Sorry for the shortage of posts lately. Contrary to what I expected, things have gotten more hectic rather than settling down. Probably has something to do with making food and visiting places on our own time now. Anyways, Thursday was a pretty relaxing day. At eight thirty we left with plans to go see Castel Sant’Angelo, a castle we walk by everyday going to class. However, it was drizzly, and when we reached the ticket booth they actually recommended we come back on a sunny day. Several parts of the castle were closed because of the rain I guess. So, we had two hours to kill before class. We decided to go towards the Pantheon, as we had heard that it was quite cool in the rain with the hole in the roof. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived the rain had stopped. But it still gave us another chance to look around inside. I still can’t get over how big it is. It’s hard to imagine that they could span such a wide area over 2000 years ago, and even more impressive that it’s still standing today. We also stopped at two churches in the area. The first, Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, was unfortunately closed, but we could still look at the outside. It was a little odd because along the street it looked like the other typical buildings on the streets, just with a mysterious dome and steeple coming out the middle. We found a way inside and there was a courtyard and then the church. I guess the other buildings were built around it later. The church is supposedly one of Borromini’s favorites, with a famed spiral dome. That is about the extent of what I know. Then, we went to a church called Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It is a unique church in Rome (which is hard to considering there are over 900!) because it is the only Gothic style church (at least according to my guide book, which remember has made mistakes before). Out front is a somewhat mysterious statue by Bernini of an elephant with an obelisk on its back. Inside, there are many more works by Bernini, mostly from his early life. My favorite was the black marble with gold pillar adornment. There was also a Michelangelo sculpture of Christ Carrying the Cross, which was amazing as usual. Something about the way he can sculpt marble to make it look like flowing cloth just doesn’t seem fair. What identifies this church as Gothic are the pointed arches along the nave rather than the rounded arches from the earlier Romanesque period. I hope I remember that correctly, Mrs. Hartford!

So after the churches we headed back to Accent for class. Writing was fun today – it was Professor Bucher’s last day, and we pretty much just tied up his end of the class. We got out after about a half an hour, but I had to hang around to have my conference about my presentation. This went well, and I actually got an A on my presentation, which was a bit of a surprise. I definitely didn’t object though! The rest of the break was spent studying for my ISE quiz later that day. In class, we went over the next chapter for the first hour and then took the quiz. I thought it was about ten times harder than the first one and was completely stumped on one problem. I thought I got everything else, but I could have made some mistakes. Oh well.

At five, I had my cooking class, which took place in a nearby café called the GustoLab. We made a four course meal – pasta alla siciliana, saltimboccha alla romana (fried chicken and prosciutto), pomodorino alla provenzale (tomatoes stuffed with breadcrumbs), and tiramisu. They were all delicious and we got a printout of the recipes for future use. I was able to get a few pictures, so check them out!

That night I believe was just spent relaxing. I watched some Lost, played some basketball and went to bed early. The next morning we woke up early to head to Assisi, a small town in the Umbrian region about three hours northeast. It is most notable for being the birthplace and home of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order of monks. The bus ride was long, but I was able to start my political reading of the summer – Barack Obama’s Audacity of Hope. I decided I should learn a little more about him since he may end up President. So far it has been good. When we got to Assisi we split into two groups and got a tour of the upper part of Assisi. It was built on a hill for protection during ancient times. On the upper level are two churches, the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi on one end and the Basilica of Santa Chiara on the other end. St. Francis lived a life similar to many other well-known religious figures (most notably Gautama Buddha). He was born into a wealthy family and lived a worldly life for most of his young life. Then while travelling he began to visit some churches. In one, before a famous cross he heard the voice of God telling him to fix the corrupt church. Supposedly the cross bowed to him at this time. St. Francis returned home and before his father tore his clothes and stripped naked as a sign of refusing the worldly comforts by which he had been living. He received permission from the Pope to preach poverty and then established the Franciscan order. He was also the first to receive the stigmata, which is the supernatural existence of the wounds of Christ on his body.