Risorgimento Dinner!

Each year, CEA hosts a Renaissance Dinner (just in case the students aren’t sick of the Renaissance yet through Art History and Literature). Since this year celebrates the 150^th year of Italy becoming united, CEA decided to make thing a tad more patriotic! Thus the Risorgimento Celebratory Dinner established. Here was our menu:

Risorgimento Celebratory Dinner

Wednesday 28 September

7:00 - 9:00 PM

CEA GlobalCampus

MENÙ:

Farfalle alla Anita Garibaldi – Farfalle, basil, chopped tomato, mozzarella, garlic, chilli peppers, oil.

Too few women gained notoriety in the Risorgimento, but among them was Anita Garibaldi, the wife of the great general who created the short-lived Rome Republic in 1849.

Penne alla Giuseppe Mazzini – Penne, pesto sauce, pacchino tomatoes, shredded pecorino cheese.

The father of the Italian nation, and of modern European nationalism, was Giuseppe Mazzini. He hailed from Liguria, the home of pesto sauce which is here used to celebrate his memory.

Arista alla Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour  - Roast pork, arugula, and Vesuvius tomatoes.

Cavour was a major European statesman, and a native of Piedmont, the state which took leadership in the unification effort. It is also one of the capitals of Italian culinary excellence.

Caprese alla Carlo Pisacane – Tomatoes, mozzarella, basil.

Although the most famous figures of the Italian Risorgimento come from the north, Carlo Pisacane was one of the heroes from the south. He was a graduate of the famous Neapolitan military academy called the Nunziatella, from whose windows one can see the Island of Capri in the distance.

Dolci alla Contessa di Castiglione – mixed pastries.

The Countess of Castiglione played a pivotal role in forging an alliance between Piedmont and France, an alliance which allowed the Italians to oust Austria from northern Italy and thus begin the process of Italian Unification.

Wines

Tor Severa (white) – a wine from the geographical center of Italy (Umbria)

Lambrusco (red) - the Italian tricolor flag (green, white and red) was invented in Reggio Emilia,

the area where this wine is produced.

We got all gussied up (I even decided to brave the cobblestone in my high heels) and walked over to campus. The kids from New Haven were also there, making the tiny building nice and cozy. After waiting for some time outside in the cool(er) air, we were invited downstairs for the meal. Campus was adorably decorated with red, white, and green balloons and banners. The meal was delicious, and Andrea (housing director) and Mario (my language professor) kept the wine flowing and the desert coming. It was a blast!

Once our bellies were full, the party moved upstairs where a very talent soprano graced us with five songs. I was mildly impressed at first (I mean high notes are kind of cool- but I am a soprano) but it was the second to last song that did it for me. Holy cow could that woman sing runs! I was never very good at runs (Jumping around on lots of notes with one breath and vowel), and this lady KILLED IT! Between her third and fourth number, a pair of young ladies came and did an Italian folk dance. It was all pretty interesting. I wish the lights hadn’t been so harsh, I felt a little blinded, but all in all it was a splendid evening of good food and unique taste of Italian culture!

The Labyrinth girls before dinner: Erin, Me, Ashley, Jesika, Missy, Michelle, and Kate

Tourist Tuesday

After four hours of sleep, my alarm went off bright (actually dark) and early at 5:00. Our Art History class was canceled for the day, leaving our schedules wide open for adventuring! Missy, Ashley, Maggie, Bridget, Mary, Katie, Megan, Kelly, and I met at the bus stop at 6:00. Why? To watch the sunrise at the Trevi Fountain! Several of these Early Birds have been making a habit of waking up before the sun to watch it rise over important monuments (Vatican is a popular choice). Paolo, our Art History professor, told us that early in the morning is the best time to really appreciate the touristy spots without the tourists blocking the view. Thus, Tourist Tuesday was born, a day we can do all the toursity things we don't have time to do normally.

