It's been yet another exciting week here in Italy! Of course, every week is bound to be exciting...
Monday was the start of classes. Because many classes are 3 hours long, I only have class Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. It is just as wonderful as it sounds! I am taking Roman Catholicism, Women and Gender Studies, Comparative Politics, Italian, and Writing Fiction in Rome. I love all of my classes (still skeptical about the WGS one though...), especially Writing Fiction in Rome. Each week, my class goes to a place of significance in Rome and we journal about it. It's basically like I'm required to journal in a more creative way and then write fictional stories based on the journal entries. I can't wait for my first on-site class!
Monday night after class, I went with a couple of friends to a less-touristy part of southern Rome. There was a castle and pyramid (which was under renovation)! I'll have to do more research on their purposes though...
Because I don't have class on Wednesday, my friend Barb and I explored the Spanish Steps area. We ate delicious pizza and devoured the best gelato I've ever had (for real this time). We did a little bit of shopping too; I got a new wallet! We climbed the steps to see the lovely Rome.
We also walked to Piazza del Popolo. These two churches used to be the most northern part of ancient Rome. Anyone traveling from the north, which would be a lot of people if you think about Italy's geography, would enter Rome on the street between these two churches. Talk about an intimidating entrance to a powerful city!
That night, I went out with friends for some gelato in the neighborhood. It was very good (but not as good as the place by the Spanish Steps)!
After classes Thursday, my friends and I went to an Irish pub by Piazza Navona. It was fun, but actually pretty strange to be around a bunch of people who spoke English. I'm excited to explore the Italian bar scene in the coming weeks.
Leaving Friday at 8am was rough, but I was comforted by the fact that we (as in my whole program at JFRC) would be going to see the magnificently beautiful Campana, the southern region of Italy. After driving for 4 hours, we finally arrived at Paestum. The town was founded by the Greeks around 700 BC and was dedicated to Poseidon (hence Paestum). Three temples were built after the city's founding: the Temple of Hera (500 BC), the Temple of Neptune (400 BC), and the Temple of Ceres (500 BC).
We also toured a museum containing many artifacts that were found in the city after excavations. I really liked the jugs, mainly because I feel like my high school Latin teacher was always showing us pictures of them!
We stayed in a hotel in Vietri sul Mare, a small town along the coast known for being the starting point of the Amalfi. The picture below was the view from my hotel room when I woke up Saturday morning. The sun streaming through the clouds made it look like the sky was on fire.
After breakfast, we all headed to Caseificio Mozzarella di Bufala, Italy's oldest organic buffalo mozzarella farm. We got to see the buffalo and try the mozzarella. I also got chocolate gelato made with the buffalo milk. Delicious!
Later in the day, we went even more inland to Padula, a picturesque town built into a hill.
We toured the second largest monastery in Italy. It was home to Carthusian monks. Here was the entrance.
Even though it seemed like it was going to be small, I was in for quite the shock. Their churches and living quarters seemed to go on forever. We finally exited out the back to see their cloister, the largest one in the world. This cloister is nearly the same size as the Coloseum!
Later that night back at the hotel, we were all surprised when an Italian folk band entered during dinner and began to sing and dance. Tables were cleared away so we could learn some of the folk dances. Here is a picture I got with two of the dancers below.
Sunday morning, we started our day with wine tasting at Sorrentino Vinarium. The farm is located at the base of Mt. Vesuvius. Because of the volcanic eruption in 79 AD, the soil is still fertile from the ash that fell almost 2000 years ago, making the conditions perfect for growing grapes. Their vineyard is famous for their white wine known as the Lacryma Christi, or tears of Christ. My tour guide was very informative and charismatic; he even showed us a picture of him with Leonardo DiCaprio after he gave him a tour of the vineyard!
This panoramic shot shows the vineyard with the hills of southern Italy in the background.
After the 4 hour bus ride back to Rome, it was finally nice to be "home." Being in a new place and having the opportunity to see places in Italy many tourists never venture to was fun and exciting, but I'm glad to be back on campus. And after this week of classes, I'll be headed off to Florence for the weekend! Let the exploring and adventures begin!
Arrivederci,
Gina
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