Verdi's Falstaff

I don't often get wowed or shocked these days. I've gotten pretty take-things-as-they-are, let's-not-get-too-flustered-here, you get the picture. Last night I went to see my.. fourth? opera, but my first in Europe. It was Verdi's last opera, Falstaff, and can I just say it was an experience. You saw the picture, so you know what I'm getting at already. They brought a horse onstage. A HORSE. ON THE STAGE! It was a first for me, for sure. I must admit, the beginning of the second act draaaaggged to the point that I was starting to doze off. And I wasn't exactly thrilled by it. And then the second half of the third and final act happened. A forest. Fairies. Witches. Devils. Tree people. A woman singing on a horse. Me realizing I really should've looked up the show before I saw it.

So tomorrow morning I'm headed for Firenze (Florence) via train. More on that later!

Hanging with Hadrian

On 23 gennaio (last Friday, the 23rd) I went on a school-organized day trip to Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa. It's about an hour outside of Rome, in Tivoli. The villa served as a retreat for Roman Emperor Hadrian (Adriano), who is said to have not liked his palace in Rome very much. The sights were bellissimi, and I'm fortunate to have seen another World Heritage site (Although there are 890 so far, and that's just a little overambitious).



Aside from all the travel in the past week or two, settling down in Rome has been interesting. Although I am getting better at knowing this neighborhood by sight, dare I admit that when matched up with a map, I have no idea where I am yet. One of my short-term goals is to get better at that.So let's see. I've been to the Trevi, la Piazza di Spagna, and recently I added il Colosseo (you know, the Colosseum) to the list of places I've been. Il Vaticano is one place I'd like to go soon, not only to add another visited country to my list but also because I've heard of a wonderful gelateria there!
My classes are somewhat embarrassingly still getting figured out, but the three that I'm for sure taking are beginning well. I love my intro to opera class on Monday nights despite only having been to one so far. I'm also enjoying meeting all the people here; it's bringing out even more of the socialite in me! This weekend was fun, but there are some things I've been meaning to that I still haven't done. Tonight I'm hoping to find a discoteca (I don't have Wednesday classes!).
Below is a photo from a fun evening out. In addition, it shows an accident turned educational experience. Five of us went out last Thursday to a local restaurant called Chiodo Fisso. Deciding on a pizza is usually simple in Roma, simply order the margherita and you'll get cheese and sauce. However, we were looking at the menù (try translating that one..) and thought we'd be a little more adventurous. "What are alici?" I didn't know for the life of me what they were. One of us correctly guessed but we weren't entirely sure. The pizza was called the Napoli, and I'm not sure why I didn't use that as a clue for what we were in for. Anyways, we ordered two of them. They arrived and, oh, of course! Alici are anchovies. We were all a little "ehh" about it at first, but still ate them. I couldn't say I hated them since I knew what I was in for when I was about to take my first fishy bites, but the saltiness was the unexpected part. I would still eat alici on pizza if served it in the future, but they won't quite be on my list of preferred toppings.

Adventures in Umbria

Although orientation was a week ago already, I'd like to retrospectively write an entry about it. After my first night in Italy, I woke up Saturday for a series of paperwork sessions and floor meetings and whatnot. That night, a huge group of students went downtown (at last!) and had one mission: see some sights, buy some gelato. I had to ask for directions a few times because we weren't sure where we were, but thanks to the friendly locals we were fortunate enough to see the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps! Also, the gelato we got near the Trevi was delicious, as I knew it would be. Both were definitely experiences. Another experience was figuring out our way back to Balduina on Monte Mario.. I started to ask a wonderful young man where we could buy bus cards, but he interrupted me about two words in with "In English, if you want." I was startled and we laughed and he said "I don't speak it like you do, but.." and he told us where to go. A bus ride later and we were back here at the JFRC.

