Ciao a tutti! My name is Maria Ding, a fellow third year Architecture student at Cornell University and I have been given the opportunity to blog my adventures in Rome for this semester. Unfortunately this is as far as my Italian goes, but thanks to everyone else here I’m slowly picking up the language.
Now where do I even start? Our first week here in Rome has been packed. From the moment I got off the plane after three transfer flights all the way from New Zealand, I craved the taste of Italian food. And wow was it worth it. I had the pleasure of discovering Giolitti on my first day here and I have never stopped going there since. For all future tourists, gelato is indeed the way to go.
Out of all the mini field trips we’ve had so far this week, from our site visit to the Tiber River to a trip to Campo dei Fiori for photography class, the highlight of the week for me has been Orientation Day. Keeping up with Professor Jeffrey Blanchard is no joke. He explained centuries of Rome history in 9 hours, leaving us merely in awe. We began our town at the Palazzo Santacroce, making our way to the Roman forum, the Colosseum, the Ardeatine Monument etc. and eventually the Spanish steps. Although these places seem so far away from one another on the map, surprisingly enough many monuments in Rome are of walkway distance.
By the end of the day, we were all pretty emotionally and physically drained. What stunned me the most was the realization that each street and corner in Rome was historically significant. Even after feeling like I had just learned so much about Rome from the tour, the city however is just so grand that you could spend a lifetime exploring. The trip was a wake up call for me, which was why it was such a memorable experience.
In contrast to the quaintness of Ithaca, the wonders of Rome is a huge cultural shock. Rome is a city to not only discover centuries of art and architecture but also aspects of yourself.
All photos Credit Maddie Eggers