We took a quick stop at the deserted Pantheon for some pictures (this was when my camera decided to stop working) and continued onward to the Trevi. With only three other people in the entire area, we took full advantage of the open space for pictures, wishes, and even some sweet dance moves! Although we couldn't actually see the sunrise, it was pretty watching the blue change in the sky and the lights on the fountain shut off. It was beautiful! (Mary took some pretty amazing pictures, and since my camera had a meltdown, I am stealing her photos of the Pantheon and the Trevi)

Never seen it that pretty before! And so empty! 

The Tourists:
(Kelly, Megan, Missy, Me, Maggie, Bridget, Mary, Ashley, and Katie)

My attempt at being unique: I figured everyone has a picture standing and throwing coins. 

Since several of us are in the History class, we got to go into the Roman Forum the day before free of charge (it was pretty impressive. Lots of ruins we'd seen from the outside, but the view from the Palatine Hill was amazing! ) Our Roman Forum ticket also got us into the Colosseum and was good for two days. Not wanting to waste our free tickets, this became our next stop on the schedule.We grabbed a quick cup of coffee and began our short walk to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. Kelly, who- like Mary- takes professional looking photos, had brought her fancy camera and let me use her digital one for the rest of the day (It was nice to have a camera that didn't shut up every time I tried to zoom...)


The Colosseum wasn't scheduled to open for another hour so we spent our time taking pictures of the Arch of Constantine and the facade of the Colosseum. I practiced my artsy photographer skills some more.

Sun just coming up as we arrived!

Arch of Constantine! So pretty in the morning light!

We went inside the Colosseum, and I was once again blown away by how massive it is! It's so hard to fathom it filled with spectators watching men fight wild beasts for entertainment. We walked around and soaked it all in.

So massive!

After we had gotten our fill of pictures. Kelly, Bridget, Ashley, Megan and I went to the area outside the Vatican. We had the most amazing crepes for lunch: mine was prosciutto, tomato, and mozzarella- it was divine. We then looked around at the various shops and market area to work up enough of an appetite for strawberry,peach, and nutella gelato at Old Bridge (hey, it's Tourist Tuesday... gelato is totally implied)  It was wonderful day of photographs and full stomachs!

Chaos at Caritas

Through mission trips, volunteering at my high school, and AKS (my service sorority), I would say I have developed a passion for volunteer work. There is nothing more powerful than love expressed through actions, and that is exactly what made me so excited for volunteering at the Caritas Soup Kitchen.

When we arrived at Caritas, it was exactly how I pictured it (quite similar to Sharing and Caring Hands). We were divided into three groups: the kitchen crew, the cleaning crew, and the clothing crew. I was one of the four girls (including Michelle, Jesika, and Mary) put on clothing. As we divided into our groups, the volunteer coordinator sarcastically asked us if we were up to such a “difficult task”. Clearly we were viewed as having the “easy job”.

But, oh how wrong that assumption was! The 2 hours spent sorting through the bags and bags of clothing that coated the tiny storage room floor was one of the most stressful I’ve had since the train trip from Toulouse. The actual sorting part wasn’t too bad (dirty clothes get thrown, shirts go on one shelf, pants on another, women’s clothing in a different room etc…), but the language barrier proved to be nearly an impossible obstacle to overcome. We were instructed by two Italian women, Naldina (an old woman who spoke no English) and Raphaela ( middle aged and  spoke enough to give basic instructions). The problem was, the two ladies could never agree on anything! What Raphaela thought was garbage, Naldina deemed beautiful (bella!). I would put something in one pile, only to be scolded a minute later. It was a game of chance- “which pile is least likely to get me yelled at?”  This lack of organization was enough to make all of us frazzled.

