Rome via Brooklyn

Today started off with us meeting at a fruit and vegetable market at 10 am which was conveniently right around the corner from our apartment. Our apartment also is somehow right above a nightclub that does not stop pumping the jam until half three. I really enjoyed starti ng our beautiful day at the fresh market. It truly felt like I was a man of the people living as a true everyday Roman. I purchased a box of strawberries for three euros which seems like a lot for a small box but it was a delicious and truly fresh experience. These tables sold a lot though selling fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and one vendor had milk. Il professore also reminded us that these markets have been a tradition since antiquity with a small resurgence under Il duce Benito Mussolini. This was the early morning activity of our day and it set a nice tone for the rest of the day. After this, my classmate Safa and I went to get some breakfast and conduct some light window shopping. The professor ran into an old colleague at a bar and we decided to eat there and fell in love. The cappucino was delicious and the cornetto we got was so soft. The whole meal was about 8 euros which was shocking since we would expect to pay that for a single coffee in New York. After class we all headed to the Villa Giulla. My roomate Ramon and I went on Lime scooters and ended up accidentally running into the Trevi fountain which we had not realized until we actually saw it. All we saw was a large crowd around and we were so confused as to what could have been so popular.

The Villa Giullia was the main attraction for the day in my eyes. I was excited to see the various artifacts held in this gorgeous recreation of an old Roman home. We saw these old artificats and learned about the various types of stone that was used during the ancient times such as tufa and travertine. We also see how the objects remained over time from thousands of years ago and realizing they had survived all this time put things into perspectives for me. Seeing how well preserved certain objects such as the sculptures or pottery was just shocking. What also shocked me a bit was how modern the surronding was. I mean I know it sounds silly that it felt modern since a modern city was what we were in but still seeing these ancient artifacts next to a Carrefour supermercado and other newer buildings just brought upon cognitive dissonance. You can leave the Villa Giullia and see something you would find in any other city. Writing this out I see how dumb it sounds but seeing the Ruins on my way to the Giullia really threw me off.

The symbol that I kept noticing was obviously the wolf. Now granted a lot of the time it was from A.S Roma fans but still I saw the symbol everywhere. Now obviously I had a small idea of the myth of origin for Rome and the professor did dive deeper into the story of Romulus and Reemus but still it was fascinating. Seeing the symbol everywhere almost reaffirmed that I was really in Rome and not in Midwood Brooklyn. I think it was so popular because of obviously the myth of founding Rome. This myth gives the Roman people a sense of pride as a rallying cry for a single point of origin. As I had scootered through Trastevere and then onto the historic center and then finally through a different neighborhood, I started noticing the same styles of architecture being a constant. These tall arches with columns, narrow and thin streets of cobblestone, and older styled buildings. I noticed this on my walk to the fruit market this morning, on my walk to lunch, and then finally on my ride through town on the scooter. The city feels like it has that something that makes the city ROME (it has to be in all caps because it is ROME the eternal city). It makes it feel as if the city is one no matter which street, neighborhood, or alley you walk down. The constant motif of mixing history with modern is what makes it feel truly one. The fact that no matter the street differences or similarities, no matter any of it you are in Rome. That is what I have come to appreciate about my time so far in the eternal city and city of seven hills, Rome.

I also really liked this quote “It is telling that a Tiber flood is integral to the city’s foundation story, and is presumed by its chief icon, the wolf and twins. The travertine embankments constructed in the late 1800s have solved the flooding but make it difficult to imagine the city’s formerly intimate connection to the river, which, like all Greek and Roman rivers, had, or was itself, a divinity.”. The reason this quote stood out to me is because of the location of my home. My apartment is right by the river Tiber and I have to cross it to see pretty much everything.

I also ended up taking this image because the octopus reminded me of SPECTRE from James Bond!

And here is an image of me being dressed like a regular Steve Irwin and truly channeling in my inner nature.