Botanical Gardens

The other day we went to the Botanical Gardens after class, where we took a long walk among the very green garden since most of the flowers are out of season and finished blooming. However, it was still pretty and serene walking though it.

As we were getting ready to head out, we stumbled upon a fountain which had not had the best upkeep. It reminded me of many other fountains in the city. The Trevi Fountain and the Fountain of the Four Rivers and all the other well known fontanas are mostly always clean and ready for pictures. But many of the other fountains around Rome are so small, unknown, and old that they don't seem to warrant as much attention.

I think this is part of the appeal of the fountains of Rome. If one wanted to see a prefectly white, gleaming piece of art than one could just look in a book. However, seeing the fountains which have aged and weathered ages Rome and reminds us that it isn't today how the city once was.

Fontana in Firenze

Last weekend we took a trip to Florence to get a look at another major city in Italy. After traveling all day through Siena and finally to Florence, we were pretty tired. We showered and ate dinner and proceeded to share a bottle of wine, but then we split up. Joe, Jackie, and I took to walking around the city since we didn't feel like going back to the hostel just yet. Somehow we ended up in Piazza della Signora staring up at all the statues strewn around us, including a replica of Michelangelo's David.

Right next to Palazzo Vecchio is the Fountain of Neptune. It was created by Bartolomeo Ammanatti in 1565 for the wedding of Franceso I de' Medici to the grand duchess Johanna of Austria. The face of Neptune apparently resembles that of Cosimo de' Medici and the entire foutain is supposed to be "an allusion to the dominion of Florentines over the sea."

It is a pretty fountain, but oftentimes these pieces make me scratch my head. This one in particular made me wonder, because it seems as if a child is right under Neptune's naked body. If one looks closely, the child looks to be handing something to Neptune, but I am still unaware of the significance of it and why it had to be carved into the precious marble.

1. "Palazzo Vecchio." The Museums of Florence. 14 June 2009 .

Domus Flavia

High up on Palatine Hill is where many of Rome's most famous characters lived. The best preserved buildings are the House of Augustus and the House of Livia, his wife. Apparently, Augustus lived a frugal life but the following emperors disregarded his example and created extravagant lifestyles for themselves and their families. The extensive ruins are those built by Domitian, Domus Augustana and Domus Flavia, the two wings of his palace.

When we walked throughout Palatine, being able to identify the ruins helped a lot when seeing them, as opposed to just standing there looking at really old buildings. Two unique things that are part of the ruins are fountains contained in the Domus Flavia, the official wing of the palace. One is in the shape of an oval, located in a spot where it could easily be seen from the dining hall of the palace. Up close, it actually reminds me of a ship for some reason, but one can definitely tell it could have been a source of beauty. On the other hand, one wouldn't know that the octagonal fountain in the courtyard was a fountain, just by looking at it today. It seems very shallow and not what one would expect.

Seeing the dried up fountains reaffirms the fact that they have been part of the aesthetics of Rome for centuries, not just the more recent creations like the Trevi Fountain or the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

1. Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2006.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire.

The other day we did a field exercise, where were split into groups of two and had to lead the class to a fountain somewhere in the city. Eric and I were partners and we decided on Il Fontana dei Tritoni. It's located in Piazza della Bocca della Veritá, and the little garden/park area it is situated in also houses the Temples of the Forum Boarium, Hercules and Portunus. The fountain was created by Carlo Bizzaccheri in 1715. Bizzaccheri was apparently strongly influenced by Bernini in the creation of Fontana dei Tritoni, because of its "theme and position."



After we succesfully navigated the cobblestones of Trastevere and crossed the Tiber to our fountain, Mia let us know what was around us: Bocca della Veritá. It was pure coincidence that we had discussed this just the day before. Legend has it that this "Mouth of Truth" would slam closed if a liar put his hand inside. Of course we all wanted to give it a try, and luckily none of us lost any appendages, but it would have made for a more interesting story if that mouth had closed ...

1. "Fontana dei Tritoni, Rome MyTravelGuide.com." Travel Guides and Hotel Reviews MyTravelGuide.com. 03 June 2009 http://www.mytravelguide.com/attractions/profile-78381605-Italy_Rome_Fontana_dei_Tritoni.html.

2. Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2006.

Campeones! Campeones! Ole! Ole! Ole!

The Super Bowl is a huge day for American football; it's one of the most watched things on television, and advertisers pay millions of dollars for a 30 second commercial clip. Across the Atlantic, today was the equivalent of that, just with a different kind of fútbol.

At 20:45 tonight, the championship game of the UEFA league kicked off between FC Barcelona of Spain and Manchester United of England. Soccer is the king of sports in Europe, and since the game was being held at Stadio Olimpico, it was no surprise for us to see fans trickling in throughout the week for tonight's matchup.

The girls and I decided to go to a bar in Campo de' Fiori to catch the game, and were surprised to find out that the entire city of Rome had stopped serving alcohol, beginning Tuesday at 23:00 and ending Thursday morning at 06:00. This really put it into perspective how integral alcohol is in American sports, most notably with tailgating.

FC Barcelona prevailed 2-0 in a game that lasted just over 90 minutes, ending around 22:45. Despite not being able to buy any celebratory brewskis, the Barça fans still found a way to show their joy. As we were walking home, there were kids jumping and splashing around in one of the many fountains in Rome, and I'm sure the same thing was happening all over the city. Although it is illegal and the Carabinieri followed close behind, it was still fun to see people getting so excited over sports. Normally, these fountains are only for aesthetics, and sometimes to fill up a water bottle or two.

