Nerd Alert!

For my Early Christian and Medieval Art class we went to the church of St. Pudenziana this last Tuesday in central Rome. Our professor is friends with the guard there, so he hooked us up with a special (aka prohibited) tour of the site underneath the church. The church that you see from the street (photo on right) has been renovated up until the 19th century , but there are remains of buildings underground that date back to 1st century BC when it was a Roman house. It was then converted to a Christian church in the early 5th century.

So anyway, five of us adventurers donned hard hats and held hands with Mario, our fearless guide and the only one with a flashlight. Mario kept on telling us in broken English how dangerous it was beneath the church and pointing out the places were the walls had collapsed. And you thought history wasn't exciting! Anyway, there were some neat 1st century AD mosaics along with a road running underneath the church from 70s AD and another higher road from 3rd century AD (we stand on this in the photo below)

Yay history!

Tearing up Tuscany

So here's a little run-down of this weekend's trip to Siena and Tuscany:

I spent lots of time walking around Siena taking photos of medieval monuments such as the Palazzo Pubblico and Il Campo below,

took more photos of narrow winding streets,

and even more of laundry hanging out the windows.

Then I took a well-deserved rest out by the pool at Castle Selvole. It's a tough life.

This is the amazing farmhouse that we stayed in for 20E a night - complete with kitchen and living rooms, and on a vineyard (in the Chianti region)! PLUS I went wine tasting for the first time and actually enjoyed it. I guess I'm finally ready to embrace my Napa roots :)

Overall a very nice weekend. I went with 8 amazing girls from my program, so you can imagine we had a fabulous time!

I spent most of Saturday in Siena doing some independent wandering, It was nice to be in a slower, small town atmosphere after crazy, chaotic Rome. One of my favorite parts was getting lunch. I love that in Italy you have to buy everything at separate stores: the fruit store, the deli, the butcher, the bakery etc. So I had a good time walking to all these different places, getting my ingredients for a sandwich, and pretending to be Italian. It really is the way to go: you get fresher, local products for a fraction of the price of a panino you buy at a touristy cafe, plus you make friends (or at least have a brief 2 sentence exchange with an Italian, which is a triumph for me everytime!)

Then Saturday night and Sunday I spent hanging out with the girls: silly card games, vineyard walks, deep conversations, life-changing naps, and wine tasting with Marco made this time pretty sweet.

Then of course the train ride back was quite exciting as we ran into a group of drunk soccer fans from Sardegna who were not familiar with the word "No." But it was good, I got to practice some common Italian phrases:

vai via! = go away!

stai zitto! = be quiet!

sei schifo! = you're gross!

Anyway, that's all for now. I have more stories and photos that I want to share soon, but I didn't want to leave any of the fans hanging (I love how I've fantasized a fan-base for this blog when its pretty much just my mom - but thats ok because my mom is rockin'!)

Its not all glamour here in the Eternal City...

Ok so things aren't perfect, but I still can't help loving Rome! Here are some not-so-sexy parts about this city:

- dog poop on the sidewalk - yeah, its pretty nasty.

- graffiti everywhere, including ancient or medieval walls :(

- Professors who tell you to cut the line to the Vatican Museums in front of angry tourists who had been waiting there all morning. (See photo on the left) I've never been insulted in so many different languages! It was pretty sweet.

- The buses, or drivers in general are notoriously frightening. It's hard not to get thrown around while riding the bus. The other day I thought I was getting the hang of it when it accelerated suddenly and - I don't know how it happened - but my leg ended up over my head, my arms reached for the hand rail and my booty got cozy with the lady next to me. Everyone who saw -and a lot of people did apparently - said it was pretty awesome.


Then I went to Naples, Pompeii, and Capri last weekend ...

- I spent my Friday last week following my crazy Ancient Roman Art history prof through flooded Pompeii in the pouring rain for 5 hours with no lunch of bathroom breaks. Sitting down was prohibited. Unfortunately I loved this. Here is a photo of the amphitheatre after the storm had passed. Ask me more about it if you are willing to accept your inner history nerd.

