Villas and Grottos and Monsters, Oh My!

We're in the midst of a holiday season here in Rome.  First, last Sunday (April 22nd) it was Rome's 2766th Birthday (complete with parades in the street), last Thursday (April 25th) it was Liberation Day (where Italy celebrates being liberated from the Fascists at the end of WWII), and next Wednesday (May 1) is International Workers Day (basically the equivalent of Labor Day in the US).  A lot of Italians take the week between Liberation Day and Worker's Day off  of work, so between that, the warmer weather, and increased numbers of tourists, Rome has been feeling a bit too crowded lately!

The Town of Caprarola

Fortunately, on Friday Tom and I got the chance to get out of town on an Academy sponsored day-trip in Northern Lazio. Lazio is also the region of Italy that Rome is in, but when you get even 15 miles out of town, it feels like a different world.  So, by the time we were an hour and a half out of Rome (near Viterbo) we were basically out in the country in a land full of green rolling hills, dense forests, and cute little Medieval towns.

Our trip had three major stops:  Villa Farnese, Villa Lante, and, finally, Sacro Bosco (otherwise known as "Park of the Monsters"). Despite the gloomy weather, each place was absolutely spectacular in its own way.

Arial Shot of Villa Farnese (from internet)

In visiting the sites in this order, we moved from places that were more focused on indoor space (that perhaps flaunted the owner's wealth and power), to space that was focused on the outdoors and a connection with nature.  So, the main attraction our first stop, Villa Farnese, was the beautiful villa itself.

In the early 1500s, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (who later became Pope Paul III), commissioned the building of a fortress, which was also used as a summer estate for the Farnese family.  The building was designed in a pentagon shape, with its rooms situated around a circular courtyard.

Each room of the Villa was enormous, and was covered with beautiful wall and ceiling paintings, often corresponding with the room's use.  (A room used as a bedroom might be filled with dream-like images, for example.)  Many rooms walked out to balcony space around the courtyard, and beautiful giant spiral staircases connected the building's different levels.  Although absolutely stunning, the Villa was perhaps bit too large and ornate for my personal tastes, but I'm pretty sure that Tom is already making plans to move in.

Inside the Villa Farnese

Ceiling of Spiral Staircase 

The Circular Courtyard

But wait... There's more!  Outside, the Villa Farnese has both "lower" and "upper" garden areas (separated by a 5 minute uphill hike).  Even though the gardens seem a bit like an afterthought to the building, they were still equally spectacular, filled with sculptures, fountains, and maze-like garden spaces.

Upper Gardens

Spitting Sea Creature and Garden Maze

More Fountains

Lower Gardens and Casini

Our second stop, Villa Lante, was my favorite location of the day.  Although it was also used as a country estate in the 1500s, the huge outdoor gardens overshadow the physical structures, and encourage outdoor living.  The indoor living space actually consisted of two casini ("little houses"), which are symmetrically situated on either side of the gardens.  

The gardens themselves are situated over several different levels, with each area having its own (but interconnected) water feature and distinct feel.  The lower gardens consisted of hedges sculpted into decorative patters, large ponds, and a beautiful central fountain.  The small second level of the gardens house the large circular Fontana dei Lumini ("Fountain of Lamps), whose jets were designed to look like the flames of oil lamps.  The next level contains a long stone table with a central water channel to keep bottles of wine cool, and the upper levels have additional fountains, and finally a (very mossy) grotto.

Gardens and Fountain

Pond Sculpture

Fontana dei Lumini

Table With Water Channel

More Fountains!

Mossy Grotto

View From the Third Level

Unfortunately, we only had about an hour to walk around the Villa Lante gardens, but I easily could have stayed the entire day- or a lifetime for that matter.  I used the think that the lifestyle of the rich and famous didn't appeal to me (with it's big stuffy mansions with endless rooms filled with uncomfortable furniture), but if I could trade that big mansion in for fancy gardens, I think it would suit me just fine!

Monster in Sacro Bosco

Our last stop of the trip, the Sacro Bosco ("Sacred Woods"), is a large wooded park, containing dozens of oversized statues carved out of the rock. This park, which was originally created in the 1500s, was rediscovered in the late 1800s, and turned into a privately run tourist attraction shortly thereafter.