One mistake was what led to my downfall. I was emptying a large paper bag full of old purses and putting them the sorting table. Suddenly, the Naldina started yelling at me and lunged for one of the bags! She seemed seriously upset, and after minute, I finally realized she had placed her own purse next to this bag of purses by coincidence. I had simply thought one of the purses had escaped the bag and put on the table. She started tearing through her bag, furiously speaking in rapid Italian to me. From the little Italian I know, she was going on and on looking for her house key (chiave). Raphela asks if I have stolen her key, and we begin searching all over the very cluttered room as Naldina continued to accuse me of stealing from her purse. Finally, she found her chiave in the zipper pocket of her purse and Raphaela apologized to me on her behalf. I spent the rest of our time mortified and tried to stay out of the way without touching anything.

I was relieved when we were told to go, but also sad. I had been so excited to help others, and I had only felt like a burden. In retrospect, I suppose this was a clear revelation of how blessed I have been. If the worst I can say about an experience is that I was a little stressed and socially uncomfortable, then I guess I have life pretty good. I could have been staying at Caritas and desperate for food or money, but I am fortunate enough to only have been a volunteer. As long as people get the clothing they need, I guess my evening was not wasted. 

A Week of Peaks and Valleys

Wednesday may have been one of my favorite evenings since coming to Rome. Our school sponsored a Pizza and Gelato Crawl!  Four of the most delicious things I have had in Italy, FREE OF CHARGE!  It was so much fun!  We began by meeting Andrea and Michaela in Campo de' Fiori where we went to get our first pizza. 

While our clothes still fit us

I got bianca, a plain pizza without sauce, just oil and crust. This is the kind of pizza Italians eat for a quick snack. Kate and Michelle got rosso which is crust and sauce (I liked mine better!). It was a great simple way to start off our feast. 

Pizza bianca at Forno (bakery)

We then ventured to Largo Argentina for our next stop at Pizzeria Florida. This was our main meal. I was adventurous and tried one slice of zucchini and one slice of potato and porcini mushrooms. It was the best pizza I have had yet!

Best pizza place yet! 

Definitely going back there sometime :)

We then walked to the Pantheon where we had granita di caffe con panna (frozen coffee with whipped cream) at the famous Taza d'Ozo (it was mentioned in Angels and Demons). I had enjoyed this once before when we had visited the Pantheon during Orientation. It was even better the second time!

Unfortunately, this poor guy had to make 30 frozen coffees. I have never seen anyone move that fast before! 

As we were enjoying our coffee, we discovered Andrea, our fabulous housing director at CEA, had starred as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast (which you may know is one of my absolute favorite things in life!) He then graced us with his Italian rendition of "Be Our Guest".

Our last stop was to Della Palma. Kate, Michelle and I had visited here before. It was number one on Phil Kronebusch's (my former professor who directed the Greco-Roman program last year) top list of gelatorias. It was for good reason! I decided to go with my favorite flavor combinations- something chocolatey and something fruity. My combo of choice for the evening- old reliable Fruiti di Bosco (a mixed berry flavor) and the mind blowingly delicious Roche (yes, as in Ferrero Rocher's chocolate). It was one of the best decisions I have made.

Definitely ranks in my top two

One of the four cases of gelato to chose from! 

Thursday night was... interesting. It had the potential of being another amazing night. Unfortunately, it seems we used up all our good fortune the night before. But I'll start at the beginning. We had the wonderful opportunity to see the Roma soccer team play Siena (girls tickets were only 6 euro!). Roma was sure to win, and it would be a opportunity to see the unique and exciting soccer culture! After a long walk and bus ride to the stadium, we finally managed to make it to our seats, just in time for the anthem.

Let the game begin!

The game was so cool! The crowd was chanting and waving flags and singing, and the teams were evenly matched bringing lots of drama. By halftime Roma was up by one point! Kate, who was sitting on the end, got up to let some guys in our row out, and suddenly had her spot taken by a random woman. Her husband looked concerned and went and got her some water. I didn't want to kick her out if she was going to faint or something, so we awkwardly waited to see when she would feel well enough to leave. Suddenly, I looked down at my right shoe, to see vomit splattering all over the front of Kate's seat. Horrified, I looked at Kate:

An accurate reaction

The lady got up and left and we were left literally to clean up her mess. We had no idea what to do, so we put newspapers over it, smooshed three of us into two seats, and spent the rest of the game trying to communicate to the many Italians attempting to sit in the free spot next to me what a poor choice that would be. This resulted in me getting many looks from men thinking I had vomited.


