Fall Arrives in Rome

While growing up in Minnesota, I never understood why Thanksgiving decorations involved fall leaves and harvest themes.  I mean, normally, by the time November rolled around there was barely a leaf left on any tree, and we had already had several frosts (if not measurable snow).  It wasn't until I was older that I realized (jealously) that in some parts of the country- and world- fall happens a lot later.  Apparently, Rome is one of those places.

Yellow Hued Trees (from the shared kitchen window)

So, yes, at this late date of the last week of October, fall has finally arrived in Rome. The days of balmy 70 degree temperatures are over, and have been replaced by clouds, rain, wind, and much cooler temperatures (highs in the upper 50s and lows in the 40s).  It can get pretty cold in the building too, since federal law prevents us from using heat for a few days yet and- even then- the heat can only be on for 10 hours a day.  When going out at night, we now wear coats (although I'm sure most Minnesotans who had not been softened by CA weather would claim that no coats are needed).  Unfortunately, the trees don't really turn vibrant colors here, but there are quite a few leaves on the ground, and many trees do have a decidedly yellow or brown hue.  We also turned our clocks back an hour this past weekend, so now it gets dark quite early- around 5:30.

Halloween Invitation using (the party took place in that area
between the front gate and the building)

Although I'm surprised to hear myself say it, I actually kind of like the fact that it's becoming a bit more fall/winter-like.  It's nice to have a bit of that seasonal feel, and I'm sure it's much easier for Tom to buckle down on his work when he doesn't feel like he's missing out on a beautiful day in the city.  Of course, this is Italy, though, so even in the colder months, we will get our fair share of sun, and in the winter it rarely gets below freezing (last year, Rome experienced its first snowfall in 20 years!).  So, really, we can't complain about the cold too much!   

Fall themes have now also arrived at the American Academy.  Last week our dining space was moved indoors for the winter, which was a bit of a bummer, but the kitchen made up for it by serving pumpkin filled ravioli one night and lots of amazing desserts over the course of the week.  As I like to say (since the kitchen is based on a sustainable food model and serves lots of dessert fruit in the summer), "cake is never out of season!"  We've been invited to help out with the upcoming olive harvest on the Academy grounds, and last Saturday the fellows hosted a massive Halloween party.  Really, I feel like autumn should be oozing out of my skin!    

Costumes on the Academy Stairs

In any case, I decided that I should write a bit about this Halloween party, since it was really an epic event.  Generally speaking, Halloween isn't celebrated by most Italians (although they do celebrate "All Saints Day" on November 1 and "Day of the Dead" on November 2).  With that said, the concept of Halloween does seem to be slowly making its way into Italian culture, and we were actually surprised to see many stores selling costumes, candy, and plastic pumpkins.  However, since Halloween is still very much an American thing, it's been somewhat of a tradition for the fellows at the American Academy to host a Halloween bash and invite the fellows at all of the other national academies in Rome.

Decorated Party Room (pre-party!)

This year, two awesome fellows headed up the party planning committee, and we all pitched in some form, by helping with decorations, set-up, clean-up, and bar-tending during the party.  In the earlier part of the evening, the party was only for American Academy folks and was very kid-friendly.  The kids trick-or-treated in our building (the adults all passed out candy from our rooms), and then we all gathered in one of the artist's detached studios for a pizza party. The huge group of kids (we have 22 living at the Academy this year) all had on adorable costumes, and it was a lot of fun to watch them chase each other around the Academy grounds and enjoy themselves.

Batman and Robin Fighting the Joker (cartoon photo style!)

A bit later in the evening, guests from the other academies arrived, and part of the party moved outdoors, since it was impossible to accommodate all 200+ guests in the studio space (thank goodness it never rained as forecasted- but we did have good thunder and lightning for effect!).  The indoor space was used as a giant dance floor, and everyone really got into the spirit of things.  Most people came in costume, and Tom and I even found a Joker to go along with our Batman and Robin costumes.  We spent quite a bit of time creating our look (Tom sewed the Robin emblem onto his shirt himself and it took me about 5 hours to make that mask out of duct tape!) so the highlight of the night was probably when one of the kids asked his dad if we were *really* Batman and Robin.  All in all, I think it was a huge success.  It was definitely the biggest, most organized Halloween party that Tom or I have ever been to, and everyone had a ton of fun.

We're now looking forward to seeing what November has in store for us.  My good friend Kahla is en-route to Rome as I write this, and we'll hopefully have some fun adventures exploring together over the next few days.  Tom and I also have a trip planned down to the southern coast in a couple of weeks, and we've heard that the Academy puts on quite the amazing Thanksgiving meal.  So I'm sure we'll have lots of exciting experiences to share in the coming weeks.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Mon. Oct. 29:  It's seriously freezing here!  The internet says its 52 degrees, but inside it feels more like 40. Tom is even wearing his winter hat indoors!