venerdì 27 giugno 2008

Reflection

I hope that you have learned a few things from reading these blogs. I tried to cover three broad topics so that one could help to get a grasp on how things were over here. For cars I really hope that you learned a few things about cars in general, but more specifically how the automobile culture is in Italy. I hope that the Piazza Navona blog encouraged you to visit Italy’s piazzas, especially this one. Within the piazza blog there were many interesting facts, and a walkthrough on what you should be expecting see when visiting it, on top of that it should provide you with an example of how to size up other piazzas you may be visiting. The food blog was more just for fun than for informative. Upon reviewing my food blogs, you can witness the transgression of loving the local food to the homesickness of American food. As good was the food was, the mere fact that I had to stoop to the low of eating McDonald’s regularly is a testament to the inadequacies of Italy’s meat market. Besides just Rome, I tried to provide information on the other places I visited while studying abroad and compare them to my experiences in Rome. All in all, I hope that you learned some about both Europe, and how my mind works. I tried to make these a compilation of own experiences/opinions, and raw facts; this way you can see how I saw things, but I also tried to provide information for you to formulate your own opinions. Hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did.

Cafe Walk

Our walk this morning started at Campo de Fiori, while most people got some shopping done, I sat around the statue and conversed with Kelley about our weekends. After about ten minutes or so it was time to commence the walking. The first stop we had was La Tazza d’Oro Carley had suggested that we get a frozen coffee drink, but unfortunately I cannot handle things of that nature too early in the morning without getting food in my stomach first, so I did not partake. The next stop was the Antico Greco Caffe where Kelley also pointed out a talking statue, this particular one was used to converse with the statue at Camp de Fiori whence we started. The last stops were in the Piazza del Popolo. On the left side was the politically left wing Café Rosai, and opposite of that on the right was the right winged Café Canova. These cafes are hot spots with local politicians of their respective political views.

Museum of Roman Civilization...almost

We had some free days to check out sights that we wanted to visit at our own discretion, instead of with class. I had stumbled across this museum in the Eyewitness Guide. I blogged about it previously, but in case you missed it…it has 59 rooms of plaster casts, and scale models of what exactly Rome looked like in the year 400ad. I love the sights that there are to see in Rome, but I always wanted to see what they actually looked like in their prime. This museum looked like it would have everything that I was looking for.
In our first attempt, I never looked to see when it closed, Cole, Josie, and I went out to the EUR to see it, and while we were looking for the address in the book, we came across a little useful tidbit of information…the museum closes at 1:30. It was then 1:45, downtrodden; we got some McDonald’s and called it a day.
The next time we tried to go Josie and I went right after class with plenty of time to spare. We had the address down so we knew exactly where we were going. Upon arriving at the front doors we found that they were closed. We looked around for another entrance, but to no avail. There was a woman near by the first entrance we had tried so we asked her, she informed us that the museum closed at 12:30 that day, and it was 12:35. There was no reason provided for their closure, nor was there any mention of this inside the book. After that experience we decided it was just not meant to be, and canned the trip altogether.

Food: Marzipan Treats

I stopped off at a sweet store in one of the alleyways in Venice, and found tons of candies that looked delicious and were shaped like fruits. They were made out of marzipan, I knew I had heard of this, but I could not remember what it was. I bought a watermelon one to try it, and it turned out to be delicious. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that besides a little artificial flavoring they all tasted the same. Since they are all made out of the exact same thing, I guess that should be expected. So for future advice, do not go out spending a ton of money on buying all the different looking fruits expecting something different from each, keep in mind it is all marzipan so just buy a few.

Piazza Navona: Piazza San Marco

San Marco is apparently the only piazza in Venice. This is a big change from Rome since there are piazzas everywhere. The closest things to piazzas in Venice are the campos. The campos are quite numerous, but are considerably smaller than the piazzas. Piazza San Marco though was also a big change from the piazzas that I have grown acclimatized to in Rome. There were no street performers, and far, far fewer street vendors. The piazza consisted pretty much of just shops, and a few restaurants, quite a change from Piazza Navona especially. All in all, I would have to say that Piazza San Marco is definitely not up to part with Piazza Navona. The really awesome thing that does go on around there is that in the restaurants there are always musicians. Everywhere I went I could hear the Godfather theme song being played, which is always a treat to the ears.

