Tarquinia: The reason I don't want to come home...

Hello everyone!

Here's the low-down on what I was up to last week:

Sunday (Feb. 16): I planned my spring break trip and bought tickets to Sofia, Bulgaria!! I'll be there starting Monday, March 31st and will return to Rome on April 2nd (I'm still thinking about changing my flight to stay longer, but I'm not sure yet...) The weekend before my friend from school, Tiffany, will be staying and visiting Rome with me! I've already got her trip planned out and am so excited to show her how beautiful Rome is!!!

On Monday we had Italian and a Lexia lecture. After class, Marlene and I went to Termini Station (where the buses, planes, trains, and metro all meet up) to purchase tickets for a day trip to Tarquinia. We wanted to get out of the city for a bit and see some more of Italy! Tarquinia is listed as a good day trip in Marlene's guidebook, and roundtrip train tickets only cost 12.60 euro!! So, we decided to check it out.


After Italian on Tuesday, we went out for lunch with Scott and Hanna (other Lexia kids), and at 3:00pm came back to the Istituto Italiano for a "passagiata" (stroll, walk) with the history teacher, Silvia. She took us to EUR, which is basically Mussolini's New Rome, as he was attempting to recreate the Roman Empire. He began building it in about 1933 or so, but construction was interrupted by World War II. They finished the area in about 1966. It is quintessential of Fascist architecture and an amazing contrast to the Rome we all know and visit. What was really strange was that it was a beautiful area, full of parks and trees, but also quite depressing because of the colors and architecture. The area reminded me a lot of Mid-Century Modern architecture, but still it was very different.

This is the Church of Saint Paolo, if I remember correctly.
It also houses Mussolini's mausoleum.

The architecture was all created or reviewed by Mussolini, himself. Perhaps the most haunting building was also my favorite: it was intended to be the new Colosseum, and is currently used as an art gallery. It is haunting because the arches correlate to Mussolini's name - 6 up, 9 across.

The writing says: A population of poets, artists, heroes,
saints, thinkers, scientists, navigators and of travelers.

After this we came back to the apartment to work on homework and hang out with the family until dinner. I helped Gianmarco with his English homework, too! That was fun because I was trying to explain prepositional/spatial relations (ie- opposite of, in front of, next to, behind, etc) in Italian and sign language. It was entertaining to say the least!!

Wednesday was pretty normal - as strange as that sounds. We didn't have a Lexia excursion because one of the boys, Mike, was really sick, so we postponed that until Friday. So after class, Marlene and I had lunch with Lizz and Nina, and then walked up and down Via Nazionale and in the Campo di Fiori side-streets in search of some new jeans for Lizz and Nina. (FYI- We were successful!)

Thursday was basically uneventful... had Italian and went to lunch, then came home to read and work on homework and such.

After Italian on Friday, we finally went on our Lexia excursion/passagiata to the Piazza della Republica (a.k.a. Piazza Esedra). Of course, I forgot my camera for this trip. But I'm hoping to go back and take pictures because it was absolutely gorgeous. I'd been to the Piazza delle Repubblica before, however I didn't go in the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (formerly the Baths of Diocletian) because, well for one, I didn't know that I could, and secondly, from the outside it looks bleak and depressing, especially considering the scale and decor of the surrounding buildings.
Some quick history: The Piazza della Repubblica was formerly known as the Piazza Esedra because of the esedra (track or field in the shape of a semi-circle) that was part of the Baths of Diocletian. It was used primarily for royal weddings, funerals, etc - creating an air of royalty about it. After the unification of Italy it was renamed the Piazza della Repubblica as it became a gathering center for political rallies/speeches/etc. This was an attempt to eradicate the monarchy's power and support. It is still referred to Piazza Esedra at times - but generally only by those people who are monarchical loyalists.
(I borrowed this pic from Wikipedia)

Ok, back to the Church! From the outside, it is a simple and unappealing brick building. Upon entering, the enormity and decadence of the interior is almost overwhelming! Until the mid 1500s the church sat as the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian, until Michaelangelo was commissioned to transform the ruins into a church. The structure is more or less the same, with some architectural changes. He kept the original Egyptian granite 300 ton columns, put in place by the Romans, and repainted the interior in Medieval fashion.

