn Italian! Art history is kind of another story since Pier's accent is so thick I sometimes miss some information. He is a great professor though, I really like him and am enjoying his class. I just need to pass so, hopefully, I do enough to do just that! (I know you're all thinking that, obviously, I'm going to pass. I'm JUST saying!) ;)

Parlarle presto!

Weekend 20th-21st

On the 2oth, I woke up early and walked around Via Del Corso which is the main shopping street in Rome. It's not the extremely expensive street, however, the prices are so discouraging! Our currency is so weak here that it makes me so hesitant to want to buy anything! I walked around and eventually got to Piazza Navona. The Piazza has a ton of caricature artists and painters that sell small and large paints of many of the historical buildings. I have seen them before and really liked them so I decided to buy one. Mine is a colored painting (some are in black and white) of the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. I'm guessing I will be back there to buy more of them. They're a good price and they're a great remembrance of Rome for me. Maybe some souveiner gift ideas? Probably! ;)

After Piazza Navona, I made my way to the Castel San Angelo. They don't have guided tours of the museum so you kind of just have to make the best of it on your own, but it was so cool! It was hard for me since a lot of the signs to read information is in Italian, but seriously, the view from the top of the Castel is breathtaking. I have some pretty good pictures from it and you can see a large part of Rome up there! You can't take pictures in the museum parts but I tried to stand outside of doors and be sneaky to get some snapshots of the detailed rooms of the Castel. Here I am! This isn't at the top but I just tried to get the Tiber in it.

Saturday night we were supposed to go to a food festival that we signed up for with IES. However, to due disfunctional trains, it took us about 4 1/2 hours to get there! By 9:30 I was so hungry!! The food turned out to be pretty good: I had pasta with calamari and french fries, then got gelato (chocolate and lime). The transportation in Rome is so crazy but all the Italians seem so laid back about it! To me, its ridiculous, but I guess it's just another cultural difference I need to accept!

Today, sunday, we went to a town market in the morning. For me, it was a disappointment, but other girls always find things they like there. They have a lot of clothes, but the problem is you can't try anything on! I wouldn't buy it without trying it on first so my options were limited. I went to Via Del Corso with Aimee and Lizzie to find H&M and Mango which was nice until we got stuck out in the rain! It was nice to have the weather finally cool off a little bit but we were just unprepared. And again, everything seems so expensive so I still haven't bought any clothing! I tried more gelato (because, obviously, I have to have it at least once a day) and I had chocolate and black cherry: so delicious! I find that mixing chocolate with any flavor is the perfect mix for me: I get in my chocolate fix while trying a new flavor of gelato!

I went for a run when I got home and now it's time to chill out, do homework, and eat dinner. I have almost been here a full two weeks but it seems like it's been forever! Please keep me posted on what you all are doing at home - I want to know!! Arrivederci!!

First Week

Hey! I know I haven't written in a while and, to some, it's been disappointing. However, I really have not been doing that much this week since school started! :( I have class Monday - Thursday until 12:45 (MW) and 2:15 (TTh). I am not very good at Italian but I hope that changes soon. After class, I'm usually pretty tired (lame, I know) so a group of us have been coming back to our apartment to nap, hang around, and make dinner. I have been making a lot of my own meals, or joining other girls who make meals, so hopefully I come back and have a few essential items I can cook on my own! That's pretty much how my days have been going. I'm hoping it gets more exciting once we start to travel.

I went for a walk and a run in the nearby park. It is HUGE and it's actually really pretty. It's just so hot here that running is almost unbearable and because of all the hills and non-paved pathways, I'm usually dying. The park has a cute pond with turtles and swans and it has some fountains around. I enjoyed it and would like to do it more often, but I'm always so whipped out from the sun that running is the least of my priorities (shocking!).

I have been trying a lot of new gelato flavors and found the BEST gelateria. It is right neat the Pantheon and it's called Del Palma (I think?). They have almost 100 flavors of gelato and it was actually amazing! I got peach (with real chunks of fruit in it) and mango and they were seriously out-of-this-world good! :) I will seriously be going back A LOT for gelato! I also tried bacio (chocolate and hazelnut) and mint. Good combo. And today, I got chocolate and mixed berries. Yummy! I LOVE GELATO! I wish we had it at home.

On Thursday, we had our first field study day in art history and it was at the Roman Forum. It was so cool to go a second time with the professor and actually KNOW what the buildings are and now know some historical background about each stucture. Besides the fact that it was 2 hours in the beating sunshine, I really enjoyed it! Here is a picture of a ddecent view of the Roman Forum and a church that we saw.

Thursday night we were celebrating Kristi's birthday so, we obvioulsy had to go on a Colosseum Pub Crawl! It is very popular amoung American tourists but it was so much fun. We got a T-shirt (obviously I loved that) and it was just really fun to have a night out similar to mine in Champaign. It was definitely a good time to be with all the people on the program in that kind of environment. We will probably go on another one by the end of the program. :) HAHA.

