When In Rome, Pt. 2: Then Tivoli

Here's Part 2 of our weekend in Rome. See Part 1 here. 

What would you do if you had an afternoon free in Rome?

The possibilities = endless. 

Of course, when you place a few college students together, the first destination is --- gelato. 

My art history professor/tour guide/knowledgeable German/Italian, named Angela, told us about the famous gelateria, Giolitti. 

Giolitti is the oldest ice cream parlor in Rome (quite a feat in itself), founded 1890. The same family still owns it and keeps their secret recipes hidden, refusing to sell out to larger dairy companies. It's far from those self-claimed hidden, "unknown" gelaterias, being packed with locals and tourists alike, but I tell you -- it's worth the wait. ;)

Being here in Italy, away from your normal routine, per say, has allowed me to recognize my priorities and what I truly enjoy. I've begun to accept that I'm drawn to nature, landscapes, and the outdoors, as well as art. Museums and historical landmarks do make an impact also, but usually it costs money and unless there's particular interest, I usually head straight for the beautiful views first. As a result, I realized that with my few remaining daylight hours in Rome, I wanted to really explore solo and visit the Villa Borghese gardens. 

Traveling tip: google maps is probably your most efficient public transportation resource. 

So off I went, equipped with my sense of freedom and adventure. I took the bus for the first time in Rome (their system is slightly a hot mess compared to Florence). With fairly few glitches -- witnesses watching me struggle with validating my bus ticket (until someone had pity and assisted me), squeezing onto a metro and being smushed by five random American students until I could barely breath and fall twenty stories without being injured, needing to use the bathroom very badly and for the first time in Italia, purchasing something to use the said bathroom -- I think I did pretty well. 

It's exactly what Solena mentioned before: that "rewarding feeling" of getting a stronger grip on the culture and navigating a different city/country. 

These were everywhere, throughout the gardens!

This is the beginning of my creeping adventures  portfolio of people photography. Simply Italians enjoying a typical Saturday afternoon.  

On our 4th day, I opted to go on the optional trip to the nearby town of Tivoli. It's known for it's villas, and we visited Hadrian's Villa (aka Villa Adriana), as well as Villa d'Este -- both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. 

When in Italy, a villa doesn't merely refer to a mansion -- Villa Adriana (pictured below) has over 30 buildings, including palaces, thermal baths, theaters, temples, libraries. . . This villa was a retreat for the Roman Emperor Hadrian, but when the Roman empire declined, it became neglected and ruined. 

The ruins are, unfortunately, rapidly deteriorating, but the architecture interestingly resembles Greek and Roman structures. Pictured below is the Maritime Theatre.

Our next stop, Villa d'Este, was equally impressive. This villa serves as a lasting example of the Italian Renaissance garden and architecture. 

This villa contains an impressive amount of fountains, grottoes, and music -- but it doesn't end there. As an early model for European gardens, an aqueduct also runs through underneath the city to harness waters from the Anio river (1560s). All the water supply that goes to the fountains, ornamental basins, and grottoes, reaches through by natural gravity, which is unbelievable engineering. 

Having a weekend dedicated to seeing and experiencing Rome helped put all the history I'm learning into a greater perspective. To begin recognizing names, accomplishments, and dates really causes you to appreciate where you are much more. It's like a sixth sense added to your being -- you're taking it all in through seeing, smelling, hearing, touching (sort of), and tasting (well, at least the food) -- but this is all reinforced and supported in your brain by your knowledge and understanding of what you're taking in. 

Also, I've recently been asked about posting more photos, so in response to that -- take a look at my "Connect" page at the top to see where I'll be posting my photos and paintings. 

For more photos of Rome and Tivoli, you can look at my Tumblr gallery.  This way I can preserve my writing space on this blog. :)

To sum up my current experience with blogging and social media -- "If things seem under control, you are just not fast enough." Study abroad changes you in more ways than you can think of. . .