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Category: Study Abroad (page 4 of 4)

First Day of Class at Palazzo Cenci

January 12, 2010 / / Comments Off on First Day of Class at Palazzo Cenci

Monday, Jan. 11 – Today was the start of semester classes in Rome. We meet at Palazzo Cenci, a fairly significant 16th century building at Piazza delle Cinque Scole (five schools), where ISU College of Design has space on an upper floor. It is just across the river from Trastevere where my apartment is, in the former Rome Jewish ghetto. (See walking route to studio here.) We began at 9:30 with a brief orientation.

On the walk there I stopped with my friend Jenna at a coffee bar on Isola Tibenna (Tiber Island). The coffee bars in Rome are tiny bars where people come in and drink and eat quickly standing up at the bar and then go on their way. The coffee comes in very small cups. At this particular bar, you pay first at the cashier and take your receipt to the bar. I was unsure how what to say, so I requested the same thing as Jenna ordered before me – espresso e cornetto (crossaint) – for €1.80. At the bar the barista asked if I wanted cioccolato (chocolate) or creme (cream). I asked for creme. Now I know the next time to order cappuccino e uno cornetto.

Following orientation we broke for lunch. I walked up to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II (the busier street with the cellphone store) and had a panini and Coke for €3.70. It was fun to be able to try out the few new words I pick up each day. I went to pay and told the cashier I had a “panino e Coca-Cola.” (Amazing, right?)

Back to studio we had a drawing lecture from a faculty member from Ames, then broke into our studios. My studio met in a back room with access to the terrace. We spent the remainder of the day experimenting with different grades of charcoal and other drawing mediums. At the end of the day our instructor Chris took us on a short walk around a few nearby blocks pointing out some noteworthy places and amenities.

On the way home I stopped back at Panella (the first supermarket I went to on day 2) just off Viale di Trastevere (street), to pick up a bottle of bianco vino for the evening and some more pasta sauce for good measure. Once I got back to our apartment I passed the old woman who seems to be sitting at a corner near a vending machine all day everyday. I greeted her “Buona sera” (good evening) and she responded with a smile. Around the corner an old man greeted me and we had a brief conversation. He spoke little English but asked my age and if I was a university student. “Sì” and “Buona sera.”

For dinner another friend made salad and manicotti with the remaining lasagna ingredients from last night. Tomorrow is supposed to be at least partially sunny so I hope to take some photos of the neighborhood and studio. For class we have a language course and another drawing session.

Domenica con Sooba e Lasagna

January 11, 2010 / / 2 Comments

Jan. 10 – Sunday with Sooba and lasagna. Today was my first Sunday in Rome and the last free day before class begins tomorrow. My friend Jamin found an English speaking British Methodist church so I went with him to the service at 10:30. He went on earlier for breakfast so I walked there myself and met him there. It was not a very far walk, maybe 20 minutes. The church, Ponte Sant’Angelo Methodist Church, is located by the river (opposite side from the apartment) just across from the Vatican. I met Jamin nearby and we went in a little early. To my surprise the church was very small – the entire sanctuary perhaps 50 by 50 feet. We were invited to practice today’s hymns with other members congregated around the organist, a Methodist minister from New York who is now studying music in Rome. Eventually a crowd of about 35-40 people filled the church. We were not the only visitors today – an older British couple was there (they have an apartment in Rome so they come visit a number of times each year), and a woman from South Carolina planning to eventually bring some students here.

Following the service was coffee and fellowship upstairs. I talked briefly to the organist from New York and the British couple. A short man named Sooba, originally from Myanmar (Burma) kept talking to me, but initially it was difficult to understand each other. He came to Italy a few years ago after not being able to get a visa to the US, and works at a restaurant and a bar. He offered to show us around the city. I was reluctant to accept, intending to return to the apartment to meet back up with others, but figured I would not want to miss out on this experience. Indeed it was.

Neither of us were certain exactly where or how long he was planning to show us around. We first took a bus (route 64) from near the church to Termini Station. I had not used transit here yet, so I suppose it was a nice way of getting familiar. Sooba had a month pass, but we needed to purchase a ticket first. In Rome all modes of transit (bus, tram, metro) use the same ticket that must be pre purchased and validated once on board. He seemed to think you could buy a ticket on the bus. We didn’t think so, but we went along. Of course it ended up you couldn’t. An older Italian man was talking to Sooba and offered us a single ticket he had spare, so only one for us. Luckily we arrived at Termini without encountering any ticket inspectors.

When we got to Termini I figured we were going to connect to the metro to go elsewhere in the city, but instead walked a number of blocks nearby to a small Chinese area (as much as there is in Rome anyway), centered around Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle II, a large, lush piazza surrounded by arcade facades and all sides. We spent probably a half hour or more in this area, Sooba in search of fish paste. We stopped in a tabacchi (tobacco / convenience shop) so we could purchase transit tickets and Sooba got a small coffee.

