I'm sure at least a few of you must have noticed the large gap that exists between this post and the previous post. The length of this gap should be further emphasized due to the fact that I do have access to the internet at home. Thus, one who frequently reads my blog should be compelled to arrive at one of two conclusions:

1. I have dropped the ball and totally abandoned my blog.
2. I have gone traveling and will return with the mother of all blog entries!

The fact that you are actually reading this should give you a pretty good idea which conclusion to arrive at.

Yes.

The week of March 3rd to March 9th, my class and I went on our trip to visit sites in Southern Italy. We agreed to meet at the Piazza Trilussa at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Gordon left at 6:30. Joaquin and I ended up leaving at 6:50. I have to mention at this point that the mother of all cramps was sinking its claws of death in my left thigh. This made everything I did take at least twice as long. Stupid me playing stupid soccer. This added an extra layer of suspense as Joaquin slowly walked to allow me to keep up as I attempted to emulate the walk of the likes of Long John Silver and Verbal Kint. Luckily, we only arrived a few minutes late. Thankfully my leg was at 100% by the time we got to Matera, the city where you want your legs at 110%.

Stop 1: Pompeii-
Pompeii was a town located south of Rome. It had been an Oscan port town with Greek and Phoenician influences but was later conquered by Rome. It was completely destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD covering the entire region in ash. This basically froze the entire city in a state that was almost completely uninterrupted until the 18th century, when archaeologists began to excavate it. Pompeii's most significant contribution to our knowledge of the Roman Civilization is its detailed picture of habitats used during this period. In Rome, the ruins that remain are mostly monumental colossal structures. Houses weren't built with the same longevity in mind. We visited a number of different houses including the Villa of the Mysteries.
We also visited the amphitheater, one of the baths (right) and a few other places as well which was all interesting, but honestly speaking, Pompeii was the least interesting of the entire trip. So I'm going to stop talking about it.

Stop 2: Paestum-
Paestum was one of the many Greek towns formed in the Archaic Period of Ancient Greece (roughly 7th Century BCE). There are three temples on the archaeological site and they are absolutely incredible. I really don't know how to emphasize how impressed I was by them. People talk a lot about proportions, ratios, and columnar orders, but all I can say is that the Greeks got it right with the temple to Apollo (right). I never thought I could be so impressed by a Greek temple, especially when there is so much incredible Roman Classical architecture here in Rome. After this visit, I may be compelled to side with the Greek Classical in the Rome vs. Greek debate that once raged in Italy during the Enlightenment Period.

Stop 3: Certosa di San Lorenzo-
So this building was a monastery originally for the Carthusian monks of this region. Apparently these monks were often descendants from wealthy families but had no claim to the inheritance because they were second or third sons. Thus, the building was characterized not for its austerity or humility but more for its lavish decorations and ornamentation. This photo was taken from the stair case in the back near the courtyard where the monks would meditate and pace.

Stop 4: Castel del Monte-
Castel del Monte is called a castel only because it is big and made of stone. I actually has no military or strategic importance at least as far as most historians or archaeologists can tell. It wasn't a mansion or house because there is no kitchen or food spaces. Thus, most people simply call it a 'think tank.' The man responsible for it, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor 1194-1250, was also known as an intellectual. Although the crusades were raging during this period, he often invited Arab intellectuals to Italy to learn and discuss matters of culture, mathematics, science, philosophy, etc. This building can easily be seen as one that was heavily influenced by Middle-Eastern ideas and aesthetics. The plan has an octagonal logic, there are pointed arches and the proportions are heavily geometric. The attention paid to mathematic harmony is different from that of what was used during the Renaissance which more classical in nature. Apparently there was quite a collection of artwork that had been stolen or pillaged once it fell out of use. Its use, however, is still elusive. Think tank still seems like a half-baked theory to me. Although the spaces were really impressive, the place did feel kind of like a tourist trap. I mean, there was nothing in the entire place!

Stop 5: Trani-
This was another incredible town that we visited. Trani is one of the many port towns that lines the Adriatic Coast along the calf of the Italian "boot." It once was a major port where crusaders would embark on their long journey to the Holy Land. In fact, one of the churches has a special arcade where knights on horseback could ride in, receive their blessings from a priest and ride right down to the port where they could board a vessel. The cathedral was also quite impressive because it certainly displayed a far more Norman style of architecture which reflected the culture of the ruling monarch when it was built, 1143 CE. Overall, this was one of the coolest places we visited during the trip.