(Borrowed from Wikipedia)

After our walk with Tom a couple of us decided to head over to Druid's Rock (the pub mentioned in previous blogs) for happy hour. It was Lizz, Nina, Marlene and me. We just sat around talking and hanging out. At one point Nina started talking in Italian and the group of guys sitting near us complimented her Italian and we began talking with them about why we were there (in Italy) and where we were from, etc. I was excited because I attempted talking with them and they understood most of what I said or tried to say, but I was also able to understand them when they were talking to Nina! Yay! :) We went to dinner around 7:00pm and then decided to go home to sleep and rest because we were going to Tarquinia the next day!!

So, Saturday morning came and Marlene and I were up by 10:00-10:30 or so getting ready to head out. We met up with Lizz and Nina at the train station (Termini) and got aboard the train! It was about an hour and a half long ride, and it was very scenic and beautiful. Tarquinia is near the ocean and the train went along the coast!

Some quick history: Tarquinia was originally inhabited by the Etruscans (pre and during Roman empire era). It was the most notable of the 12 federated Etruscan cities, and has the best preserved Etruscan necropolis (city of the dead/tombs). The Etruscan territory was eventually completely sacked by Camillus in 196ad, when he penetrated the walls of the city Veii. The Etruscans were influenced greatly by the Greeks and in turn greatly influenced the Romans by way of architecture, engineering, etc.

Back to our adventure: We arrived in Tarquinia around 1:30/2:00pm (the train left at 12:10 or so). We got off the train and in my research before we left, I was told there was a bus stop that would take us into the heart of Tarquinia. Alas, there is no such bus stop... so we decided to walk from the train station to the city, not realizing that it is situated on a hill (but what else could we do?). So we walked and walked, following the signs and one road to Tarquinia and the Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese (National Museum of Tarquinia). Luckily for us, it was a gorgeous day! (Probably around 65-70 degrees F). Once we made it even partially up the hill (picture to the right) we were so glad we had come.

Once we reached the ancient city walls, we began looking for the Palazzo Vitelleschi, which is now home to the Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese.
Seeing as we did not enter the city from the main gates, we had some trouble finding the Palazzo, although the city was so gorgeous and quintessentially Italian no one cared. We wandered around and finally came upon the Museum. We spent several hours in it, mainly because I was completely fascinated by the pottery.

The Palazzo itself was absolutely gorgeous as well.
It's described as Gothic-Romanesque. (Below)Palazzo Vitelleschi from Piazza Cavour

Palazzo Vitelleschi's Courtyard

Courtyard again...

Sweet arches!

Vaulted ceiling!

Gorgeous windows!

Here are some pictures for you Mom - but FYI: the necropolis was closed when we got there, so I'll have to go back to get real pictures from the tombs - these are just replicas.


Here are some other artifacts that I liked:

A duck-shaped vase!

Maureen! Ancient dice set!

OK- Enough about the museum!! We left the museum and continued to just meander around the town, soaking up the sun and the sights.





(Top to bottom, left to right:
Marlene, Lizz, Nina, me!)

Fountain in the town.

A very pretty building!

Gorgeous rolling hills.

Road presumably leading to the necropolis?

A window in the wall.

More Tuscan countryside.

Aren't we cute?! Haha!

I have no idea what this is called, but it was really cool.

In the Tuscan hills.

Ah! Tarquinia!!

Tarquinian sunset. You can't beat it!

