Catacombs of San Callisto (or Saint Callixtus)

Ever since 6^th grade when my teacher, Sister Laura, taught us about the Appian Way (the main road used in Rome during ancient times) I have wanted to visit it. I have also been intrigued by the catacombs which were ancient, underground burial sites used by Christians, Jews, and pagans alike. In order to satisfy both of these desires then, it would make sense to visit the Catacombs of San Callisto which are underneath part of the Appian Way. These catacombs were built near the end of the 2^nd century. One of the oldest parts is the crypt of Lucina, where the crypt of the Popes (16 popes total), Saint Cecilia (whose body was moved to her church in Trastevere in 820 CE), and the Sacraments are preserved. They take up about 90 acres and contain galleries about 12 miles long. The catacombs are four levels which total more than twenty meters in depth. These were serious burial grounds and are now considered the official cemetery of the Church of Rome. Anyone interested in the history of the Christians, Jews, or pagans would find this space extraordinarily interesting; I doubt an experience like this could be found anywhere else.

The catacombs are open to the public Thursday through Tuesday from 9AM to noon and then reopen from 2 to 5:30PM. It costs €5 for adults and €3 for children (ages 6-15). Children under the age of 5 are free, and the entire area is closed in February. Information taken from: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome/A20684.html
Picture taken from:
http://images.43things.com/place/217359s110.jpg

The Galleria Nazionale D’Arte Moderna

The Galleria Nazionale D’Arte Moderna was created in 1883 during which the newly unified Italy was establishing institutions and showing interest in the development of a “national art”. It contains the most important Italian collection of paintings and sculptures of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Works by artists belonging to most of the contemporary art movements are present; also neo-classicism, romanticism and Tuscan Macchiaoli impressionism can be found here as well. The mission of the galleria is to always represent "living art”. Some of its exhibits include works by Goya, Géricault, Delacroix, Blake, Renoir, Rossetti, Courbet, Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Cezanne, Modigliani, Mondrian, Duchamp, de Chirico, Cara, Miró, Kandinsky and Klimt.

I would love to visit this art gallery because it differs from what we have been exposed to thus far in and around Rome. We have experienced ruins and ancient artwork, yet have not really seen any art which has been recently created. One of this museum’s missions is to revitalize interest in the great Italian artists of the 1950's and 1960's. I think everyone could use a break from Bernini and perhaps enjoy some Van Gogh or Monet instead. A change of scenery might further open your mind so that you are able to appreciate the older works more, or discover that you like the modern works better than the ruins. Either way, there is much to gain from visiting this gallery. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8:30AM to 7:30PM (closed Mondays); the last entry is 40 minutes before closing time.

The ticket prices are as follows: Full rate Exhibitions and Gallery €9,00 and Reduced rate Exhibitions and Gallery €7,00 (50% off for 18-25 year olds from the European Union and for state school teachers with permanent contracts). For more information, visit this website: http://www.gnam.beniculturali.it/index.php?en/1/home; picture taken from: http://static.flickr.com/119/266874522_28476423f9_o.jpg

Get to Know Your Local Barista!

During the first few weeks of class, whenever we were given a ten minute break to get cappuccino I wandered around the streets popping in and out of different cafés. By about the fourth week though, I decided to just pick one bar in order to become familiar with the barista and cashier. Dante’s Bar is located a few steps from our school, and the two old men behind the counter are extremely jovial and pleasant. Day after day I would stop in and before long they were grabbing my cappuccino before I even spoke the words. The lady who worked the cashier opened up to me as well, and we began to hold regular conversations. A few days ago, I entered the bar, drank my cappuccino, and made small talk with the bigger gentleman because it was not particularly crowded. As I began to pull out my wallet, he yelled something in Italian to the woman adding up my bill. She said, “prego” back to him and “ciao” to me. My java was on the house, and I had finally made some Italian friends! I thanked them both multiple times and ran out of the bar ecstatic. This is what a local bar is all about. It pays to pick one friendly café and get to know the people who frequent it. Dante’s is the place for me!

The Bonsai Reprieve

When we first entered Boys’ Town, we were met by two women who worked with the boys and translated Italian into English for us so we were able to understand the boys and some of the adults who worked in the town cantina.

