On Thursday we went to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  We all learned a lot about Jewish culture than we had ever known before.  In the classroom, we often discussed the mechanics of Judaism and the religious rules they had to follow.  In the past, I have only learned about menorahs and dredeils, all having to do with Chanukhah, which isn’t even a major Jewish holiday!  Within the museum were all forms of art and relics.  One of my favorite things was the decorations used to adorn the Sefer Torah, the sacred text of Judaism in the form of a scroll.

There was a curtain which the folded scroll was covered, protecting it from light or dust.  On the top of the rollers of the Torah were huge palace-looking structures known as rimonim.  These had bells on them, calling people to when the Torah would be read, and between them, when the Torah is still tucked away, is a crown.  The rimonim and crown would often be made of bronze or sterling silver.  It’s amazing how much dedication is put into respecting a scroll; it really shows how sacred the Torah is for the Jews!

Next we were given a tour through two synagogues: the Spanish Synagogue and the Great Synagogue.  The Spanish Synagogue was small, but still had some rather interesting elements.  The Great Synagogue, on the other hand, was huge!  Since the Jews have been persecuted for such a long time (constructed in 1870 after Italy was unified and Jews were granted citizenship), this Synagogue was made to commemorate the struggles of the past and celebrate the good news of the present.  More commemorative items decorated the Synagogue later to remember the victims of the Holocaust.  The Great Synagogue is unlike any church within Rome, filled with Jewish symbols such as Hebrew text and menorahs.  The dome, unusual for a synagogue, was distinct for its square shape and rainbow patterns representing themes from the tale of Noah’s arc including renewal from difficult times.

Now we come to the most intriguing part of the tour.  In our tour group, there was a man who was a Reformed Jew, meaning he followed a more liberal form of Judaism and may have a parent who is not Jewish.  Our tour guide is Orthodox, meaning she holds a more fundamental view on Judaism and has a distinct Hebrew lineage.  When the Reformed gentleman asked “are Reformed Jews allowed to be official members of the synagogue?” the tour guide responded “No, we want to keep the religion alive” in a very condescending attitude.  I found it very neat that we were able to witness an interaction between two forms of the same religion, and how some Jews may feel about each other.

After this was dinner.  I ate a fried cow brain!  It tasted like the dark meat part of a chicken breast, but a lot richer.  Certainly something I would try again.  Later in the day I went to the markets set up by the Tiber, but there was nothing much I wished to buy.  I got a really cool picture of the scenery, though.

St. Peter’s Basilica is simply a masterpiece of the Renaissance world.  Walking up the 570 steps to the top of the dome is as if you were bringing yourself closer to God.  The entirety of Vatican square could be seen from the top, which accentuates the perfect symmetry difficult to visualize from standing at its base.  Also from the top we were able to see the building where the Pope lives.  Within the Basilica were many examples of the power of the church in the fifteenth century.  The church was so voluminous that the décor within not only added to the richness of the place, but made the sheer size of the place comprehensible to behold.  My favorite work of art that resided within St. Peter’s was the very first work of Michelangelo, a piece that puts the then professional artists to shame.  It was a contrapposto piece where Mary held a dying Jesus in her lap, a very intimate scene between mother and son, the strength of the immortal and the ephemeral nature of man.

Learning about the Pope’s symbol, the seashell, was the perfect way to wrap up our tour.  The story essentially went like this:  A priest walks along the beach and finds a young boy digging a hole.  The priest asks the young boy “why are you digging a hole?”  The boy responds “so I can fill it with the entire ocean.”  After the priest explains to the boy that this task was impossible, the boy reveals himself to be the Lord.  The Lord says: “you are a wise priest, but your teachings are but a small part of my glory.  You have dug a hole as I have, bringing out knowledge and wisdom to the beach, but when the time comes, I will wash upon your world and fill these holes, wash away the mounds and seashells and, after the world is reformed, take them all to eternity.”  Essentially, the tale compares something like St. Peter’s to the smallness of a seashell; beautiful but a mere fragment of the big picture.  After being in one of the largest works of man in the world, the power and significance of God as described in the story is put in a perspective few can comprehend.

After this we went to the Castle Sant’Angelo.  This castle was built in ancient Rome, rather than in the Renaissance, so it certainly is a piece to behold.  As Rome entered a state of decline, they had to build fortresses to protect themselves.  This fortress was originally built as a home for Hadrian, then latter for Rome to protect itself from its enemies such as the Visigoths, and even later than that as a museum for Christian art and relics.  The structural integrity of Roman architecture is mind-blowing, as after so many years of cultural change and erosion major landmarks can remain standing taller than many buildings.  Also, it was very neat seeing the similarities with modern architecture through the use of concrete securing stone and brick.

