A View of Monterosso from the Hills

Last week was kind of a blur. We started classes on Monday as well as our internships. My group didn't do much in the way of work. We just walked around the city and the museum getting Roman history lessons in italian. I really enjoyed it. Trying to understand a constant stream of italian is mentally exhausting. But eventually you stop trying and just start absorbing what they're saying. It's hard to describe, but it's amazing to realize that you've been understanding someone who is speaking in a foreign language. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty much the same. We went grocery shopping (which is really stressful here!) and made dinner each night at the apartment. It's impressive what a few good ingredients can do for a simple meal! My new favorite things are Caprese salad - just mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil; crostinis (I've always loved the ones my dad makes) - basically the same as a caprese salad but on toasted bread with garlic and olive oil; and pasta with salmon sauteed in paprika, olive oil, and garlic. YUM! I eat sooo much food here.
Also on Tuesday we went up to the Castel Sant'Angelo across the river from our school. It was beautiful and I will add some pictures. We ended up walking along the river all the way back to Tiber Island. There are two large walkways on each side of the river that are far below street level and flanked by walls so you can't see the city at all. The water is an odd green color and there is trash in the trees. But despite the dirt and sometimes the smell, it was peaceful. We met a group of boys that asked us where we were from. I tend to get slightly nervous about europeans finding out I'm american, but these boys responded with "I LOVE America!" Things have really changed since Obama was elected.
On Thursday the UW Rome Center put on a movie night for all of the programs. We watched Gladiator. It's such a good movie! I love seeing the Coliseum intact and Rome as it was back in those times.
On Friday we went as a group (all of the people here studying italian) to the Vatican. I didn't know anything could be more...spectactular...than Westminster Abbey. But I was dead wrong. St. Peter's Basilica has more gold, more marble, more everything than anything I've seen! It was hard to take it all in. We saw Michelangelo's Pieta and a statue of St. Paul from the 15th century and Bernini's baldachin, which is the bronze canopy over the main altar in the basilica. We learned that some of the bronze used in it was taken from the ceiling of the Pantheon. We also learned that according to the contract establishing Vatican City as a sovereign state, Rome is not allowed to build anything taller than the dome of the Basilica that Michelangelo designed. The Pope is a lucky guy to have such an interesting place to live.

After the Vatican, my roommates and I took a train to a small town in the Cinque Terre region called Monterosso. It's right on the Mediterranean and so small that it doesn't even have a supermarket. The instant we stepped off the train, I was in love. In front of me was the sea, and behind me were the mountains. The town is colorful and surprisingly busy. It's full of small locally-owned shops and restaurants. We walked around the town and up to the cemetery on saturday. Almost every grave had flowers on it. It was very different from american graves.
The hills there are covered in trees, grass, cactus, and aloe plants. Everywhere we went there was a view of the sea. That night we had the best food that can be found in the entire world. I can't even describe how amazing it was. But, if you ever find yourself in Monterosso al Mare, go to Via Venti in a street called Via XX Setembre. Rick Steves recommended it, and I will always follow his advice from now on.
At night we went to Fast Bar, the local hangout for the younger crowd. We met a few boys from the town who were impressed with our unusual ability to speak italian. I enjoy disproving stereotypes.
On Sunday my friends Zoe, Molly and I hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza, the next town of the five. It was an intense walk. There were no switch-backs, just stairs going straight up. It felt good to exercise, and I have some beautiful pictures from up on the mountain. In Vernazza we had pizza that blew my mind. It's on the only main street in town, so you can't miss it. Make sure you go there too. After eating we layed out on the ground in the sun. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the water, the forks and knives scraping plates at nearby restaurants, the soft buzz of italian, the light breeze, and the smell of food and the sea mixed together. It was the most peaceful I have ever felt somewhere other than our cabin. I decided then that I need to figure out how to make a living in Cinque Terre and move there. I doubt they have a word for 'stress.'