Because the original pathways are now lost, there's no clear information on what order the statutes were intended to be viewed in, and it's not even clear what the purpose of the space was.  Theories range from the park being a place to philosophically contemplate life  (most of the sculptures are inscribed with thought provoking riddle-like phrases) to being a tribute to the owner's late wife (nevermind the fact that the owner had dozens of mistresses).

Giant Turtle!

Whatever, the purposes, though, it's still a lot of fun (in a Disneyland-esque way) to stroll around the woods and locate all of the crazy statues.  They had everything from giant turtles, to Hercules, to (my personal favorite) the face of a giant monster whose mouth you can walk inside of.

The park also contained a playhouse of sorts that was built at a huge slant so that walking around inside was completely disorienting.  When attempting to stand "straight" you'd actually be leaning at a huge angle, and so moving around was either really fun or completely nauseating (depending on your personal opinion).  

Crooked House 

Me (looking awkwardly scared)

Tom (doing his best Hercules impression- it may need some work)

On days like this one, I feel especially lucky to be part of the Academy community.  Without it, we would likely have never made it to these wonderful sites (since you need a car to get there), and we definitely wouldn't have had the chance to visit these places with so many knowledgeable and fun people.  I don't often post photos of/with these other people (since I don't know who would object to having their photo online), but we really have gotten to know so many fantastic people this year.   Sadly, some of these people will be leaving the Academy as soon as early June, but, as we prepare for our community pizza party and movie night this sunny Sunday afternoon, I'm going to continue to live in denial that any of us ever have to return to the real world!

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sun. April 28:  The last few days have been cold(er) and rainy, but today is looking beautiful.  We're expecting sun and temps in the 70s all week.

Day Trip to Orvieto: A Tale of Two Wells

Spring is definitely in full-force here in Rome.  Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, our dinner plates are filled with fava beans and asparagus, and I've officially switched out my raincoat and boots for skirts and sandals.  I'm even writing this blog entry from the Academy's sunny 4th floor terrace.  Still, as wonderful as this is, the arrival of spring has been bitter-sweet, because it feels a bit like the beginning of the end.  I know, I know, woe is me.  I don't expect your sympathy, but (as much as I miss our family and friends) the idea of coming back to "real life" this fall still makes me a bit sad (especially since lucky Tom will get to spend a good chunk of next year in Italy again as a fellow at the Scuola Normale in Pisa).

Orvieto (the old town is up on the hill in the background)

Of course, though, I still have a lot to look forward to, and Tom and I are making a good effort to get some more sight seeing in this spring before it gets unbearably hot (which we hear happens in July and August).  With that in mind, we decided to a take a day-trip up to Orvieto yesterday.  

Orvieto is a small hill-top town located in the Umbria region of Italy, about 75 miles North of Rome.  Unfortunately, like many quaint little Italian towns, it's become a mecca for tourists (especially since a round-trip train ticket from Rome is only about 15 Euros), but it's definitely still possible to appreciate its charm (especially if you're willing to walk a bit off the beaten path).   

Fun on the Funicular

To be more specific, though, I should say that in modern times Orvieto actually consists of both the "new" part (located at the base of the hill, down by the train station), the old city up on the hill.  To get between them, Orvieto's 20,000 residents and countless visitors just need to take a quick one minute ride on the the surprisingly smooth and quiet funicular (which is basically a cable car). And the old city is actually quite old. Although many of the current structures are Medieval, Orvieto began as an Etruscan settlement, and then became part of the Roman Empire around 300 B.C.  After the fall of the Empire, it remained relevant due to its location between Rome and Florence, and (perhaps for that same reason), it remains a popular spot today.    