After this we ate dinner.  I had spaghetti with bacon.  After the past three days I now can formulate an opinion on Roman food.  I once ate at my friend Rey’s house for his birthday dinner, his Italian grandparents cooking an abundant, multi-coursed meal.  The food was unbelievable in its quality.  Here in Rome, that is the sort of food they have here every day all over! The food here, if I dare say, is almost equal in its grandeur to the buildings of the ancient world.

If the interjection “wow” could be transformed into a physical entity, that entity would be us as we stood in the center of ancient Rome: the Forum.  In a region where ancient civilization is constantly dug up to this day, this Roman center, filled with areas of worship, marketplaces, gardens and monuments, is clearly the heart of the ancients; the bustling metropolis of its time.  Our professor Brandy Stark commemorated Julius Caesar by placing roses on his grave.  The churches and arcs in the region were not quite my personal cup of tea, but the Gardens of the Vestal Virgins was simply beautiful.  Two big pools filled the center, seagulls swooping down for a quick bath.  All around them in a rectangle and on pedestals were the Virgins themselves, elegantly draped in what seems to flow like finely-woven silk – marble!  I also saw a lot of things that were in my Art History textbook last semester, it was so cool to see them in person!

On our way out I bought an excellent piece of artwork, as pictured.  I was lucky to find something so rare, as many Roman paintings being sold were actually copies of each other.  The Roman streets are a lot different than those back in America.  Every corner there’s people selling to tourists, a shopping center, or an ancient church.  The drivers here are fast and exciting!  The streets are narrow and the roads hilly, a struggle even for a person, let alone a car.  It’s a good thing here that European drivers are a lot more skilled than what we have back home.

After this we visited the Colosseum.  I already knew about its place as a center for entertainment, particularly watching gladiators fight animals and each other, sometimes to their death, but I had no idea how high-tech it really was.  Over what is now ruins of the underground used to be a wooden platform, and from below and at all angles cages were hoisted up in old elevators (a man-operated pulley system) leading gladiators and beasts to begin the show.  This added suspense to the shows, never knowing what will come out where.  They also performed reenactments of previous battles and events, much like a theatrical play.  Seating in the Colosseum was separated by class.  The noblest men sat closest near the bottom, while women, slaves, and homeless sat on the top.  This is slightly ironic, as today it costs extra to go to the top, while regular customers are situated closer and lower near the center.

The gladiators, while highly regarded, were lower on the social scale than Roman citizens.  They were essentially slaves who had to do what they were told, sometimes even serving as items for people to “take home” if one spent enough money.  The gladiators were both men and women, which is different considering what little place a woman had in Roman society.  The attitude regarding homosexuality in Rome also fascinates me.  Homosexuality was fine as long as it isn’t “feminine.”  Romans with slaves could get away with any act, as they were simply “using their property.”

The pictures bellow were where we ate for dinner.  It was a feast, we struggled to make room on our table!

We took the bus back to the hotel.  We were pretty much squashed, like bricks between bricks coming together to form a wall, it was so crowded.  Looking at tour buses after this experience makes me feel proud: we are living in Rome as Romans!

Yesterday was our arrival to the Roman airport and first day of immersion in Rome.Personally, I find this place very fascinating in both its similarities and differences from back home.  Seeing the main square with the fountains and St. Peter’s Basilica right behind is an experience I won’t soon forget.  (The photo to the right here is of St. Peter’s Basilica from our classroom. Such a surreal experience!) It is interesting to know how much smaller it is in person than in pictures!  The city is simply beautiful; large buildings sporting classical and renaissance inspired architecture, almost all with gardens of flowing greens draped upon their balconies, distinct with flowers blooming pink and lavender. The Tiber River stretches for ages.

What is very humbling about Rome is that, while the city is built on the foundation of many greats throughout history; the highlight of the Western World, the people here live very humbly.  They go to markets, live in apartments not much different than our own, and live life like any other people.  There is a simplicity in it that one would not expect when thinking of Rome.

Rome is a city that appears to encompass two worlds: the cultural and the commercial.  The cultural is found in the ancient works of the Romans and Renaissance artists, all distinct windows into the past normally only read about in textbooks.  There are also many priests and nuns and a large University (the Pontificate) in which theology is taught.  It was a very surreal experience learning about Judaism and foreign policy with St. Peter’s Basilica right outside the window.