Saturday, September 25, 2010:
Monday and Tuesday we taught Brenda’s painting and mixed media classes. When we got back from the Galleria Doria Pamphilj art collection on Monday, Cheri found out that an official from the “permit of stay” department had stopped at the school to speak with her. He left an urgent message saying they needed to speak with her immediately! Pia called the office and a meeting was set for Tuesday morning.
I took Brenda’s mixed media class to sketch Michelangelo’s Moses at the Basilica of Peter in Chains. From there, we stopped to draw at the Forum where the group got pretty spread out since it is so big. I took the opportunity to take a few photos! One thing I think is kind of unique is that there are columns from the ruins laying on their side that people can sit on to rest. I guess I’m a little hesitant about sitting on something that old but my legs were tired from hiking up all those steps to see Moses, so I sat down. An older woman was sitting one column over said something to me (I thought in English) so I got up and sat down beside her. She was German and didn’t know any English, but for some reason I could understand most of what she was trying to tell me… at least I thought I did! She was with a tour group from Berlin, but she was resting because she had one foot that was swollen from all the walking. I tried explaining that I was with a group of students, but she just kept shaking her head no at the words student, pupils, education, and university. I was just about to give up when I said the word ‘scole’ which is Italian for school. She perked up with that and seemed to understand that I was with a group of students, but I found out that ‘schule’ is school in German and that’s probably what she thought I said. As I walked back through the back streets of the Ghetto to get back to the studio, an elderly woman with a map in her hand approached me asking directions (I’m guessing) in Polish. When she realized I didn’t speak Polish, she was a little embarrassed. I was just surprised she thought I was Polish! It must be the blond hair.
A card from Amanda reminded me that I have been living in Italy for one month now. It actually feels like a lot longer simply because I have seen so much and have been to so many places. This week was a whirlwind with teaching every day, plus having Primo and Deanie Angeli here to conduct the packaging workshop. Primo is a renowned graphic/packaging designer that has led a packaging workshop for the students for the last four years. The workshop started Tuesday evening with Primo giving a presentation of his work to the students. Wednesday morning the students gave their presentations to Primo on the food product/company they were going to redesign. Cheri and I went to lunch with Primo and Deanie at a restaurant Pia recommended that is on the north edge of the Jewish Ghetto, “Gino & Antonio’s.” The owner, Gino, recognized Primo from two years ago, asked Primo if we would like to start with appetizers, Primo said “of course” and the food never stopped coming. It was the most amazing meal that never ended. The food server kept bringing plate after plate, course after course... we never saw a menu. The owner came out several times to check on us. He'd pick up empty plates, and if there was a plate that was almost empty, he'd put the food on our plates before taking it away. I sat across from Primo, so my plate got extra food a lot. We were full, more than full, so Primo asked for coffee. Our food server looked shocked and said, "not before cheese!" in Italian of course. She didn't speak any English. She brought out four plates with eight different slices of cheese and two kinds of jam on them. Once that was gone, she asked if we wanted dessert. Primo put on a show (talking with his hands) telling her we were too full from all the food and had no more room. She was insistent we have dessert, so he said one dessert for the four of us to share. She came back with one plate that had one slice of a spice cake along with a good-sized portion of fruit... and a plate of cookies! There were four kinds of cookies, four cookies of each kind! We split the cake four ways and ate a little fruit and a few cookies. Primo asked for coffee again and our server said, shocked again, "not until the fruit is gone!" We were laughing, we knew the owner wanted to "show off" his best cooking to Primo and we didn't want to insult him, so we, or I should say, "I" finished the fruit so the three of them could have coffee! I told them I was taking one for the team, and they just laughed. But I have to say, the apples in this mixture of fruit were the best apples I had ever tasted. It must have been the combination of fruit and the way the juices mixed and soaked in, but they were delicious! When the server came for the coffee order, I was trying to get the point across to her that we only needed three coffees. I think Primo told her I didn't drink coffee, but when the coffee came, she brought one regular coffee, for Primo's wife Deanie, and three espressos! I just looked at mine, then looked at Cheri and told her, "I guess you get to drink two!" We were there for over two hours. Primo and Deanie went for a walk until they were to meet with the students again, and Cheri and I went back to the studio. It was an experience I'll never forget!