After getting our fill of walking around, we sat down at a pizzeria for dinner. It was delicious! After we finished our pizza and vino rosso, Lizz asked our waiter where we could catch the bus to the train station. To our utter SHOCK, he replied that the buses and trains don't run after 7:00pm (by this time it is about 7:30pm, and we thought our train left at 8:30pm). So, needless to say, we all went into panic mode because we were not prepared to have to stay the night - though it wouldn't have been a big problem, just an inconvenience. We bolted back into the main square in search of an internet point to double check that we hadn't read the 24 hour clock schedule incorrectly. While searching unsuccessfully for an internet point (which we had seen earlier) we called our friend Mike to have him look up the schedule. He confirmed that the next train was scheduled for 8:27 AM. Still in panic mode, we came across a travel agency that was open, except there was only one woman working and she was helping another customer when we came in. Lizz left to search for the internet point some more, and Nina, Marlene and I waited at the travel agency. Finally, Lizz returned and said the internet place was closed, just then the other customers left and we pleaded with the travel agent to check the train schedule for us. Of course she did with no reservations, and thank goodness, there WAS a train that left at 8:27 PM (20:27 24 hour clock). By now it was 7:50pm! We asked for the bus stop, but she said that the buses don't run to the train station, so we asked for a taxi, but there are NO TAXIS IN THE TOWN!! So, our only choice was to RUN to the station - the problem? It's a loooong walk. Probably about 1 1/2- 2 miles. Fortunately, going back to the station is all downhill!!! By some divine intervention, we JUST BARELY made the train - Lizz and Nina were literally begging the conductor to wait 2 minutes for us. Of course, as we arrived out of breathe, to the station, a city bus pulled up to the station!!! ARRGH! Haha... oh well! :)

We made it back into Rome at about 9:45/10:00pm. We were all so exhausted and stressed by the last hour of our time in Tarquinia that we canceled our plans to go to Campo di Fiori and headed home to sleep!

Sunday we did nothing. I was so sore and so tired I could hardly move! I was really surprised because I've been walking so much everyday that I was not expecting to be so sore! But oh well. I rested and studied and did all my homework, so I was still somewhat productive!!

As for today, I had Italian and went to lunch with my Lexia buds and a new guy who's in the intermediate Italian class (with Lizz and Nina) from Germany! After lunch, we went back to the Istituto for our Lexia discussion and talked about Tarquinia and the Etruscans. It was fascinating!

I got back to the apartment around 3:50 and did my homework and started working on this blog. I helped Gianmarco with his English homework, and he in turn, helped me with my Italian homework! After dinner, Marlene and I picked out some children's books in Italian to practice reading, and Edoardo insisted that I read Peter Pan and "Biancaneve" (Snow White) to him... and let me tell you, it is quite interesting having your reading corrected by a 5 year old!! Haha. Plus, he ended up just summarizing the whole story for me, I guess because I was taking too long to read to him, lol. It was still a lot of fun! As for tomorrow, I don't have any plans except for Italiano! Next week will be my last week of Italian lessons!

Tempus fugit!

Ciao!

Love,
Becca

3rd Week!

Greetings!

Things in Rome are still fabulous, as you would expect... As for the Chinese New Year's parade, well, Marlene and I didn't make it. We ended up staying in bed and just resting all day. It was a nice break from our otherwise non-stop routine.

I was woken Sunday by a wild and crazy group of Italians screaming, "Rebecca! Rebecca!" (in a gorgeous accent) outside my window and the sound of a cigarette pack smacking onto my window. Apparently, the family had gone out (presumably to Mass?) and had forgotten their keys! It was really quite hilarious. We had a wonderful dinner with the family- as we do Sunday through Thursday. After dinner we played soccer and Memory with the boys, and totally wore ourselves out.

Monday and Tuesday we had Italiano and our Lexia class (just Monday for that, though). The Italian is definitely getting better, but it's so much easier for me to read/write it than to speak it just yet. When someone talks to me in Italian, I can understand most to some of what they say, which is really exciting! For example, Marlene and I decided to walk home from school one day and stopped into a caffe' for some sweets (yum!!). The type of pastry I wanted came in two sizes, big or small. So the clerk asked, "Grande o piccolo?" and I was so excited that I understood her, I treated myself to the grande!! Haha, it was DELICIOUS.

