when in rome ...

shakespeare in italy ...

[03.12.99] During the summer of '98, I had the fortune to be able to travel to Italy to see heaps of ruins, piazzas (no, not pizzas), and beautiful views, and to make some wonderful friends. The trip was one of four study tours for High School students offered by the University of Dallas (UD), in Irving, Texas. UD owns a quaint and beautiful campus in Due Santi, about fifteen kilometers from the center of Rome. The study tour with which I participated, entitled Shakespeare In Italy, was for college credit, and included lectures, seminars, essays, and reading assignments. I encourage anyone who is a literature lover and would like to experience a new culture and make friends from across the United States to check out UD's website using the link I've provided below. I had a wonderful and memorable time on this trip, and will be forever grateful for the opportunity.

ｷ Study in Europe with the University of Dallas ｷ

...ｻｷｷ覧覧覧覧覧覧旅ｷｫ...

my trip in photos ...

Room Mates	My suitemates at the Dui Santi Campus. (From Left: Christina, Me, Catherine, and Haleema.)
Trio	Another snapshot of me with Stina and Catherine.

Rome: What can be said of this Eternal City? Italy, and especially Rome, is a fitting place in which to begin to appreciate and understand the breadth of experience contained in Shakespeare's plays, for Rome, known as Roma in Italian, has been home to the capitol of the ancient Roman Republic and Empire, to the center of the Roman Catholic Church, and to the ruins which served to spark and inspire the Renaissance.

Piazza Navona	The finest piazza of papal Rome and the preferred meeting place of Romans for centuries. At the center stands the Fontana dei Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) by Bernini. (Left to right: Stina, Orlando, Arner, John, and Aundrina. Front: Annemarie.)
Castel Sant' Angelo	(a.k.a. Mausoleum of Hadrian) Built as a memorial tomb for Hadrian and his dynasty, it was later used as a fort for the defense of Rome, then a fort from which to subject from, then a Papal stronghold and palace, and finally a popular tourist site. The Professors who accompanied us on our program are seen here in front of the Castel's entrance. (Left to right: Dr. Laurence Nee, Mr. Stephen Shumaker, Mr. Dustin Gish, and Mr. Joseph Stibora.)
Door	Orlando and Annemarie by the enormous door of Castel Sant' Angelo.
The Arch of Constantine	Erected in 315 AD, one of only three arches that still survive intact in Rome (Arch of Constantine, Arch of Septimus Severus, and Arch of Titus).
Piazza di Spanga	This view is from the top of the Spanish Steps, a gift from the Spanish Embassy in Rome. Many concerts and festivities have taken place on this landmark over the years. Nearby can be found some of the best shopping sites in the city.
Lavino Beach	I had to rewrite this several times before the surf permitted me enough time to take the picture before washing away my efforts!
Trevi Fountain	The Trevi Fountain, probably the most famous of Rome's numerous fountains. It is said that if you throw a coin into the fountain backwards over your right shoulder, then you will return to the eternal city.
Me at Trevi	This shot of me by the Trevi Fountain got double exposed somehow, but for some reason, I think it looks neat.

Assisi: Assisi is located in the region of Umbria, about two and a half hours drive to the north of Rome. Umbria is on the western slopes of the Apennine Mountains that run down the central spine of the Italian peninsula. This beautiful hill-side town and it's beautiful, teired streets was my favorite of the places we visited during our tour.

Rocca Maggiore	This view is from a tower of the ruins of this hilltop castle, a symbol of the conflict between the nobles and the people which dominated much of the history of Assisi since the time of the Emporer Frederick Barbarossa, who lived there in 1177.
Dusk	This view of Assisi's skyline near dusk was taken by Mary Haine, one of the student teachers who accompanied our tour.

Gubbio: Gubbio, like Assisi, is located in the region of Umbria, and is set upon the slopes of Monte Ingino. The complete revival and rebuilding of Gubbio took place in the 11th century, under the direction of Bishop Ubaldo Baldassini. Narrow streets and houses, the finest palazzi, and some important monuments are some characteristics of Gubbio.