- More rain! On Capri! The most beautiful island by the sea! But it worked out ok because we had a few hours of sunshine when we went on a hike and took lots of photos!

(on left) This is for Lauren. I know you miss it. You know what I'm talking about.

- Also sampled some magnificent baked goods here: hazelnut biscotti and these amazing almond cookies! (photo bottom left- in front of Caprese pasticceria)

- Then after a brief stop at Naples Archaeological Museum, I felt it necessary that I stop and try their pizza. Pizza Napoletano has chewier crust than Rome's crispiness, but I'm not complaining! (photo bottom right - sitting outside at pizzeria in Napoli)

(You all better still be my friend when I return along with some extra poundage next semester - more of me to love eh?!)

In other news:

- I'm going to Tuscany this weekend with 8 other girls from my program! We're staying in this old farmhouse/guesthouse outside of Siena. I think it will be fun, relaxing, and slightly spontaneous.

- Also, I got an internship here in Rome at the Accademia dei Lincei - basically an amazingly old research library with an excellent collection. I will be working at the reference desk helping researchers find rare books, manuscripts etc. All in Italian! Eek!

5 More Reasons to Love Roma!

Rome has been pretty sweet so far. So I just can't help but give 5 More Reasons why I love Rome!

1. Street performers: Now, I know you can find these all over the world, but there are some particularly creative ones here. And pretty much all of the street musicians I've listened to have been pretty good (they all sing Bob Dylan, Simon and G.Funk, Cat Stevens... right up my alley). This one is not a singer but an Egyptian mummy/ sphinx thing with my friend Lily behind me.

2. The Pizza. I had my first this Friday night. It was amazing. Salsiccia (sausage) on this paper thin really crispy crust. Yes, I ate the whole thing, and I'd do it again!

3. Okay, I just can't get enough of these fountains... and I'm pretty sure its drinkable because I see other people doing it and I haven't died yet... Anyway, this is a more picturesque fountain in front of the Spanish Steps.

4. Shopping in Rome. Except with me, shopping consists of trying on clothes I never could/would buy and quietly taking model shots in the dressing room. A very good time. But I did buy a pair of sunglasses for 5 euro. I bargained the guy down from 12 euro. Very proud of my haggling skills.

5. La Notte Bianca is this crazy festival that Rome throws every year. There were estimated 2.5 million people roaming around last night. There were free concerts, magic shows, tight rope walkers, museum tours open late, and just TONS of people! Every major street or piazza was packed. It was surprisingly less crazy than I thought it would be though... but the metro ride back was quite the adventure! Friends and I had to literally shove our way through to get on to the train, get off at our stop, and then switch lines and do it again! This photo is of Piazza del Popolo before the tight rope walkers performed (they were pretty insane. I was worried they would fall, but they didn't.)

7 Reasons Why I Love Rome!

Well, its official friends. I'm in Rome. And before I start making silly jokes about doing as the Romans do, I will tell you about how pretty awesome this place is. In pictures of course :)
So without further adieu... Here are the

7 Reasons Why I Love Rome! (in honor of the 7 hills of Rome?)


1. It kind of goes without saying, the gelato is amazing!
This is me enjoying my first - a "crema" flavored gelato!

2. The view from my room in the Convento di San Antonio (I can usually watch the nuns put out laundry in the morning.) The convent is on the Aventine Hill, a short walk from the historic center, but without the chaos and traffic.

3. The bathrooms. End of story. Who needs to separate the shower from the toilet? (I sure don't!)

4. Classes that include: walking around Rome while experts in history, art history, and archaeology give me a tour

5. The fountains provide cold drinkable water. Perfect for the poor and thirsty student traveler.

6. Random police tape running throughout the city that's too high to really block anyone or anything. Oh Italians!

7. Ancient monuments such as the Coliseum literally appear out of nowhere behind every corner!