Monday night the Lexia crowd decided to meet up at a pub that some of the kids have become regulars at. Marlene and I decided to check it out for a little while, which ended up being until 1:30am (not a good decision! Lol!) So, we were all sitting around and talking and we somehow ended up befriending a couple from Ireland! The guy, David, was originally from Capetown, S.A. but his parents were from Ireland, and after college he went back to Limerick. His finance', Dierdre, was from Kerry, Ir. The two were down for one of Dierdre's friend's weddings, and she showed us absolutely breathtaking photos from the wedding! David was absolutely hysterical- so sarcastic and quick, we all had a great time. We were even invited to stay with them whenever we visit Ireland and we were all invited to their wedding!! (Whenever it happens to be, they didn't have a date set yet...)

On Wednesday we had Italian and then went on a field trip with the Lexia group to the Crypta Balbi. On our walk over, we went by the Piazza Largo Argentina, where Caesar was assassinated. This area is also known as a cat sanctuary - as most of the Roman ruins are, for some reason...

The Crypta Balbi is not a crypt in the sense that English-speakers know it. It is referred to as a crypt because it is a museum pretty much built around and on top of an ancient piazza. Most of ancient Rome is buried under the new(er) Renaissance and turn of the century buildings. As construction was underway for remodeling a building, the Crypta Balbi was found. It is an amazing and innovative museum - it is designed to allow the visitor to look through the walls (and even some of the floors!) in order to better understand the development and changes Rome has encountered over the centuries.

This picture shows the walls of the original building as they are now to the far left, and are gradually restored to what they would have looked like during ancient times (to the right of the picture).

This is a glimpse of looking down through the levels of the museum
to the deepest and most ancient
area of the building.

Here are some other pictures from the Crypta Balbi - from pottery to skeletons!





I saw this chess board and thought of you, Maureen!!



A fresco from one of the areas of the building
that was converted into a church.



Excavation of the Balbi Theater now underway.



An infant's skeleton... apparently it was common to
bury a deceased infant/child in a terracotta pot.

After the museum, our director, Tom, took us over to Rome's "old town," if you will, across the Tiber. We went through the Campo de Fiori (home to Rome's most famous food market by day, and Rome's most famous nightlife by night) and, of course, on our way over we witnessed and learned about some monumental sites of Rome and Italy's recent history. We also saw some pretty intriguing cars...


Totally demolished Smart Car!







Crossing the Tiber was awesome. There were spectacular views in all directions of St. Peter's Basilica and the Roman skyline. Some of my favorite pictures are from the bridge, and they are, as of now, the top of my favorite pictures of all time.

**WARNING: The next two paragraphs discuss shopping, feel free to skip this section!

After our field trip was over, Marlene and I decided to go shopping for purses for me. I had been using my carry-on bag as a school bag and it was MUCH too big and difficult to carry (to give you an idea of size, I can quite literally curl up and fit inside this bag if necessary). We wandered around trying to get back near the Campo de Fiori because there is a street of great (and cheap!) shopping near it. Of course, we couldn't find it and decided to head back home for the evening.

Thursday (Valentine's Day!) was really fun. After Italian, us Lexia kids went out for lunch (which was delicious, of course!) and decided to find me a smaller bag! We looked through all of the street vendors but they were all either too small or too big (but still smaller than what I had been using). After discovering that the discount store near our school was closed from 1:00pm to 3:45pm, we decided to head back to the apartment. Around 4:30pm I decided that I wanted to go to Campo de Fiori to get myself a new bag. We made it over and I did find 2 bags! (Horray!) We continued to window shop and people watch for a while before we decided to head back for dinner.

