Author Archives: alp5255

Thoughts on Traveling

So as usual I am very behind on updating my blog. Thanks to this whole experience I realize how terrible am at blogging. This is probably due to the fact that I every second I get to stay in Rome I just want to relax. You would not believe how stressful it is to travel. Yes I know people will probably laugh at this because I am so lucky to have this opportunity, and I do realize that. But planning trips is really stressful! Especially for me because I always like to make sure that I have all transportation figured out including how to get to and from the airport and how to walk to and find the hostel. I am a planner, and I can’t help it. I just like to know what’s going on.

Before updating on all the places I have been in the last two weeks I just wanted to comment on the trip as a whole. The Pantheon Institute that I am studying with planned a trip for the week before Thanksgiving that included Florence, Verona, and Venice. The second week I planned a trip with four friends to travel to London, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Needless to say it was a hectic two weeks, but totally worth it. 
I see everyone posting their first entries in anticipation of coming abroad for the spring and it is so interesting to look back and think how much I have learned and gained from this semester. I’m now a seasoned traveler, able to pack two weeks of clothes into a carry on sized suit case. If you had asked me to do that before coming here I would have called you crazy. I’ve tasted wine in Tuscany, eaten chocolate in Perugia, tried tea in London, and drank Guinness in Dublin. It is has been a semester of amazing and life changing experiences and I am so sad that it will be over in two weeks. 
In the mean time, I will be updating my blog with pictures from the rest of my travels and probably complaining about the studio work that I have put off all semester. That’s all for now, but more pictures to come later!

Location: Rome, Italy

Barcelona Part 2

Continuing our tour of Barcelona and Gaudi, we visited Guell Park. The Guell family was very wealthy and is famous for funding some of the most important projects of Gaudi’s career. Guell Park is a little far from center city but exhibits some of the most interesting masonry and mosaic work that Gaudi did. 

This is a picture showing his row of columns that is tilted out and still manages to stand structurally. The sculptures on the outside are doing nothing to hold up the path on top or the vaulted ceiling on the inside of the arches. 

Below is a picture of me sitting with the mosaic lizard at the entrance of the park. Luckily this was the only day that it did not rain so we were able to walk around and enjoy the park. You can tell how crowded that this place gets.

Gaudi is also famous for the work he does with iron. The most intricate is shown in the picture below: a large gate topped by a dragon. He is well known for being involved in all parts of the design and building processes and had a good relationship with masons, iron workers, and carpenters that allowed him to create pieces like this.

That night we traveled to the south of the town to see the Magic Fountain! I don’t know what it is about water, music, and lights but people just love it. It was a fun show to watch because the fountain is giant sized and has so many interesting effects.

Our final day there we visited the Palace Guell, which lucky for us, we could enter for free because we were there on the first Sunday of the month by chance! The entire palace, designed again by Gaudi, exhibits the most intricate ceilings and vaults I have ever seen in a home. The image below is just one of many rooms that had detailed wood ceilings.

The house was a place for concerts, religious worship, and parties and to encompass all of these programs the large central space is covered by a dome that exhibits Gaudi’s famous catanary arches (see below).

Being able to see all of this was totally worth sleeping in the airport that last night. I felt like I only got to see one eighth of what Barcelona has to offer. The city is so large and has so many interesting things to see and do that I hope to go back soon!


Location: Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona Part 1

So we planned a trip for a long weekend to Barcelona!! I’m going to split it up into two entries because I have a lot of pictures and different places to write about. We left Rome on a Thursday night and flew to Barcelona in less than 2 hours. That’s the craziest part of Europe, a different country here is like another state at home. 

Our hostel was in a really great location and easily accessible by train from the airport. Luckily 2 of my friends spoke a decent amount of Spanish and could talk to the lady at the desk of our hostel. 
The first night we decided to go to a restaurant that served tapas. That means that they have about 40 different appetizer sized dishes each for about 3-8 euro that you can order and pick from! It’s pretty great because it gives you the chance to try a bunch of different things!

