We Don't Speak French, but We Can Speak Italian

Spring Break
I can remember when I started planning my spring break trip with a few friends in the St. John's computer lab. I was so excited to finally start traveling, but was sad to realize that the trip wouldn't be for another month and a half.

All of a sudden midterm week was upon us and the light at the end of the tunnel consisted of a nine-day trip to Paris, Dublin and London. Needless to say my mind frequently wandered off to planning what I wanted to do in each city rather than focusing on the liturgical developments of the fourth century.

The Eiffel Tower Light Show

For some reason, on a random Sunday afternoon in January, my friends and I thought that taking early flights to each of our destinations would be a good idea. We began our spring break trip with a 4:30 am shuttle from Termini train station to Ciampino airport. From this point on I realized that sleep was going to be as scarce as the money in all of our pockets.

Paris

Flying Ryanair, while cheap, served to be very inconvenient, since nearly every plane we took (except when flying into Dublin), landed at an obscure and distant airport at least one hour away from the city we planned on visiting. Aboard the plane the flight attendants also planned on disrupting any kind of sleep a passenger planned on getting by making announcements every six minutes and trying to sell you cigarettes, scratch-off lottery cards and non-complimentary drinks. (I apologize for my Ryanair rant. It is a decent airline, however, I would not recommend it to anyone other than college students.)

The weather in Paris was cool, windy, and periodically rainy. On the first day we found a Starbucks, something that some of my friends had been dreaming about since leaving America. After a quick American caffeine fix, we headed to Versailles where we ran through the non-bloomed gardens and managed to get into the palace during the final minutes of admittance.

This trip was my first time visiting a country (besides Italy) since being abroad that I did not know the language. All but one of my friends had no French background at all. Our solution? We tried to speak Italian everywhere.Fresh out of our Italian final we were all feeling more confident than ever in our speaking skills. (This quickly faded once we traveled to Dublin and London where we were in our glory speaking English!)

Palace of Versailles

The next day was an intense sight-seeing day. We went to the Louvre, where we saw the somewhat underwhelming Mona Lisa, thousands of paintings and sculptures, and Hammurabi's Code. I liked Hammurabi's Code the best; it reminded me of the fifth grade when I learned about the Babylonians and the discovery of Hammurabi's Code.We took the mandatory tourist pictures of the giant pyramid at the museum with our second Starbucks of the trip in hand.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame was our next stop. For those of us in the Liturgical Art and Architecture class, we felt compelled to point out every gothic element of the church, demonstrating how much we still remembered from out midterm from two days prior. After about an hour in the cathedral we ate in the Quasimodo Cafe where we ordered quiches and french onion soup.

After a steep and windy climb to the top of the Eiffle Tower, a visit to Laduree for amazing macaroons and a stop at the Moulin Rouge, I indulged in a fresh buttery croissant and shared a warm, fresh out of the oven baguette with some friends before finishing my up my last night in Paris. When we returned to our friend's apartment that we were staying at we looked out her window to watch the Eiffel Tower light up. This moment, while may not seem too important to others, was magical to us. We watched the Eiffel Tower gradually light up with a warm golden light and then sparkle with its hourly light show.

Laduree Macaroons

Some of my last moments in the "City of Lights" can be characterized by one word: cuisine. Our entire group managed to find a restaurant with a three-course dinner meal all for about 11 euro! Our table was filled with french onion soup, escargot and beef bourguignon. Naturally we found a creperie after dinner that made one of the most delicious desserts I have ever consumed. A large, fresh crepe filled with chocolate and bananas was the perfect way to conclude my time in Paris.

Buffala, Mozarella, e Cibo!

A popular piece of advice that I had received before going to Rome was to go on the mozzarella farm trip. I am very happy that I did, not only because the trip was fun, but that the food was absolutely amazing!

The buffalo were camera-ready at all times!

There is nothing like spending a day out in the countryside after being in a busy city like Rome. On February 18th I visited a mozzarella farm in a small town near Naples. We received a tour of the facilities where the fresh buffalo mozzarella is made daily. We then were brought outside to visit the buffalo, who despite their muddy pens and strong odors, we very entertaining and charming.

The antipasto course was a
big enough meal on its own!