We caught a bus and saw a MASSIVE protest off of Corso Emmanuele Vittorio and decided to try to figure out what was being protested! Marlene took pictures of the signs that people were carrying, and I noticed that it as predominantly women at this protest. Needless to say, it was a protest for something to do with women's rights. After people watching there and trying to determine exactly what was being protested with no avail, we headed back to the apartment, JUST in time for dinner. (FYI: We found out from out professor, Tom, that the protest was against the Italian government's movement and changing of laws to make abortion illegal in Italy. It has also apparently been brought to the UN by the Italian government).

Italians love St. Valentine's day. Fabio brought Monica a GORGEOUS assortment of roses and lilies, and Monica made a special feast! We had pizza, which was AMAZING, and she made some kind of fish dish, it was weird. After dinner she busted out this unbelievably decadent cake. It was pretty much just a block of sugar, and it was fantastic!! They called it Meringue Glacie or something like that, I'm not positive, but I felt like I was going to need 6 shots of insulin after eating it!

The group of Lexia kids really wanted everyone to go out for a drink in celebration (or opposition to) of Valentine's Day. Marlene didn't want to go because she was exhausted, so I decided to go by myself, and had a great time. Every time I go out with these kids, we meet the most amazing people from all over the world! Tonight, we met a mother & daughter from England.

Friday was pretty calm, Italian class until 12:15, lunch until 1:30, Lexia lecture and discussion until 3:30. After class a few of us decided to venture into MAS the discount store mentioned earlier. The only word that I can use to describe this place is "impressive." It's about the size of 6 Targets (no joke), and about the shopping level of Big Lots/Pic'n'Save/Ross. It was fascinating! Mostly clothes, a little house-wares and furniture section, and a massive shoe department. Most of the things were unbelievably hideous, but my friend Lizz and I were able to find some cute sweatshirts for really cheap! After that adventure, Marlene and I headed home to nap.

Friday night was crazy! I woke up from my nap around 8:30 (went to sleep around 7:00) by Lizz inviting us out to dinner and then out drinking and dancing. After figuring out just HOW to make it back to our apartment without having to pay for a cab, we headed out. We didn't end up getting to the restaurant until close to 10:00pm. Needless to say, we were starving! I ordered some bruschetta and a FABULOUS "Quattro Formaggio" pizza that changed my life. After dinner, we all headed out to Campo de Fiori to check out the nightlife. We ended up in a pub called "The Bulldog Inn!" (Yay, Redlands!) And befriended the DJ who really liked one of the girls, Nina. After the DJ's shift was over, we wandered around trying to find a discoteca because everyone really wanted to dance. By this time, it was about 2:30am, and by the time we got to one of the clubs it was closing for some reason. We didn't know where any other club was and wandered around and found some other American students that Lizz had mutal friends with back in Boston! (Small world!!) We decided that it was definitely time to call it a night after getting totally lost while trying to find a bus. Marlene and I made it back to the apartment at 5:00am!! It was ridiculous! ...I have decided that night's like last night are not for me (duh!). I need to be in bed by 3:00am at the VERY LATEST!

As for the rest of the weekend (and semester!!), I'm hoping to keep it early nights! Next weekend Marlene, Nina, Lizz, and I are hoping to make it out to Venice! Hopefully that will work out!! :] I hope everyone is doing well and having at least half the fun I am!!

Love to everyone,
Becca

(This is from an alcove in one of the churches of the Crypta Balbi)

Buon Giorno!

02/09/08

Hello all!

I hope everything is going well for you in the States or wherever you are studying! Things in Rome are absolutely fabulous! Except that I've been sick the past 3 days and haven't been able to eat!! Ah, a travesty, I know!! But all that is over and done with (and it's apparently high-time for l'influenza (the flu) in Rome).

Since my last update: I've started classes, visited the Trevi Fountain, went to Ash Wednesday mass to see the Pope (!!), saw the Piazza del Popolo, walked down Via Del Corso (several times, actually...), saw the Colosseum (from afar, visit will be soon), saw the Circus Maximus (from afar, visit will be soon), saw the Ara Pacis Augustae, saw St. Peter's Basilica (from afar, visit will be soon), visited Piazza di Spagna by day and night, watched Italian Wheel of Fortune and Big Brother (what drama!! I had no idea what was going on!) annnnd... what else?! Gosh, there's just too much!

