The Rome Experience

It’s strange to look back and read my initial blog. It feels like I wrote it such a long time ago.The first was that I wanted to learn a lot of Italian. I must admit that for the longest time I felt like I was not reaching this goal, like I was not working hard enough. It’s only been in the past two or three weeks that I’ve really realized how much I’ve learn. My spelling is still horrible, I can’t remember the rules, I feel like as far as class goes I’m still confused, but when it comes to talking to people I understand a lot of what they say. It’s amazing how much I’ve habituated myself to hearing it. I can understand announcements in the train station, many of the questions people ask in shops or while they’re out, and mostly I am finding that I am finally understanding random little bits and pieces of people’s conversations. I have definitely progressed in Italian in a manner very different than I learned French or even the little bit of Spanish I know. I have appreciated having the ability to see just how much comes to you simply by listening and learning a few verbs. If I could do this trip over however, I would have studied some before I came.
The second was to learn about my Catholic heritage. I really have done this too. I know a lot more about the day to day practice of Catholicism than ever. However, I also have realized a lot about my own personal beliefs and how they relate. I share a lot of beliefs with Catholics. I already knew this to some extent but this trip has proven it even further. I’ve also been noticing how, as much as religion is a touchy subject for most people, it really isn’t for me. I really feel like I’ve heard it all before, as much as I think I might be too young to say that. People can be really insulting and I don’t even get upset. I guess I’m just to the point where I think people who say insulting things like that atheists have nothing to prevent them from committing murder are, well ,as wrong as someone who thinks that the Earth is flat. I’m beginning to find harsh, uneducated religious arguments amusing. Perhaps, I should be more alarmed, I’m not sure. I’ll certainly defend people who need defended. However, otherwise I think I’ll just let their boat sail off the edge of the Earth.
Apart from all that, I would say that I’m definitely more aware and comfortable with the person that I am. Travelling brings out a different side of people, and I’ve noticed things about myself that I’ve never noticed before. I guess most of these things are private but the basic just is I think I’m going to be even more mature after this. Ok, now that I’ve shared probably too much with everyone, all I can really say is grazie e arrivederci a Rome. This has definitely been the experience of a lifetime.

More Fibonacci

Fibonacci sequence is one of life’s most interesting mathematical mysteries. The basic mathematical definition of the Fibonacci sequence is basically is that it starts with 0 and 1 and that every number after that equals the sum of the previous two numbers {0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…}. The Fibonacci sequence is one of several recursive sequences, which means simply that it follows the rule that to get the next number one simply finds the sum of the previous two. The name Fibonacci comes from Leonardo Pisano Bigollo the son of Bonacci, a merchant trader with Africa. His most important contribution to mathematics was not the Fibonacci sequence that he is famous for; his greatest achievement was bringing Arabic Numerals to Europe. His father was a merchant and in Bigollo’s travels with him, he learned that Arabic Numerals functioned much better than Roman ones. Overtime, people remembered him only as the son of Bonacci or Fibonacci and not by his proper name which did not even have Bonacci in it. Fibonacci, although it was not the proper name was still the first mathematician to bring to light how the sequence reoccurred in nature.
The Fibonacci first noticed in the mating system of rabbits. Fibonacci noticed how rabbits multiplied and that the first month there would be 1 pair of rabbits, then the second month the female would be pregnant but there’d still only be 1 pair of rabbits. By the second month there would be 2 pairs of rabbits, the third month only one set of rabbits would be able to reproduce so there would only be 3 pairs of rabbits, so on and so on always following the sequence where a number would always add up to the previous two numbers. Since this discovery and actually even before it, mathematicians have found the Fibonacci sequence recurring in different places throughout nature.
It had been for a long time observed even in the doctrines of the Ancient Greeks, a certain aesthetically pleasing ratio that can be found in nature using the Fibonacci sequence. The ratio is formed by taken the current number over the previous number in the sequence {1/1, 2/1, 3/2, 5/3, 8/5…}. This sequence converges meaning that there is a single real number which the terms of this sequence approach more and more closely, eventually arbitrarily close. If we impose limits and assume that this sequence converges on a real number (this would be a fact that would require a proof). If we follow these rules we find that there is a simple quadratic equation to solve for x. or the golden ratio. Many things such as plant rings or the growth patterns of a snail shell fit in almost perfectly to this ratio. Even the sum of Pascal’s oblique triangles fits right into this pattern.
I think it was seeing that it fit into Pascal’s triangle that made me wonder, is this really a magical divine number for beauty or is it a sort of coincidence that these numbers follow this pattern. Another words, are these numbers simply golden because they are proportionate or is that not sufficient enough an explanation? There are some things that don’t fit the golden ratio, some flower’s petals do not fit the ratio perfectly. However, I guess I’ve never truly thought about whether everything has a mathematical explanation before or not. To me, if the very makings of the universe can somehow all be worked out into perhaps several mathematical sequences, well I’m not sure if I’d think that was divine or not. It remains amazing to me that everything from the Pantheon, to the works of Leonardo Di Vinci, to the United Nations building in New York used the golden ratio and the Fibonacci numbers in its creation.