Above you can see some kind of chicken kabob, croquettes (top right) which are basically like mozzarella sticks but with some kind of bread crumbs mixed in with the mozzarella, and tripe at the bottom. Yes, that is sheep’s stomach. Apparently Spain is famous for serving all of these weird types and combinations of food. And yes, I did try it and I probably never will again. The taste was fine but the texture was far from my favorite.
One dish that you will find all over in Barcelona is paella (pronounced pie-ay-a). Its basically like Italian risotto but baked and usually has seafood in it. 

On our way home we got to see our first Gaudi building (see picture below)!! The whole facade looks like it is made of different bones but also has a beautiful mosaic covering the front. Antoni Gaudi is famous for his architecture in Barcelona because of his innovative and unique style. His buildings are some of the most beautiful and well-designed I have ever seen (more on that later).

The next day we went to Sagrada Famiglia, Gaudi’s cathedral, and just about the most amazing building I have ever seen. The picture below shows a detail of the side of the facade describing the nativity. The other side shows the passion in a complete different type of language. It is apparent in Gaudi’s architecture that he took precedent from a variety of forms in nature. This includes all kinds of animals as well as natural phenomenon like the structure of a honeycomb.

The interior of the cathedral is even more intricate and amazing than the exterior. Gaudi is famous for using geometric forms like the parabolic arch and conical sections to generate the form of his buildings. The ceiling is a repeating pattern constructed using a design process that studied the functionality of mathematics. 

His architecture is the main reason that I wanted to visit Barcelona, but the town itself is so full of life and seems to be much more excited than Rome. When you are in Rome you can tell that it is ancient and things move slowly because of that. Barcelona has evolved over time and keeps up with current design trends, making it more lively and exciting in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, Rome is my first love but Barcelona is a close second. 

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Siena and Tuscan Wine

Siena is close enough to Rome that I was able to go on a day trip to see the town. I’ve been wanting to learn more about Tuscan wine and to try some so while I was there I also planned to take a class with the Tuscan Wine School. The train ride is only about 3 hours from Rome and once I arrived I took a bus from the train station to the center of the city. In reality I could have walked because Siena is small enough to walk across in about 20 minutes. 

The center square, Il Campo, is well known as a busy piazza and a place to relax. It is divided into 9 brick sections because Siena used to be ruled by 9 leaders at one point in time.  This is also well known for the center of the horse races that Siena holds in July and August.

After exploring for about an hour, I went to my class at the Tuscan Wine School. The class was called a gastronomy which basically in Italy is a lunch buffet. We started by tasting 3 different olive oils, one of which had just been pressed the day before! Rebecca, our teacher, gave us 4 different meats and 4 different cheeses along with one white and two red wines.

My favorite cheese (the second from the left in the picture above) is called “toad’s skin” because of the texture of the outer skin on the cheese. Apparently it was a mistake because they were trying to make a cheese like parmigiano and it ended up coming out much softer. They decided to try it and boom! the best cheese ever made. Seriously. I have never tasted a better cheese.
Of the four meats one in particular was specific to Siena because it comes from pigs that are only raised in the area. (Shown on the left on the top of the plate) These special pigs have happy lives because they are not kept in captivity but are allowed to roam and find their own food. It is like a softer salami with little peppercorns in it for flavor. Also very good!

Rebecca explained all of the different designation of Italian wine. 70% of wine made is vino di tavolo which sounds nice but is actually the worst for you. The second classification is an IGT which is made with specific grapes but gives you a little freedom with the recipe. We had the chance to try a red wine of this kind. DOC and DOCG are designations used for the most regulated types of wine. Apparently to be a Chianti Classico (a DOCG which Tuscany is famous for) it must use a specific kind of grape and be made using a specific recipe. This is the bottle on the left in the center with the white cap. Best drank while you are eating because  it clears your palette.
The fourth and final wine I tried was a dessert wine which I have never had before! It smelled like it had a very strong alcohol content but it did not taste like it. It was very sweet and we had traditional cookies from Siena to eat while drinking it.
Both the class and the city itself made for one of my best days abroad! It was so informative and enjoyable at the same time! I hope some day to come back to experience the horse races in the summer time!