After some time spent outside with the buffalo and other farm animals it was time for the legendary meal that I had been prepared for since I arrived in Rome. The four-course meal was one that will forever be remembered. The antipasto course was large enough to be the entire meal by itself. Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, a variety of cheeses, polenta and bread filled out plates and made us forget that we still had three more courses on the way.

Three additional courses and some wonderful conversation later, the group made their way outside for some fresh air. Some of us stumbled upon a playground where we relived some of our favorite childhood memories. It was the first time I had played on playground in front of a beautiful mountainous background.

Tour de Toscana

The Tuscany region of Italy is associated with marvelous wine and beautiful countryside. After spending three days in Tuscany I can say that both of these associations are true...especially in the snow!

After Rome's major snowstorm the school-sponsored Tuscany trip was canceled, but luckily, it was rescheduled for the following weekend. I had been looking forward to this trip since I heard about it at one of the Rome information meetings at Loyola. We planned to experience four cities: Siena, Arezzo, Pienza, and Orvieto. (February 12-14, 2012)

Siena

In front of the Duomo of Siena.

After three long hours on the bus we finally arrived in Siena. Siena is the home of St. Catherine of Siena and the beautiful Duomo of Siena. After getting our typical theology and history lesson from Dr. Dawson about the city we walked through the city to find the Duomo of Siena. This is my favorite church that I have seen in Italy so far. The outside has beautiful colorful detail and the inside has spectacular black and white striped columns (black and white are Siena's colors). The ribbed barrel vaults had beautiful detailing and reminded me of a starry night.

Afterwards we had some free time to get some lunch and try some of Tuscany's signature cuisine. Dr. Dawson reccommended we try the wild boar sauce, which was very similar to bolognese or ragu, just a bit saltier. We then met up with the group to look at some religious art, went to mass and headed to our hotel in Arezzo for a delicious three-course meal.

Arezzo

Some wine and food at Castella del Trebbia.

Our second day in Tuscany began with a walking tour of Arezzo. We once again looked at some religious art in a church and had a lot of free time to explore the city. We managed to find a french park that revealed a spectacular view of Arezzo and the Tuscan countryside. We spent most of our time there until our assigned time to visit the church. Afterwards we found a delicious resteraunt that served amazing lasagna. We were then off to the most anticipated activity of the trip: the castle wine tasting!

The wine tasting at Castella del Trebbia was located in the beautiful countryside with vineyards and mountains in every direction. This private estate was surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen. We had a tour of the family-owned castle and of the wine cellar. We then had the opportunity to learn the proper way to enjoy wine and taste one white wine, two red wines, and one dessert wine followed by a delicious three-course meal.

Pienza

The Tuscan countryside as seen from Pienza.

The last day of the trip was spent in the cities of Pienza and Orvieto. Pienza is a beautiful, small city that is famous for pecorino cheese. After Dr. Dawson's theology lecture in one of the churches we were able to explore the quaint city that was blanketed with snow. Everyone stumbled upon one of the most beautiful views of Tuscany. Mountains dusted in snow and a bright shining sun warrented for beautiful pictures and an opportunity to simply take in the beauty of Tuscany.

Orvieto
Orvieto, a city in the Umbria region of Italy, was the last stop of the Tuscany trip. It was surprisingly difficult to find a restaurant to eat lunch at, but after an hour of searching side cobblestone roads, we finally found a place where I ordered a delicious pesto and chicken pizza. I toured the city with some friends and eventually met up for the final church tour of the trip. Before heading home some of us decided to warm up with some hot chocolate, which was basically melted chocolate, that was absolutely delicious!

Once it was time to head back home to Rome, everyone was excited to return back to their homestays. For the first time, I felt as though my homestay was really my home here in Rome. There was nothing more enjoyable than walking into my apartment with my host mom waiting with a large smile on her face.

Carnivale and the Sleeper Train Experience

Venice scenery

This past weekend was certainly one for the books. In less than 24 hours I experienced Carnivale and then headed off on a trip through the Tuscan countryside with the CUA program. I was about to go to two places that I had always dreamed of going.

I have been learning about Carnivale since I started taking Italian classes in the 7th grade. The masks, food, celebration and the beautiful city of Venice were always things that I had hoped I could one day experience myself. On Saturday February 11th, Italiaidea was brave enough to take about 60 Loyola and CUA students to Venice for Carnivale.

