another fine settimana a Roma

Friday after Italian class, 9 of us headed over to the Villa Borghese and rented 5 single bikes and a quad (see below) and went around the park for an hour. It was exhilarating again to take a break from walking, get around at a faster pace to see more, and ride in the pouring rain at some points. I was a little worried about the slick pavement but we only had one wipeout and a lot of muddy backs and butts from the spinning bike tires.










Yesterday I baked my first Roman torta (cake). We have a few birthdays coming up in the next few weeks so I had to do a test run for buying ingredients and cooking here. First of all, no Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines here – there was pretty much one chocolate cake mix to choose from. At home you add water, oil, and eggs while here it recommends butter, milk, and eggs so I thought it would be much heavier and richer but it actually tasted lighter, like chocolate bread? After consulting the Italian dictionary and decoding the directions on the box, the cake came out pretty well and we just topped it with sugar, crushed wafers, and icing (an envelope of powder mixed with milk). Definitely different than what we’re used to at home, but still delicious. Now I just need to prepare myself to bake, sculpt, and decorate the next ones!

This morning we got up and went to Il Vittoriano, the huge monument in Piazza Venezia (craziest traffic circle and they’re starting to dig a metro station in the middle here) built for Victor Emmanuel who was the first king when Italy was united in 1870. Right now it houses offices and a museum but we went mostly for the view because it overlooks the forums and out into la citta (the city). We did not pay 7E to go to the top but still got some good pictures (great lighting with some light/shadows and the blue sky):






















In the front it also houses the Tomb of the Unknown Solider so you’re not allowed to sit on the front steps (which we learned on our history visit here), which is ironic because steps are just seen as open seating everywhere in the world so there are carabinieri officers around to keep people in line.

Then we went to the Palazzo Colonna which our history teacher had recommended. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside so I’ll do my best to describe: a few rooms inside house an art collection but the interior architecture was the real work of art. The ceilings were frescoed and as we have seen in many buildings in Italy, the ceilings are painted to look three-dimensional and as if they extend out of the building. Walls were upholstered in fabrics (there was a Throne Room in red velvet and it has a chair turned to the wall in case of a papal visit) and many elements like moldings and bannisters were painted on the walls to look three-dimensional as well (good way to save money). My favorite part were the marble floors, so many colors and textures mixed together and stones cut to form the images of columns, leaves and acorns, and other patterns. There was a beautiful great hall (at least 3 stories high) full of marble, paintings, sculptures, chandeliers, tapestries…and a cannonball. Lodged in one of the steps is a cannonball that was apparently used as a projectile during an attack on Rome in 1849 and is still there today. check it out here.

Took it easy for the rest of Saturday, feeling tired and drowsy maybe due to allergies? But Chelsea had downloaded the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy so we watched that before bed. This morning Joanne made an amazing breakfast of blueberry waffles and French toast and now I'm awake, stuffed, and need to get a lot of work done because we have a busy week: lots of history walks, an Italian midterm, and a studio project due Thursday. AND we leave next Monday on our next field to the hilltowns for 5 days. Ciao!

P.S. more pictures from Parco della Musica and the Colosseum/Palatine Hill