Typical Orvieto View

Orvieto's biggest claims to fame are probably its Duomo, its 14th century well, and its overall "character," meaning picturesque streets and amazing views of the surrounding countryside.  There are, of course, some museums and a few other points of interest, but given our short visit, Tom and I spent most of the day just walking around town, admiring the architecture, and taking in those amazing views.  Oddly, the square around the Duomo was swarming with tourists, but we practically had the park with the scenic overlook to ourselves.  I haven't spent much time in Tuscany (other than a few days in Florence), but I imagine the landscape is similar to the kind that all of those movie and book heroines seek out when they flee to Tuscany to recover from a bad breakup/find themselves/meet a cute Italian guy (in that order).  And who can blame them?  After spending half an hour gazing out to the variously colored and textured plots of land, I didn't have a care in the world (other than, maybe, where to get my next gelato fix).

Rooftops

Cool Architecture

Views of the Countryside

Me (right) and the Castle Tom Plans to Buy (left)

Duomo

Pozzo della Cava

Perhaps the funniest part of our trip, though, was our attempt to see the famous Orvieto well.  Tom and I didn't have a guidebook (or a map) with us, so we primarily relied on tourist signs (and our bad senses of direction) to get around town.  We had both seen pretty incredible pictures of an Orvieto well, so when we saw signs pointing toward the "Pozzo della Cava," (meaning "well of the cave"), we assumed that was it.  So, we paid the entry fee, and began the self-guided tour. The caves themselves were interesting to see, since many of them were part of an underground system built by the Etruscans, and we were surprised that we practically had the site to ourselves.  When we got to the well, though, it looked much different than we were expecting.  I mean, it was nice enough to look at, and was very deep (which was impressive, considering that at least part of it built in ancient times), but it was lacking the symmetry and windows we were expecting. Still, we thought it was possible that we were just misremembering things, and Tom even suggested that the picture we saw was photoshopped.  After all, we were at the Orvieto well.   

Pozzo di San Patrizio

Still, just to be safe, I skimmed through a guidebook at the Pozzo della Cava gift shop on our way out, and learned that Orvieo actually has not one- but two- tourist sites involving wells.  Honestly, what were the chances?!  So, Tom and I made our way to the other side of the hill to visit the other one, Pozzo di San Patrizio.  This well, which was built in the 1500s, turned out to look exactly how we had imagined it.  It housed two internal spiral staircases (one for going up, one for going down), and was full of windows (and tourists).  The water only exists at the very bottom of the 175 foot well, and so residents used to use donkeys to transport the water up to ground level. Nowadays, though, it's a lot of fun to walk down to the bottom (it's slightly less fun to walk back up!) and watch how the well changes color (from bright white to dark brown) as you descend deeper and deeper into the Earth.

Even though we visited the first well by mistake, I'm still very glad we got to see them both.  It was interesting to compare them, and I'm sure the calamity will help us remember our trip to this charming little town many years into the future.  As we start to check more and more off our list, I'm already feeling a sense of nostalgia for what I'm sure I'll someday look back on as the most exciting year of my life.  Still, it makes me appreciate each experience I have all the more, and, fortunately, I at least now have a good excuse to visit Italy again (Pisa, at least) next spring.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Mon. April 15:  I'm sorry to rub it in to my poor Minnesotan friends and family members (who still have snow on the ground), but the weather here has been absolutely perfect.  About 70 and sunny every day.

The Baths of Caracalla

It's been an exciting spring here in Rome.  Not only have we been following all of the developments with the new Pope, but we've been lucky enough to have some friends and family out to visit, too.  First, my law school roommate Virginia (otherwise affectionately known as "Roommate") and her husband, Joey, came to visit, and then Tom's parents, Diane and Jerry, spent several days with us here in Rome.  Most recently, my freshman year roommate, Kat (who I visited in Sweden last fall) came out for Easter.  She was a real trooper, considering that she had to deal with the aftermath of my purse getting stolen (including filing a report in a station full of frat-boy-like cops) and then came down with a stomach bug.  But, despite all this, we still had a great time!