Location: Siena, Italy

Roman and Greek Ruins

So for one of the school organized field trips we visited the ruins of Pompeii and Paestum. Pompeii is well known because is was covered by the ash from the volcano Mount Vesuvius. Because of this, the city is very well preserved including some of its people. It has a variety of buildings including the Roman domus (house), amphitheaters, shops, temples, and garden spaces.

One of the famous houses is called the house of the fawn because of the tiny statue found in its center courtyard. The plan is based on the concept that you are re-centered as you walk through the house, always returning to the center axis. Honestly you really can’t tell this in person I only know about it because I have studied the building in class, but it was really interesting to finally see this building in person after having learned about it in multiple architectural history classes. 

The entire city takes about 30 minutes to walk across if you’re going quickly. Kyle and I decided at the last minute that we wanted to see both the House of Mysteries (famous for its frecos, see picture) and the amphitheater when we only had about 30 minutes left so we had to run all the way across Pompeii to see both. 
The amphitheater is interesting because it was constructed using a cut and fill process. This means that the land that was excavated for the theater part was flipped and used for the stands.
That night we ate dinner in a restaurant that is famous because the owner makes sure that all of his ingredients are truly organic and grown without preservatives. All of the food was really delicious and you can honestly tell a difference between Italian food and American because of the fact that it is more natural.
The next day we visited Paestum which is famous because of its 3 Greek temples. These temples are the only ones in the world that have never been destroyed by an earthquake.

Paestum is also well known for its obsession with water. In the center of the city they had a large swimming pool which was used for both leisure and special ceremonies. Apparently newly weds would swim underneath the pillars shown at the left of the picture and meet in the middle? This is all information coming from my professor who gave us a tour.
They are also well known as divers because of a fresco found on an old coffin (shown in the picture below).
The region is well known for its production of buffala mozzarella, which comes from specific cows. The cows have to be milked everyday to produce the mozzarella or else they will stop producing milk. It was the most delicious and flavorful tasting mozzarella I have ever had! Overall a really culturally interesting weekend!

Location: Pompeii, Italy

Perugia and the Chocolate Festival!

I’m not sure how I managed again to get so completely behind, but luckily I have a free weekend to update on all my travels in the past month, also in an effort to distract me from what has been going on at home.

So Perugia, already famous for its chocolate, hosts the largest chocolate festival in Europe!! So naturally I had to go and see what it was all about. For a little over a week (October 13-23) they hold a festival setting up booths with everything flavor and type of chocolate that you can imagine: chocolate truffles, chocolate fudge, chocolate covered fruits, chocolate liqueur, chocolate pudding, hot chocolate, etc. etc.

The title of the festival is EuroChocolate and they offer a card you can buy for 6 euro that will allow you to get free stuff from a select few booths! That free card was all I needed to eat my fill of chocolate for the day! With it, I was able to get a chocolate picture frame (which I ate), something of a cross between pudding and liquid chocolate, some baby chocolate bars, and some chocolate liqueur! I also bought a chocolate covered banana and some “chocolate” pasta (which after making this later at home I realized I shouldn’t have paid for).
Overall it was delicious! And I definitely satisfied my sweet tooth. Not to mention that Perugia is a cute hill town that I had the chance to walk around and explore! It’s experiences like these that make living in Europe so much different from vacationing here. Every town that I have visited has so much character and interesting qualities that I have been storing away in my mind. 
As an architecture student, I love analyzing buildings and places to determine what makes them a successful destination point and why they have remained popular for hundreds of years. Perugia is just so intimate because of its small slanting streets and stone buildings  but surprisingly you never feel enclosed or threatened by the fact that you are surrounded all the time. Even though I haven’t spent as much time in the classroom this semester I have been learning more than I ever thought possible by traveling.


