Amici in Roma

It has been a busy week so far...Sunday we went to the flea market, where I got lost and had my first claustrophobia freak-out ever.  The flea market is huge, and apparently very tricky.  There is one verrry long stretch where there are no side streets for what I swear was about a half mile, which seems like it might as well be 50 miles when you are stuck in a sea of people walking in every which direction.  I had no idea how long it would take me to find a way out, but it ended up taking almost an hour.  I am ok now though, don't worry.  This weekend there was also a market in the piazza right next to our apartment put on by an organization working to protect local agriculture.  We bought honey and sausage and other goodies.  This week Karen and I made some more new friends as well- we met a little french guy who is an intern for the french embassy....he invited us to an outdoor party, where we met some more italian friends.  We are acquiring many italian teachers, and getting to practice our italian plenty.  I have also had opportunity to practice my spanish, which is a fun break from trying to speak italian, but has resulted in what I call spitaliano- a dangerous mix, in which plurals run awry and c's and g's develop multiple personalities.  You know you are confused when you are talking to an italian in spanish and you both begin adding i's to the end of words to make them plural.  Yesterday we worked on the archaeology site doing documentation drawings.  Tomorrow we are doing the same, and we are also planning to go to the beach afterwards because it's nearby.  Oh!  And we moved to a new apartment today because there were some plumbing issues (our apartment is leaking into the one below us).  We should only be at this one for about a week, but we kind of what to stay in the new one, so Tom is going to see if they would let us.   Here is a picture of the market this weekend.

La citta verde

The weekend is off to a great start.  On Friday we had a design deadline and presentation.  After that, the 5 of us went exploring...we found a HUGE bookstore and listened to music and browsed books and magazines, which was a new and interesting way of experiencing the culture.  Karen and I went out with our new italian friends later on, which was even a better way to experience the culture.  We went dancing and practiced our italian- I learned more italian last night than I have in all of my classes so far combined!  Today we went to il orto botanico (botanical garden) and had a photo-shoot in our dresses.  Both pictures are from the botanical gardens.

I Love Dirt

So Tuesday and yesterday we went to Ostia Antica to volunteer at an archaeological dig put on by Kent University (England).  Quote of the week: "The young men seem to enjoy maddocking large clumps of dirt."  You must imagine it with the quaintest english accent possible, spoken slowly and thoughtfully, coming from a man wielding a maddock (hoe-like tool) as though it were a croquet mallet.  That pretty much sums up the spirit of these two days.  We mostly did hard labor, clearing off the top layer of dirt on one of the gridded squares, occasionally finding pottery fragments and mosaic stones.  Next week we are going on Tuesday and Thursday as well, and then we get to do some drawing (they draw scaled plans and elevations of all of the excavations).  

Pictures: 1. ruins  

2. archaeological site

The piper's calling you to join him

Today we went to Ostia Antica (an old port city) to look at ruins, which is directly west from Rome, near the coast.  We spent most of the day volunteering on an archaeological dig, which was fun and interesting.  Pictures and thoughts on that tomorrow, because right now I feel like posting a video from sunday.  Rome certainly doesn't look like cities we are used to in the U.S., but it doesn't sound like them either.  Sitting in Campo dFiore on Sunday night, I let my auditory senses take the lead, appreciating the depth of space and protection of the piazza with only my ears.  The sound of the guitar fills the entire hollow of the piazza, making you feel physically submerged.  Listen for yourself, although it doesn't do any justice to being there.

Ripple in Still Water

A weekend of serendipitous syncronocity....Friday we took a train to Terracina, a small town about 100 kilometers down the cost.  The old town there is a labyrinth of mostly medieval construction, with ancient ruins scattered about.  We stayed at the top of the hill in a charming little villa on the hill, whick drops steeply down to the coast.  The girls and I went swimming in the ocean as soon as we got there...the water was sparkling clear and incredibly buoyant.  We ate fresh seafood, and then gelato (the best we've had yet, from the nicest, most loveable lady, who makes them all herself!) in the old town piazza, soaking in the deliciously quiet tranquility.  After cappuccino in the same piazza in the morning, we worked on a design-sketch project (you can see the site in the left hand side of the photo where the ancient column stumps are), and then took a bus to Sperlonga, another small town 20 minutes down the coast.  Syd, you would have loved this place!  All of the buildings are whitewashed, creating a compelling maze of reflected light and soft shadow as we climbed our way through narrow alleys and steep stairways.  Then we meandered along the coast to some ancient ruins, which were the remains of an emperor's summer retreat in a fantastic cave, which was the dining hall.  That night, back in Terracina, Tom had us over for dinner in his tower!  He and his wife renovated the very top of this tower, which has fantastic views of the surrounding area.  Today Karen and I decided to stay in Terracina longer, sketching and swimming, while the rest of the group headed back early.