Sunday morning started off our orientation with a 3-hour bus ride to Assisi in the region of Umbria, the heart of Italy. We stopped off for lunch at Santa Maria degli Angeli, a small village at the foot of the hill that Assisi is built on.
So, Assisi. The patron saint is San Francesco, or St. Francis. Thanks to my trip, I now know how hilly San Francisco, CA, got its name. The buses took us as far as they could into the city, and then we had a 10-minute uphill walk to get to the inside of the town. This was just the start of a 3-day experience of slopes and steps. Within an hour or two, we split into two groups, one going on a walking tour of Assisi and one staying inside for "cultural" activities. I went on a tour that day. It was incredibly foggy! However, I saw some amazing things and went to the tombs of St. Francis and St. Claire (Santa Chiara). After dinner at the hotel (and some resting our feet), most of us went out. On a Sunday night. In a semi-holy town full of monks, brothers, and cloistered nuns. Yet, we found a wine bar (aptly named "Wine Bar") and had a great time. We Americans were certainly loud but the bar made plenty of money. I know this because they ran out of red wine the first night. In any case, I loved it so much I went back the next night.

Monday morning consisted mainly of the inside activities and some strolling around.
That afternoon, we had a day trip to Gubbio, a Medieval town about an hour further north within Perugia, one of the two provinces of Umbria. Gubbio looks a bit old once you ascend into it away from the parking lots and buses, but overall it felt more modern than Assisi. We had no scheduled plans here, simply being dropped off and encouraged to frolic for a few hours. I enjoyed the freedom and took lots of pictures before we headed back to Assisi for another night at the wine bar and a few hours of sleep.
Tuesday we woke up in time for breakfast, and then three of us decided to make the trek up to la Rocca Maggiore, a castle of sorts that is quite the walk uphill, but worth the views. I took even more pictures, including through the holes we assumed were made for archers to attack the, er, attackers. I also made another Italian friend, a cat that I haven't named yet. I wish I could've brought her/him back here with me. Anyways, after that we got back on the buses, and three hours later we were back in Roma at the good old JFRC.

I miss Assisi already. I miss the cute antique feel of the city, hanging out at the wine bar with the other students, and even making an Italian friend or two. That said, I know I will miss here even more once I leave because it will be quite a while before I am back. That said, I've only been here 10 days! More to come very soon, for I've had plenty more experiences this week that fall under new topics.

Depature, Arrival, Pizza

So here I am in beautiful Italy! Thursday more or less vanished from the week, as it was spent hopping on a plane and literally flying into next Friday. I'm not entirely sure how I haven't collapsed from exhaustion yet, but a helping factor may be the near-constant eating I've been engaging in since I boarded my flight. So, the flight itself. Nine hours. I slept perhaps 45 minutes? Really great on my part, but on the plus side I did finally watch Up! and also saw some Italian film on communists and cosmonauts and whatnot. They also gave us both dinner and breakfast, which coupled with the food I brought, allowed me time for a nice half-day bingefest. Waiting for baggage in Fiumicino took a bit of time but soon enough Dana and I were in a taxi headed for Monte Mario. The driver was very nice during the bit of a drive between the two locations, and we had a lovely conversation in Italian about what Dana and I are doing in Rome, during which the man never addressed her directly, but rather threw in the occasional "and your friend?" in English.
So, the Rome Center campus. I feel like I'm in an interesting cross between summer camp and Lake Forest College. The weather is amazing, a little chilly but with no freezing temps or snow on the ground like back home in Chicago. I still haven't quite figured out where everything is or how everything works, and I feel like we sophomores and juniors are all walking around like a bunch of freshmen again. Weird feeling. More on all of this later, when I've actually spent a night or two and seen it during the day without the daze of first being corralled around.
After a few hours within what feels like an English-speaking American bubble, the five of us decided to head out and find some dinner. After a bit of wandering around, we found the place we were looking for and headed inside. The woman behind the counter took one look at us and said excitedly, "Loyola!" I responded in Italian with "It's obvious?" and she laughed. After some real Italian pizza we headed back here, where I now find myself. Apart from mild airplane dozing and an hour or so nap in the late afternoon, I haven't slept since Wednesday night. It's, what, 10:00pm (22:00) right now, but it does certainly feel like three in the afternoon. Plenty more to come this semester, but for now I think I'd like nothing more than to pass the eff out!