Circe Transforms Picus into a Woodpecker

Unfortunately, I was unable to find a picture of this late 15th to early 16th century painting by Garofalo Ferrara, so it was difficult at best to find information on this blog. The most I could find were Italian websites, that did not have pictures and did not make sense when they were translated.

From what I could tell this painting was an excellant example of an early mistake in prospective drawing as there appear to be clear lines acrossed the pages going horizontally and not vanishing at all. The picture appears to be in rows up close, although the perspective appearance is fairly decent as you get further away. I would've thought this painting was fantastic had I not been looking for it. The error put it closer to our first attempts to draw vanishing points in my high school art class. It creates these layers that make it look very unrealistic.

Vanishing points was probably one of my favorite aspects from art class, however, I think in part because I cannot bring myself, for the most part, to critique artists who are doing a much better job than I would. I also found myself having trouble with the religious paintings because I spent along time debating how big babies or figures such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary should be. I lost track of the vanishing points.

We saw some unbelieveable artwork...

I’ve said before that I’ve decided that for the most part I agree with Leonardo Da Vinci, in the value of painting versus sculpting because you can do so much more with a painting than a sculpture. However, I am also someone who loves things with deep meaning, especially if that deep meaning is share by millions of people. It is for this reason, I think, that one of the most incredible statues we visited on this trip was the ancient bronze one of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
The statue is of St. Peter sitting atop a marble see from the early renaissance, a tiara around his head, holding high the keys to the kingdom of Heaven and giving a blessing and preaching to those below. I sits upon an alabaster base that was executed by Carlo Marchionni in 1757. The statue is clothed in amice, alb, stole, red cope and a ring so that it practically seems to come to life. The most amazing thing is how worn down his right foot is from the centuries of pilgrims rubbing them. Pilgrims rubbed and kissed the foot of St. Peter praying that he’d be merciful and open the gates of Heaven to them if they died during the pilgrimage. Today, I’ve noticed the legend is changing as many guided tours come through the museum. People are saying that his right foot is good luck or to rub it for an important prayer. Many people rub his foot and pray that they will get into Heaven but I think that most people no longer consider dying during the pilgrimage as a serious option the way they would’ve during the Middle Ages. I walked up and touched the foot and you could feel its power. The thought of so many people praying and believing in what St. Peter’s statue represents is incredible to me.
Behind it, there is what appears to be a beautiful brocade draping but it is actually a mosaic. Above the mosaic is a portrait of Pope Pius IX, the first Pope in nineteen centuries to hold the throne longer than St. Peter himself. St. Peter held the throne for twenty-five years and Pope Pius IX reined for 31. Tradition holds that the mosaic and the portrait are insuperable from the statue. To me its amazing either of these men could’ve lived long enough for that. However, I never really thought that a Pope reining longer than St. Peter would make him noteworthy enough to get his portrait directly behind St. Peter’s statue. I would imagine that after nineteen centuries people were beginning to think twenty-five years was the Divine limit.
A great mystery also surrounds the statue relating to who created it, as well as the epoch in which it was created. Datings range from as early as the fourth century and as late as the fourteenth century. Tradition has it that the statue was commissioned by St. Leo the Great as a token of gratitude for defeating Attila. This legend also says that the statue was made of the metal from a previous statue made by Giove Capitolino. In reality however, the oldest historical information on the work only dates back to the fifteenth. Currently, it is almost the unanimous opinion of historians that the author of the statue is more likely than not Arnolfo di Cambio(c. 1300) the artist who created the tabernacles of St. Paul and St. Cecilia, and the sacellum of Bonifacius VIII in the Constantinian Basilica. The snail like curls of the hair and beard are found in famous Arnolfian works and match thirteenth century Classicism.
Overall I found the whole of St. Peter’s Basilica to be absolutely incredible. I loved having the opportunity to see the Cathedral that is the most important in all of Catholicism. This statue is, of course, one of the most important works of art in the entire basilica. However, I find it amazing how everything in the Basilica has its own legend and story. Everything from the keys, to the tiara, to the picture behind the statue has its own history and symbolism. The year the statue was made really isn’t that important, it’s the energy behind it that is absolutely incredible.