We then took the tram line 5 far east along Via Prenestina to Sooba’s apartment. He told us his generous boss gave him a bottle of champagne, but he could not drink it himself because he lives alone. He went to get it as we waited on the corner near his building. Out this far the city was much newer but still quite dense. The two of us were hungary so we picked up pizza as we all walked back to the tram. Then returned to Piazza Vittorio Emanuelle II to eat and share Sooba’s bottle of champagne. Only in Rome.

At this point it was getting pretty cold and cloudy again so it was quite uncomfortable. Sooba wanted to have Chinese food for dinner but we told him we needed to return to the apartment. It took a very long time to finally get back though. From the piazza we took Metro line A to Flamino (from far east of our apartment to a good distance north of) and then further north to Piazza Mancini. There we crossed the street and went into a phone center (we past a few of these that he pointed out – basically several phone booths for making international calls). He told us to wait for him to call his mother… At this point we were both getting a little frustrated. The phone did not seem to work for him so we finally got on another tram line (19) back south and across the river to just north of Piazza San Pietro (St. Peters / Vatican). Once we walked into the piazza we ensured Sooba we could find our way from there and finally went along on separate ways. Neither of us had been to St. Peters yet, both we were both pretty exhausted at this point so walked along the Tiber back to Trastevere (quarter that our apartment is located).

It was an interesting afternoon with Sooba. (See a rough map of our journey here.) He seems to be expecting us to hang out every Sunday afternoon now. I wouldn’t mind occasionally, but certainly not the long, seemingly random time we had today. At least next week we will have homework as an excuse.

Lasagna

For dinner I made lasagna for myself and four other friends. I had planned to last night but came home to discover we had no baking pans. My friends picked up an aluminum pan so we were good to go. With mozzarella, ricotta cheese, and prosciutto, it turned out very well. At first I was apprehensive to cooking and admittedly never been my favorite thing to do. But I was pleased with how it came out and my friends seemed to enjoy it as well.

I apologize for this rant of a post. My hope is to keep this less of a travel-blog and more of an observation, but I found today’s adventure worthy of sharing. Tomorrow class begins at 9:30am in our studio just across the river at Piazza delle Cinque Scole. Also today I uploaded some photos of the apartment here. Ciao.

Sabato a Roma

January 10, 2010 / / Comments Off on Sabato a Roma

Jan. 9 – Saturday in Rome, today was mostly rainy. I went out first with one other to find pizza and an umbrella for him. The rain had let up and we were only going nearby to Viale di Trastevere so I left my own umbrella at the apartment – which turned out to be a poor decision. We walked a few blocks down Trastevere and went into a department clothing store. This time of year all stores in Italy have sales (saldi so prices were extremely reasonable. We discovered a Standa supermarket in the lower level, where my friend bought a few groceries. On our way back it began to rain so he attempted to share his umbrella with me that he purchased from a street vendor. It’s amazing how easy it is to find someone selling umbrellas on the street once it starts to rain. We stopped at a small pizzeria along Trastevere for lunch. It was not as impressive as what I had yesterday and was more expensive – €6.50 for “pizza” and a can of Coca Cola.

Back to the apartment I played cards with some roomates to pass the time while more rain fell. Later in the afternoon I returned to the household goods store (from yesterday that had no towels) with the same guy from morning to find blankets. He took them back and I continued walking. I headed eastward through winding alleyway streets in search of the Piazza del Campidoglio, or captiol hill. This was one of the few places in Rome I remember from arch history at NDSU so was excited to see it. In the 16th century, Michelangelo was commissioned to design a renovated piazza space. I will elaborate on this is a later post for the sake of getting to sleep earlier tonight.

The church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is adjacent to the square. From the its stairs I could easily see the dome of St. Peters in the Vatican. On the other side the Colosseum appeared just down the road. One thing about Rome is that everything is much closer together than you expect from looking at a map – which is a good thing a suppose.

I continued back toward the river on my way back and walked further south along its banks. The next bridge was at Via Marmorata, which I intended to cross and cut back over the Trastevere. Instead I decided to go the other direction (not cross the river) as it appeared to be another fairly vibrant district with restaurants and shops. Indeed it was, I passed several clothing, shoe, and furniture stores. Most were very tiny and compact. Several tabacchis (tobacco / “convenient stores”) were in the area and I eventually found a Tuodi supermarket where I picked up a few thinks to make lasagna for dinner. As I walked back I passed through Giardino Famiglia di Consiglio (see here) – a small park with a playground for children.

When I returned I discovered our apartments were not furnished with any sort of baking dishes, among other things, so I instead shared pasta and bruschetta with a few other friends for dinner. Tomorrow I plan to go to an English-speaking church with a friend and more exploring of the city. After a few days here the area is becoming much more comfortable and familiar. Hopefully I will have some photos of the apartment and some city shots up in the next day.

