Athena Blogs

Brad
Monday: Futurismo & Rainy Dinner
On Monday evening, the gusts of wind through the Roman cobblestone streets did not fail to turn Jaime's cheap street vendor umbrella inside out on multiple occasions.  Nevertheless we arrived at the gallery across from the Quirinale just as the rain really picked up, with umbrella intact, and just in time to meet up with our student advisor, Barbara, and fellow art history student, Susan, to view the Futurismo exhibit of Futurist art. 

Neither Jaime nor I had any clue as to what Futurist art was, but LdM was paying for the event, so it was on offer we could not refuse.  The exhibit turned out to be quite an interesting experience -- a reflection of the feelings instilled with the onset of the industrial revolution period in the early 20th century.  Never before in history had there been unnatural mass production, noisy mechanical cities, bright manufactured light, the ugliness of straight lines wherever you looked for we all know from being four years old that there are no straight lines in nature. 

Brad
Terme di Caracalla Roman Baths & Museo Palazzo Venezia
Jaime and I, Queen and King of Frugality, did our best to take advantage of the free monuments in Rome for the week.  Monday, after Italian class, we hopped on the metro and traversed Southeast of the Coliseum to the Terme di Caracalla Roman Baths.  They were kind of gargantuan.  The Caracalla Baths were built between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla and could hold up to 1,600 Romans at one time.  At the time, there were fire heated pools, wrestling and boxing rooms, and black mosaic on white tiled floors within the massive brick arched structure. 

A work out center or gymnasium were ideas that I considered to be only of modern societies, yet the Romans figured it out long ago -- it's no wonder that their statues appear so muscular.  Wikipedia had said that the baths were the only structure to be damaged by the Abruzzo earthquake, but we could not really tell.  Between a hedge border and the ruined baths were fields of grass laden with buttercups, daisies, and clovers.  A picnic here would rival Villa Borghese if it did not cost three euro on any other given day.   Jaime and I  sat on a park bench and had a relaxing afternoon chat before Jaime headed back to the apartment and I went inside the free Coliseum to listen to some music and people watch in the drizzle. 

Jaime: Museo Nazionale delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari
Tuesday instead of meeting In the class room for our Italian Family class, we met at the Museo Nazionale delle Arti e Tradizioni Popolari (National Museum of Popular Art and Tradition) in Rome. It was located about 9 metro stops from our apartment, so it was in a very different part of Rome than we are used to. Apparently it was built during Fascist times so everything is very boxy and modern looking.

I didn't feel like I was in Rome. I really enjoyed this museum -- which isn't common for me. We entered into the museum with the class and practically woke the ticket lady up because it is not a very popular or often visited museum; it was comical, especially seeing her turn on all the lights in the museum for us.

Jaime
Showing Carla and Ari Around
Well we didn't get much down time before the next extravaganza in our Roman lives! After Italian class on Monday my great friend, Carla, from my class in Barcelona came to visit me (and Brad) with her friend Ari for the week. I waited for them at the train station hoping they could understand the directions I gave them from the airport to Termini station. As I waited I noticed that the crowds have quadrupled in size over the past two to three weeks. Luckily I gave sufficient directions and it was so exciting to see Carla step off the Leonardo Express after two years apart.

I must admit my speaking Spanish was a little rusty since I don't have any of my minor related Spanish classes and because I've been learning Italian for this whole semester, but everything worked out after a day. Right after I took them to the apartment I guided them to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain-things that everyone must see and that I've seen about a dozen times now! I gave them each three American pennies to toss in, so looks like they'll return to Rome someday!