reason that I enjoyed this shot so much is because the character was being escorted by two Carabiniere. Although they were fake, I thought that it was cool that I'm going to see and understand the police that are being used in the movie. The only difference was that these policemen were not armed with the semi-automatic weapons like most of the real Carabiniere around Rome are! I've included a picture, but it's a little dark and blurry. It's a picture of Tom Hanks standing with the two "policemen." Enjoy : )
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Police in Angels and Demons
While I was at the filming of Angels and Demons, the particular scene that was being shot was Tom Hanks' character rushing towards the fountain in the center of Piazza Navona. The
reason that I enjoyed this shot so much is because the character was being escorted by two Carabiniere. Although they were fake, I thought that it was cool that I'm going to see and understand the police that are being used in the movie. The only difference was that these policemen were not armed with the semi-automatic weapons like most of the real Carabiniere around Rome are! I've included a picture, but it's a little dark and blurry. It's a picture of Tom Hanks standing with the two "policemen." Enjoy : )
reason that I enjoyed this shot so much is because the character was being escorted by two Carabiniere. Although they were fake, I thought that it was cool that I'm going to see and understand the police that are being used in the movie. The only difference was that these policemen were not armed with the semi-automatic weapons like most of the real Carabiniere around Rome are! I've included a picture, but it's a little dark and blurry. It's a picture of Tom Hanks standing with the two "policemen." Enjoy : )
Catacombs of Saint Sebastian
Today, Courtney and I decided to journey to the Catacombs that are located along the Via Appia Antica. In an earlier blog, I discussed in detail what the Appia Antica is and also how to get there. We chose to take Bus 118 which only cost one Euro each way. We went into the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian first. This offered a quick tour with a guide through a predetermined route through the catacombs. It was amazing to see tunnels that looked like they went on forever. It was eerie, though, being in the dark, cold silence of the catacombs. It was hard not to imagine what these walls had seen. My favorite part, however, was learning about Saint Sebastian. He was a Christian that rose
to high ranks in the Roman army. However, when it was discovered that he was a Christian, he was ordered to be executed. He was shot with arrows, but did not die. After he was nursed back to health, he was found and beaten to death. St. Sebastian is the patron saint of soldiers, athletes and municipal police officers.
Places in Guided Walk
For the guided walk assignment, I chose three places that were related to the Doria Pamphilj family. The first place that I decided to stop at was the Doria Pamphilj Gallery. I chose this spot because this is actually in the Doria Pamphilj Palazzo and is where the family used to live. Some of the building is still used as apartments, but another party has been renovated and turned into a gallery displaying the family's collection. This gallery holds a more personal meaning to me because directly below the gallery is our classroom that we're in everyday. To be more specific, directly about our classroom is a chapel that holds the bodies of St. Justin and St. Theodora. There are also a lot of great paintings to see and rooms that have been refurbished to look as they did when the family lived there in the 17th-18th centuries.
My second place is Santa Maria in Cappella which is where the girls in my program live. This is a place that was owned by Donna Olimpia Pamphilj and in the 17th century, she turned the courtyard into a playground for children. However, in 1860 her descendants turned the place into an elderly care facility which half of it is still used for today. The other half is where our apartments are located. We're allowed to go into the courtyard, but we aren't supposed to mingle with the elderly people that live here.
The third place that I chose was a place that I haven't been to yet, but it looks beautiful. It's the Villa Doria Pamphilj. This is one of Rome's largest public parks. It was built in the mid-17th century by Pope Innocent X. There are still some summerhouses and fountains that have survived to this day.
My second place is Santa Maria in Cappella which is where the girls in my program live. This is a place that was owned by Donna Olimpia Pamphilj and in the 17th century, she turned the courtyard into a playground for children. However, in 1860 her descendants turned the place into an elderly care facility which half of it is still used for today. The other half is where our apartments are located. We're allowed to go into the courtyard, but we aren't supposed to mingle with the elderly people that live here.
The third place that I chose was a place that I haven't been to yet, but it looks beautiful. It's the Villa Doria Pamphilj. This is one of Rome's largest public parks. It was built in the mid-17th century by Pope Innocent X. There are still some summerhouses and fountains that have survived to this day.
Doria Pamphilj Guided Walk
Because one of my themes is our apartment which was previously owned by the Doria Pamphilj family, I decided to create a guided walk hitting some of the main areas of interest related to the family.