Super Sunday!

Allora, today is a momentous day for three distinct reasons!

1. I was able to purchase an awesome 35 to 70 mm lens with a 2.8 f-stop for 40 euro. Not amazing, but not all of my photos will be wide angle anymore. Framing architecture is great with a wide angle, but not for portraits or any sort of focused composition. I bought it at the Port-a-Portese market down the street from us which is home to some of the strangest merchandise and characters. Although, this really is only slightly more exciting than the 27th St. flea market that happens on the weekends in New York. Mostly because I have to bargain in Italiano. I'm not so good in English, but I do feel more comfortable being vocal and pushy in Italian... Maybe not the best way to learn a language.

2. I played 'calcio' today which is Soccer in American. We played in the Circus Maximus which is now a big grass field but used to be a Circus used for chariot races (think Ben Hur). There was something quite impressive about playing soccer on a sports arena used almost two thousand years ago. And I scored a goal.

3. Last but certainly not least, I thought I would celebrate this moment by writing an unusually out of routine blog entry. This, of course, refers to getting internet at home! Yes. I'm writing this from my living room. Not studio like I have been for the past month. So expect me to be more connected than usual!

Hey folks!
(I'm assuming there's more than one of you actually reading this...) As they say in Italy... Allora, I got back from Florence, and I was absolutely stunned. There was just so much, that I totally have to go back. I missed a lot of stuff, but I need an excuse go back.

Due to the sheer volume of sites and works we saw, I'm gonna switch to bullet form(a wink to Jarnah):

Sites Visited and Observations:
The Cathedral Complex-
So, this is the most easily recognizable building in Florence, as well as most visible. FYI: There is only one "cathedral" in a given city at any given moment. The cathedral is the church of the bishop of that city and comes from the latin word, cathedra, which literally refers to the throne that the bishop sits in. In recent time, the word cathedral has come to mean big church, but in actuality this is false. (New York is one of the exceptions of the one cathedral rule with St. Patrick's on 5th Ave and St. John the Divine on 110th which is Episcopalian.) This church was design by Arnolfo Di Cambio, but the construction of the dome is credited to Filippo Brunelleschi. He was directly responsible for the engineering and construction method. The interior was really impressive because of the sheer scale of the architectural elements. After we entered the actually space, we climbed the stairs and walked around the cupola to get a good view of the rest of the city which was also breathtaking.

Piazza Sinioria-
This area is directly in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (right), which has a lengthy history that I'm sure no one is interested in. This space is very significant because it used to house the ORIGINAL statue of David by Michelangelo, but now holds a copy. There is an area, however, that houses some pretty incredible sculpture pieces that are in fact originals. It also used to form the center of the Roman town that stood in the same location where the Cardo and Decumanus met (the two cardinal streets in every town. The cardo runs north-south, and you can guess how the decumanus ran-)

Santa Croce-
This church was built in a Romanesque style which is a style that predates the High Renaissance. It can be seen as the Gothic architecture of Italy in many ways as it carries some very similar features. It however is recognized as distinct because it has a different proportionality and different ways of approaching materials and organization as well as a notable lack of the features found in Gothic structures, i.e. flying buttresses, pointed arches. I was really impressed with the use of exposed/painted rafters which I have yet to see in Rome. This is also the place where Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli are buried. I didn't really care about that, though. Some of the frescoes were really interesting, but in general, I was most impressed with the openness of the ceilings. The side chapels were covered with a number of gable roofs which created an impressive side profile. There was also some really beautiful door hardware on the main entrance doors.

Anyhow, that was the first day. Although I summed up a lot of it... there's a lot I don't feel like fitting into this blog. Keep in mind that I have to save some stuff to talk to you about in person! Also, no pictures to reference on the second and third day because I didn't bring my charger for the digital. Thus, only film pictures, and I don't want to leave you guys hanging on my poor verbal descriptions of some of the amazing things that happened.