Cars: Gondolas

In Venice on Thursday Josie and I took a gondola ride. This was certainly a different means of conveyance than we had been used to in Italy. The original price was 80 euro, but we got it down to 70, because that is all we had on us. The gondolier was obliging, but said we would have a half hour, instead of 40 minutes. It worked out though because he gave us the exact same tour as we would have gotten for 80 except he was just rowing faster. Where it really paid off at was since he was rowing so fast we caught up to another gondola going at the normal slower pace, since we were stuck behind them we got the last quarter of the trip behind the other gondola going at the normal pace. So for anyone planning on riding in a gondola definitely do not be afraid to either haggle, or get a discounted ride since a lot of them go on the same trip; you get the same tour, just sped up.

lunedì 23 giugno 2008

Cars: Country of Origin

While I was on the plane for Switzerland, I partook of the magazines they had available. One of the magazines had an article that gave me some startling information that I had not realized. The article was about how a man in India, I believe, bought Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford for $1.3 billion. I had never realized that Ford owned them at all, and was still under the impression that they were British. The article goes further and explains that as of now, England only has one domestic make and it is a small city car, like the Smart car. Apparently Bentley is owned by BMW, as with the Mini. Aston Martin is owned by several different European companies, and Rolls Royce is owned by another company that is escaping my memory at the moment (possibly Chinese?). So for future reference, be careful of what your buying, because it may not be what it seems.

Food: Zurich

The food in Zurich was a blessing to say the least. They had eggs available for breakfast at our hotel. On top of having a somewhat normal breakfast again, the food the vendors had was fantastic. There were huge hot dogs, bratwurst, and many other great meaty foods that I have been missing sorely. One night I had some of the Swiss fondue, it was unfortunately not as good as I had anticipated. The cheese that they used was Swiss naturally, but they also put some kind of liquor in it. I do not mind Swiss cheese, but the taste of the liquor mixed with it really killed the meal. An item that caught me off guard to see on the menu was chicken noodle soup inside of a light, fluffy potpie type bread. I had to give it a try, and it turned out to be some of the best chicken noodle soup I have ever had. So, when in Zurich get some bratwurst, and chicken noodle soup, and if you get fondue ask for it without alcohol.

Also, the Swiss chocolate lived up to all of its hype. The candies their are fantastic. I personally recommend the truffles, but you can't really go wrong with whatever you pick. Lindt is everywhere, and always a safe bet, but for the best Swiss chocolates you need to find the homemade ones.

Map of My Walk


mercoledì 18 giugno 2008

Site I Have Not Been To Yet #2

Galleria Doria Pamphilj
One of the reasons that I picked this gallery was because it is right next to school, yet I still have not been in it. While reading up about it, Rick Steves says that it is one of the most unappreciated galleries. Inside you can find several works by Carvaggio, Raphael, and Bernini. Another very interesting thing about this place is that the prince who still owns it, uses some of the rooms to this day. So, on top of checking out some art, you get to walk through where a prince lives!

Site I Have Not Been To Yet #1

Museum of Rome Civilization (Museo della Civita Romana)
This museum has 59 rooms filled with plaster casts, and scale models of what exactly Rome looked like in 400AD. What really got me interested about this place was that I could see what all of these old ruins would have looked like when they were new. It is great to see places like the Forum now, but I would kill to see what it actually did look like. Instead of just walking through piles of stones, and broken pillars, I want to see what these places looked like in their prime. This museum is located in the EUR, on Via Dell Arte.