Location: Perugia, Italy

Venezia

After visiting Verona we caught a very crowded train (because of multiple delays) to Venice. Luckily it was only an hour long. As I’m sure most people have heard, Venice is on the water. That means that all transportation is by boat, including taxis, the metro, and obviously gondolas. So to get to the hotel we had to take a water taxi due to the amount of luggage my family members brought with them, but it was definitely the best decision.

After getting settled in we took the water bus back to the island of San Marco for a guided tour. There is no way that I would have been able to find my way around otherwise. All of the streets in Venice (see picture below) are very narrow, surrounded by 3 story buildings, and are lined with restaurants and shops.

The tour guide took us down two different streets that were so narrow that only a single person could fit down them at one time and led us to this stair case:

It is called the “snail” stair case because it resembles the shape of its shell. At the end of the tour we had the chance to go on a gondola ride, which was easily the best part. It was one of the best views of Venice because you get to view the buildings from the water. Its unbelievable how the gondoliers steer the boats around sharp corners and down narrow streets.

Venice thrives on tourism. The majority of people in the city at all times are tourists. They are famous for Carnevale, the celebration prior to lent. Everyone dresses up wearing masks as a way to hide their identity to prevent segregation because of their social class. So naturally there are mask shops down every street. 

Venice is also famous for the smaller islands of Murano (glass making) and Burano (lace making). Our second day in Venice we had the chance to tour three small islands, these two and the island of Torcello. On the island of Murano, we had the chance to watch a glass maker create a vase using a blown glass technique and a glass horse (see picture). It was amazing. He took his tongs and pulled out the little nubs for the legs and face, swung it around a bit to get the length of the body, pulled out the back legs, cut the mane and tale, and somehow created a horse that stands up on its back legs. Crazy.

The second island, Burano, is famous for lace. We were able to go into a lace shop where an older woman was using a pattern to make hand made lace. The real draw of this town for me were the streets lined with a variety of colored buildings (see picture below). Each street you walk down looks different from the last because of the variety of colors. Very pretty.

Venice is one of the most interesting places I have ever been. It has so much character. I’m really happy that I will have the chance to go back in November with school. I definitely need more time to explore, but I think it is a city you have to live in to really understand. Grad school? Maybe…


Location: Venice, Italy

Verona con Mia Famiglia

This past weekend my mom, aunts, and cousin came to visit and do their grand tour of Italy. They traveled first to Rome then to Florence, Verona, and Venice. The plan was for me to catch the train to Verona for one night and then travel together to Venice for the weekend.

 I’ve always known that I had Italian roots, but up until now I didn’t know exactly where in Italy my family was from, how many people there were, or what they were like. Before I had come over for the semester and my mom had started to plan her visit she contacted some cousins of my grandpa who they hadn’t heard from for a few years. Turns out the majority live near Verona and they were more than happy to welcome us to their home for aperitivo.

It was really amazing (and a little overwhelming) to meet all these new people who were so extremely excited to meet us and welcome us into their home all because we were distantly related. I think it says something about Italian family values. The little bit of Italian that I knew was helpful but thankfully the younger members of my family knew English and could help translate when needed. After about two hours of trying to figure out everyones names and how exactly they fit into the family tree we had to leave. Unfortunately we were only there for one night so we had to say goodbye only hours after meeting but everyone made sure to let us know we were welcome to come back soon!
The next day we got a very quick tour of Verona from my grandpa’s cousin and her husband before we had to catch our train to Venice. After living in Rome I compare just about every Italian town to the one I know the best. Verona is much smaller but seemed to me like the Piazza Navona area of Rome with narrow roads lined with shops, hotels, and restaurants and small piazzas in between. No major traffic roads going through town. We got to see the famous house of Juliet, her balcony, and her statue (which you have to touch for good luck!)

