Bella Roma

Hello Everyone!

Semi-unrelated to this post, but probably appropriate for the topic of Italy: I learned the word swashbuckling today and it has such a fantastic definition that I simply had to share it here.

Ruins of a marketplace

Swashbuckle 

- verb - 

to engage in daring and romantic adventures 

with ostentatious bravado or flamboyance

See what I mean?!  After all, Casanova did plenty of swashbuckling in Italy.  However, while my own adventures were hardly comparable to Casanova's, we encountered plenty of ostentatious and fabulous people and sites.

Once again, we were greeted in Rome by the most exciting Italian taxi ride!  Believe me when I tell you that the rules of the road in Rome are anyone's guess.  We zipped between cars and buses, stopped in the middle of intersections, rounded corners at record speeds, and somehow made it to the hotel in one piece ... all while our cabbie sung to his Italian music very loudly.  Ben and I both agreed that this guy was the happiest person on earth.  I almost asked him what the music was that he had on in the car, but didn't - I really wish I did.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Rome

In any case, we arrived in Rome on Thursday afternoon, and our flight back home was on Sunday.  We had a lot of ground to cover not much time to do so.  But, before the sites, I wasn't going anywhere without a slice of Roman pizza first; we 100% ate our way through Italy.  Afterwards, we walked with no particular destination, but in the direction of history.  On the way, we passed people speaking many different languages, some tourists and some natives.  One woman, about 50ish, tugged on her husband's sleeve, pointed up at Ben with an open palm and exclaimed, "che bello!" All of this, ladies and gentlemen, over a hat!  All we could do was laugh because we had no idea just how much attention this hat was going to get.  "It's a great hat," said London Santa. "I could forgive anything in that hat."  For the purposes of this magical mystery tour around Europe, Ben's bowler was the equivalent of Flat Stanley.  (Don't know about Flat Stanley? Read about him here).

Rainbow over Rome

The hat and I continued on our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Not only was this place absolutely massive, but there was also an entire interior with a full museum.  For a small fee, we could have taken an elevator to the top for a great panorama of Rome, but what we saw from the highest "free" level was really spectacular!  We even spotted a fantastic rainbow (dare I say, double rainbow) against the dark gray clouds - what a treat that was!  And, once the rain stopped, pockets in the cloud layer opened up to allow soft rays of sun through to illuminate the wet surfaces of Rome.  It was spectacular in the truest meaning of the word ... quite the spectacle!  Just look at those clouds!

Rome after Rain

Of course, while wet stone reflects in the prettiest way, it is also the source of one of my biggest fears: slipping down stairs, of which there are many in Rome.  But, I emerged unscathed and determined to soak in (pardon the pun) as much as possible.

The Colosseum and the Arches of Titus and Constantine were our next stops.  The Colosseum is probably the most iconic site of Rome, and can be seen in the movie Gladiator with Russell Crowe ... perhaps you've heard of it?  I'm not sure how much historical accuracy was poured into that flick, but here are some reliable figures.  The Colosseum was built in just 10 years (can you believe that?!), between 70-80 CE, initiated by the Roman emperor Vespasian and completed by his son, Titus.  We walked around the whole outside perimeter and, let me tell you, it is absolutely massive!  AND, it's not even as big as it used to be when it was first built.  A common misnomer is that the amphitheater is circular; it's actually an ellipse (oblong).

Colosseum

Colosseum

But, wait, why does the name Titus sound so familiar?!  That may be because there is a very famous arch right beside the Colosseum named after him.  The Arch of Titus depicts the famous scene of the golden menorah, and other Temple artifacts, being carried out of Jerusalem by the Romans; to this day, Jews do not walk under the Arch (the only exception was on the day Israel declared her independence - Roman Jews gathered at the Arch of Titus and walked under it backwards!).  In fact, that is the last time that the menorah from the Temple was seen in recorded history and is now considered lost.  It's one of those objects, along with the holy grail and Mt. Sinai, that some people devote their entire lives to finding.  Ben, on the other hand, maintains that the menorah is not lost at all, but rather in the vaults of the Vatican, where it has been since the church's construction in the 4th century (more about that soon).  But, since only cardinals are allowed down there, it is unlikely that we will ever find out.


I'd say that my first day in Rome was a success.  Come back soon to read about my OUTRAGEOUS adventures in Rome's Jewish quarter and our trek through Vatican City!

Florence Undone

Hello Readers!

Christmas Eve

Lots of these

Florence was such a blast.  Half the fun was running around the winding alleys, trying on shoes and drooling over jewelry we could not afford, and eating a LOT of gelato.  One of the unexpected (though not retrospectively surprising) character traits of Florence was the abundance of artistic graffiti!  Between all the ostentatious Christmas decorations, I'm surprised we noticed it at all; after a while, it became a game.

Chalk art

The day of Christmas Eve was certainly interesting: everything was closing early, but because we were staying in the touristy part of town, there were still a lot of people out and about enjoying the strings of lights and the HUGE Christmas trees.

On Christmas Day, Ben and I ventured down to the Great Synagogue of Florence.

