My Roman Classroom (Churches, Aqueducts, and Bagels?)

Welcome back to My Roman Classroom where you get to indirectly tag along to my on-site classes and lectures held all around Rome!

This week in...
Art of the Renaissance and Baroque

Raphael's Tomb

After getting back from Siena at midnight, I met my class at the Pantheon at 9am Monday morning.  Not fun... but beautiful.  I missed my Mime friend from gelato night, but I did get to see Raphael's tomb.

Even more beautiful frescos!

After our quick tour, we visited three Catholic churches.  The first was Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which translates to St. Mary above Athena.  Yep, you guessed it!  It's another church-built-over-a-church.  Even after Rome became the Holy Center of the world, much of the population of Rome itself was not Catholic.  Slowly but surely, the temples to gods and goddesses were converted and/or built over.  The idea was 'Once a sacred space, always a sacred space' so that more people could relate.  The church was built in the early 1200s and is the best and maybe only example of Gothic style architecture in Rome.  No flying buttresses, but the interior arches are pointed instead of round like the other churches.

Gothic Arches

Sant'Agostino was our second stop.  It wasn't too far of a walk but the journey there was...eventful.  As we were walking out of the square an older woman carrying a bag of food said "GO HOME! Stupid tourists." Ok, send all the tourists away and we'll see what the economy does to the price of your groceries.  When we got to the church a group of French business men and women scolded us for...well, we're not sure what exactly, but their guide said something and they all laughed so our professor turned around and said "Yes, yes, it's very funny."  They followed us inside and then got shushed by the guy working at the desk.
Thanks Karma!

Santa Maria

It was another gorgeous cathedral.  We can tell it's High Renaissance by the very simple facade and raised entrance (to be closer to God).  It is the home of the only Raphael fresco completely open to the public.

Our last site was a small church by the name of Santa Maria dell'Anima.  It was the first German church built in Rome and is very decorated.  The painting on the alter of the Virgin and Child was done by Giulio Romano, one of Raphael's best pupils.

Living Rome

Who's up for a picnic?

This week in Living Rome we visited the Park of the Aqueducts which it turns out is on the far east side of Rome.  We took a bus all the way to Termini Station at the center, and then the Metro all the way out to the park.  We called our professor on the way because we were running late and he told us to meet at the large church.  I don't know what happened, but we ended up beating him and the rest of the class there.

Aqueducts

The park, as one man said to us while walking his dog, is "paradise for all."  It's calm, quiet, and beautiful.  Bike and walking trails weave around crumbling portions of towering aqueducts.  Our professor gave us questions to think about like, How do Romans live in and around ancient history?  Should these ruins that are scattered all over the city be isolated and preserved or open to the public?  Is "re-using" these structures harming our treasured history?  Very interesting...  He also told us there is no working map of the park since it is only 20 years old and still being shaped.  Can you say fascinating final project?

Pluto!

We walked along one of the walls where, in the 1950s, a small community was built along the arches.  After a while, the government forced everyone to move to a planned community and tore down the houses that had been built into the ruins.  Now there are a few large villas along the road.  We walked by one with two women and two dogs, one big, white and fluffy and the other small, black, and sleek.

Their names were Boc and Pluto and they were very friendly.

Italian
Ok, I know it's not an on-site, but today's class needs to be mentioned.

Professora: "Ethan, Che cosa prendi per colazione?" (What do you have for breakfast)

Ethan: "Io prendo, um, un...bagel?"

Professora: "Bagel? What is Bagel? We do not have them in Roma?"

Zac: "They're only the BEST THINGS IN THE WORLD!"

Ah, cultural differences...

In other news...

Oh yeah.  Rockin' the AUR pride.