Directions-Rest & Recreation

Start at Piazza S. Pietro, follow Via D. Conciliazone to the Tiber. Walk north along the Tiber until you get to Ponte Regina Margherita. Cross the bridge and climb up from Piazza del Popolo into Villa Borghese. In the park there you can rent bikes to ride around with, and sight see. With the bicycles, you can cover a lot of distance quickly. Instead of having an itinerary for this, just ride around and enjoy what you see.

After cycling, head back to the Piazza del Popolo. Go south on Via Di Ripetta, and it will become Via Della Scrofa. At the intersection where the San Luigi dei Francesi is, make a right. This will drop you off in Piazza Navona, take some time for a leisurely stroll throughout, and watch some street performers, caricature artists, regular artists, and any other fun things that may be going on at that time. Piazza Navona is a great place for street perfrormers. Some of the best that I have seen come to this piazza. Avoid eating there though, because you will find that anything around that area is more expensive than the less touristy areas.

Head back out the way you came in, except make a right onto Corso del Rinascimento. Then make a left onto Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, make your next right onto V. Arenula, and it will drop you off at the Tiber. Go down along the river and check out the riverside shops, restaurants, bars, and many other places of interest. Sit down to relax with a nice meal, and some chilled wine along the river, your journey is over. This opening of the stores only occurs during the summers here. So if you come here, and they are open consider it a treat. They have little shops selling all sorts of things, from home made candles, to Sicilian chocolate, to movies. On top of the shopping you can enjoy food along the river, as well as lounge/bar areas complete with DJ's and couches to relax on.

domenica 15 giugno 2008

Boys' Town: After Visiting


The one place that really jumped out at me from Boys' Town was their church. The stained glass that the kids there had made was exceptional. Also, the fact that all types of religious services go on there, and Catholicism is not forced on anyone. A unique feature that I noticed about this church was that the roof was shaped like a sun dial. Unfortunately I forgot to ask any of the employees there if it was an actual functioning sun dial. If it is then that would be awesome, although you could not see it regardless.

Piazza Navona: Angels and Demons w/ Tom Hanks

On Friday night Tom Hanks was filming for Angels and Demons in Piazza Navona. I have never read the book, but I was told that apparently in the book, someone gets drowned in the large fountain in the middle. The only problem with the murder being there is that the fountain is under construction. I think that they will probably just rebuild a fake one somewhere for that scene, so keep your eyes peeled for the Piazza Navona scene when it comes out. Another thing I also realized was how tedious it really is to make a movie. My friends and I made one last year, it was an hour long and took us about ten months. I thought that was monotonous, but watching them shoot in the Piazza was driving me nuts. For the hour that I was there, they shot the same scene four times. Between each take they would have a 20 minute break where it seemed that nothing was getting done. Regardless, I now feel obligated to go and watch this movie whenever it is released just because I watched them film some of it in my blog spot.

Cars: Stolen Hood Ornaments

If you look around carefully at cars that have (or should have) hood ornaments, you might notice something missing sometimes. I have observed that many nicer cars, Jaguar, Mercedes etc. have theirs gone. I am assuming that they have been stolen obviously because I have yet to witness the event in person, but that is the only explanation that makes sense to me. I had friends that used to it as well. So when you are walking around the streets try and pay attention to see if a car is missing the emblem on the front. The newer Rolls Royce, in response to this type of thing, actually have the emblem on a switch that will lower the angel into a compartment so that when you are not with the car the ornament will be safe from thievery. I have actually always wanted to steal one, specifically a Rolls Royce angel, and put it on the nose of my skateboard...this would cause a hindrance for tricks, but it would look awesome to have a Rolls Royce skateboard!

mercoledì 11 giugno 2008

Boys Town: Currency

While researching about Boys Town, I discovered that they had their own currency. This can be given to people showing good work, and usually given as an achievement bonus. The money can then be used to buy things within their own community. The thing that came as a shock to me, was that apparently this currency they have called the Scudo, actually retains a true monetary value outside of their town. According to the website, as of right now one Scudo equals .01 Euro. This really caught me off guard, because even though I had heard that they are a self governing community, it never dawned on me that they would have their own money system. I am very intrigued to see what this money looks like, and what types of designs they have imprinted on them.