Speaking of my film camera, I almost destroyed it at Palazzo Piti. I dropped it while I was shifting objects around from bag to pocket and hand to bag. While holding the multiple straps my camera and bag, I mistook the camera strap for the bag strap and dropped the camera instead of the bag. Thus the stone floor outside the baggage room in the Piti Palace completely ran into the polarization filter that rested in front of the lens. When I picked it up I noticed a nick in the glass. When tried to remove the filter, the nick turned into a full on crack. Then I realized the filter just would not come off. Luckily, I later pulled it off using my key as a kind of bottle opener and found that the camera and lens were OK. LESSON LEARNED.

Sorry for the lack of postings in the past week. Internet has been non-existent in my life. Just got it back up and running in the studio. More soon. Keep checking my flickr, because I update that more often. I'll be back with a small bit on our apartment and some other miscellaneous stuff. I want to close by saying that I've definitely had 'basta' of Spizzico... at least for the time being. Too much of a good thing, Spizzico or just plain grease. At this point they are synonymous.

Happy birthday, me. Some wikipedia findings on this momentous day.

Events:

• 1917 - The Congress of the United States passes a law, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, banning most Asian immigration to the United States.
• 1936 - Charlie Chaplin releases the last movie of the silent film era, Modern Times.
• 1958 - A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
• 1937 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposes a plan to enlarge the Supreme Court of the United States.
• 1945 - World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
• 1962 - French President Charles De Gaulle calls for allowing Algeria to be an independent nation.
• 2003 - U.S. plan to invade Iraq: Colin Powell addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.

Other people who share my birthday:

• 976 - Sanjo, Emperor of Japan (d. 1017)
• 1840 - Hiram Stevens Maxim, American inventor (Maxim gun) (d. 1916) (this is the guy who invented the automatic machine gun)
  
• 1943 - Michael Mann, American film director
• 1948 - Christopher Guest, American actor
• 1954 - Cliff Martinez, American musician
• 1962 - Jennifer Jason Leigh, American actress
• 1964 - Laura Linney, American actress
• 1969 - Bobby Brown, American singer
• 1975 - Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Dutch footballer
• 1984 - Carlos Tévez, Argentinine footballer
• 1985 - Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese footballer

And this is the guy who died on the same day that I was born on:

• 1984 - Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta "Santo", Mexican wrestler and film actor (b. 1917)

Yesterday was probably one of the most eventful and culturally illuminating days of my time here. Just to inform those of you unfamiliar with the way my school works, Thursdays are the days that we have design. Wednesday night is often a mad dash to get work done in order to have some sort of proof that we, in fact, have been doing work on design. Thus, the knowledge that history occupies the morning slot before design was met with limited enthusiasm. Fortunately our history class takes place mostly on site in and around Rome.

Our first site was on the steps of the Monument to Victor Emanuel. From there, we proceeded through the Campidoglio, or Capitaline Hill and moved in the general direction of the Aventine Hill. We went to a number of sites which I won't get into, but this shot here is right when the rain let up next to the temple of Portunis, the god of ports.

I have a new found obsession here in Rome which is a double shot of espresso with a Snickers bar. I don't understand why its so good, but it's so good. I know I'll probably catch some kind of flack for not choosing some Italian brand of chocolate or whatever, but this works. It's a great way to give yourself a kick in the but when you need it, especially right before a review after a mostly sleepless night. (no all nighters... yet) This was the case yesterday.

The presentation my partner, Leslie, and I delivered was on the Campidoglio. I think we were both really satisfied with the amount of work we did. As for the critics, well, at least our professor had something nice to say.

That evening, Joaquin and I had our first truly Italian cultural experience. A friend of Joaquin and now a friend of mine took us to a wine bar for some food and, yes, wine. I kindly abstained from partaking in the wine portion of the evening and tried not to think about the numerous cultural feaux pas I was committing.

There we met someone who I can only describe as being a true character. He was the owner or manager of the bar. He looked around his sixties or seventies. He had white hair that cascaded down the back of his head with a short trimmed beard. He was wearing a navy pinstriped suit with a blue shirt, an ascot and a white scarf... and sunglasses. I later learned that he apologized and said that he couldn't find his regular glasses, but the sunglasses seemed so much more appropriate.