Photos

1.  The water from the natural spring bubbles up from the sand, creating mysterious ripples (Sperlonga).

2.  Piazza in Terracina

3.  Sperlonga...this photo does not do any justice to the aura of light in this place...

4.  Sperlonga

5.  View from cave out to Sperlonga

6.  View from Tom's tower

7.  Ancient temple at the very top of the hill in Terracina (we went here this morning)

Rome unfolding

Here's the recap since I last wrote: This Sunday was our day off, so we decided to check out the flea market.  We were searching for a famously long string of tent stands, but instead found a much smaller flea market, and it still took us a good chunk of time to get through it.  Talk about a treasure hunt, I felt the pack-rat in me stirring with delight: beads, old jewelry and coins, photos, clothes abounded.  I also went on an amazing run by the river, which is really quite nice because there are are so many trees planted along the edges.  Monday we had our first italian class (which started out very slow, but at least it's a start), and then made a feast at the guys' apartment with the 5 of us from Cal Poly: insalata di caprese, insalata di spinachi, melon with proscuitto, bread with formaggio (cheese), and salsiccia (sausage).  Tuesday we dealt with some bureaucratic realities (applied for our permits of stay).  Then I went on an exploratory sketching venture, widening the range of the area that I've gotten to know so far.  Yesterday was mostly working on a presentation we are doing today....which I should be working on right now....

Pictures:

1.  Looking at the obelisk in Piazza San Pietro (near the Vatican).

2. Ara Pacis- perhaos the only modern building in Rome (and a controversial one at that-and to house an old monument), by Richard Meier (the same guy who did the Getty in LA)...the colors in this photo are unaltered, it actually looked like this.

3.  Looking through a gapp in a closed gate on my walk- I was walking along the Auerelian wall (reconstructed) peeking through at estate-like properties.

4.  There are so many buildings covered in Tom Mayne-esque skins, because they are always cleaning or renovating something...I think it adds an interesting aesthetic to the urban fabric.

Amazing Two Days

These two days were the most fun yet!  Yesterday we journeyed to the southeast edge of town to explore the ancient aqueducts.  The contrast to the chaos of central rome is striking: dry grassy vastness stretches in every direction, the aqueducts marching a straight line across the landscape.  The smell of dirt was cleansing after breathing city air all week.  The followed the aqueducts into the outskirts, stopping to visit some artist friends of Tom's.  The gate to their house is an arch of the aqueducts.  They showed us pictures and told stories about the gypsies that used to live in the aqueducts.

Today we drove out in the same direction, making stops along the way.  We briefly explored some hill towns, including Castel Gandolfo, Ariccia (where we picked up some renowned porchetta, or pork, panini), and Ninfa, where we toured the old medieval city, which is now an exotic garden with plants from all over the world.  It is shielded by the surrounding hills, creating a microclimate where many things can grow.

Pictures:  The only picture I got od the aqueducts before my camera died.  I'll definately be going back though.  Ruins at Ninfa.  Movie:  view from Nemi

I can't believe it's already been almost a week, yet somehow it seems so long ago since I was in Albuquerque.  Yesterday we did more lecture-touring, and had another drawing session.  Today was our final drawing lesson, and we worked with conte pastel.  It's a medium I've never worked with, so it is both fun and frustrating.  The girls and I made seared tuna (tonno) and sauteed eggplant and zucchini- it was delicious!  We also bought more market goodies, inclusing salt and honey!  Our kitchen is finally starting to come together.  Tomorrow we are exploring the aqueducts!  Pictures: Left- This photo makes the Tiber look much more picturesque than it really is, but at certain points it is quite nice.  This is taken from the edge of the Jewish ghetto, near 'Isola Tiberina' (the island).  Right: The Pantheon oculus.  The Pantheon is about a 5 minute walk west of Piazza Navona (where my studio is), and no matter which angle I approach it from, it surprises me, peeking out between buildings and around corners, completing jolting my perception of scale every time.

Oggi e martedi

Today is Tuesday, and I am currently sitting in my studio.  We don't get internet at the apartment, and the nearby cafe had a non-cooperative signal tonight for some reason.  Today we had a class lecture/tour...learning history while walking around is nothing like learning it from slides.  We also had our first drawing lesson sketching a fountain.  Above, is a picture of our kitchen (small, eh?...and no oven).  Second is a picture of our market purchases at Camp d'Fiore yesterday.  Third is a picture of our street.  The city is such a mish-mash of everything....I've become a hyper-active monkey with so much to explore!  More soon.