Good thing we had lunch with Primo and Deanie on Wednesday, because the Jewish Ghetto was closed on Thursday. This is the third Jewish holiday this month! This one is called Sukkot, where they celebrate God shielding them from dangers and discomforts as they traveled through the desert for fourty years. They build temporary huts, sukkots, to provide shade and they pray and eat in the sukkot.
Cheri and I tagged along on the mosaic tour with the art history class. They went to the Basilica Santa Prassede and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
At the Basilca Santa Prassede are beautiful mosaics on the floor and ceilings and walls. Santa Prassede also houses a segment of the alleged pillar upon which Jesus was flogged and tortured before his crucifixion in Jerusalem.
I'd been to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore before but I didn't realize that it is the largest church in Rome that is dedicated to Mary and that there is a chapel that houses the presumptive relics of the Nativity crib.
I didn’t think anything could top the lunch we had on Wednesday, but Thursday night, Pia had arranged for a dinner party for seven at a restaurant in the Campo di Fiori area. Everything was pre-arranged, so we didn’t have to look at menus. We started with appetizers (who knew there was Italian sushi) and by the time our first course, which is always pasta, arrived, we were all pretty full. Pia asked a server if it was too late to cancel the second course, but it was almost ready to eat. We had two kinds of meat. I had no idea by looking at them what we were eating. I figure I should just eat it first, and then ask. We had beef and lamb. I didn’t realize Italians ate so much lamb, but this was already the second time this week I’d eaten some. Everyone ordered dessert, and everyone sampled everyone’s dessert. Besides Pia (the director of the Rome Studio), Cheri, Primo, Deanie and myself, we had invited Ferro Trabalzi (art history) and Gary Tarkatov, a retired ISU art history professor who is in Italy doing research. It was a very enjoyable evening. We were at the restaurant for over 3 hours. The walk home was much needed.
Friday morning all of the students and myself had that last of our meetings for our permits of stay. It wasn’t the most convenient time, but you go when the Italian government says go. As soon as all of the students made it back to the studio, they gave their final presentations to Primo and Deanie. The Angeli’s are such gracious people and very down-to-earth. They have invited Cheri and I to come to their home for a weekend sometime before we leave.
It would have been nice to sleep in today, but I was up earlier than I usually get up to go to the studio! Ferro had made a contact that might make a great project for the graphic design students next year. We were on the 8 am train to Cassino, Italy where a friend of Ferro’s picked us up, and we drove another hour or so to San Potito, Italy; which is in the mountain province of Caserta. It rained most of the day. We were met by Franchesco Conte, a young (late 20s) man who loves his home town and is energetically attempting to put San Potito “on the map” along with twenty other small towns in a 40 mile area. San Potito has just less than 2000 citizens, the majority of which don’t want to see any change to their community, but the younger generation is concerned that these small towns will die out if nothing is done to prevent that from happening. The overwhelming majority of young adults leave the area to find work. Franschesco lives and works in Rome, but has a vested interest in helping his family keep their farm.
They have turned their home into a “bed & breakfast” or maybe a conference center would be a better description. Their dining room can hold close to 100 people at one time. They have a separate house next to the main house, which has guest rooms in it. I’m not too sure how many people can spend the night. San Potito has hosted art festivals to bring people to the community that might otherwise never travel there. The Conte family opened their arms and their home to us for the day. We had lunch in their huge dining room with eight members of their extended family. We had fried zucchini and fried zucchini blossoms and champagne for appetizers. Fried eggplant, green beans and roasted lamb, with red and white homemade wine were on the menu for the main meal with homemade pie for dessert. Grappa and coffee followed. Julianna explained that the entire extended family ate together as often as possible. It was an experience of what life in a real Italian family is all about.
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