When he found out that I didn't drink, he was absolutely accommodating. I said I would have a Limonata or some equivalent. When I got my drink he said that he had to send someone down the street to pick up a tonic water and that they would juice a lemon for me in the kitchen. I was very gracious. In the meantime, Joaquin and Luis began their choice of wine which they both agreed was exquisite. We ate prosciutto and parmigiana cheese, both delicious. We were then joined by a friend of Luis who lives in the area. The evening went on mostly in Italian. I struggled, but there were moments when I felt like I was beginning to grasp some understanding.

In fact, at one point when the manager sat down with us and joined in the conversation, he said a sentence that I fully understood. Every word was a word that registered with a definition in my mind. At first I thought he was going to say something in English! Then I realized what was happening. At that specific moment, I understood that there was a raspiness in his voice that was only his. I began to hear inflections and stresses that he applied to the sentence. What was his and what was Italian became distinct to me and I fully comprehended it. And then it was gone.

Spizzico

This is incredible. I can't believe that it has taken me 22 years to find a restaurant that serves French fries and PIZZA! I only wish we had one of these nearer to where I lived, like in New York.

Quick post
Here's a photo of me and my roommates in front of il Colosseo at night. Gordon, Joaquin, and me.

So, at this point I should say that if I continue at this rate, I'll be writing this blog well into my forties. But, the first day was probably the most eventful and most shocking, so don't be surprised if the rest of the entries are just blurbs about this and that.

At 15:50 Gordon and I found the studio and came in with our bags. We briefly greeted our friends and quickly asked the director of the program where we could exchange money. He said that there were some banks that might be open, but I would have to hurry. I jetted out of the studio and headed to the main conduit of traffic in Trastevere, Viale Trastevere. There, I found a Banco di Roma. I looked inside and was met by a locked door. I looked at the wall, and the hours clearly stated that the bank closed at 15:45. I ran to one more bank and found the same results. Failure.

Still no sign of Joaquin.

Back at the studio Gordon had waited for me to depart. As I shared the results of my brief journey, Gordon recalled that the broker said not to come without Euros. We were going without Euros.

Guiding ourselves with a crappy printout of a GoogleMap, we ran through the cobblestone alleys. Making decisions on the fly, we eventually found our way to one gigantic stairwell which we would later come to know very well. In the old city, there are no street signs like there are in most modern cities, so I frantically searched for some kind of indicator to tell me where on the printout we actually were. Finally we realized that the streets were in fact communicated through stone plaques mortared into the actual surfaces of buildings and walls.

We passed through a large set of arches which announced that we were moving from Trastevere into Monteverde, or in other words, from the old city to the new. The roads were paved with asphalt, the sidewalks were wider, and the streets were straight. Via O. Regnoli, at last.

This is about the point where our hunger, jet lag, and sheer exhaustion from running up what will henceforth be known as the 'Stairway to Heaven' (seen on the right) really began weighing down on our shoulders. Unfortunately we had no way of knowing or predicting what could be waiting for us in the apartment we were hoping to make our new home.

We rang the buzzer and the female voice of an English speaker with an Italian accent informed us to go to the 4th floor. We went to the 4th floor. Couldn't find the right apartment, so we ran back down to the buzzer and asked where the apartment was. The voice then said that the door was open. We ran to the 4th floor again. No open doors. At this point I remembered that in Europe, the convention is to name what Americans call the 1st floor, the ground floor. We were only on the 3rd floor. We ran up one more set of stairs and saw the open door.

Due to events that have transpired recently, I may not be very kind in describing our broker. Thus I will henceforth refer to our broker as the broker.

Gordon and I entered the apartment. We were an hour late and didn't have the money. We heard two ladies chatting in Italian. We would soon learn that one of the Ladies, Marcella, was the owner of the land, and the other was the broker. The voice on the buzzer belonged to the broker as she would continue to be our translator and liaison with Marcella. Marcella was a short woman who looked in her late 60's but could easily have been in her late 40's at the rate she was chain smoking. She had dyed blond hair that and spoke with a raspy smoker voice reminiscent of Marge Simpson's twin sisters. However, beneath the rough first impression, I could still discern a sweetness that spoke the universal language of grandmothers.