Beginning at the Museo del Corso, head south V. del Corso. After a short distance, the entrance for the Doria Pamphilj Gallery will be on your right. There are signs for the gallery on this dark stone building so you won't miss it. Coming out of the gallery, continue heading south on V. del Corso and head to the right of the capital until you reach V. del Teatro di Marcello. Follow this towards the river and cross over Lungotevere dei Pierleoni and head slightly south. Cross over the river when you reach Ponte Palatino. Head south, then turn right onto Via Ripense. turn left onto Via P. Peretti. Following this road, you will see Santa Maria in Cappella on your left. There is a large archway for the entrance and you will be able to see the chapel straight ahead. The entrance to the building is on the right inside the courtyard entryway. From Santa Maria in Cappella, go west on Bia dei Genovesi until you reach Viale Trastevere. take V. d. Gratte di trastevere west, then go north on Via Garibaldi. Go west again on Via di Porta S. Pancrazio. Continue west on V. Aurelia Antica. this will take you to the outskirts of the Villa Doria Pamphilj. I've included a makeshift map that will take you to all three locations. Good luck.
Beginning at the Museo del Corso, head south V. del Corso. After a short distance, the entrance for the Doria Pamphilj Gallery will be on your right. There are signs for the gallery on this dark stone building so you won't miss it. Coming out of the gallery, continue heading south on V. del Corso and head to the right of the capital until you reach V. del Teatro di Marcello. Follow this towards the river and cross over Lungotevere dei Pierleoni and head slightly south. Cross over the river when you reach Ponte Palatino. Head south, then turn right onto Via Ripense. turn left onto Via P. Peretti. Following this road, you will see Santa Maria in Cappella on your left. There is a large archway for the entrance and you will be able to see the chapel straight ahead. The entrance to the building is on the right inside the courtyard entryway. From Santa Maria in Cappella, go west on Bia dei Genovesi until you reach Viale Trastevere. take V. d. Gratte di trastevere west, then go north on Via Garibaldi. Go west again on Via di Porta S. Pancrazio. Continue west on V. Aurelia Antica. this will take you to the outskirts of the Villa Doria Pamphilj. I've included a makeshift map that will take you to all three locations. Good luck.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tom Hanks in Roma!
Last Friday (the 13th.. ah!) a few classmates and I decided to walk to Piazza Navona to see if Ron Howard and Tom Hanks were really shooting the movie Angels and Demons there. They DEFINITELY were!! It was so exciting to see such talented people shooting what I'm sure will be another amazing video. There was a HUGE crowd of people there and it was hard to see anything, but once I fought my way to the front it was so much fun to watch! A lot of the crew people were getting annoyed with us because we were such a large crowd and everyone kept taking pictures with flashes. They kept yelling in Italian and English, "BE QUIET! NO FLASH!" I hope that I get to see them shoot another day because Tom Hanks is my Mom's favorite actor and I would love to get more pictures of Tom for her! I've tried to upload a really good video from the shoot, but it isn't working. Instead, I've included a picture of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard filming. Ron is in the grayish shirt with a blue hat. Tom is walking into the Piazza with two "carabiniere" at his sides.
Enjoy : )
More on Barcelona
I figured that I should give a little more information on my trip to Barcelona with Ilana and Courtney since I kind of brushed over it before. When we first arrived in Barcelona, we were able to find our hostel fairly easily. We realized that we were only about a five minute walk from Las Ramblas so we decided to walk over and get some food. On the way there, a homeless man flashed us!! Not the best way to start our weekend. The next day, we decided to go sightseeing. Two of my favorite places I went were Temple de la Sagrada Família and Parc Güell. The Temple has been
a work in progress since 1882! It was amazing to see such an enormous place that generations of families had worked on. Most of the design for the church was done by Antoni Gaudí. There are very vibrant colors used for sculptures and mosaics. This is contrasted by very detailed concrete facades where the entrances to the temple are. One of my favorite features about the interior of the temple was the support columns were modeled after the sycamore trees outside of the temple. Small details like that make the temple an overall masterpiece. Another amazing spot in Barcelona was The Parc Güell. It was originally designed as a housing complex, but failed. It
contains mosaics and buildings designed by Gaudí and was built between 1900-1914. The entire park sprawls across a mountaintop where you are able to see the whole city. There is a large stone monument at the peak of the mountain that you are able to climb to the top of (at your own risk!) to see the city. Everything at this park is beautiful and peaceful and the Gaudí element is obvious because the buildings made the place look like Candyland!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Palatine
One of the most impressive sites in Rome is the Palatine. According to Roman legend, this is the place where Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) were raised by a wolf in a cave. According to our guidebook, "traces of Iron Age huts dating from the 9th century BC, have been found on the Palatine Hill, providing archaeological support for the area's legendary links with the founding of Rome." There are many different ruins of palaces and temples at this location. There are also ruins of the Stadium and the Farnese Gardens. Our guidebook says that the Farnese Gardens are the first botanical gardens in Europe. This is a beautiful place with a lot of great things to see. There is an entrance fee of 11 Euros and although this may seem a little pricey, it also includes admission into the Colosseum and the Forum. You also are allowed two days to visit these three sites. I suggest trying to do all three in one day, or take your time and break it up into two different trips. I've included a picture of part of the Palatine that you are able to see from the Forum. I snapped this shot the second weekend we were in Rome and a few classmates and I visited the Colosseum and the Forum (regrettably, not the Palatine!)
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