Four Rivers

I found Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers to be one of his more intriguing works. The Fountain of the Four Rivers is world renowned and found in the Piazza Navona in Rome. The fountain is of considerable size and is the central fountain in the piazza. This is mainly because it incorporates the central Egyptian Obelisk. The fountain incorporates a god representing four rivers from 4 continents. The Ganges represents Asia, the Nile for Africa, the Danube for Europe, and the Rio de la Plata for the Americas. Each carries traits that are metaphors and allegories such as the Nile’s head being drape in a cloth showing how no one at the time knew where the head of the river was.
This Fountain also has a very interesting historical background. First, this fountain was designed by Bernini for a competition he was never invited to enter. He had made his share of enemies and someone made sure the Pope did not invite Bernini to enter. A prince whose wife was the Pope’s niece persuaded Bernini to enter the contest anyway. When his design was unveiled in a place where the Pope could see it, Bernini’s rivals could not persuade Pope Innocent X away. This fountain was also built at the people’s expense at a time when bread was scarce. The people wanted the money to go to food instead of beautiful fountains. Of course, decent was dealt with in the usual fashion, the Pope had the writers who spoke out against him arrested. Overall, I enjoyed the Bernini tour despite my tired legs from our tours from the previous day. This was well worth it.

Walk through the Religions of Rome

My tour is designed to show a small view on how this religious capitol has progressed throughout the years, from the days of gods and goddesses to the present religious conflicts. There were so many places I could begin my tour at the remains of the Temple of Venus and Roma in the Roman Forum behind the Santa Maria Nova church. We’ll start with this Temple because it was originally the most prominent in the forum and is now barely replicated behind the Santa Maria Nova not far from the Arch of Titus. This Temple was built to honor the goddess Venus the mother of Roma Aeneas and the ancestor of Roma Aterna whose cult localized on the Velia. This Temple showed how strongly the emperor was influence by Greek Architecture. The visible remains date back to 307 when the emperor Maxentius restored it after a fire. This is thought to be the last pagan temple that remained in use in Rome. It was closed in 391 AD by Theodosius. It remained intact until 625 when Honorius I stole the bronze tiles off its roof to create the Old St. Peter’s Cathedral.

We can now see the many pagan temples and Christian churches around the Forum as we head up the Sacra Via the road directly in front of the Santa Maria Nova. You’ll notice that some of the churches may look sealed like temples whereas others you can go inside. Many temples were converted and reused. This is one of the reasons these buildings are still there. We’ll follow the winding road from the Basilica of Maxentius, past the temple of Romulus. At the fork in the road steer left away from the S. Lorenzo in Miranda church that was originally the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Here you’ll find the Temple of Vesta and behind it where the rose garden lies in the ruined courtyard is our next stop, The House of Vesta. This is where the Vestal Virgins were housed. Thought to go back as far as the second king of Rome Numa Pompilius or even as far back as Aeneas who brought the eternal fire from Troy to Rome along with the images of the penates (household gods). Six daughters from patrician families between the ages of 6 and 10 were chosen to be the Vestals for 30 years. 10 years learning her duties, 10 performing them, and 10 teaching novices. After 30 years Vestals returned to the world and some even married. Until then however they took a vow of chastity that if broken meant that they would walled-in alive inside the Campus Sceleratus. The man was publically flogged to death in the Forum. As guardians of the eternal fire it was prophesized that the end of the Vestals was the end of Rome.