Carnivale enthusiasts

Venice is a city where roads are replaced with waterways and where the heart of the Carnivale season can be found. The city is absolutely spectacular and the spirit of Carnivale is everywhere. With this being a very cold winter for Europe in general, Venice was absolutely freezing and windy. The weather did not hold us back from exploring the city and celebrating Carnivale. After being guided through the city to St. Mark's Square, a group of us weaved though the crowds of people dressed in masks and elaborate costumes. We ran into some Loyola students who have been studying in the Belgium program. Sometimes I cannot believe how small the world really is when I run into friends from home while studying in Europe.

Loyola students in the Carnivale spirit

To prepare for the parade that was to pass through St. Mark's Square, we bought masks to wear throughout the city. I bought a white one with a large feather and proudly wore it until dinner. We managed to get warm, eat a delicious lunch of what other than pizza, and watch some of the parade. Afterward we attempted to take some of the classic "LOYOLA" pictures in front of some gondolas.

My sleeper train bed.

After some more exploring, shopping and another delicious dinner it was time to return to Rome. We managed to experience Carnivale in less that 24 hours and were about to experience the "luxury" of an Italian sleeper train. Rooms of four beds were set up for us to sleep in during out 6 hour train ride back home. These private rooms had one thin sheet and pillow per person as well as no heat whatsoever. Everyone slept in there full outfits, jacket, gloves, hats and scarves included. I don't think I have ever been so cold in my life and happier to wake up at 6 a.m..

Us zombie-like students made our way back to St. John's to prepare for the rescheduled Tuscany trip.

Neve!

This past weekend the city of Rome experienced some very unusual weather. For the Americans living in Rome, the snow fall seemed very normal for the beginning of February. The Italians, however, were in awe of how much snow was falling from the sky and how it was actually sticking to the ground. On Friday, February 3, 2012, the biggest snowfall since 1985 blanketed Rome with beautiful white snowflakes.

Via Marcantonio during the snowstorm.

Snow is not unusual during the Roman winters, a few flurries about twice a year is common. Snow that actually sticks to the ground is a different story. The 4-5 inches of snow that blanketed Rome on Friday was not shoveled, salted or plowed until a day or more later. The city simply sat back and watched it accumulate rather than remove it from the streets and busy sidewalks.

For those who experienced the Snowpocolypse in Baltimore in 2010, you know that the city of Baltimore is not the best at handling snow. I can understand that 3 feet is a lot of snow and a lot of problems come with large amount of snowfall, however, Rome got a mere 4 inches and went into panic mode. Bus routes were shut down and stores and restaurants closed for the day assuming that people were staying indoors and away from this strange weather. For some, this was the first real snow they had ever seen in Italy (that is if they were born after 1985).

Prati neighborhood under a blanket of snow.

This snow, while beautiful, canceled the Tuscany trip that our program had planned and paid for this past weekend. The bus that we were supposed to take was snowed into the parking lot and many of the main roads were closed. Luckily, Dr. Dawson was able to reschedule the trip for the following weekend. The positive side of this was that we still had Monday off from classes even though the trip was canceled. I can't say that I opposed to the extra sleep I got that weekend!

I find snow to be beautiful no matter where I am, but there is something about the city of Rome being covered in snow that I will never forget. The city seemed very peaceful and quiet during and after the snowfall which is something that I had yet to expereince. Rome is a very busy city, always awake. It was the first time that I had ever seen a palm tree covered in snow.

Outside of St.John's in the snow.

While the cold weather is something that I dislike everyday (Romans are not known for having a lot of heat in their homes), I am very happy that I got to experience this great snowfall that will certainly go down in Roman history. Every night at dinner my host mother puts on the news, and for the past week, the snowstorm has been the main focus on almost every channel. There is more snow in the forecast for this Friday, however, it is only supposed to flurry...that is what they said for February 3rd as well...

Firenze

On January 28th I took my first weekend trip while in Italy. A bunch of people from my program were headed to Florence for two days. I was excited to start traveling and really feel like I was abroad.

View of Florence from the Bell Tower.

After a short 1 1/2 hour train ride we pulled into the Florence train station. It was freezing when we arrived. Luckily, the hotel that Meghan, Kathryn and myself were staying in was only a 5 minute walk from the train station. We stayed in a small budget hotel where a bunch of other CUA students were also staying. We decided to drop our stuff off and go get lost in the city while waiting for some of our other friends to get settled in. After getting lost and some intense map reading we managed to reach the Duomo and begin checking off the sightseeing we had planned for the trip.

