September 4, 2024
Day 3: Light and Space
September 1, 2024
Affogato: Julian, Katie, Madeleine
Katie
The day began with the bright sun peeking through the window, waking me up while I was extremely tired and jet-lagged. After getting ready, everyone broke off into groups heading for the UWRC. Some continued taking the bus, practicing using public transportation for the future days in Seattle, while others chose to walk to see more of the city, passing by buildings made of stone, wood, marble, and more as the sun highlighted many of their features. After a couple of us got off the bus, we went to a small breakfast place to get something before we began our tours. Although not impossible, it is difficult to find something other than a carbohydrate for breakfast but luckily we managed to secure some fruit. We enjoyed our food on the balcony of the UWRC overlooking the vendors setting up their stations with many fruits, spices, bright-colored dresses, and more. Once everyone arrived at the Rome center we began walking towards our first stop of the day, Piazza Navona.
During our tour of the underground Piazza Navona, we saw the remains from the first stadium in Rome, the Stadium of Domitian, where the most important Greek competition was held known as, The Race. The Piazza Navona was filled with numerous remains of tall stone structures that had many missing pieces that had gone away over the years. Inside, we listened to our tour describing the many fascinating facts behind the stadium. The stadium was built under the reign of Domitian and like many other emperors, he created a stadium in hopes of gaining the affection of the public. The stadium was large and able to hold 30,000 people. The space was filled with stairs made of travertine blocks and although initially created for spectators to watch intense sports games including footraces, pentathlons, wrestling, and discus throwing, eventually the stadium was used for even more events including musical performances, chariot races, and theater. They also would hold Olympic-style games every 4 years dedicated to the imitation of the games but also to the athletics. Even though the stadium lost its use over time, it was still fascinating to see the many intricacies of the travertine blocks and hear how large the stadium was and how they utilized the space to hold many people.
Julian
In the afternoon, we had some free time, so Matthew and I traveled on the subway for the first time, finding ourselves in a new part of town. This was also the hottest part of the day, though it will be the last day the heat will be blasting us to such a high degree. Walking through the city, it was as if every single building was radiant, dazzling straight into our eyes, adding to the Eternal City’s already incalculable size. The scale of the buildings and the amount of space they inhabit is unbelievable; your eyes can wander across for what seems to be forever, whether you are right next to the Altare della Patria or walking along a street of residential homes, the heat adding elements of mirage. We managed to find our way back to a lunch spot (Vale Gelato) that we ate at on our first arrival day before the program, and that’s where we ended our afternoon. But before that, we found ourselves at the Fountain of the Naiads, which too occupied the entire focus of our vision. That was the first Fountain I had seen of that size in Rome, with a central water spout pouring over a well-defined statue, and elegant arcs of water splashing towards four statues on each of the corners. Surprisingly, it was just us, and we got to enjoy the cool blue water for a little while before venturing out again. Though it wasn’t nearly as old as many of the other places we had visited so far, it still stuck deep within me all the same: to think that hundreds of years ago this fountain was envisioned, then built and completed, all for us now to live in the future of this architect’s dream, it’s something hard to comprehend, but most definitely appreciated. Though, later that evening, we would all see a Fountain even more astounding.
Madeleine
We started our evening by meeting with Shawn and Julianna outside the dorms at 7:00pm. After nine minutes of walking, we arrived at Piazza del Popolo. The stone piazza was surrounded by statues and marble walls and filled with people enjoying music and the cooler evening air. For about 45 minutes, we sat on the metal rails/benches and journaled about our surroundings.
From the piazza, we walked another 15 minutes to the Spanish Steps. By now, the sky was dark and the steps were lit by street lamps and the lasers being sold by the men on the street. After an explanation of the illegality of sitting on the steps, Shawn released us to explore for 25 minutes. Salina and I, like true Americans, went to preview the Italian McDonalds menu (which had tiramisu, donuts, and loaded fries) but not before taking pictures. A golf cart full of people rolled up behind us, to which Cole decided to take a picture with the driver.
We then ventured to the Trevi Fountain and it was my turn to give a presentation! I talked about the Ace of Cups incident, where an Italian artist poured red dye into the Trevi Fountain as an act of protest against the Italian government. I also explained the belief behind tossing coins into the fountain. One is believed to ensure a return trip to Rome, two a new romance, and three guarantees marriage. Regardless of the validity of the coin toss, all the coins thrown into the fountain (about €1,500,000 a year) are used to assist people without homes in Rome.
Following the Trevi Fountain, just about all of us went to dinner at Ristorante Abruzzi. Parker, Salina, Cole, Skylar and I were sat in the front half of the restaurant. Salina was jokingly shamed by the waiter for attempting to order chicken curry, so she ended up with ravioli. Skylar and I had the evening’s special lasagna, which was very delicious! Cole and Parker had chicken and potatoes. Everybody enjoyed their food. After basically clearing out the local restaurant with our strange conversations and loud laughter, we departed. Salina, Parker, Aly and I went to the gelato shop and made our way back to the dorms via the bus by 11:30pm.