We can backtrack now and continue to follow the Sacra Via by S. Lorenzo in Miranda, turning left in front of the Tabernae Novae, and making a right to stay on the Sacra Via while that road ends. Head straight past the Arch of Tiberius at the end of the road, straight ahead you’ll see the Temple of Vespasian make a left right by this and you’ll follow the Clivus Capitolinus, up the stairs to begin your climb up Capitoline Hill. You’ll see a small miniature of the she-wolf off the side of a building to your left as you reach the top of the hill. In this piazza the Capitoline Museum will be on your left. This is the next stop on the tour. Inside the Capitoline you can finish your tour of the Roman gods. You’ll find that much of the artwork and statues of pagan emperors were preserved here only because they were not identified correctly. As Christianity became the religion of Rome, people did what they could to destroy the pagan past. It made sense to them at the time. Sadly however, as they did this they destroyed part of their own past and assets to humanity.

Exit the Capitoline Museum to the left and head down the stairs. When you get to the bottom turn to your right and head right back up those stairs again. This is the Santa Maria Aracoeli. This is the church that stands in the spot where according to medieval tradition; Tiburtine Sibyl appeared to Augustus to announce the coming of Christ. Enter and look at the ancient 8th century artwork. There is a tomb of a cardinal along the west wall, beautiful fresco in the south isle, and the beautiful high alter with marble ambones from the early church.

Exit down the stairs and turn left away from the beautiful white building, the Vittorio Emmaunele. Follow the Via del Teatro di Marcello pas the Theatre of Marcellus crossing the street by the Santa Nicola in Carcere and making a right onto the Olitorio Jugario. Turn right onto the next road Lung. Dei Cenci. Follow this road as it curves around to the back of a white building with different architecture just after you pass the Piazza Monte Savello. You’ll notice Italian Police blocking off any entrance. This is the Synagogue inside the Jewish Ghetto. It is an important trip in our journey around Roman religion. Inside the Jewish Ghetto the culture is different. There are fewer cars, almost every shop is selling kosher food, and most men are wearing kippahs. When school lets out at one you can see children in a white and blue school uniform throughout the streets. The culture here is amazing. The guarded Synagogue is beautiful but contrasting from the rest of Roman architecture. The ghetto tells the story of past racism and religious discrimination that the world must never forget. The police outside the Synagogue however, tell the story of a modern problem with anti-Semites. The food here is amazing, I highly recommend stopping for a bite to eat and taking in this culture within Rome.

However will now continue to follow past the Synagogue along the Lung. Dei Cenci a road that follows the river Tiber. This walk will be a long one we’ll pass many beautiful bridges along the way. You’ll pass the Ponte G. Mazzini, Ponte Pr. Amadeo Savoia Aosta, and Ponte Emmaunele II. The bridge you’ll want to cross at is Ponte S Angelo, facing the beautiful Mausoleum of Hadrian. As soon as you turn to the left, you’ll see St. Peter’s square and the incredible Cathedral. This is the Vatican, a major part of modern Rome is to be the religious capitol of the Catholic, and in many ways the entire Christian world. This is where St. Peter is buried. These buildings were designed to honor him and to honor God. Two miles away, at a downhill slope hidden where you cannot see it, there is the largest mosque in Europe. The Vatican allowed it to be created although many people felt that it shouldn’t be. How can the largest mosque in Europe be in the capitol of the Christian world? What does allowing this mean? What should we do with the past? Artifacts from an era are missing because one religion decided to try and erase parts of another, but then again would Christianity have been as successful if Rome had continued to allow the pagan temples to remain? What can we actually learn?

St. Peter's Basilica

One thing that struck me rather strongly about the Vatican is how well it blends in with Rome. I don’t know how to explain it really, but in all the pictures I’ve seen of the Vatican I never really associated it with Italy. I was always taught that it was an independent country inside Rome, and thus I thought of it as such. However, the buildings are built in such a Roman style that it becomes barely separable from the rest of Rome. The dome shaped structure of St. Peter’s Basilica, the beautiful columns; I felt that the entire style reminded me of the Pantheon or many of the other churches we’ve seen. Of course, the size is incomparable, and as is the enormous amount of work that went into the church.
An international flare crops up everywhere as the church floor compares the size of the church to many other humungous churches found worldwide. Also, almost every sign was also in English, which is the language many other people would know. Although Italian is one of the official languages of the Vatican (Latin being the other), I must admit I was surprised more were not used, especially Spanish. There is definitely an effort within the entire Vatican including the Basilica to make all Catholics feel welcome. I did not feel so obligated to speak Italian here, and I was amazed by the diversity around me. It seemed that you could tell everyone was from somewhere, and yet there was a religion in common. St. Peter’s Basilica is an incredible place to visit and I will never forget it.