Now I am back in Rome and the heat, trying to save money.
This week is Holy Week and the city is supposed to be inundated with tourists, people who aren't working, and kids who aren't in school. It's going to be eventful...

written by  kalib on April 6, 2009 from Monterosso al Mare, Italy
from the travel blog: Guido Watch '09
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La Palazza Venezia

Wednesday morning I woke up at 4:00am. I forgot for a second why I was awake, and then remembered, oh yeah, I’m flying to Italy for three months. Wade (my brother) took me to the airport and saw me off. I flew with five people from the Italian program, which was nice. We landed in New York and I had just enough time to go to the bathroom and buy a $9.00 sandwich. The flight into Rome was difficult. The seats were tiny and crammed together, leaving just enough room for my legs. Sleeping was next to impossible, and I probably only managed to get 2 hours in. We landed in Rome at about 6:45am local time, went through customs, got our luggage, and were hustled by illegal taxi drivers before getting real cabs and entering the city. (a note to any future Rome travelers: only get in a taxi that says “commune di roma” or “commune di fiumicino.” The others are illegal and will probably make you pay out the you-know-what). The stereotype that all Italians dress nicely isn’t actually a stereotype at all, it’s completely true! Even our female taxi driver was dressed immaculately.
I share an apartment with 4 other girls in Via Baccina. The southwest end of our street dead-ends at the Roman Forum. A little bit further west is the Coliseum. We are in the Monti District of Rome. It’s beautiful here. Pretty much every street is made of cobblestones and is what we would consider an alley. They are tiny, and usually don’t have sidewalks. Being hit by a car here seems almost unavoidable. I’ve also noticed that everyone is wearing winter coats, despite the fact that yesterday it was in the high 60s and much hotter in the sun. I think Romans must be used to extremely high temperatures. I feel very underdressed in just a jacket.
On our slightly aimless wanderings yesterday, my friends and I stumbled upon the Trevi Fountain. The first thing I noticed was the crowd. The tiny piazza was completely filled with people. The fountain itself, though, was gorgeous. I was distracted from my ponderings by a man trying to give me a flyer about a pizza place nearby. I didn’t want any, I said, but of course he wouldn’t let up. He eventually stopped trying to sell me pizza and changed gears to “You are beautiful. Are you from Obama? What part of Obama are you from?” I decided this could become a very weird conversation and walked quickly away. By lunchtime, the girls and I were exhausted. We were laughing at stupid things so hard that we were crying. At 3:00 we had a meeting at the Rome Center that did not help our sleepiness. I was falling asleep whenever I blinked. We decided to scrap any plans of staying up until a decent hour and just go to bed. We were all asleep by 5:00. I didn’t get up until 7:15am.
This morning I had the best cappuccino, orange juice, and croissant I have ever had in my entire life. The juice had just been squeezed minutes before. The cappuccino was so amazing that I literally couldn’t put it down. And the croissant was filled with the most delicious chocolate. The only downside to it is that I won’t be able to enjoy an American chocolate croissant as much anymore. Our’s have those two small strips of hard chocolate down the center, while the Italian ones have thick, creamy chocolate packed inside that oozes out as you eat it. It took all of my willpower not to buy a second one for the road.
So far my favorite thing to do is start walking towards a destination, but don’t pay much attention to the map. Eventually you find yourself going in the wrong direction in the wrong area, but you discover so much along the way. My apartment mates and I did that earlier this afternoon and ended up having the most amazing lunch (risotto with porcini mushrooms, red wine, and some kind of coffee and gelato dessert) and then wound up at the Coliseum without even meaning to!
Looking at the Coliseum is one of the most thought-provoking experiences in the world. How they managed to build it, how advanced the architecture was, how incomprehensibly old it is, how incredible it must have been in the Roman days…I think the only other thing in the world that could come close would be the pyramids. It’s difficult to convey how strange it is to look at. It’s as if I’m staring at a massive page of a book that has been set up in front of me. Everything surrounding it is real, but the Coliseum itself isn’t.
I have already decided that Rome is a city everyone needs to visit before they die, and I’ve only been here a day and a half

written by  kalib on March 27, 2009 from Rome, Italy
from the travel blog: Guido Watch '09
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