Rome via Brooklyn

480 words, 3 minutes read time.

Today didn’t go as planned as we arrived at the American Academy and learned that the antique handler was not going to be able to make it. I’m grateful we still got to go inside the Academy despite the mishap, especially because “the foreign schools in Rome and Athens were established for the study of the ancient world: schools, academies, and institutes for classical archaeology, philology (Latin and Greek), art history, and in some cases the practicing arts.” Walking inside the academy, I noticed a lot of spolia on the walls which is attaching artifacts to the walls. This was apparently popular in medieval hospitals as well.

We put our stuff away and were taken inside the archives, which was a separated protected room in the library with a cool temperature of 63 degrees fahrenheit to keep the books happy. Paper and bindings start cracking if it’s too dry so there has to be a 50% humidity level. If it is any higher, mold will start to grow and infect the books. We also learned that sudden temperature changes is bad for the books so these books are not allowed outside the room.

We saw illuminated manuscripts which had beautiful designs. They were hand painted and written by monks in a scriptorium. I really liked how they also decorated the side of the book, and sometimes would make images when pressing the book together. I applied to the archival internship in the Brooklyn college library last semester. I’ve always wanted to work in a library and I am interested in archival material, specifically the possible philosophical texts I could stumble upon.

We also got to see Galileo’s original book where he notices the peculiarities of Jupiter’s moons and extends it to the earth.
After the academy we made our way to a pretty fountain and a great view. It was nice hanging out with everyone.

Once we got back home, we spotted a small flea market and did some browsing after eating our favorite gelato.

In the evening I was able to get a ticket to the music event Venere in Musica happening next to the colosseum. I really wanted to see a concert while I was here so I was excited that I was able to, though I didn’t know what to expect. It ended up being an older audience and the artist Syria performed. I payed attention to the equipment and mics they were using because my music technology class taught us to observe. I really enjoyed her performance and everyone looked so happy to see her. There were even moments in the songs where the audience sang along, and I participated after listening a few times. Unfortunately, after 3 songs it started to rain and they stopped the show.

Dakota came to meet me and we walked around, enjoying another evening next to colosseum.