Dying Guy- Midterm

One of my favorite works of art that we have seen so far is the statue of the Dying Gaul at the Capitoline Museum. It is one of those works of art that I find very intriguing. It is the sort of work I could stare at for a long time and still get more out of it the next time I see it. It was created to commemorate the Greek victory over the Gauls who invaded Asia Minor in 239 BC. It is a marble Roman copy. It is thought that the original was sculpted in Greek bronze. The statue is larger than life, and is meant to show the Gauls as worthwhile adversaries while displaying their defeat for all to see.

It is interesting to think about the time in which this statue was duplicated. The Romans purpose in creating replicas of Greek work is one that I do not fully understand. Regardless of your respect for the art of a given culture, and your desire to preserve its history, I cannot understand how you can feel ok about simply copying their artwork and basically passing it off as your own. However, it was so good that the Romans did this as artwork such as this might never have been preserved. However, this is the first thing that showed where Roman culture was at the time, they were searching for improvement. The Roman Republic valued learning from the past and this is why there were so many Roman copies of Greek artwork.

I suppose this work reflects more of the history of Greece at the time of its original creation, than the marble copy we all know reflects upon Rome. It shows how the Greeks valued being great warriors and wanted to make that statement known to all who were in their kingdom. The Greeks respected the opponents they defeated, even if they otherwise saw them as barbaric and unsophisticated. It is not clear to me from anything I’ve read, how a Gaul would have felt about seeing this statue. Even more so it is unclear how a Gaul would’ve felt about seeing this statue again in the Roman Empire. They realized that the greater they made the enemy they defeated look, the better they made themselves look. Economically, the time and effort put into this artwork shows an amount of leisure time from abundant resources that would be unheard of in many other parts of Europe at the time. As for the consumer, I really feel that this artwork as timeless. It tells a story of defeat so well that one cannot help but be awestruck by it. I have always loved this piece of artwork even when I simply read about it in a textbook. It was a privilege to get to see it.

The Mathematics of Music

I have to admit, I really felt I learned a lot in this math class. I really never knew so much mathematics went into determining preciously which note to strike. The connection between mathematics and music with things such as how many notes to go up for the next beat or in keeping rythme is something I have been aware of since I first started learning music but I never knew there was such a complex underbelly of musical debate.

Will this change the way I listen to music, in general? Of course not! Typically when I listen to music its to help me concentrate and go deep into thought about something else or to simply enjoy the lyrics and beat of a good sound. All throughout the concert last night I was using the piano player's beautiful songs to picture things far away, ancient and then to zone out and focus on some other things I've been thinking about, I would never want any of this interrupted by mathematics for the most part. This would defeat the purpose of listening to music for me. However, the next time I see or discuss written music with someone, yes, I think this knowledge will change my take on it very much.

Via Giulia

I really enjoyed seeing a completely straight street in the middle of Rome. The twists and turns of older European streets are confusing for Americans used to more predictability. I really like seeing how the Renaissance set up the original city planning, especially since I happen to have been forced to learn a little bit about the modern process as my dad works on our local planning commission. I guess, I have mostly thought his work was the most boring thing you could pick to do with your Wednesday evening. I never really considered that without it we would be scattered and twisty turny like the older cities of Europe.

The Via Guilia is a nice peak back into the time of the Renaissance but of course many things interfere with it's original idea of organization. The first is that it has been a problem since the beginning that the streets that connect to it are not so well planned out, so there kind of isn't too much of an actual point to the Via Guilia because nothing else around it is planned really. I mean things are simple when your on the road looking for a connecting street but as soon as you find said connecting street all bets are off. There were some obviously out of place modern buildings that were reconstructed to match. A part from that however, the road still achieves its intended effect I think, of providing insight into city planning and Renaissance design.

Leisure US VS Italy

The first thing that really struck me when we walked into the park and then to the zoo was that, compared with the rest of Rome there really wasn't a whole lot of people around. Some of this may have been because of the day, but I noticed more. Compared with everywhere else, there really weren't a whole lot of vendors around, and the zoo only had like one or two cafes. At most zoos I've been to there were loads of places to buy really expensive, fatty foods. You could tell that for once, we were in an area for locals and not tourist. When Italians go out or otherwise engage in leisure it seems to me they are very focused on their family. They want to get away from the hustle and bustle, and just have time to themselves.