martedì 10 giugno 2008

Ostia Antica


This is a picture of the bath that the people used to use. I read the thing about it and I believe it said that they heated it up from underneath with a fire so they could make a hot tub out of it basically. I thought that was really awesome, and the design on the floor of it was better than any bathroom/tub tiling I have certainly ever seen. This would have been the ultimate bath. There are designs of dolphins, horses, a centaur (I think) and other soldier looking men. For any of those who missed it, it was across the first bridge on your right, which looks like it would lead you away to a road, but there is a sign up explaining this area there.

Food: Pizza

Without a doubt I find that the best pizzas are not in restaurants at all. You need to go to the small pizzeria places to find these gems. I had a slice today by the beach right after you get off the last train stop and it was phenomenal. He had put in slices of potatoes under the cheese and used a white sauce...exquisite. The other thing that makes these places so good, is that they use thick crust. I am quite tired of the restaurant pizzas with their two centimeter thick crust that just turns into a piece of charcoal after baking, and they give you a butter knife of all things to cut it with. I do not know about how you might feel about your pizza, but I am a thick crust man all the way. So for future reference whenever in need of having a good slice of pizza, go to a small pizzeria and forget about a sit down restaurant or else you're going to get the same old blackened thin crust that you have to saw at with a butter knife, and probably end up splintering the pizza instead of cutting it.

domenica 8 giugno 2008

Piazza Navona: Or Lack There Of

In Barcelona, they do not have piazzas anywhere, and I very much missed that environment. Out of the things that I will miss most about being in Italy is their piazzas. Barcelona just did not have some local hang out spot that the piazzas provide. Instead there are just long streets completely packed with people in every nook and cranny. There is no spot to just comfortably sit around at and absorb the environment. Without these spaces, no one can congregate well and the sidewalks and walkways just become completely congested when people try to watch street performers. Piazzas are definitely one of the best aspects of Italy, at least you know when you are bored you can always head out to them and something will always be going on. I think that Barcelona would have been much more tolerable if they had such establishments.

Directions: Borghese Gallery

While in Piazza Venezia, look for a big main road called Via Del Corso. You can see down the road extremely long, which has awesome shopping and a great environment. It will give you a real feel of the city. It is much easier to walk rather than take public transportation because there is not a close bus station, making buses less convenient. Plus, you save a euro. Take Del Corso all the way to Piazza del Popolo. About half way there you will pass a church called San Carlo al Corso on your left. Continue up the Corso through Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Flaminio. You may have to walk up a winding hill to get to this specific piazza which is at the foot of Villa Borghese. In order to get through the museum, take a stroll through Villa Borghese following Viale del Murotorto. This winds through the park, as you will pass Galoppatoio and come to Piazzele Brasile. Continue in the same direction down Via Pinciana until you get to Viale dell’ Uccelliera, and make a left. This will take you right to the Borghese Gallery.

In order to be able to view the gallery, reservations are mandatory. To find out more information about reservations and cost, visit http://www.ticketeria.it/ticketeria/borghese-eng.asp. In the gallery, the amazing art you will find is divided into two sections: a sculpture collection and picture gallery (collection of paintings). A few of the more important works included here are Bernini’s David, his Apollo and Daphne (his most famous sculpture), and Titian’s painting called Sacred and Profane Love. Within the two hours you are allowed here, Rick Steves suggest to spend at least an hour and a half in the ground floor sculpture gallery.
Within a four mile circumference in addition to the gallery and many other attractions, there is a zoo and schools of archeology. It may be quite enjoyable to cover this distance with a nice bike ride (bikes available to rent in the villa).

Directions: Pincio

: From the terminal follow Vie L. Einaude around the traffic circle straight and it will become V. L. Rissolati. On Vie L. Einaude you’ll pass through the Piazza dell Republica. On your right on V. L. Bernini you’ll see the S. Maria di Vittoria. Rissolati will naturally curve to the right and become V. V. Veneto. On V. V. Veneto on your left you’ll see the Casion dell Aurora. V. V. Veneto will lead you directly into Monto Pincio.