Tonight, Marlene (my roommate) and I met up with some other Lexia kids at an Irish pub where we were introduced to a group of Brits who had come down for the weekend (ah, what a life!!) for a big rugby tournament tomorrow (Feb. 10th). After about half an hour there, Marlene and I decided to leave them all to their drinking so we could get some dinner.

We wanted a REAL Italian meal, with all the courses! So, we wandered down a street and found a lovely little place and sat down. We ordered foccacia condita for our antipasti (which ended up being the size of a medium pizza at home!), for our pasta round I ordered Fettucini con funghi (sounds great, huh? lol, funghi= mushrooms, FYI), Marlene ordered Penne con Quarto Formaggio (penne with four cheeses), and for our contorni (side dish) we ordered baked potatoes! Finally, we topped it all off with a glass of the House Red wine (which was really dry and not to my liking, oh well). For dolce (dessert) we ordered a big piece of chocolate cake! YUM!!! Oh, and did I mention that our waiter's name was ELVIS?! YES! He was really funny, too! When I went to the dessert bar to order a slice of cake for Marlene and I to share, he asked, "Parli Italiano?" [Do you speak Italian?] I replied, "Po'" [A little ] (at least that's what I hope I said!) Then I pointed out what I wanted and asked for one slice. He asked, "One slice to share?" and I said, "Si, per favore." He asked, "One slice to share with me?" HAHA!! I just laughed and said, "No, to share with her!" Then he asked where we were going later and if we wanted to meet up for a drink, but alas, I had to reject poor Elvis and return home. LOL! The manager/owner person REALLY liked Marlene though... when we were just sitting around talking and trying to decide on dessert, he came up behind her and started blowing in her ear! It was bizarre... oh, Italian men! So forward! They were very nice and were making conversation with us, it was amusing.

As far as classes go, well, Italian is a beautiful mix of Spanish, Latin, and a little randomness. My Italian teacher is named Donnatella, and she reminds me a lot of Mrs. Lazarova! Full of life and spunk. We're working on verbs at the moment, in case anyone was wondering :) . Anywho, my other class hasn't exactly started yet. Last week was still a lot of orientation and we were supposed to go to the Crypta Balbi museum last Wednesday but one of the girls had an allergic reaction to something, so it was postponed to Friday, but then I was sick Friday, so it is now tentatively set for this coming Wednesday. I looked it up online and it's some kind of gallery, but I'm not entirely sure what it is. I'll find out!

To answer some of the questions I've received in reply emails:

-The fridge is mostly empty because they buy all their fruit and vegetables the day they plan to eat them, they don't stock up like we do!

-Our host mom, Monica, cooks. We aren't allowed in the kitchen!! Haha

-I'll be living here for roughly 3.5 months

-The family minds their business, but still likes to ATTEMPT to communicate with us over dinner and breakfast. (Marlene and I eat breakfast and dinner with them Sunday-Thursday). Hopefully in another week or so communication will be easier!

-The boys names are Gianmarco (JohnMarco) and Edoardo. The stepdad/ boyfriend (we don't know if they're married or not) is named Fabio! And no, he doesn't have long blond hair, lol, it's actually short and gray.

I think that's everything! As for tomorrow, Marlene and I are going to try to find some place with an American-style breakfast (they have VERY light breakfasts) so we can have some comfort food. Then we're going to go to a famous hippy-type open air market (I'll let you know how it is, Mac!) and then at 3:00 on Via Del Corso there will be a Chinese New Year's parade! After that we'll probably head home and do some homework, then eat with the family. I'm working on my first video report and hopefully I'll have that up and out to everyone sometime next week!

Much love to everyone,

Becca