In the US we some times consider leisure things like this. However, we usually spend a lot more time stressing and trying to get everywhere than really relaxing. It's true, it's my complaint about my fellow Americans, in general we are not happy unless we are accomplishing something. We have this thing called "wasting the day away," which I like to call relaxing and getting myself together. Don't get me wrong, day after day laziness would not be good. But really, we should spend more time with our families or just simply taking time out to evaluate where we are with everything in our lives. It really is a good thing to learn that you don't always have to be rushing.

"Ican do no more..."

It's this quote by St. Thomas Aquinas several months before his death that I find most interesting. For whatever your beliefs are about God or the afterlife, it does seem that some people just know when their work on this Earth is done. He was so in tune with his faith, with God that he knew when the end was coming. More importantly, he was so in tune with his faith that he knew when he was done. It really does make you feel like he was taking all his signs from God.

Of course there have been other people, not Saints, who seem to have known when their time was up. Remember when Charles Schultz passed away like exactly the same day he had created his last comic strip? Comparing Charles Schultz and St. Thomas Aquinas is sort of like comparing an apple with an orange however, I think it is interesting that some people seem to know when their life's work is complete. I'm sort of indecisive about fate or God's path for us on Earth, I really don't know if I believe in it or not, but it's things like this that make me think there is definitely something.

Beautiful Art from the Middle Ages

I must first say that I love this style of gold that I’m seeing in all the Italian churches, for me it almost eclipses stained glass; however, there is a part of me that feels the two techniques (as both were used for teaching the Bible to the illiterate) should not be compared. The mosaics were all very intriguing however I decided to focus on the apse mosaic of the Santa Maria in Trastevere church, as I found it’s portrayal of a “Glimpse of Heaven” very interesting. I could clearly identify the medieval technique of sizing things according to their importance as Jesus is much bigger than the Virgin Mary, and the Virgin is bigger St. Peter and all the other Saints surrounding them even though this would be very unrealistic for a woman. This is designed to portray Jesus, the Virgin and the Saints as they would be seen in Heaven. One cannot help but notice that their attire is that of Emperor and Empress. This was clearly meant to explain to people their place in Heaven by comparing them with figures that they knew.
This was all very interesting to me mainly because I’ve never thought of art in such a way. I think it’s interesting to start learning all the fine details that were put into it and then all of the sudden you start to find meaning everywhere you go. This is just like how I looked at the styling of the tops of the columns in the church and could automatically tell which ones were from a different era. It’s something I might not have notice before or might have thought was a strange design done mostly on purpose. I was disappointed to learn from a website http://web.comhem.se/~u13117202/smtrast.htm that the deep colors were added in the late Medieval and early Renaissance period, although the original outline was from much early. The coloring was brilliant and to be honest I can’t believe its still so brilliant even if it has only been around as long as the Renaissance.

The Piazza

Piazzas are important in Italy as they serve to provide a large pedestrian gathering place outside a building that is important to the community as a whole. In smaller villages, there is usually only one, and most communities in Europe it seems stil uses its town square as the house of it's mayor and as a general meeting place. It's very practical.

In the US we have more space and we lack the old buildings being already in place. As far as meeting places go, we have a tendancy to enjoy meeting indoors. However, we still use the idea of a piazza quite frequently. The biggest piazza in the US I think is the Mall in Washington DC. From the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol Building the Mall serves as a gather place for all Americans. Mostly, it is the sight of the Inauguration of the President, but it also serves as a gather place for all who wish to see these monuments that are so important to American history.

Also, I think that the area of the Ohio State House acts as a piazza where many protests are held when Ohioians have issues with the government. It also gives plenty of room for outdoor gatherings which happen frequently.

Some cities may also have this sort of set up, where an area is boxed off and used as a central meeting point. I think it's not exactly the same in the US but it definitely appears to be an idea brought over from Europe.

Too many petals : )

I have to be honest and say this was one project I definitely did not feel too confident about. I'm not a very good botanist or actually I don't do too well with visual things in general. I get confused when it comes to identifying plants and counting. I can't explain why. I have good vision, I don't even need glasses, but I think that's mostly because I don't use my eyes. So I get confused when I count things and I think my answers might not be so accurate, most of them are not fibbonaci.