Being in Roma, I'm not able to watch the Phillies play and I have to catch up with all of my sports information online, but tonight I got to experience it firsthand.

Maybe I didn't get to actually go to the game - 2000,00 euro for a ticket is a little too rich for my blood - but I was able to stand amongst the fans chanting Barça! Barça! Barça! and feel the love all the same.

Water, Water Everywhere

A set of the many things Rome is famous for are its ancient aqueducts, some of which are still in use today. Back in the 2nd century BC, Rome's city wells were no longer delivering the water needed to keep the city running, so a series of aqueducts were built to bring in water from surrounding hillsides. The largest aqueduct was Aqua Novus, which stretched around 59 miles outside the city.

The aqueducts worked by collecting water from a spring in the hills to a reservoir. This built up pressure and guaranteed a steady supply to the city. The brilliant engineering tactics allowed for each Roman citizen at the time to have about 1 cubic meter of water each day, which is more than what most city residents see today.

Because of these aqueducts, Rome has fountains located all over the city continuously flowing with clean water. Locals and tourists are able to pop open their empty water bottles and fill them up, use the fountain to clean their hands or slash their faces, or plug a hole in the bottom of many to allow the water to squirt up like the water fountains we're used to.

One such fountain right outside my classroom, called Il Fontana del Facchino, is also a famed "talking fountain." These talking fountains and statues were used for political satire and some would actually respond to each other all across the city. The practice is generally dead, but one can sometimes still find a fountain starting a conversation.

1. "Fountains of Rome." Avventure Belissime - Italy Tours, Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Pompeii, Amalfi Tours & Shore Excursions. 25 May 2009 .

2. Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2006.

3. "Roman Aqueducts." UNRV History - Roman Empire. 25 May 2009 .

Piazza della Rotunda

One thing that gets overlooked when stepping into Piazza della Rotunda is the fountain directly across from the Pantheon. Although I wasn't able to find it's exact name, the fountain was designed and built in 1575 by Giacomo Della Porta under the commissioning of Pope Gregory XIII.

In 1711, Pope Clement XI had the vase that stood in the middle replaced by an obelisk. This obelisk was another Egyptian one, in honor of Pharaoh Ramses II and taken from the Temple of Isis.

Today, many people can be seen lounging on the stairs leading up to it while waiting on their companions or when taking a break from all of the walking around in hot Rome. It is a nice place to relax and people watch, and even splash yourself with the cool water when the temperature creeps toward unbearable.

1. "Picturesque Piazza della Rotonda at the Pantheon in Rome �." Bed and Breakfast Little Italy and Chaplin Hostel in Rome. 16 Apr. 2009. 25 May 2009 .

Present for You .. Now a little something?

Sam, Aimee, and I took a nice, long (and I mean long) walk around the city yesterday which brought us to Piazza del Popolo. Although this piazza looks open and welcoming now, it apparently used to be the site of barbaric instances, specifically public executions of condemned men during the celebration of Carnival. Luckily for criminals, this doesn't happen anymore.

Right in the middle of this great piazza stands an Egyptian obelisk, brought to the piazza in 1589 by Domenico Fontana on the orders of Pope Sixtus V. However, it was deemed too "inadequate for the size of the square," and so the fountains of lions were added to the four corners around it. The water flows out of the lions' mouths into a circular pool below.

It was here that the girls and I were approached by a man handing out roses. After being in the city for just a little over a week, this has happened many times. Men will walk around, hand out roses as "presents," try to strike up a conversation, and when one turns to leave will ask for "a little something?" It can get very irritating to constantly say, "No, grazie" without having them get the message. However, we are getting better at avoiding and forcing the "no," no matter how badly we feel. It may seem funny for everyone at home to hear about men walking around like this, trying to get money for roses, but we see it every day when we are out and about. In fact, even tourist sites warn of these rose peddlers. I think the men like to hang out at certain tourist destinations, hoping to catch a young couple in love or some women who want to be swooned, which is why they were found near Il Fontana dell' Obelisco.

1. Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2006.

2. "Rome by Thais - Fontana dell' Obelisco." Thais.it - Arte & Natura. 20 May 2009 .

Ode to Sabrina

Il Fontana di Trevi is easily one of Rome's most famous fountains; there is hardly a time one can visit without also being joined by hundreds of others. This famous masterpiece is relatively young compared to the other structures in the city. It was inspired by Roman triumphal arches and designed by Nicola Salvi in 1732 and completed thirty years later. Il Fontana shows Neptune, god of the sea, and two tritons on either side of him along with seahorses. One is calm while the other looks uncontrollable; these two represent the two natures of the sea. The fountain was built to commemorate the ending of a Roman aqueduct, the Acqua Vergine. It is said that if one throws a coin into the fountain, one is guaranteed a trip back to Rome someday. Apparently many people are due to come back; the daily amount visitors toss in around 3,000 euro! The coins are collected each night and the money is put into a charity to help feed Rome's poor.

My sister, Sabrina, studied in Rome two years ago and declared this her favorite spot in the city, so of course I couldn't wait to visit it myself. I had seen pictures and she had spoken so highly of it that I wanted to make it one of the first things I saw here. Il Fontana doesn't disappoint; when I went I couldn't help but just stare at all the intricacies and the beauty of it. Naturally, I threw in a coin, which has two good consequences - contributing to a charity and solidifying my return to the city which I've already fallen in love with.

1. "BBC NEWS | Europe | Trevi coins to fund food for poor." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 27 Nov. 2006. 19 May 2009 .

2. Publishing, DK. Rome (Eyewitness Travel Guides). New York: DK Travel, 2006.