Overall it was a really great experience that made me appreciate the fact that I am an Italian American. I would really love to spend more time there and have the chance to explore the city longer. I’m hoping that I will be able spend more time with them when I return to Verona in November! That’s all for now! Ciao ragazzi!

Location: Verona, Italy

Cinque Terre: The Five Lands

Living Rome is extremely convenient because public transportation makes it so easy to access just about anywhere and everywhere you could want to go. Most places in Italy are accessible by train in only 4 hours, the Cinque Terre being one of them. These five, small mountain towns are only accessible by train and don’t allow any cars or vespas which is unheard of in Rome. 

To get there we took a 4 hour train from Rome, arriving at 10 AM to La Spezia. From La Spezia there is a small regional train that connects all 5 of the towns. The goal was to go swimming and/or kayaking so we took the train to the fourth of the five, Vernazza. All the towns are so interesting because they are built into the hillside. They have become much more popular in recent years and now thrive on tourism but still remain somewhat remote.

Unfortunately we couldn’t find kayaks in Vernazza so we had to settle for a boat. What a shame. 

We had the boat for 2 hours and drove up and down the coast looking for interesting places to swim and the possibility of cliffs to jump off of. The water there is extremely clear and was still warm considering we went in the first week of October.
After boating we hiked between Vernazza and Corniglia. Mostly uphill with a lot of steps made of rock but totally worth it for the view. 

Because a rock slide blocked Corniglia to Manarolo we took a train between the two so that we could continue hiking to the final city, Riomaggiore, along the Via dell’Amore (Lovers Walk). 

Along there we found another place to swim and cliff jump.

Cinque Terre is famous for their seafood and their white wine so for dinner we made sure to try it all. It was the first time I have ever tried sardines but they didn’t look anything like you would expect and definitely weren’t from a can. I had swordfish (also a first) and also very delicious!

Overall the trip was the most picturesque and probably my favorite next to our visit to Sorrento. I could definitely see myself retiring there…


Location: Riomaggiore, Italy

Zaha’s Innsbruck

Sorry for the huge break in entries! Everything has been getting so busy! But I’m going to add a few entries here to update on the past few places I have made it to on the weekends. I haven’t spent one whole weekend in Roma since being here, or at least that what it has felt like between traveling and competitions!

After seeing Munich we visited Innsbruck, Austria. It was only about an hour away and since we drove to Oktoberfest (both a good and bad decision) it was an easy to get there from Germany. Innsbruck is famous because it has been the sight of the winter olympic games multiple times. As an architecture student I was most interested in seeing Zaha Hadid’s ski jump. She just so happens to be the most famous woman architect in the world right now and doesn’t have much built in the US. One of the greatest things about Europe in general is that they value design a lot more. I’m sure that doesn’t mean a lot to other people but it’s really interesting to see a subway that has been designed by Hadid compared to what we have to deal with in even bigger cities in America. If you want to see what I mean check out this link that shows images of the different stations in Innsbruck (I tried to take picture but I saw them at night): Hadids Subway Stations
The ski jump is located above the city and was visible from the drive to Germany. We got up early and made it up to the top of the mountain. Thanks to being a student we got in for a little less than regular admission. This is a picture of the view on the way up:

At the top of the jump there is also a cafe that lets you overlook Innsbruck. That is the part jutting out from the main concrete structure that looks like it isn’t being supported by anything in this picture:

This is the view from the top of the ski jump. I can’t imagine being the person about to go down this:

And finally a picture of me and Kyle with Innsbruck as the back drop:

It was worth it to stop and Innsbruck was a really nice city besides seeing the ski jump, small but with public piazza’s like Roma. Not to mention driving through the alps was really beautiful so hopefully we will be able to go back when there is snow!!


Location: Innsbruck, Austria