I counted 34 for the sunflower, but got only 24 for the white daisy which seems off. The gardenia had 34 also which is also a fibbonacci number but I think I might have doubled counted. The yellow tiget lily either had 6 petals or 3. I'm really not sure which because I think I remember Dr. Clevinger very specifically pointing out that 3 of these were actually sepals. I finally confused myself beyond belief with the standard mum and eventually decided it must've had 144 petals. All in all it was very nice to get to see all the different flowers and to have them at our dinner table although I'll admit I wish I was a little bit better at figuring all this stuff out.

Yes, I actually have more to say about religion.

The thing I found the most interesting about Imperial Art vs Republican Art was that during the Imperial era they began add different statues and imprints of the gods on Imperial buildings instead of simply having gods as statues simply to give respect to the different gods. At first, I thought that this was a bit presumptuous. The Emperor is saying that he is a god too. You would think that he would be struck by lightening. Then, I happened to notice an American dollar that was still in my purse, and I remembered the "In God We Trust," and that's when I started to think that my impression was not correct. This could be simply just to say that the gods approve of or have chosen this man to be emperor. I think that the American government has decided to keep this on it's dollar bills, perhaps for a similar reason, to say that the United States is trusts God. This gives people reassurance that the government is going to follow God (or at least maybe it used to give people reassurance).

This is when I began to think about how even though it did seem that Rome had regressed when they lost their republic but in some ways the art was still based off the other. Like for example if the Roman Republic had never copied so many statues of the Greek originals of the gods, I doubt the gods would've looked like they did and maybe would have never been created and therefore not had the same meaning for people. Then, I think about how it's almost like the United States uses this idea from Imperial Rome of using the gods or in this case God, to show that a government is justified in its actions, its power.

Something to love, something to hope for and something to do.

Friday morning, I awoke to a strange feeling as I realized that I was in the same bed, in the exact same bedroom that I had for two weeks when I was 16. It was in total just two and a half weeks that I was in France, but I believe that, that trip and the events leading up to did so much to make me the person I am today. Montpellier, St. Croix, and France as a whole are places that are very important to me. This weekend I realize I was in a place that was very important to me because it's my past, it's a part of my story.

For me, it is similar to how being in ancient churches or knowing I'm in a church that is a part of the Vatican makes me feel. My parents both grew up going to Catholic schools. They grew up in the Catholic church and even though they are no longer practicing Catholics, Catholism is still very much a part of their story and even more so the story of my grandparents. I was named after my grandmother on my father's side. I never met her, this woman who obviously had a huge impact on my dad's life. And, from all I know of her, I know that her granddaughter being in Rome, amongst all this history of the world and of Christianity especially would make her so happy.


I've heard it said that the great essentials of life are, something to love, something to hope for, and something to do. I believe that if one takes any religion at its best, it is these things that it tries to give people. Some people may believe in love at first sight, but really, real love, I think, is all about trust, all about the things that people share. It takes time, to have something or someone that you really love. I believe that one cannot truly have faith in something that one does not love. Since love takes time, there is something about this history of two thousand years, that makes the Catholic Church so precious. Yet at the same time, of course, no faith would be complete if it did not come with a hope for the future. That is what faith is for. It's why they say there are no athiests in a foxhole. It's because faith is supposed to give that hope, that one thing that helps someone through even the most desperate of times. Losing all hope I think, is in many ways the worst possible thing that can happen to someone.

Religion and more importantly faith's purpose is to provide those things that we are need that to me, only appear to be outside the basics of physical survival, love, hope, something to do (practicing the faith) with this love and hope. That, is why religion is firmly rooted in the past and also gives hope for the future. I guess the biggest difficulty I have with this assignment , is that I feel that it implies that there is somehow a contradiction if something is firmly rooted in the past and hopes for the future. If there is a contradiction I fail to see it. This is how I try to live my life, I have a strong base in what I've gained from my past, but I also have strong hope for the future.