The two women gave us a tour and one of the stops along the way was a garden that contained many rows of individual bonsai tree plants. There were many different kinds which varied in color, height, width, and shape. I had wondered if this was some type of science class or experiment so I asked one of the ladies what this garden was used for. She said that the bonsai trees were planted and cared for by the boys in their spare time. She said that they provided this space so that the boys could take on a hobby; the plants helped them to relax and to take their minds off of anything bothering them. I was immediately impressed by her response. How nice it would be to go out to this serene garden and work with nature for an afternoon! Boys’ Town provides so many activities and learning spaces for young boys. It is definitely a path leading to future successes as the boys grow up, and it was an inspiring place to visit; I wish them the best!

Boys' Town Trip

Boys’ Town is comprised of young, orphaned boys who live in apartment-like complexes. These are located in a hilly area southwest of Rome. Surrounding the plazas and gardens sit the residential villas, schools, laboratories, church, theatre, restaurant, bank, bazaar, and sports facilities. Close by there is also a farm which is used for educating the boys about agriculture and the environment.

The boys have also established their own currency, the Scudo, which is a coin that can be earned by completing the activities they are assigned when in school and outside of the classroom. These coins can then be used to buy toys and candy in the bazaar or deposited in the citizens’ bank. It can also be converted to Euro at a fixed rate of 1 Scudo = Euro 0,01.

As a class, we will be visiting Boys' Town on Friday, June 13, 2008. This is an incredible opportunity, and we are extremely thankful to the boys for giving us this unique glimpse into their personal lives.

Picture and information taken from:

http://www.citrag.it/eimg/eindex_09.jpg

The Unforgettable Phone Call

A few weeks ago, I received an email from PNC bank telling me that my account had been temporarily suspended. It had given me a number to call in order to get it reactivated – I could not do so online. Using a phone card from our apartment in Trastevere, I dialed the 1-888 number, but was promptly told by the operator that I could not use the card to call a collect number. This is when the idea of a lifetime came to me – just walk down the road and use the payphones near the piazza.

When the payphone rejected my phone card as well, I began to get annoyed. Fed up with the entire ordeal, I swiped my credit card and started dialing away. First, a lady from PNC answered and told me that she did not handle online accounts (this took approximately five minutes). Then I was transferred to a man who became confused that I was in Rome but lived in Pennsylvania (very hard concept to grasp, I know). After finally being transferred to another man who told me that my account was actually not suspended at all and was doing just fine, I hung up the phone quite pleased and went on my merry way.

A week or so later, my mom emailed me and asked about a few of the charges on the credit card bill. I could account for all but one of them and then finally to my horror realized what the mysterious charge had been. Turns out that my 12 minute (max) phone call cost me $109.00! She was not pleased but surprisingly did not seem mad about it. She told me not to make anymore collect calls and to “use my head”. One thing I will not be using anytime soon though is a payphone - don’t make the same mistake!

Terme di Nettuno

Ostia Antica is an ancient port located at the mouth of the Tiber River which served as a pivotal plot of coastline in the defense of the Roman Empire. As time went on though and the military battles subsided, Ostia became a “real town” and was used more so as a commercial port.

I discovered my favorite part of this town as I ascended up a long set of narrow stairs which overlooked Terme di Nettuno, or the Baths of Neptune. At the top, I was able to gaze down at the tremendous craftsmanship of several large mosaics built into the bath floors. They were black (in the foreground) and white (in the background) and were made of tiny, 1 inch x 1 inch (approximately) squares that depicted gods, fish, animals, games, and fights. The entire structure was built in the 2^nd century but has been renovated several times according to the informative signs nearby. They also said that the central characters in the main mosaic are Neptune and Amphitrite during their wedding ceremony. It is interesting to imagine people bathing here as the gods and fish looked up at them from below; also, it seems a bit disrespectful that dirt and waste was constantly flowing over the newlyweds. This site is not only aesthetically pleasing though, its main function was to cleanse the people by providing water and hot air which seeped up from the basement fires below the floor. These fires were attended to by slaves; their underground quarters are very well preserved to this day.