Keep the Waters Flowing

I went to bed early last night after a long, fruitful day and woke up to carpe diem again.

It was raining, but I figured that was just another way to enhance the experience of living in Rome. So I grabbed an umbrella and took a walk.

It's a Monday. I was shocked to find my street relatively busy; think downtown Manhattan during office hours. I walked with only vague intentions but more importantly, I walked by myself. I want an unfiltered digestion of this city from my own senses.

Just like New York, just because it was lightly raining, the streets are swarmed with middle eastern men with umbrellas draped from their arms. The good part was, I didn't need any italian to tell them NO since they don't even speak italian, and I proudly waved mine so they would not even bother.

So I reached the river, dry, unbothered, and still without a plan and instinctively crossed the bridge. Like in Paris, and I guess even in Queens, all the REALLY good stuff is across the river.

I waltzed into Piazza Navona like I owned the place and could easily feel like I did. The rain had driven away the art vendors and street performers and left only the surrounding tented restaurants and umbrella men. It was even more beautiful that you could hear the water of the fountain rather than the hundreds of tourist voices and the vacancy around it let you get a full view of the monument.

So then, I had an epiphany: Trevi.

I ventured through the narrow streets and busy intersections where traffic laws don't exist for the second day in a row. The rain was subsiding and reduced into sporadic drops. I was able to put away my umbrella as all of the umbrella leaches crawled back into their holes and it dawned on me.

The Pantheon first!

This square was also relatively deserted. I was actually a little upset because there was a keychain I wanted from this one guy and he wasn't there (This is not just any keychain I can get in any shop... I'll let everyone know what it is when I get it.)

So I went into the Pantheon, just after the rain, able to catch a sight of the puddle collected in the middle of the floor.

It's just a puddle...

NO, BY THE THUNDER OF ZEUS, IT IS NOT.

This puddle is inside, by no mistake. It's not a leaky roof, it's not a lot of rain boots dragging in the mud. It is a very intentional puddle that can only be experienced by those lucky enough to be in Rome during the rain. What other place on earth makes rain part of the spectacle?

ONLY HERE.

So I left the Pantheon and all of it's saturated wonder and headed towards the big guy.

How the streets are so much easier to navigate than Paris is quite a mystery. I'll just attribute it to it being in my blood.

I entered Piazza di Trevi to sunlight and a small crowd. I would finally get my real experience with it. Like the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, I could hear the loud crashing water, symbolized by the wild horse of the left side of fountain, but this experience was calm like right horse. The air was a perfect temperature and the sun was hitting it just right.

Another moment where I could have cried of happiness.

All the pictures in the world could never do justice to how it feels to stand in front of this fountain. This was my second trip already and I know it won't be my last. It was a perfect way to begin my day and the week.

I'm giving myself so many history and self lessons that I have no idea why I have to go to class for the whole afternoon.

Roma: A History

I didn't mean to skimp out on my first Roman post. It has certainly been a very eventful first few days. With eventfulness comes exhaustion. But I'm here on the day of the Sabbath to try to prove a little more insight into what is going on and why this place is a historical as well as contemporary Utopia.

I took a little midnight stroll the first night. I was too tired to write, but WHEN IN ROME.

I'm definitely going to be using that expression in a lot of instances during this next chapter of blogging in order to dry my humor out a little more... don't be surprised.

Anyway! The historical tour was reminiscent of my Paris art class without access to any museum. The entirety of Rome is a museum. Even the lesser known parks and piazzas hold such an ancient history that America can't even count down to.

NOT THAT I AM KNOCKING AMERICA- I would never. I still love you, Lady Liberty.

But my God is Rome beautiful. I think I may have used the term Nirvana in an instance in my travels in France. This, with the dirt cheap delicacies of pizza and gelato and the beautiful architecture and people, is truly Nirvana.

Piazza Navona

I walked to a bar and came across the most beautiful fountain I could ever dream up. It is such a surreal experience.

So this fountain that I speak of is located in Piazza de Navona. Before I get into that, let's get really deep into it.

What is a Piazza, Tara?

Funny you should ask! The only Piazza I was exposed to my entire life was Mike, and was on the opposing side. But here, the Piazzas are on my side.

They are literally squares. Not in the geometric sense, but squares of shops and bars and restuarants, all self-contained. What I didn't realize was these piazzas were build in the shape of ovals because they are ontop of what used to be stadiums... you know, for chariot races and what not. Think Russel Crowe in Gladiator.

If you're a DeVincenzo, that's no problem since dad watches it every other day...

But now, the stadium is a vast field of merchants, street performers, and gelato.

Getting the sense of Nirvana yet?

The Nile's on the right and the Ganges to the left.

Let me tell you about the fountain: This fountain that really isn't talked about, having been trumped by the Trevi, is representative of the world. Romans liked to use men and nude women to represent any idea they can. It really does work.

In this sculpted fountain, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the four major rivers of the world are represented. The first is the Nile which, at the time, had no uncovered source. Therefore, the man representing the Nile's face is veiled.

Clever, eh?

Next to him is the Ganges River, representative of Asia. Between the two is a lion, the common animal of the two continents.

Our familiar Western Rivers and Italian Stallion.

Spin to the other side and we have the more familiar Western World. One man represents the Plate River of the Americas and the other represents Europe's Danube. Between these two rivers, is the horse which is common on both of our continents.

Pure brilliance, Bernini.

Leader in the period or Baroque art, his little materpieces are still talked about and studied. Our tour guide said there was some newly thought up legends concerning the Fountain of Four Rivers, but these are the forreal meanings.

In Italians I Always Trust.

Then to the Pantheon; not to be confused with the Parthenon. The Parthenon means something else that I don't remember because we weren't there. But the Pantheon, the Roman version, is a temple for the Gods.

Hadrian's Pantheon. Hadrian was basically
Rome's version of Louis XIV; don't correct me if I'm
wrong, I'm still learning.

The spectacular things about this building is that it was not only build under the reign of Emperor Hadrian, but he was actually the architect of it. Considered to be a poor man's profession, he enscribed on it the name of a famous architect Grippa as credentials. However, it was impossible for it to have been him; during his life span, the type of stone used to construct the temple was not in existence.

buuuuusted.

Another interesting thing about the Pantheon for all you math freaks, it was the first building built with a dome; in order to support the dome ceiling, it is 4 feet thick stone. The entire edifice is perfect in geometry. A perfect sphere could fit inside. The only means of ventilation in this gigantic sphere is the massive hole in the ceiling.

I sell out at churches, I call that getting dome.

What if it rains?

Wonderful question! The brilliant Hadrian considered this and made tiny holes in slightly slanted floor to serve as drainage.

... For a country this is almost completely Catholic today is is quite ironic that there would be such emphasis on various gods.

FUNNY YOU SHOULD MAKE THAT POINT!

Although Italy is its own country today, that only became so about 125 years ago. Before then, it was broken into several different country states.

The Vatican (which I have no yet explored but will be doing so very soon) is still it's own which the Pope is the leader of. Emperor, president, prime minister...all rolled in one very Holy Man. When something happens inside the walls, the Italian government has influence unless invited specifically by the Vatican. weird, huh? You thought the Pope just prayed all day. But he's the Pope so he runs the entire Catholic community of the world. His power is pretty serious.

My mind was completely saturated with new knowledge after that tour. So naturally, I brought it back down to an even keel with a bottle of Nero D'Avalo at dinner.

When in Rome...