I apologize for my lack of punctuality and not writing as frequently. Classes have started and most of my day is committed to studio and the like. But as the name suggests, this week has been a whirlwind of activities. So I'll commence from the beginning.
Monday started early, as most of our days do. (We have now deduced why Italians are so found and proud of their coffees. It's simply because they stay up late and get up early. Caffeine is the life blood around here.) We met at the Rome Center, one of the two venues for classes. Here we were introduced to our first instructor who will be with us for a two week period. Our task is to focus on the work of Pope Sixtus V and to retrace and analyze a portion of his urban plan in Rome. More on that later. Lunches are spent in the Piazza Navona. It's a very short distance from both the Rome Center and the studio apartments. Our italian class met for the first time and I'm beginning to pick up some of the language. Italian class is followed by studio and here, we are focussing on the analyzation of the subject of our choosing. As of now, I'm going to be looking into sitting space and the effect it has on the popularity of a space such as a piazza or a courtyard. It may come to include the changes of space and the way it shifts throughout the day. That evening, we had a free dinner at a local restaurant near the Rome Center. It was supposed to be a mixer type dinner, with both the University of Arkansas and Auburn University students eating together, but somehow, like an awkward middle school dance, the the girls sat together with familiar faces and the gentlemen followed suit. But it was a free meal, and as a broke college student, I can't complain. The meal itself was fantastic. Course after course after course came pouring out of the kitchen. I hadn't eaten that much food since I landed in Rome. All of it was pheonominal.
Onward to Tuesday. Our class met at the base of the Spanish Steps and proceeded on a (ver unorganized) tour of some of Sixtus V's work. Seeing the steps in the morning was a wonderful experience. Mostly due to the extent of working people making their way around in their designer suits and handbags. We made it to the top of the steps and behold, an unbelievable view of the city.
Monday started early, as most of our days do. (We have now deduced why Italians are so found and proud of their coffees. It's simply because they stay up late and get up early. Caffeine is the life blood around here.) We met at the Rome Center, one of the two venues for classes. Here we were introduced to our first instructor who will be with us for a two week period. Our task is to focus on the work of Pope Sixtus V and to retrace and analyze a portion of his urban plan in Rome. More on that later. Lunches are spent in the Piazza Navona. It's a very short distance from both the Rome Center and the studio apartments. Our italian class met for the first time and I'm beginning to pick up some of the language. Italian class is followed by studio and here, we are focussing on the analyzation of the subject of our choosing. As of now, I'm going to be looking into sitting space and the effect it has on the popularity of a space such as a piazza or a courtyard. It may come to include the changes of space and the way it shifts throughout the day. That evening, we had a free dinner at a local restaurant near the Rome Center. It was supposed to be a mixer type dinner, with both the University of Arkansas and Auburn University students eating together, but somehow, like an awkward middle school dance, the the girls sat together with familiar faces and the gentlemen followed suit. But it was a free meal, and as a broke college student, I can't complain. The meal itself was fantastic. Course after course after course came pouring out of the kitchen. I hadn't eaten that much food since I landed in Rome. All of it was pheonominal.
Onward to Tuesday. Our class met at the base of the Spanish Steps and proceeded on a (ver unorganized) tour of some of Sixtus V's work. Seeing the steps in the morning was a wonderful experience. Mostly due to the extent of working people making their way around in their designer suits and handbags. We made it to the top of the steps and behold, an unbelievable view of the city.
Our tour continued the intersecting streets of the Quattro Fontane (Four Foutains). On one of these corners is my favorite churches that we have studied thus far - San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. It's an absolutely stunning example of Baroque architecture and I have yet to have the opportunity to venture inside. That will probably be a task for tomorrow. After passing the Four Fountains, our final destination was to be Santa Maria Maggiorre, a basilica atop one of the seven hills in Rome. A very Baroque facade masked beautiful mosaics covering the back wall of an upper balcony. We were fortunate enough to get a tour to the upper floor and into the pope's reading room. It was a truly beautiful space.
More to come...
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