Today, we had some trouble finding the beach but, after two hours, we found it! It was nice to relax for a couple of hours and lay in the sun. I don't really have much else to say, since living in Rome is "the sweet life of doing nothing". I'll probably post again after the weekend is over! Keep a look out! This is a picture of a good amount of us that went on the pub crawl. More pictures of this will, most definitely, be added to facebook for your viewing pleasure.

Orientation

Wednesday, June 10th: Orientation Day 1

The beginning of orientation for IES also coincided with the beginning of sweaty, over-crowded and lengthy bus routes. First, we missed the early 9:15 AM bus so we had to wait over 30 minutes to catch the next one (In that amount of time, we probably could have walked... if only we knew the way!). As the reliably prompt person that I am, I really despise the unreliable Italian bus system! :( The bus doors couldn't even really close, people were piled on top of each other (as if it was no big deal), I couldn't face forward so it was nauseating and I felt very claustrophobic! There were lots of "Scusi"'s and "Permesso"'s on the bus, which are probably the only two Italian words we know. I guess I'll have to "get over it" considering we'll be taking the 870 or the 44 bus almost daily.

We finally got off the bus, walked to the center, and were welcomed by the IES Staff who discussed procedures, academics, safety, etc. We had lunch out on the terrace (terrazza) and the view was really great and the food was even better! Since I didn't have to take a language placement exam, a bunch of us went out to just explore Rome! We had our maps out and everything, just like real tourists, and ended up at Piazza Navona! It was beautiful! We then followed the signs to the Pantheon (gorgeous!) and then we saw Trevi Fountain (ahhh!!). Look! It's me at the Pantheon! :) It was really fun to just wander around and try to get a glimpse of some really beautiful and historical Roman sites. Tomorrow is our guided tour of Rome so hopefully now we will all go back to those places and start to learn about their history. We almost couldn't find our bus route home, but sure enough, it was just across the street and we made it back. I'm sure I'll have more insight tomorrow after a good tour of Rome.

Thursday, June 11th: Orientation Day 2

There wasn't much of an orientation today: I had to pick up my books in the town center and then napped (finally!) before our guided tour of Rome! Thomas, our tour guide, was awesome! He had a lot of amazing stories to tell about the sites we went to. We went to a lot of the places I'd already seen but it was still really fun and informative. We went to: Piazza Navona, Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia, and the base of Capitoline Hill. (The picture is of me and Lizzie at the Spanish Steps!) We stopped along the way for gelato at a recommended place: I tried something NEW and got sage and raspberry mix alongside milk chocolate. The milk chocolate was to die for! :) The tour lasted from 6:30 PM to almost 10-10:30 PM. We then went out to dinner near Piazza Navona at a place called Navona Notte. I ordered spaghetti tomato and basil and caprese bruschetta (not the most adventurous but I was so hungry at this point after a 3.5 hour tour!). We were at dinner until 11:45 and, thankfully, caught the midnight night bus back to the apartment. Tomorrow is our day trip to the Lazio Coast: Terracina and Sperlonga. We get to go to the beach! YAY!

I'm having a really good time getting acquainted with Rome and hanging out with all the people in our group. I hate when we get lost, go figure, but I guess that's supposed to be half the fun. I also have never gotten this little of sleep but.. when in Rome, right? I'm excited for classes to start so I can start learning Italian! :) Buon asera!

Friday, June 12th: Orientation Day 3

We went on our first field trip with IES to Terracina and Sperlonga today. In Terracina, we saw beautiful views overlooking the water on Monte San Angelo and saw the old ruins of temples at the Tempio di Giove Anxur. We drove to Sperlonga and saw some more old Roman ruins, caves, and statues at Grotte di Tiberio - ruins of Villa Tiberius and Grottoes. Our tour guide wasn't all that great, but the sights were very pretty! The picture is of most of our group at Terracina at the Tempio di Giove Anxur. We're blocking the gorgeous view but, those pictures will be on facebook soon enough! :)

We ate lunch at a cute little restaurant and it brought opportunity to try MORE new things! I had some bruschetta, eggplant parmesan, zucchini lasagna, buffalo mozzarella, and tiramisu! There are so many courses in an Italian meal and I was definitely not prepared for it. Though the portions are much smaller than what we normally eat in American meals, the meal is so drawn out with multiple courses that I was so full even before the 2nd course came out!

We went to the beach in Sperlonga and it was really nice to just relax and take a load off my feet! I definitely fell asleep outside and I think I got some good color. We had an entertaining bus ride home and now I just showered and will probably get ready soon to eat dinner and go out for our first real weekend in Rome. Class starts on Monday so.. Here's to the weekend! :) Ciao for now!

Here's a picture of Aimee, Lizzie, Kristi, and I out on Friday night. We went to Testaccio and it was a really really fun and long night. If you can believe it, we didn't get back until like 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning! That's so beyond ridiculous for me, right!? Roman lifestyle is so vastly different than mine in Chicago, but I will definitely try to keep up!

