Out and About in Rome

Last night we were woken up sometime between 1 AM and 6 AM (we didn't check the clock and can't agree on the timeframe) by a thunderstorm.  The thunderstorm itself was pretty awesome (since we rarely had them in San Francisco), but it actually scared us quite a bit, since some windows in our building were open, and the strong winds slammed a lot of doors shut (in a loud, echo-y manner).  Of course, I then made a comment about ghosts (the library here is apparently haunted- stay tuned for more on that in a future post), and this comment led Tom to have stressful dreams about hearing voices in the hall for the rest of the night.

So, basically, that's my long explanation of why I'm home posting on this blog on a Sunday rather than being "out and about in Rome" on this particular day.  But, it does look like it's going to storm again any second, so being a bit tired and lazy today (at least on my end- Tom claimed he was too tired to explore, but is now working away in his office) isn't the worst thing in the world.

However, in our past three weeks here, we have had many chances to get out and see some of the city.

Rooftop Balcony at the Academy

As ridiculous as it might sound, though, we often have to force ourselves to get out there.  It's just that we live in such a great environment that we never want to leave! The Academy has such amazing food, wonderful people, and so many beautiful gardens/grounds/rooftop-balconies-with-views-of-the-city, that it's very easy to just fall into the pattern of spending all of our time here (or, in my, case here and three blocks away at the Park where I run)!  Of course, I didn't even mention the fact that the whole point of being here is so that Tom can get a lot of work done on his dissertation (and when Tom works, I usually end up studying Italian or blogging or reading myself).  And, it's not just us who feel this way.  We routinely hear other fellows lamenting and/or discussing the fact that they rarely leave, and, actually, some of the fellows without spouses hardly do seem to leave at all!

Still, we are always happy when we do manage wander out of this Paradise, because we have had some amazing adventures in and around the city.  In the future, I hope to share more about some of the specific sites and places we visit, but for now, I thought I'd give you a general overview of some of the things we do and see in our free time here.

In the Forum

1.  Walk and Talks

First of all, every week (usually on Friday mornings), the "Professor in Charge" here at the Academy leads any interested parties on brief tours of various significant historical sites throughout the city. (Or, maybe I should say  they are "brief in theory," since our last "two hour" walk actually turned into a five hour saga!) Since our group consists of scholars and artists (and spouses like me!) from many different areas of study, the Professor, Kim, tries to speak on points of broad general interest, although I'd imagine that having some background in Roman History and/or Art History would still be quite helpful.  (Kim also has a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor, which I especially enjoy.)

Domitian's Palace (late 1st Century) on the Palatine Hill

On the first walk we visited the Roman Forum (a site which served as the center of Roman public life over many centuries, and which now contains the ruins of many monuments, temples, and government buildings), and on our second walk we visited the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Museum (both of which border on parts of the Forum).

The upside of these walks is that you get to learn about these sites from a very dynamic and knowledgeable source (and, of course, you have a whole group of subject matter experts with you who can chime in on various topics from time to time), and it's also a good chance to bond with some of the other fellows here.  It's also really nice that the Academy covers and entry fees that we would otherwise incur to visit these places.  (When I was here back in 2002, entering the Forum was free, but now it costs about 12 Euros to get in.)

Sculpture in the Capitoline Museum (legend holds that the

founder of Rome and his twin were raised by wolves)

The downside, of course, is that there are SO many things to see in each of these locations, and, in such a short time, it's hard to really get a handle on what you're seeing and to place that in a larger framework of Roman History (at least if you're not already studying that for a living).  Of course, you always have the option to stay later, or to return on another date, once you have a sense of the things you'd like to spend more time doing.

Luckily, I've got my own personal expert here with me in Rome, and we definitely plan to go back to the Forum another time. We're hoping to have a picnic on the Palatine Hill, and, hopefully, Tom can show me around a bit more (perhaps after I've done a bit more reading about the sites!).

Typical Monteverde Street

2.  Exploring Our Own Neighborhood(s)    

Another way we get out and about (even if not so far out), is by taking short walks in and around our own neighborhood whenever we have some spare time. It's hard to say what neighborhood we live in exactly, since we are more or less on the border of three different areas (Monteverde to the West, Trastevere to the East, and the Janiculum to the North), but we've spent a decent about of time in all of these areas.

Trastevere, as I've written about before, is the most "happening" neighborhood, and where we often head to if we want to experience some nightlife or eat dinner out. Monteverde is a more residential, less touristy neighborhood.  It's certainly nice, but perhaps less remarkable than other parts of Rome.  Still, it holds a special place in our hearts, since that's the area where we do our grocery shopping (for breakfast foods), or where we go for any other odds and ends we might need (like power converters or that plant we keep saying we'll buy for our room).

View from Janiculum Hill

At this point, the Janiculum is my favorite of the three, although there is still a lot more for me to explore before I can make that claim with complete certainty.  The Janiculum is a very green area, full of gardens and pedestrian walkways.  One particular street, which is lined with the busts of soldiers (Tom and I spent a recent evening deciding which ones we each looked the most like), leads to Garibaldi square, which- you guessed it- contains a enormous statue of the General (on a horse).  Best of all, though, from this area (known as Janiculum Hill), there is an amazing view of the entire city of Rome.  I just only recently discovered this spot (which is only a five minute walk from the Academy), and, have already returned several times since.  The grass-covered overlook would be the perfect place to take a book on a sunny afternoon, and I'm hoping to have a couple chances to do just that once this storm front passes!  

Tom Near the Pantheon

3.  Weekend Wandering

Finally, of course, Tom and I do our best to do some exploring of further-out-there parts of the city on weekends. Last weekend, for example, we took ourselves on a whirlwind walking tour, and stopped at many of the city's iconic sites, including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps.

Unfortunately, during this time of year on the weekends, these places are mobbed with tourists (I know what you're thinking, but I insist that we're actually "residents"), but we're hoping that we'll get a slightly more intimate view of some of these sites during the winter months.

View from the top of the Spanish Steps.  Can you
pick out the building with the temporary fake facade?

Oftentimes, we just head out with a map, a few Euros, and a water bottle, and see where we end up.  But we also have a few particular places/neighborhoods that we'd like to make a day of exploring just themselves.  Probably next up on our list will be spending more time in the Vatican and also checking out Villa Borghese (an area and Villa similar to Villa Doria Pamphilli, where I run, but on the other side of the city).

We also like to use our wandering as an opportunity to test out two Roman staples, pizza by the slice and gelato, in different parts of the city.  So, hopefully by the end of the year, we'll be able to report back on on our favorite spots on that front, as well!

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sunday, Sept. 30:  Cooler (about 70 degrees) and thunderstorms!!!