George: week 2, November 3 to November 9

The Forum and Colosseum

Today I went to the Colosseum, which is a very popular tourist destination, but since tourist season ended in October, it was not packed. It was built in 80 AD. Inside there were a couple of cool statues and some paintings, but the coolest thing about the Colosseum was the floor. Underneath the main area (where the gladiators fought) there was a system of passageways, corridors and trap doors. That is where they kept the gladiators and the animals that they fought. The Colosseum is mostly concrete and brick covered in travertine. The travertine was stripped off and used for churches all over Rome in the 16th century. A lot of the higher levels were destroyed, but it is still awe-inspiring to look at. It was a great place to visit. On the way to the Colosseum, I visited the ancient Roman Forum. I saw the "golden mile stone" which is the origination of the saying "all roads lead to Rome." It used to have all of the cities in the Roman empire listed in gold lettering, with the distances along the roads that the Roman army built. This area used to be covered in mud until it was excavated. There are temples and the senate where Cicero spoke. The Vestal virgins temple is here too, where they kept the eternal fire of Rome going.

Impressions of the American Election from Italy

Italian vote for the U.S. President	"The World is Changing"

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In Rome, the Italians are almost in full support of Obama, and when he won, there was lots of partying, noise and Obama t-shirts worn by people. An article in the Italian newspaper talked about the election, and said that there were huge, bipartisan parties, like a 2,000 guest party at the Excelsior Hotel, and all over the city in anticipation of the electoral results. All night rallies over the election are common. The Democrats Abroad organization have even staged a victory parade this upcoming Saturday, and pizza chefs in Naples, Italy have created “Obama Pizzas.” The Italian government also stated that no matter who won, relations between the Italians and the Americans will remain “excellent.” I find it strange but very interesting that the Italians are so enthusiastic about Obama’s victory, because the election isn’t even for their own country. This gives me a great sense of world togetherness.

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In Rome, there are churches, chapels and giant ornate cathedrals at every turn. Since this is the center of the Catholic religion, they are mostly Christian churches and are designed with beautiful curves, golden designs and magnificent domes with paintings of bible scenes on them. It is amazing to see how many statues there are in these churches. Each one looks like a museum! The most magnificent of all of these churches and the biggest church in the world is St. Peter's Basilica. This is right next to where the Pope lives and is the highest point in Rome. Inside there is the statue of the pieta which is Mary holding the dying Jesus in her arms. There are beautiful paintings and the little chapels inside the church off to the side. The churches of Rome are the most magnificent churches that I've ever seen.

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Today I went to two places: Hadrian's villa and the Villa d'Este in Tivoli. Hadrian's villa was Emperor Hadrian's summer home. It looked like the ruins of a small town. Emperor Hadrian died in 132 AD. He was the first emperor to have a beard. There were beautiful mosaics, giants baths, and amazing sculpture of the gods. There is fantastic brickwork on 20 foot high, 3 foot thick walls. The Romans used glass and knew how to make concrete. Those skills were lost in the dark ages after Rome fell in AD 400, and it wasn't until the 19th century that concrete was "discovered" again. We next went to the Villa d'Este which is famous for its fountains. There was a water organ, a cool fountain boat and a bunch of fountains depicting the gods. Both places were interesting to visit.

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At the La Bocca della Verita, which is a famous tourist attraction, there was a long line. The legend has it that if you told a lie and you put your hand in the mouth, it will bite your hand off. It is actually a sewer cover from the Roman aqueduct.

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Tonight, I went to a mass in one of the huge churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere. The mass was not much different than mass in Seattle, besides the fact that it was in Italian, and the set up was mostly the same. A couple of differences were that people came and went in the middle of the mass,and people stood up and sat down whenever they wanted, not just during songs and stuff like that. One main difference was the Communion. When you are getting the Eucharist, the priest dips the host in wine, then he puts it into your mouth, and no other way!

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