Italy Narrative by Michele Lee
Si monumentum requires circumspice. During my trip to Italy my mind was overloaded with stimuli. It is hard to just pick out a few events to discuss. I do not want to organize this strictly in chronological order, but divide it into categories from our class discussions and other topics I found interesting. My first full day in Rome reminded me of two of our class readings, Edith Wharton’s “Roman Fever” and Henry James’s Daisy Miller, because I was in bed sick. Upon arriving in Rome I felt fine. I spent a few hours sightseeing near our hotel with some group members. We walked by the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and Domus Aurea on our way to San Clemente.
From the outside San Clemente looked like an abandoned building, not a church, but once entering its walls I was amazed by San Clemente’s hidden beauty. San Clemente is a multilevel church built on the ruins of two other buildings. The ground level church dates from the twelfth century and was built by Pope Paschal II. To the right of the entrance is a magnificent atrium, surrounded by columns, with a fountain in the center. One of the most notable parts of this church is the apse mosaic behind the high alter. It portrays a cross springing from the tree of life in gold detail. From the gift shop we paid to go down into the lower levels of the church. The original church was built in the fourth century to commemorate the fourth pope, Clemente. It had been destroyed during Norman invasions. Walking down the stone stairs and feeling the draft of being deep underground made me realize the antiquity of the place. Frescos still remained visible on the walls. From there we are able to take another staircase to the lowest level, the ruins of a third century temple. The excavated part of this building was much smaller and you had to look through a gate to see the ancient Mithraeum. Throughout the lower level I could hear the sound of rushing water from a nearby spring. San Clemente was a great first stop and one of my favorite places in Rome.
From San Clemente we walked to San Pietro in Vincoli, which was conveniently located across the street and up a steep staircase from our hotel. This church was built in the fifth century by Empress Eudoxia to display the two sets of chains from St. Peter’s imprisonments. Legend tells that the two chains had miraculously fused together. Even more impressive was Michelangelo’s famous statue of Moses. The statue was meant to be part of a large tomb for Pope Julius II, but it was never finished. I cannot believe how much famous artwork was available on display to the public. I almost felt bombarded by fine art.
By this time we were famished, so we decided to eat at the little restaurant right next to our hotel. I was instantly amazed and annoyed by one particular cultural difference; restaurants and cafes solicit you to eat there. An employee will stand outside and practically drag you in. Our waiter was very friendly and informed us on how much he loved Americans and how he wanted to move to America someday. He was not an Italian native, but had moved to Rome from Albania. He said Rome is a great place for tourists, but not as a place to live. He served me my first real Italian pizza, which I found too oily, but good.
After dinner I returned to the hotel to crash early for our big tour day. It was not until the next morning that I started to feel ill. In the shower I felt nauseous, but as I went down to breakfast I went quickly downhill. I was shaking and my eyes were watering. After getting some medicine I barely made it to my room in time for my complete sickness to set in. I had to spend the whole day in bed, watching Rome through my hotel window. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the two tales about Roman Fever we read in class and found it kind of ironic that I got sick, even though I didn’t break into the Coloseum the night before. In hindsight I think I was suffering from jetlag sickness, since I was ill again after the flight home.
All of the ancient structures mixed in with new buildings were a signifying mark in Rome. The architecture is highly contrasted from the United States were everything is relatively modern. I love the detail put into every column and wall. The immensity of the Colosseum in the midst of the busy moving city is a prime example of the architectural stratification of Rome. My biggest disappointment of the trip was that I never got to go inside the Colosseum. I attempted to return on my free day, but by the time I got there they had just closed. I did get to see many other impressive structures on my free day, though. I walked through the Forum, since I missed that on the first day of tours, too. I got to see the Temple of Julius Caesar, signifying the place where he was cremated; the Curia, or Senate, with its colorful, marble floors and elevated ceilings; the Rostra, where famous men of Rome gave speeches; the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, which Emperor Antoninus dedicated to his wife upon her death and then dedicated to him upon his death, and then later turned into a church; and the cobble stone walkway that Cleopatra had once tread, which brought to mind Augustus’s threat to parade Cleopatra through the streets of Rome in Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.”