The Gang	I didn't get many photos during our single afternoon in Gubbio, but this shot is a group of the students on the tour in a random piazza in Gubbio. (From Left to Right: Back: Me, Orlando, John. Front: Billy, Arner, Eric, Aundrina, Stina.)
Alleys & Flowerboxes	I am so pleased with this picture; it is probably my favorite photo from the trip. This is an unidentified Italian taking a break in an unknown alley in Gubbio that I photographed on a whim as we passed.

Venice: Upon arrival in Venice, or Venezia in Italian, one is immediately impressed by the unique character of Venetian architecture. The palazzi and public buildings, in particular, have always been conditioned by the extreme shortage of land and the consequent need to support buildings on an extensive network of piles driven into the shallow waters of the lagoon. Built upon this foundation, the secret to Venice's worldly success seems to lie hidden within her labyrinth of narrow, intricate, and (to all foreigners) confusing waterways, the greatest of which, the Grand Canal, is still the main artery of daily life.

Grand Canal	I took this shot from one of the public transportation boats as we floated along the Grand Canal.
Venician Morning	This is my favorite shot of Venice. These are some random Italians making their way down one of the city's many canals.
San Marco	A beautiful black and white shot of Piazza di San Marco after a rain storm. Taken by Mary Haine.
Sunset	Day's end along the Grand Canal.

Verona: In the 100 kilometres between the lagoon of Venice and Verona runs the Brenta Canal. Because this waterway yields quick access to terra firma, wealthy Venetians of the past abandoned the hustle and bustle of the lagoon to enjoy, for a few months each year, a rural life dedicated to the pleasures associated with a well-staffed, well-stocked cuntryside villa.

Giulietta's window	This is Giulietta's balcony taken from below in the Capulet garden. Yes, although other details of Shakespeare's famous play are disputed, Giulietta Capulet did indeed exist.
Giulietta's statue	Also in the Capulet garden is found this bronze statue of Giulietta. It is believed that rubbing the statue's right breast brings luck, which explains the obvious wear.
Verona Market	A corner of an open market in Verona where we enjoyed an afternoon of haggling for fresh fruits, baked goods, and souveniers.

Florence: Straddling the Arno river at its narrowest crossing point, Florence sits fortuitously along the main route to the pass through the Apennine Mountains. This Tuscan city, called Firenze in Italian, is best known as the "Birthplace of the Renaissance," from which emerged that rare moment of convergence in art, politics, philosophy, literature, and, at times, religion, which would shape the destiny of the modern world to come. Under the brilliant leadership of the Medici family, most notably Cosimo il Vecchio and his grandson Lorenzo il Magnifico, Florence aspired to trascend not only the virtue and power of ancient Rome, but also the magnificence of classical antiquity in general, including Athens herself at her artistic and philosophic peak in the 5th century B.C.

David

Michelangelo's famous sculpture of the hebrew boy who slew Goliath, displayed at the Galleria dell' Accademia. The sculpture is far taller than I ever imagined.

The Last Day

"When we have once known Rome, and left her where she lies,
like a long decaying corpse, retaining a trace of the noble shape it was,
but with accumulated dust and a fungous growth overspeading
all its more admirable features;

- left her in utter weariness, no doubt, of her narrow,
crooked, intricate streets, so uncomfortably paved
with little squares of lava that to tread over them
is a penitential pilgrimage, so indescribably ugly,
moreover, so cold, so alley-like, into which the sun never falls,
and where a chill wind forces its deadly breath
into our lungs;

- when we have left Rome in such mood as this,
we are astonished by the discovery, by-and-by,
that our heart-strings have mysteriously attached themselves
to the Eternal City,
and are drawing us thitherward again
as if it were more familiar, more intimately
our home,
than even the spot where we were born!

Nathaniel Hawthorne, from The Marble Faun