Arrival in Italy

I was planning to write a post while I was at the airport, however, I found myself far too overwhelmed and emotional to sit down and write. Don't worry, I have finally made it to Rome after a long, delayed plane ride and the stress of finding my way through the airport. :) I have started to meet a lot of the girls in my building and they are all so awesome! We all seem to have come by ourselves, looking to just site see and have an amazing summer traveling around Italy. They are all from different schools and it has just been really great since being here. So far, no tears in Italy! For those of you that truly know me, that's a big step! Of course, the airport and airplane was an entirely different story.

After I got my baggage and found the IES Staff member, I was set up with one of the girls on the program (Kristi) to take a cab together to our apartment. The cab driver drove like a manic and I felt so nauseous. He dropped us off, without speaking much english, and told us our apartment was somewhere around the block. We start walking, with our 4 pieces of heavy luggage, and see the numbers 16, 15, 14.. 18? Where did 10 go!? Kristi and I stopped in the middle of the bustling area and Kristi held my luggage while I walked into a random hair salon to ask them for directions. Of course, none of the ladies spoke any english, so I had to try to use some of the slim knowledge of Italian that I learned from my "self-learning CDs". So I say "Piazza Ottavilla Dieci" and keep repeating "dieci dieci dieci" so that maybe they'd understand. Of course, she didn't and just told me that this area was a square. But, we finally manage to find it and everything was ok. My first Italian mis-communication and adventure! ;)

I have tried to settle in some of my stuff but I am so tired. I am trying hard to not fall asleep yet so I can set my body clock to Italian time (7 hours ahead of Chicago). I barely slept on the plane so I have basically been up for WAY over 24 hours. :(



This is a picture of my bed and of the view outside the window from my room. It's pretty plain and boring but the apartment itself is actually much bigger than I expected. They didn't provide me with a blanket, but savvy me, I took the one off the airplane JUST IN CASE I wouldn't be satisfied with the one they provided. Being an obsessive control freak DOES have it's benefits sometimes! :)

My Italian Companion Student, Daria, took my apartment and the apartment of girls on the 2nd floor of my building out to show us around the neighborhood and meet the other building of girls on our program. We just went to the supermarket, learned where to get on the bus, and where to get gelato nearby! Right now, she is making us some pasta dinner, a salad, and fruit salad. Just something low key for the first night and maybe I'll walk over a block to get some gelato! It wouldn't be a summer night for me without ice cream!

Tomorrow starts orientation so it's all starting to feel real. I really need to just relax and let everything happen and stop being so emotional!!

Overall, I think I'm off to a pretty good start. I'll definitely post again soon! (I really like this whole blog thing!)

Grant got this fortune cookie before I left: Rome was not built in a day. Be patient.

Trying to keep that in mind.

Everything will be OK.

Preparing for Departure

Hey All!

I am one of the most non-technological individuals ever, so making this blog is a big step! But, I am going to try really hard to keep a record of all of my adventures, travels, and experiences in Rome!

I am going on the IES Abroad program to Rome, Italy for the Summer of 2009. The program runs from June 9th to July 24th. This will probably be the longest time I have spent away from the Chicagoland area so I am getting really nervous. I am also really excited. I am hopeful that this experience will allow me to become more independent and broaden my horizons to become more cultured.

In Italy, I am planning to take Introduction to Italian and an art history class called Rome as a Living Museum. I have tried to pick up on some Italian before my departure and I think I'm getting pretty good at it! I guess we'll have to see how it goes when I get there!

I finally got my housing and my room mates in Rome. I am living at Piazza Ottavilla 10 on the Fourth Floor. Grant and I Google mapped it and took some snap shots of the building, so that's pretty awesome. I showed it to my dad as well and we tried to look at how close I am to some historical landmarks like the Vatican, St. Peter's Square, and the Colosseum. Oh, how the advances in technology amaze me! But, really, it looks cute and it's fairly close to a lot of spectacular places. Check it out:

View Larger Map

Amanda, Brooke and I just went to go see Angels and Demons and, seriously, it was like a Roman Crash Course! The movie featured many of the significant buildings and places I hope to see first hand while in Rome: Piazza Navona and The Fountain of Four Rivers, Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, etc. Very interesting stuff and you should see it if you haven't. ;)

How to Stay in Touch:
I will keep you all updated on my classes and travels throughout the summer. Feel free to leave posts or e-mail me at any time (nianick2@gmail.com).
Cell: I'll have my Blackberry so I will be accessible easily by e-mail, phone, and BlackBerry Messenger (pin:2489cca1).
Skype: Skype is probably the best way to have "real" conversations. If you download Skype (it's Free), you can talk to be through voice or video chat for no charge. Click here to download Skype: Skype. My Skype name is coreyhope.
Also, I will most definitely be getting an Italian Cell Phone once I get there. I will be posting the phone number once I get it.

Get ready for a great summer! :)