Roma Giorno Due

January 9, 2010 / / Comments Off on Roma Giorno Due

Post for Friday, Jan. 8, second day in Rome. It was cloudy in the morning and lasted the entire day before a hard, but relatively brief rain. I have not really taken any photos yet due to the potential for rain today, and not wanting to look like a total tourist as I still try to orient myself in the maze of inner Rome. I started my day later than usual and went we a half a dozen others to get cellphones. At the TIM store we met several other students from America, some from Dartmouth and some from Cornell University. For lunch we ate at a pizza place nearby. They have a variety of kinds of pizza, smaller in size, and cut off the amount you request. The cost is determined by weight. I had half a pizza, about the size of a very large slice, for €3 and a bottle of Nestea for €2.

To get to the cellphone store we crossed the Tiber River to the north through a fine shopping district to a major road called Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. (I haven’t even began to try to remember street names.) There were several shops and restaurants in this area. In front of a McDonald’s (the only recognizable chain anything I’ve seen so far) there were some young boys smoking. On our way back through the narrow vias we stopped at a household goods store for towels (salviette). No luck so we returned to the apartment. At this point it was near 5:30pm or so. Crossing the bridge we ran into two others, who I continued on with to a supermarket.

The supermarket, Panella is on our side of the river on Via Natale Del Grande (street). To get there we walk from our apartment along Via dei Genovesi, another very narrow alley street, about a five block distance till we hit the major road Viale di Trastevere, that crosses the river and has a tramline running down the center. From there we cross and walk down about two blocks until Via Natale Del Grande, which is opposite from a piazza. The first block of Via Natale Del Grande is wider and limited to pedestrians and is tree lined on both sides. There is an art supply shop along this block. The next block with Panella is much narrower and open to cars. Of course the street is used for much more than that. The sides are full of parked scooters, compact cars, and several portions are built out with patios for restaurant dining space.

The supermarket was very subtle from the outside, as most shops seem to be. The front is very small and contains only a few checkout lanes. Like a supermarket we stopped at earlier near Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, it was made up of several smaller rooms and spaces connected to each other, but probably nearly twice as large. I bought some bread, prosciutto, cheese, some generic Italian cereal, and a liter-and-a-half bottle of Ben Cola for a little over €8. My first “self-prepared meal” here was a sandwhich and cola.

Later this evening a friend Jamin and I went out exploring in the general direction of the Colosseum, not too far from our apartment across the river. We did not take the most direct route, but as always interesting. It was not quite as large as I had imagined, but certainly impressive. Our roundabout exploration ended up being a little under 4.5 miles, or a little over 7 km. (see route here.

There’s so much of Rome I have yet to see and many famous sites I haven’t even thought of yet. Tomorrow is Saturday or Sabato and I look forward to spending another day exploring, maybe even take some photos. I’d like to do some map sketching and some digital diagrams, but likely won’t get to that in the next few days. I believe mapping and spatial drawing will be a major focus of our first few weeks of study, which begins Monday. Rome is certainly a city where maps are critical.

Spring in Rome

January 7, 2010 / / 3 Comments

I arrived in Rome earlier today (Thursday) for a semester study abroad with about 55 other students from my class. We are staying in apartments in the middle of the city and the College of Design has studio space just across the river at Piazza delle Cinque Scole. The semester goes till the end of April, after which I plan to travel about 10 days and return home from London on May 11.

My flight schedule began in Cedar Rapids and went through Detroit and Amsterdam on the way to Rome. All my layovers were quite short, but Detroit and Amsterdam both have very nice airport facilities. I landed at Rome’s Fiumicinio Airport a little past noon today. The view coming in for the landing was like a painting, seeing rolling meadows spotted with old cottages along the sea line. The airport, at least the part I experienced, was quite unimpressive. My plane did not pull up to a gate, rather we exited far way on the tarmac and took a bus to baggage claim.

I met a couple of my classmates and we took a taxi into the city to our apartment to check in. The ride was a great first look around the city. Most of our apartments, including mine, are in a former convent, now housing study abroad student apartments as well as those for the general public. In the middle is a great courtyard. Every corner there seems to be another nook or passageway to discover. We found a stairwell up a roof top terrace, complete with kitchen and a terrific view of the surrounding city.

I look forward to spending the next four months in Rome, learning and exploring through studio and classes, as well as getting to understand the city. It is an incredible change from the normal urban arrangement in America and the term “old” takes on a whole new meaning. Almost everywhere is remnants of past centuries. The interaction between these ancient structures and and new infrastructures for a modern polis is fascinating.

I hope to post much more as I get to know the city better and report on my work in studio and other explorations. I started a new “Rome” category that will contain all these relevant posts to come. Ciao.

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