Tarin: first week recap

Let’s see if I can remember what I did on all these days last week!

Tuesday:
Had lecture in the morning (on early Baroque) and went to the Musei Capitolini. Saw some works by Caravaggio, though most of the ones we will be seeing are in the Caravaggio Exhibit going on in Rome (displaying close to 40 of his paintings—huge exhibit).

In the evening, we went to an aperitivo. This is like a happy hour in the US, kind of. You buy a drink (for around 8-10 euro) and then get access to a buffet of finger foods and pastas. I ordered a beer and cinnamon mojito (bar tender suggested). It was made with vodka, not rum, and was SO GOOD. Who would have thought that combination would taste like anything remotely drinkable? The food was great, too. A lot of Italians go to these after work and before dinner to socialize. It was fun! The place it was at was called Fluid, and was pretty cool. When you stepped on the floor, a liquid squished out from under your foot (under the tiles). I suppose that’s the connection to the name…

Wednesday:
Lecture in the AM. Then we went to the Galleria Doria-Pamphili and saw some more works of art. The gallery was in the Doria-Pamphili family palace, and they still live there! Crazy.

Thursday:
In the morning, we met at Piazza Navona and started the day with site visits. Lecture was in the afternoon. We visited some basilicas with the most AMAZING quadratura (illusionistic architecture) and three-dimensional painting. I couldn’t distinguish between painting and sculpture. There was even a fake dome painted. Just amazing. I hope I’m able to retain everything I’m learning. There’s a LOT of information being thrown out.

In the evening, a group of us went out for dinner (for a real Italian, multiple course meal). Sarah, Lisa, and I dressed up. It was very difficult to maneuver through the side streets made of cobblestones with gaping holes while wearing heels. I only lost my shoe once!

Friday:
We met at Piazza del Popolo and visited several churches/basilicas. Friday’s we get done early, in case people want to travel and do things on the weekend. So, I ate lunch around 11:30 with a group of people. We were sitting outside and the restaurant was on the road, and vehicles were literally driving withing a foot or two of the people sitting on the outside of the table! It didn’t phase anyone. I’m definitely getting used to things here. We took the subway to get to the Piazza del Popolo, and it felt like a normal day. If everyone spoke English, and the city wasn’t 2000 odd years old, I would feel like I was in Minneapolis with a bunch of people taking a summer class. It’s nice how easy things really are.