Directions: Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona Directions: Follow Vie. L. Einaude up through the traffic circle and make a left onto V. Barberini. On your left you’ll see the Pal. Barberini, V. Berberini becomes V. Del Tritone. About one block down the Trevi Fountain will be on your left. Make a left onto V. Del Corso, this is where all the nice shopping is. Make a right onto V. Del Plebiscito, follow it about five blocks and make a right onto Corso Del Rinascimento. Go down a block and Piazza Navona will be on your left.

Once at Piazza Navona get something to eat, it doesn’t really matter where, the food is all good. The real magic here though is at night. The street performers are some of the best in Rome since this piazza is very popular. There is everything from guitarists/bands, to artists, to clowns. On top of the fun to have there the fountains are also beautiful to see.

Cars: Lack of Ingenuity

Europe is sorely lacking when it comes to ingenuity in their car production. I had thought that maybe since I was in Rome, the vehicles were tailored to that horrific driving environment. I am quickly realizing though that this is not the case. Almost every car looks the exact same....completely lack luster. For example, the most abundant domestically made cars that are in Europe are the Ford Fiesta and the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Not even the people who drive them in the United States even want to be driving those pieces of garbage. Those are the kind of cars you get for your kid when they turn 16, because you know they are going to beat the crap out of it or crash it.

Food: Barelona

The food in Barcelona was not quite what I had been expecting from Spain. Though there were some good native dishes there was not a lot of it. This very well may have been since Barcelona is very touristy and it seems that most of the food was all Catalonian...whatever that means. For the most part though they seemed to have more food that you would see in the States than Rome. Their paella dishes were good, but besides the foreign name, you could just go to the freezer section of a Giant or other grocery store and buy a stir fry pack and have the exact same thing.

The seasonings that they used for some of the food though was welcomed and very good. I had some of the best cannelloni I have ever had in Barcelona actually. I also had a steak there which was really good, and I could not figure out the seasoning to save my life. That could be said just as much though for other restaurants back home for that matter. All in all though I would say if you want authentic Spanish cuisine DO NOT go to Barcelona.

domenica 1 giugno 2008

Cars: Palermo/Mondello

It is strange how much the car cultures can different so much between Italy and Sicily. Well Rome and Palermo to be more specific. In Palermo and Mondello there are almost no Smart cars or Vespas. The roads are also much larger, longer, and paved. I was in awe just to see a four lane road that stretched for miles. Which, is also why there is a much less significant presence of the vehicles mentioned previously.

Also, you actually see a pride in people's vehicles here. In Rome everyone drives like a nut job and half of their cars are all banged up as a result. In Sicily I have noticed many cars are polished up, had some custom work done to them, and you can tell that they want their car to be unique. This was refreshing to see since most of the cars I have seen in Rome were garbage, even the ones that could look alright would never receive the care necessary for them to.

Piazza Navona: Vs. Piazza Mondello

Piazza Navona is much bigger than Piazza Mondello, but the things that Mondello has that Navona does not is the hometown local charm. The places where we often go in Rome are riddled with tourists and people trying to make money off of them. In the Piazza Mondello, you see more of the local hang out, there are teenagers with their significant others, the elderly, everyone, and not one of them speaks English. This was a nice change since the usual Piazzas we go to are quite the opposite. We got to see the Sicilians in their element, without any interference from anything, just their every day lives.

The Piazza Mondello though was lacking in fun in comparison to Navona. Navona has street performers, artists, and more, while Mondello reminded me of the Arnold's (Happy Days reference) of Sicily. There are no gimmicks, no touristy price tags, and most importantly almost no one stares at you for obnoxious periods of time! So, although Navona has that big appeal with all the hustle and bustle, and entertainment, if what you are looking for is to see what normal Italians do in their piazzas where no tourists are, then go to Piazza Mondello.