The Duomo was beautiful from the outside and a lot bigger than I had imagined. We went inside and took some pictures but were a little disappointed that we couldn't stand under the actual dome. We then decided to climb the Bell Tower so we could see the city from the top. The 400+ steps it took to reach the top certainly made up for my lack of exercise since being in Italy. The view was absolutely incredible. I recommend for anyone planning on visiting Florence to climb the Bell Tower rather than the Duomo because you can get a beautiful view of the Dome from the top.

View from Piazza Michelangelo right before sunset.

After our climb we felt that we deserved some lunch, so we crossed over the Ponte Vecchio and ate in a pizzeria where we each got individual pizzas and relaxed for a bit. Afterward we braved the cold and climbed up to Piazza Michelangelo. This was my favorite part of the entire trip. The view was absolutely amazing. Before traveling to Florence, a friend told me to go to Piazza Michelangelo for the sunset and I am so happy that I did. We sat on the steps that overlooked the city and listened to a woman perform Italian and American music with the sunset as her backdrop. We were surrounded by other American students studying abroad. I was surprised to hear so many English-speaking people and see so many Americans just hanging out and drinking wine on the steps.

We later met up with some friends to eat dinner. We ate at small restaurant and then went back to our friends' apartment for some wine. The apartment was beautiful and could sleep a lot of people. I will definitely start searching for apartments to stay in while traveling in the future. I decided to call it a night and get some rest after a very long day of walking and sightseeing.

The next day began with an overpriced breakfast and cold walk to the leather market. I managed to bargain a great price on a brown leather jacket in the Mercato Centro area. The rest of the day was more sight seeing around the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. We did everything that we had wanted to do the day before, so we decided to take it easy and just shop around and enjoy the city. Florence is a very walkable city, which worked out for us, since we didn't know how to use the bus system like in Rome.

I really enjoyed my time in Florence and cannot wait to travel more during the semester!

Useful Information for Visiting Florence:

1. Travel on a Saturday-TrainItalia had a buy one-get one deal for train tickets purchased for Saturday travel
2. Climb the Bell Tower-The top reveals a beautiful 360 degree view of Florence and of the Duomo
3. Buy Leather at Mercato Centro- most vendors have student discounts
4. Bargain!-try to bargain down the price with street vendors, most likely you'll get a better deal
5. Visit Piazza Michelangelo at sunset- stunning views of the city and countryside, beautiful sunset and sometimes live music!

Frogger Anyone?

Today while enjoying my 15 minute "pausa" (break) from Italiaidea I had a revelation. As I was trying to cross the street to get some gelato, I realized that Rome is just one giant, and very real, game of Frogger.

Typical Rome traffic.

For those of you who had the pleasure of having a PlayStation (original) and chose to spend hours trying to cross the busy streets in Frogger, I hope that one day you travel to Rome where you can put your gaming skills to a real life test. For those of you unfortunate people who did not get to play Frogger, you will certainly be at a disadvantage, simply because you did not get to practice crossing a busy street where cars, trucks, and vespas do not stop with the comfort of having 3 or more lives to spare per game.

"Commit to the cross" is one of the first things that I learned in Rome. Dr. Dawson's words of wisdom have been echoed every time a Loyola or CUA student crosses the street.

Frogger

In Italy there appears to be very little concern for the rules of the road. It being a city, it is understandable that traffic will build up, large buses will take up half of the narrow street and drive as slow as they wish, and that pedestrians will choose to dart out in the middle of the street at any given time. In Rome, the absence of lanes and the freedom enjoyed by those who ride a vespa or some form of a motorcycle is frightening when cars weave in and out of other motorists as the small vespas do. Double parking can occur almost anywhere at any time and if the person infront of you is moving too slowly, feel free to drive around them and enjoy some time on the wrong side of the road until you can leave them far behind.

For the most part, cars and motorcycles will stop for someone crossing a street, however one should not take this for granted. Once you have chosen to cross the street, the best approach is "to commit." Stopping mid-cross will most likely result in fear, injury, death, or an unpleasant exchange of words between you and the driver. In most cases, the driver will stop at the absolute last minute while you are crossing, making it a very real thought that you might actually get hit.

My piece of advice: always cross behind an Italian. They seem to know what they are doing.