The Pantheon was the most striking architectural feat I saw. Built in the second century, the Pantheon’s cupola has a diameter of 142 ft. and walls up to 20 ft. thick. The oculus in the center of the dome is 30 ft. in diameter and it sends a beam of light around the room. Originally a pagan temple, the Pantheon was one of the few temples open to the public. It was later turned into a church, which accounts for the interior decorations. I was surprised to find out that it housed the tomb of the painter Raphael and some Italian royalty. In front of the portico was a fountain and Egyptian obelisk. Right around the corner was another beautiful church, in Gothic style, called the Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Outside there was another obelisk resting on a marble elephant. I was able to see three obelisks in Rome and I found them incredibly intriguing. I can see why they were a symbol of divine immortality. I knew Egypt was a part of the Roman Empire, but I didn’t realize how much they influenced Roman art and culture.
“Roman Holiday” has become one of my new favorite movies. I instantly fell in love with Audrey Hepburn. What was really interesting, though, was seeing all these famous ancient structures in person and getting to see how they looked fifty years earlier in the movie. The Spanish Steps varied the most. In the movie, and in every postcard, the Spanish Steps look beautiful, adorned with flowers, and a lovely church at the top. When I saw the Spanish Steps they were not that impressive. There were no flowers and a lot of construction and restoration work, which covered up the piazza’s attractiveness. What I did enjoy about the Spanish Steps was the Keats and Shelley Museum next to the steps. It was perfect going there with Dr. Mink, because she provided a lot of background information and had a poem by Hardy about Keats’s death. I was amazed to find out what an all-around artist Keats was. Not only was he a famous poet, but also a talented musician and drawer. I was able to see an original copy of his drawing of a Grecian Urn and the room where he died at twenty-six years old.
Overall, I felt very comfortable in Rome. There were a few cultural differences I noticed, but nothing overtly bizarre. The first thing I noticed was how people parked. There did not seem to be any rules for parking. Miniature cars jumped curbs and parked in the middle of boulevards, or double or triple parked. I was amazed that most of the cars I saw were in good shape, with no signs of dents or collisions. I was thoroughly impressed with the ability of our bus drivers, who flew down the streets with ease. It was a little unnerving being a pedestrian, though I definitely would not want to drive anywhere in Rome. Crossing the street seemed to just take a little courage and assurance that the cars would slow down for you. I tried to follow the locals. The Metro was quite an experience when it was busy. On one of my rides we were packed in so tight no one could move. As I was getting off the train I felt someone behind me grab my butt, like he was feeling for a wallet. Luckily I had nothing in my pockets and I pushed my way out of the train. I had one problem at one of the restaurants. I decided to go out to eat with some of our group members, but me and another girl had already ate in our rooms and just wanted to go along for the company. The waiter was displeased that we were sitting in his restaurant without ordering a main course. He let us stay, but I don’t think he was very happy with us.
Sorrento was the perfect escape from the fast paced, busy city life of Rome. The quiet, relaxing beach town was just what we all needed. While there were not as many tourist attractions, Sorrento was beautiful. The people were friendly, the shopping was great, and the view of the bay was amazing. The rocky shoreline and craggy cliffs give Sorrento a real Mediterranean feel.
I was extremely excited to go to Mt. Vesuvio and Pompeii, because of what I had learned about them in history classes. Mt. Vesuvio is a stratovolcano, a conical mountain composed of hardened lava and volcanic ash. One of my souvenirs was a box with samples of the different minerals produced by Vesuvio. Vesuvio has erupted at least fifty times, the last happened in 1944. Its most famous eruption took place in 79 AD, which wiped out the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii had grown into a prosperous trading town, with a population of approximately 20,000 and covering 160 acres. The eruption buried the city under 20 feet of ash and minerals, which preserved the structures until excavation began in the 18th century. Upon touring the ancient city, we were able to see remnants of an urban center, including two story buildings, restaurants, a bathhouse, a brothel, and a grand amphitheatre. Casts were made of victims of the eruption, displaying a disturbing view of their agonizing deaths.
Our trip to Italy was remarkable. By the end of the trip I was ready to go home and relax for a day or two, but now I am ready to go back. There were so many things to see and learn and just not enough time to accomplish it all. There are weeks more of stuff to do in Rome and many places I would like to go back to and spend more time at, especially the Vatican. I would also love to check out an Italian university. Hopefully, my wish at the Trevi Fountain comes true and I can soon return to Italy. Ars longa, vita brevis.