Leonardo Da Vinci

I have a fascination with Leonardo Da Vinci's first attempts at human flight, with the bird wings he designed that attached to human arms. When I was little I did not understand why I could not make my arms into bird wings and it amazes me that someone as brillant as Da Vinci would've created something like that out of a child's fantasy. Of course, it's simply not possible for a human to be aerodynamic like a bird. Our bodies are not capable of flight, they weigh too much, we can't hold them in an aerodynamic position. I spent a good portion of the plane ride back from Venice trying to work out all the reasons humans can't fly and birds and planes can. The amount of slight adjustments needed to keep an airplane from spinning out of control are incredible. I watched as the wings were expanded slightly and then brought back in. A human could never do it, and it's amazing that birds can do it so easily, so naturally.

I really like the Da Vinci museum exhibit. It's amazing that one man thought of so indepth about so many different things. His inventions were brillant and things such as bird wings set the Wright Brothers on the right track. Without Da Vinci they probably would've simply died jumping off of buildings.

Significant Piece of Artwork

Ok, so I think it may have had something to do with the cut on the bottom of my foot but I felt a simpatico with the boy picking a thorn out of his foot, so I knew I had to chose him. He is not an original, he is a Roman copy The boy is just looking down and concentrating, holding his foot and plucking with confidence. The boy's eyes are missing but if they would've been there I don't think we would have seen any emotion in them. Some young kids would've had expressions of pain on their faces, or worry that they may not be able to remove the thorn. However, this is a stoic sculpture and the boy is learning virtue.

I love artwork like this, the kind that just capture's simple moments. Idid not know that there was much Roman artwork like this. I always thought of Roman/Greek art as revolving only around battles and gods and goddesses, things I've always thought of as being more significant than daily life events. This sculpture in a way changed my perception of Roman/Greek art. Although, I know that this boy later became a famous warrior, it still seems interesting that they would show such a simple life event.

How Rome has changed my perception of history?

This is a difficult topic for me because truthfully my perception on history has not been changed. I know that sounds sad and that being around all this history has not changed me.

I compare history to what we see on the news. If you've ever been personally involved even distantly on any event that is reported on the news, you've probably noticed that the details are slightly inaccurate. Maybe your local paper said you were a senior instead of a sophomore to report that you scored the game winning soccer goal. Even though many people will find out you're a sophomore when you don't graduate, there will still be many people who will continue to believe the false information. If your involved in something with more complex issues, such as the budget for the State of Ohio, you'll find out just how much the issues are narrowed down simply because an article on how all the services in the State would be affect would be so complex the newspaper would probably weigh 10 pounds.

People don't have their facts straight on issues that are happening today, just think about history, how much we speculate. We even seem to like to make wild guesses when we have no way of finding out if were right (like the drawing of how the ruins maybe, kind of, looked like back in Rome's hayday). I look at history just like I look at the news, with a grain of skeptism and the realization that a trail of money, personal relationships, and other factors may remain permantely hidden. They say that we need to learn history or else we are doomed to repeat it. I agree that you need to understand history to understand why society is the way it is, but I think we may be doomed to repeat it anyway.

I appreciate the opportunity to see these amazing structures and to learn more about a time in history I am less aware than the American Revolution. However, I think it is unlikely that my general opinion on history will change. I may just know more of it than before.

Ancient Structures

One interesting discussion I’ve had with French kids is what its like to grow up taking field trips to ancient ruins whereas Americans normally grow up going to see monuments that are only 200 years old. I guess it was strange to think that I had never seen anything that old before, whereas for Europe it was so normal. It seems strange to think that I am walking where gladiators walked. It also amazing to think someone could build something that would last that long. It also seems very lucky too that nothing has happened to destroy them.
I really don’t know how I feel about it. In some ways it seems incredible. However at the same time I realize that the same dirt and ground has been here since the dawn of time. Nothing on Earth ever really leaves unless we send it into outer space. From that stand point, it seems like law of averages says there will be something still standing for great stone and brick civilizations.

What I Hope to Gain From the Rome Experience

I first hope that I will know a good amount of Italian by the time I return to the States. I love languages and I want to be able to communicate in as many as possible. Besides, I'm learning that knowing nothing at all can be very frustrating.
I also hope that I will gain a better knowledge of my Catholic heritage. I'm not a practicing Catholic but I would like to better understand the culture and religion that connects both sides of my family.
I also hope that I will gain an understanding of Italian culture and lifestyle, it's something I know very little about.
I am not quite sure how this trip will change me. I know it will, everything always does. It's just never in exactly the way you think it will.