I don't think I told you about our Shabbat experience in Paris, so I will do it now and then tell you about the Great Synagogue of Florence.  The synagogue in Paris was really beautiful.  It had high vaulted ceilings with huge columns and incredible stained glass work.  The stone architecture was that of an old European church, but certainly didn't have the feel of a church.  The interesting thing about this particular synagogue was its "salute" to Napoleon Bonaparte.  During the service, one of the men on the bimah (raised floor from which the service is conducted) wears a Napoleonic-shaped hat.  This is because Napoleon gave permission and funds for Parisian Jews to build this beautiful space.  Normally adverse to any type of institution, Napoleon decided that the Jews were better as allies than as enemies -- the Jews never forget, he stated after witnessing the observance of Tisha B'Av (Jewish remembrance day of the destruction of both of the Temples in Jerusalem).  Today, the community is warm and quite an exciting bunch with which to mingle.  However, between French-accented Hebrew, and commentary in French, it was hard to keep pace with what was going on during the service.  Nevertheless, we had a good time.

Great Synagogue of Florence

Community art: vertical cycling!

That was a much different experience from the one we had in Florence.  While this shul had equally impressive architecture and beautiful internal designs, it really served little function other than being a museum and a shell of the past.  The small exhibit there told the history of the Jews in Florence: the area around the synagogue actually used to be a ghetto (a common occurrence in Italy, especially during WWII) and remains the center of what Jewish life is left in Florence (which isn't much).  It wasn't clear, but it seemed that the synagogue only holds services on the High Holidays.  It was Ben who commented that as beautiful as the building was, the fact that it is basically a historical artifact is exactly what Hitler intended.  Fortunately, not all communities are like this, but this is the reality for Florence.

Florence was such a great leg of the trip and I urge you all to go and to soak in all the art, culture, food, etc.!  A Rome post is coming your way soon!

Florentine Flavors of Tuscany

I'm baaaack!

Panorama of Florence

Hello, everybody, I apologize that it has taken me this long to tell you about the last leg of my European magical mystery tour, but my classes back in Boston are a touch more demanding than last semester.  But, never fear, spring break has arrived!

After an incredible week in Paris, we caught an early flight to Florence, Italy, where we stayed for four days.*  When planning the post-semester trip, Florence was on the top of my list because all I've ever heard about it - both from my parents and in school - is that it has great food, amazing architecture, rich culture, and it was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.  And, who can resist history like that?

Streets of Florence

And, speaking of rich culture, you'll love this!  As our taxi squeezed through the streets of Florence and turned onto the street of our hotel, the driver stopped to let an old lady pass in front of him.  Instead of continuing on her way, she squared her shoulders at the cab, picked up her long black cane, and shook it at us as if to say "how dare you drive on this street - this street that I have walked before there were cars in Florence!"

After settling in, we made for the streets and Florence was exactly what I expected.  The narrow streets were full of countless vendors selling Florence's world famous Italian leather products.  There were belts, bags, satchels, hats, gloves, jackets ... if it can be made from leather, it was there.  My mission was to find a leather jacket, and, boy, did I find one!  Ben and I must have stopped in at every vendor to compare styles and prices - Ben, after all, is an excellent haggler ... in fact, watching him work his charm is a bit like watching a sporting event!  Ultimately, the beautiful jacket I purchased turned out to be the first one I tried on.  Go figure.

Statues outside Medici home

Statues outside Medici home

Florence sits in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains, and the tallest buildings are the churches and the centers of government during the Renaissance.  Ever heard of the Medici family?  Ever read The Prince by Machiavelli?  For those of you who have not read (or don't remember reading) The Prince, here is a quick review: Machiavelli was a trusted advisor of the family (a very famous painting of him hangs in the Medici residence today) and his book is all about how a ruler should govern.  A ruler should seek to be loved if he can, but it is ultimately better to be feared / revered than loved.  The other famous piece of advice that Machiavelli provides is that the ends justify the means (with rare exceptions).  The Medicis were the "royalty" of Italy.  Their grand residence in Florence houses the family's living spaces, large halls for government proceedings, and quite a number of priceless pieces of art; the walls are covered with beautiful mosaics and frescoes.  The upper floors of the building have a few cells for high profile prisoners and is capped by an impressive watch tower.  Ben and I braved the 200+ steps to the top and captured some great pictures!

Palazzo Vecchio, Medici home

Duomo bell tower

Florence is also home to a large community of artists.  However, according to some of the locals, there aren't as many artists as there used to be.  Perhaps it has become too touristy.  Nevertheless, we saw some amazing pieces.  Of course, my favorites were statues from the Renaissance and the fantastic architecture of the Duomo church.  We didn't go inside the Duomo, but definitely circumnavigated it a few times.  Because of its size, it served as a useful landmark - it's very easy to lose your orientation in the twisting streets / alleys of Florence.  The Amo river was the other landmark.

Duomo Cathedral

Amo River

BUT, if you do lose your way, at least you won't starve!  In fact, I have it on good authority that no such word exists in Italian .... ;)

There are gelato and pizza joints everywhere!  If I was sick of croissants after a week in Paris, it was nothing in comparison to how I felt about carbs in general after a week in Italy.  Everything tasted so fresh and so delicious, it was hard to stop.

one of the many frescoes at Palazzo Vecchio

For those of you who do not know, one of my life missions is to locate the world's best dish of eggplant parmigiana.  It's been tough, and while the one at Maggiano's is pretty stellar, the best eggplant parm I've had so far was at this tiny place in Laguna Beach, California.  Don't ask me the name of the restaurant because I won't remember; my mind does not work that way.  But, if we were in Laguna Beach, I'd be able to take you to it.  In any case, Laguna Beach eggplant parm met its match at this awesome place in Florence called Zá-Zá. It  had such a home-y feel and everything they served was simply delicious!

Look out for one more Florence post, and then on to Rome ... to do like the Romans!


* We decided to stay in Florence over Christmas because our next stop, Rome, would have been a nightmare to negotiate during such an important Christian holiday.