Celebrating International Women's Day

March 8th marked International Women's Day, and while it isn't widely celebrated in the US, for Rome it is a different story. In Rome, vendors selling yellow mimosas line the streets trying to get men to buy their loved ones these special flowers for the day, various restaurants and clubs offer deals for their female clients, and all government-run museums are free for women visitors. Of course, being college students on a budget, this was our opportunity to see some sites that we normally would not want to pay for. Our first stop of the day was our local bar, Pascucci, where one of the owners, Signora Patrizia, was working by herself. We asked her, "Why are you the only one working on this holiday?" Her reply was totally unexpected: "I am a woman, I'm strong; I don't need anyone to work with me! Vive le donne!" We applauded her and decided that was the best answer anyone could give!  

Still pretty early, we walked along the river to the Ara Pacis Museum, holding the famed altar of peace dedicated to Augustus by the Roman Senate in the early years of the 1st century AD. It is a massive and sleek white marble monument to the era of peace established by Augustus, and it is one of the most beautiful remnants of the Roman Empire. 

On the steps of the Ara Pacis.

We then made our way to the ancient center of Rome and walked through Trajan's markets. It has been preserved extremely well, and you can imagine how it was once full of life and bustling with Romans from all walks of life. From the tops floors we had impressive views of i Fori Imperiali (the Imperial Forums), Piazza Venezia, and the Foro Romano. 

Trajan's Markets

We stopped for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall bar that had delicious pizza. The store owners were also very sweet, they gave each member of our group a mimosa flower in honor of the holiday! 

For the afternoon there was a shift in our plans due to unpredicted rain, for while we were going to visit the baths of Caracalla, we decided to return to the Capitoline Museum for some ancient sculpture. 

While a long and tiring day, we made the most of the "Festa delle Donne," and we enjoyed seeing some sights that we hadn't yet been to as well as returning to an old favorite. If only everyday was International Women's Day!

Northern Italy Trip

Two weeks ago we travelled to Northern Italy with our program for five days, where we spent some time in small Italian Medieval and Renaissance cities (namely, Ferrara, Mantova, Ravenna, Padova, Vicenza, and Bologna). Here are some highlights of the week!

Our home base was Ferrara, a wonderful small city draped in brick and packed with cyclists navigating its small, medieval roads. Everyone rides bikes in Ferrara, from young school kids on their way to class to elderly ladies going to the market. We enjoyed visiting its medieval fortress and palaces. We were also fortunate enough to catch a temporary exhibit on the Impressionist artist Matisse.

Cathedral Museum

Ferrara Cathedral 

D'Este Castle

One of our favorite smaller Northern towns was Padova (Padua), and by looking at the vibrant and colorfully painted buildings we could see its resemblance to Venice. We toured this charismatic city filled with lively markets and glorious churches, two of which being the Scrovegni chapel and "Il Santo," the church dedicated to St. Anthony and holding some of his relics. Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel was absolutely indescribable. Before we were even allowed into the chapel, we had to sit in a room that dehumidified and de-dusted us so as to uphold the preservation of the frescoes. 

Getting ready to see the Scrovegni Chapel 

Markets!

Il Santo

A lovely park in Padova.

Unfortunately we were both sick throughout out the week and had to miss out on the day we were supposed to visit Ravenna, a small town with amazing Byzantine churches. 

The highlight of our week was definitely the food capital of Italy, Bologna. Bologna, known also for its infamous brickwork, the oldest college in Italy, and, most surprisingly, for its communist ties, was our last day in Northern Italy. We were welcomed on a cool and rainy day. After walking around the main square, Piazza Maggiore, we took a tour of the city visiting the university quarter, the two towers, the Duomo, and the Chiesa di San Domenico. We even spotted an Italian celebrity as he exited a church; we have no idea who he was, but we were told he was famous! We of course made time for the main event of the day: lunch! We had to try the sauce the Bolognese are famous for: their ragu (a tomato-based meat sauce). We tried a lasagna di Bologna and tagliatelle di ragu bolognese. As one of our Italian professors says, it is never "bolognese" sauce, but rather "ragu bolognese" (bolognese merely describes whose ragu it is).  It was the best ragu we have ever tasted. For a sauce that is so meaty, you would expect it to be heavy, but it was surprisingly savory yet light and satisfying. 

Piazza Maggiore

The two towers

It's time to eat!

Many of these small Northern cities exuded a simpler lifestyle, one where stores close during the lunch hours of 12-2 so families can eat lunch together, and where everyone gathers in the piazzas with their families and dogs just to say hello to friends and neighbors. While Bologna didn't match this vibe because it is a bigger city, it still felt very much like a college town, full of youth but also drenched in tradition and history. After both school trips, first to the South and then to the North, it would be hard to decide which was better. While we had more free time in Southern Italy and weren't sick there like in the North, the wonderful Medieval and Renaissance charm to the North is hard to beat. The verdict: both! Neither can compare to the other, and both have its own beautiful qualities and identities that stand well on their own. 

Some Roman Neighborhoods

On some of our days spent in Rome, we've taken the opportunity to explore some new areas of this wonderful city, and we thought we would share some of our miscellaneous adventures with you.