The taller of the two was the broker who had wiry red hair, a kind smile, and a tired voice. She introduced herself and Marcella. We then proceeded to describe our predicament. Our broker, visibly frustrated translated our situation to Marcella who responded in brisk Italian. There was a verbal exchange which concluded with the ubiquitous phrase, "va bene."

Immediately after, Gordon and I found ourselves being escorted around the apartment with Marcella describing how to use everything from the teacups to the television. Granted there were many things we didn't know how to use, but for the most part she was merely being "old-ladyish." This continued for the better part of the next hour, Marcella speaking fast and our broker translating for us. Her translations were much briefer.

Finally, we sat down to discuss money. We spent another hour or so devising plans to exchange and meeting later on in the week and how to organize how much to pay in what currency. Gordon and I were stalling in order to give Joaquin more time, and not a moment too soon, our broker received a phone call from Joaquin who had arrived at the studio safely. Joaquin made his way to the apartment after another 15 minutes and bailed us out. We secured the deal and reached an agreement that didn't require any money exchanging at all!

Joaquin saved the day.

Although today is 23 Jan, I intend to start this blog from the beginning, 16 Jan, 2007.

Flying out from New York, was a breeze. I got to Rome at 11:00, and had no problems getting through customs or picking up luggage. Roommate 1, Gordon Laplante, said he would arrive at 12:30. Roommate 2, Joaquin Fernandez Stearns, said he would arrive at 13:00. Our plan was as follows:

I, Roommate 3 would wait in the terminal until the three of us met up, which was estimated to be at around 14:00. Once our rendezvous was underway, we would meet the driver of a shuttle which was organized by Joaquin, who would then drive us to Rome by 16:00 where we could exchange the bulk of our cash which we would then use to pay for our deposit and first month's rent at our new apartment on Via O. Regnoli, in the Monteverde area adjacent to Trastevere.

The execution, however, unfolded quite differently. I arrived as planned, and waited for Gordon. Once I met up with Gordon, we waited for Joaquin. The information board told us that Joaquin's flight had landed and the waves of travelers exiting the "Arrivals" gate told us Joaquin should be out any second. After another hour we started getting worried. No sign of Joaquin, and no sign of the driver that was supposed to meet us. 14:30 rolled by without any sign of our third roommate. Our broker said she would meet us at 16:00, but we didn't know how long the drive would be. We decided to wait until 15:00 and if Joaquin didn't show up, we would find our own way there.

When 15:00 came around it was certain that something had gone wrong, and we had no choice but to cut our losses and make our way to Rome. Due to the inflated exchange rates at the airport, we thought we should go to studio and drop our stuff there while we find a better place to exchange currency in Rome. However, we only had one hour to get to Rome, do all this and then get to our apartment.

Gordon and I jumped into a shuttle and told the driver the address of our studio. Our driver, obviously on a different schedule, decided to take his time and find one more passenger. My stomach began to turn.

Finally at 15:15 we left the airport with one more passenger bound for the capital of the world of antiquity. The other passenger looked like a business man, possibly Italian American or British, spoke English to the driver at first but switched to Italian later. The shuttle, a large European van, careened out of Fiumicino Airport and sped down a wide freeway flanked by Goodyear factories, fields and Cyprus trees. The sky was overcast, but there was no rain. At this point I finally tried to embrace the situation I found myself in.

I AM IN EUROPE. I AM IN ITALY. I AM IN ROME.

We didn't pass through any large gates. There was no sign that announced the arrival into the infamous historical city. Instead Rome sort of trickled into view. What was at first a large freeway, transformed into a smaller boulevard which funneled into a street which then became a winding path cutting through walls of plaster and brick with dense foliage overflowing from the tops. Our van was soon joined by fleets of SmartCars, Matizes, and mopeds as we navigated the labyrinthine network of cobblestone paths.

We turned one corner and then turned another. I looked out my window and there it was. Rome, a sea of peach colored roofs punctuated by the most celebrated domes in the world and enormous bronze statues of chariots and goddesses. And just as soon as the incredible vista appeared, it was gone as we dived right back into the city. With some deft maneuvering by our driver, Gordon and I found ourselves in the Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. With our bags in hand we ran to the studio to see where we could transfer money. It was 15:50.

More soon...