Cate: Spending two weeks in a place allows you to become a bit more in tune with its daily realities.
We’re all feeling more comfortable navigating crammed subways during rush hour; confidently weaving our way through suited Vespa drivers on cobblestone streets; picking up “Too Good to Go” food bags from Prati vendors without Google Maps. There’s a wide gap between our competency and that of locals, but it’s heartening to make the transition from “tourist” to “traveler”, as Shawn puts it.
I’ve found myself taking fewer pictures throughout the course of my time here. It’s not that the grandeur of these ancient, unfathomable sites has diminished. Rather, I’m more observant of — and at peace with — their presence. Rather than viewing this city from the outside, we’re connecting our daily lives in Rome to the daily lives of millions before us.
With that in mind, we were appropriately Italian (read: emotive) today when we learned that all transportation workers would be on strike. Instead of our usual commute bus, we took a morning walk to the UWRC. This was a hidden gift, as we stumbled into a previously-undiscovered church! While it was beautiful as always, what stood out to me was a Nun demonstrating to a young man how to lock and unlock the church doors. I think he’s church-sitting!
As a class, we explored Trajan’s Column, Trajan’s Market, and the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, which holds Michelangelo’s “Moses” statue.
The church was incredible, as is the norm here in Rome. Seeing Renaissance masters scattered about the city has been an unexpected treat. I feel more confident in my knowledge of artists like Botticelli, Caravaggio, and, of course, Michelangelo!
It was a bit hilarious to tour Trajan’s Market, known to be the first “strip mall” in history. The three story building is largely intact, and I amused myself considering what future tourists would think of McDonald’s, or similar!
The relatively frequent September rain commenced during our time in the market, and many of us made a mad dash to comforting indoor restaurants. My crew filled up on dumplings + soup, before window shopping in the Trevi Fountain area. We hit a low point on our trip when we were enticed by a candy store with brightly lit wares. Thinking we would spend a euro or two on an after lunch snack, we were disgusted to realize that our quarter cup of (subpar) candy each came out to 8 euro! The interplay between tourism and daily life is a complicated one; we’ve been getting better at avoiding the tourist traps for the most part, but failed majorly here.
We ended our evening by all going to an Italian restaurant that Aly recommended, and hearing some live jazz.
Skylar: After yesterday’s exploration of the Domus Aurea, where Trajan was often mentioned for his order to strip the area of its marble and fill it with dirt, it was interesting to see some of his other legacies today. We explored Trajan’s Column and Trajan’s Market! It is astonishing to see how memory can be held and legacy can be remembered through physical objects and not just history textbooks. The memory of Trajan has been preserved since 113 AD! This city has been filled with the memory of Rome’s ancient past. Everywhere you look there is a story to be told, and history to be explored.
We also visited the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli today. This was home to “Moses”, one of Michelangelo’s famous artworks. This statue provided another example of how memory can be held though being able to reveal Michelangelo’s personality hundreds of years after his life. We can speculate the reasoning for every indent and every strand of hair in this piece of art long after its creation. We can see the choices that the artist made and wonder why he made them. Artists often reveal themselves through their work, and leave an image of themselves to be remembered through generations to come.
The third way I discovered memory had been preserved was not through any landmark or any artwork we had traveled to find. It was through the intense rain that my friends and I got trapped in after we had gotten lunch. When the rain had hit me, I wondered who else had touched that exact molecule of water that had ran down my arm. I wonder if it had touched someone else’s nose or leg or hair. I wonder if someone I had met had ever touched that drop of water. I wonder if they were with their friends when it had rained on them. I wonder if it came from the Western sea. I wonder if it came from my family back home. The rain has always reminded me of my hometown in Washington. I remember the smell of fresh rain after a long summer, and the sound of rain hitting my roof as I look out the window and drink hot chocolate. In the middle of this rain storm in Italy, I discovered that memory can be carried through a simple drop of rain.
Vasudha: Today, the day started off early at the Rome center. Due to the travel strike, we had to walk all the way to the Rome center, which wasn’t ideal, but I enjoyed seeing the sights of Rome from the ground, rather than just on the bus. Walking the streets helped me to commit them to memory much better than I could if I wasn’t physically on them. Today, we explored many places related to the Roman emperor Trajan. I was most excited about Trajan’s market; as Shawn said, it was the very first mall, and malls are one of my favorite places. We also viewed Michelangelo’s Moses, and the chains of St. Peter, both of which I found beautiful.
After our group activities, many of us wanted to go get Chinese food. To our dismay, it was pouring outside! A true Seattle rain, preparing us for what is to come. However, our stomachs took precedence, and we decided to brave the walk. After 15 minutes, we reached the restaurant, soaked to the bone. I’m still squeezing water out of my skirt. Despite the hardship to get there, eating a meal with my friends was rewarding, and that sense of community is one of my favorite things about this trip.