Rommate and I at the Baths of Caraculla

Really, one of the best parts about having guests in town (other than spending time with them, of course) is getting to visit (or re-visit) some of Rome's best sites. I will admit that on a day-to-day level, Tom and I don't always take full advantage of living here.  First, there's the practical issue that the Academy is a bit isolated from the center of the city, and since we have good food, friends, and nice outdoor space here, there's not a huge incentive to ever leave! On another level, though, after a few weeks in a new place, you just really aren't in "tourist" mode anymore.  Sure, Rome is wonderful and I enjoy taking in the sites and culture when I can, but since it's home for the year, there's really sense of urgency to be doing something all of the time.  I mean, when I lived in San Francisco, I spent many Saturday afternoons indoors reading or watching movies or doing other projects despite the fact that I could have instead walked to the ocean or Alamo Square or headed out to Alcatraz (as all the tourists would be doing).  So, it's really the same thing here.  As crazy as this might sound, living in Rome now just seems like "normal life."

Inside the Baths

So, that's my long way of saying that it's nice when guests come to town and we get that kick in the butt to really get out and explore and enjoy the city with them.  And I thought I'd share one of those recent explorations with you, which was visiting the Baths of Caracalla (or, as I sometimes call them, the Baths of Cara-Cata-Bala-Whatcha-ma-call-it).

The last day of Virginia and Joey's visit actually happened to overlap with the first day of Diane and Jerry's visit, and Tom's suggested visiting the Baths together, which was a great idea, since I actually hadn't seen them yet, either!  

Diane and Jerry in the Baths

I realize this might sound a bit crazy (even despite my disclaimer above), since I've been living in Rome for well over six months now.  To be fair, I have admired the ruins from the outside many times, but I've just never gone in.

Really, there are four reasons behind this: 1) like most touristy things in Rome, it costs money (and I'm rather thrifty), 2) I figured we'd go with guests at some point anyway (which turned out to be accurate), 3) without Tom, I'd really have no idea what anything was (since Italians are apparently opposed to any sort of informational signage), and 4) the outside looked cool, but not that cool.  

Gull in the Baths

I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong about number (4) though, because it turns out that the Baths of Caracalla are now one of my favorite sites in Rome (perhaps second only to Castel Sant'Angelo).  Maybe the site isn't as exciting as the Colosseum or as impressive as the Forum, but it's still high on my list, since it's definitely the place where I would have spent all of my free time if I had been an ancient Roman.    

Basically, the Baths were a huge sports/health complex, built around 212-216 AD and used for over 300 years.  I like to think of the Baths like the equivalent of a modern-day YMCA.  But really, you'd have to make that YMCA about five times bigger and a hundred times fancier.  Tom assured me that even women would have been able to use the baths, although there likely would have been different time blocks for male and female use (which is just fine with me, since, in my experience, men tend to just sit around with the weights and then, when they finally do use them, end up making really strange noises that I really didn't want to hear.  Also, many people would have been naked, so there's that, too).

Beautiful Flooring

In ancient times, the Baths housed a big swimming pool (I guess my ancient self would have had to embrace this form of exercise more), as well as hot, medium, and cold rooms (with pools) to relax in (in succession).  There were also gyms for wrestling and boxing, free weights, and (if you believe some sources) perhaps even libraries so that you could brush up on various topics while walking in the courtyard.  (Of course, so as to not interfere with your walking, you might have one of your slaves read the book to you...)  There was marble everywhere, and the pools were adorned with various statues and  beautiful tile mosaics, depicting various "water" themes, like fish, plant life, and other imagined sea creatures.

Although a surprising amount of the complex is still intact (including many of the beautiful tile floors), you do need to use a good bit of imagination to fully appreciate the grandeur of the place.  Still, while staring up at the enormous walls, walking around the grounds, or admiring the tile patterns, it's impossible not to be in awe of the Romans' architectural, technological, and artistic abilities. I mean, just to have functional plumbing and heating/cooling capacity for a place of that size is completely amazing to me (although, like many things in Rome, it is a bit disturbing to our modern sensibilities that the heating was supplied by slave labor).

Artist's Reconstruction of the Baths in Ancient Times

Even though I'll never get to live out my dream of swimming/working out at a true Roman bath, I suppose that getting to visit the ruins and sharing the experience with our friends and family is a pretty good consolation.  In May and June, we'll have another run of guests, and I'm looking forward to exploring the city with all of them, too.

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sun, April 7:  We alternate between really gorgeous warmish (60+ degree) sunny days, and colder rainy ones.  It's been this way fora good month now, so hopefully consistently nice weather will be here soon!