During one of our two-day weekends in Rome we explored the Aventine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, as well as the surrounding neighborhood of Testaccio. Walking up the Aventine, which sits right next to the Circus Maximus, we were transported from the noise and hustle and bustle of the city into a quiet and tranquil sanctuary. We strolled through a few public gardens with some gorgeous views of the city while also visiting Santa Sabina, a rustic and charming Early Christian church donned with beautiful mosaics and simple decorations. Built in the 5th century AD, it has survived to be the mother church for the Dominican order (Shout out to Uncle Chuck!). After leaving Santa Sabina, we walked down the street and noticed a line forming at a large, wooden door which appeared to be the entrance to a courtyard. We immediately recognized that we had stumbled upon the famous keyhole of the Knights of Malta--through which you get the most perfectly framed view of St. Peter's Dome. We heard about it from other students, but it seems so random that we were unsure whether or not we would ever find it! 

A view of Rome

Santa Sabina

We found the keyhole!

The view from the keyhole. (Photo credit to Jennifer Vosters)

We then walked down the hill into Testaccio, a lovely Roman neighborhood. Our first stop was a non-catholic cemetery housing the tombs of John Keats and Percy Shelley, which a professor had recommended for us to visit. This was also a small sanctuary which seemed out of place in the chaos of Rome and would more appropriately fit in the English countryside. 

We then wandered around the neighborhood and found another recommend place, Testaccio's covered market. Various venders were selling clothing and household items, and there were copious amounts of butcher shops and fish vendors as well as bakeries, panino shops, and typical Italian bars. 

Enjoying cannoli at Testaccio's market. 

Another neighborhood we have explored is the Esquiline, which is another hill in the city of Rome. We visited two spectacular churches: first a small but glamorous Early Christian church and then a spectacular papal basilica. Our first church was Santa Prassede, one of Rome's many "hole-in-the-wall, you-never-even-knew-it-was-there" churches. Its mosaics were absolutely unbelievable; there was even a little chapel where you could donate a euro to turn on the light and find it covered with mosaics! Santa Maria Maggiore was also unbelievable; as a papal basilica it resembles St. Peter's with all of its many types of marble and sculptures, but it also is lined with mosaics of bible stories along the nave. 

Santa Prassede

Beautiful mosaics

Santa Maria Maggiore

Another one of our favorite places in the Esquiline neighborhood was Fassi in Palazzo Freddo, the oldest gelateria in Rome. According to many native Italians, it is the best gelateria, so of course we had to test this brave claim. The gelateria is huge, even bigger than the tourist infested Giolitti's, and it is always filled with native Italians getting their gelato fix. For only 2 Euro, we each got three flavors: pistachio, chocolate, and coffee for one, and tiramisu, stracciatella (chocolate chip), and hazelnut for the other. We must say, if we weren't so attached to our beloved Fridgidarium (the gelateria we go to regularly and absolutely adore it's signature flavor called Fridgidarium), it would be at the top of our list!

Yum!

Papal Mass

One Sunday in February we rose bright and early for a Papal Mass in St. Peter's Square. Normally, every Sunday a mass held in the square, but only on certain occasions does Pope Francis himself preside over the mass (hence "Papal Mass"). This was one of those special occasions, and since we didn't have the chance to go to a Papal Mass last semester, we didn't want to miss out on the opportunity this semester. We left our hotel at 7am for a mass we thought began at 10:30. Of course, when we arrived, no one appeared to be sitting in the designated chairs for mass-goers, so we concluded that it was because they weren't allowing people into the square yet. We stopped at a bar for some breakfast, and as we headed over to the square, we didn't find people sitting and standing in the square, rather everyone was waiting in a huge line to go into St. Peter's Basilica. Our next thoughts were, is this mass going to be inside? And if it's inside, do we need tickets? When mass is in St. Peter's Square, tickets are available but not always "necessary;" in other words, the guards don't really care and will let you in even if you don't have tickets. Masses inside St. Peter's Basilica are a different story. We had no idea we needed tickets, for we had been told that mass this weekend, although the same weekend Pope Francis had appointed the new Bishops, was open to everyone and tickets were not necessary. Yet as we waited in line, we noticed everyone around us had tickets, and guards were walking up and down the line reminding everyone to be ready to present their tickets. Our group had no idea what was going on and what to do; we didn't want to get out of line and give up, but we didn't want to get stopped at security either. We decided to ask a nearby guard if it was necessary to have tickets. As we were talking to him and realizing that there was no way we were going to get in, some nuns overheard us and gave us their extra tickets! While we weren't sure what order they were from, we expressed our gratitude as most profoundly as we could, for without them, we wouldn't have been able to attend mass in St. Peter's Basilica. While entering St. Peter's, we were counting our blessings and lucky stars! 

Getting a quick breakfast before mass.

Look at that line!

Even though this wasn't our first time to St. Peter's Basilica, something must be said for the atmosphere when mass takes place inside one of the most sacred buildings of the Catholic faith. Mass was predominantly in Latin and Italian, but some sections, such as the readings, were in various other languages, including English, Spanish, Korean, French, and Mandarin. It was an awesome experience; we were only a few seats in from the main aisle so we had a prime view of Pope Francis as he made his way down the aisle at the beginning and end of mass. We are so grateful for this experience, especially because we never thought we would go to a mass not only presided over by Pope Francis, but in St. Peter's Basilica as well! 

We got tickets!

Yep, that's Pope Francis!