As if things couldn't get more stressful. Siena scored with one minute left to end the game in a tie.

Depressing

We then began the trek back to Nomentana.  We weren't sure where the bus stop was so we walked which got us more lost so we walked more. At one point we took a tram (first time) and then became lost again. After much map-looking, walking, and confusion we arrvied to our appartment 2 and a half hours after the game ended. I guess the night could have been worse. We could have lost!

Another brightside- I found the love locks for Rome! 

Some "Artsy" Pictures

I have been having so much fun playing around with some of the pictures I have taken thus far. So here are some of my favorite pictures from London, Paris, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Rome, Subiaco, Paestum, and Pompeii! 

LONDON:

 PARIS:

TOULOUSE:

CARCASSONNE:

 ROMA:

SUBIACO:

 PAESTUM:

 POMPEII:

Paestum, Sorento, Pomeii OH MY!

After a lazy Friday spent watching a 6 hour movie for Cultural Geography, Saturday we were up bright and early for our weekend trip to Campania (a region south of Lazio where Rome is). I spent the very long bus ride sleeping and reading and arrived in Paestum ready to stretch my legs. Paestum was a Greek city that was formerly dedicated to Poseidon, god of the sea. It is now home of the best preserved Greek ruins (That includes in Greece)! We arrived late due to traffic and were met by our extremely flustered and stuttering tour guide Fredrick. We learned about the three temples (for Athena, a mystery god, and Hera), the fertility pool (a ritual was performed in which women wishing to have children would swim in the pool and decorate the statue of Venus placed on the pool's platform), and all about the shops and houses of the people. Lots of pictures were taken. 

The Temple of Athena 

Fredrick stumbling his way through an explaination

The biggest of the three temples

After Paestum, we drove to our hotel in Sorento, a city across the bay of Naples. We unfortunately didn't have anytime to explore the city, but we did plenty of exploring our swanky hotel! We hung out by the pool and then had a group dinner! It was delicious and all the forks reminded me of being back on my family cruise last winter. Our meal ended with a cake completely drenched in lemoncello- I felt like I was eating a sponge doused in pine-sol. All thirty of us laughed as we struggled to eat our desert. 

After dinner, we went by the pool for wine and entertainment. There was a pretty pathetic piano player who played American songs, but mumbled most of his words and would smoke cigarettes during the instrumental breaks. It was quite a hilarious sight, as was the three old ladies showing off their moves on the dance floor, much to the embarrassment of their husbands. We were just starting to feel sorry for them, when the YMCA came on. Not being able to resist, I jumped up and pleaded with my friends to dance with me. After a very wimpy YMCA, the "piano man" played Waka Waka- Kate's, Michelle's, and my favorite zumba dance! We did the whole routine and was greeted with applause from all the old couples. We spent the rest of the night salsa dancing and hanging out. It was so much fun! 

Salsa dancing with Andrew

Bye Sorento! 

The next morning we had a fabulous breakfast in the dining room and then headed to Pompeii. We met up with Fredrick (slightly less frazzled, equally as awkward as the day before). After perusing around the many souvenirs (got another thimble bringing the total thimble count to 6) we went inside the city. It was INCREDIBLE!  So much has been preserved! We saw everything from remnants of restaurants, shops and houses, to full buildings like the bathes, the brothel, the theaters. Frescos, political campaigns, vases, as well as actually preserved bodies of people and dogs were found after the eruption of Vesuvius. We spent several hours walking through the dusty streets, taking pictures, and taking videos of us dancing around the city. 

The big theater

A pompeii crosswalk

The city

Why is Vesuvius making those noises?

So much history crammed into one weekend! It was amazing!