Overview of All Required Assignments, 2008
: (Most of these should be edited and put in your portfolio, along with your paper and other materials of your choosing.)
Assignment Number 1, Day 1: Name____________________________
Hungry? There is a simple “pizza a taglio” shop on Via Leonina, just down from the convent, and the small grocery stores (“alimentari”) will make you a sandwich (“panino”) that you can eat in our piazza or wherever you like. DON’T BE SHY! JUST POINT! (Don’t forget the olives!)
Thirsty? Fill your water bottles at the drinking fountain in the piazza.
1. What is the name of the piazza on which our convent is situated? _______________________
2. The fountain on this same piazza was designed by the Renaissance architect Giacomo della Porta. What was the main century of the Renaissance in Rome? ________________________
3. Find Via dei Serpenti on a map (last page of Blue Guide, D2) and walk downhill on it.
a. What is the name of the Internet and Telephone “café” on your right as you approach the traffic light? ________________________
b. What is the name of the [major] street crossing it at the first traffic light?
________________________
4. Find Via Leonina and walk the full length of this short street. At the NE end of this street is a Metro [subway] station. What is the name of this Metro station? ________________________
5. Find Via Urbana and walk up as far as Via Panisperna.
Note internet “cafes” and, I think, a Laundromat.
If you want to see one of the four great basilicas of Rome, turn right and find S. Maria Maggiore. (There is also a green Tourist Kiosk off of its southern flank; get a free map of Rome.)
6. Walk west on Via Panisperna until you reach Via dei Serpenti. Walk uphill on Via dei Serpenti. What is the name of the major street crossing Via dei Serpenti at the first traffic light going up? __________________________________
7. If you have the strength and time, which you should!, walk generally SW and find one of the largest monuments in Rome, the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II. Who was Vittorio Emanuele II? ________________________
If you have the time and strength, which you might not, wander north, in the direction the monument faces. This is the heart of Rome.
8. Walk along the main street, the Via dei Fori Imperiali, toward the Colosseo. Find you way back to the convent by walking up Via Cavour to Via dei Serpenti.
Especially good for your portfolio would be any first day impressions you have of Rome or of any of the particular spots you’ve seen (S. Maria Maggiore? VE II? Traffic? Our piazza?).
Assignment #2, Day 2: The Capitoline Museums Name_______________________
Find your way to the new room which contains the original of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, the gilded Hercules, the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, and the foundations of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus.
Select one of these artifacts and write two paragraphs on it. Let one paragraph be a careful description of what you see; let the second paragraph reflect on its cultural significance. (How is it revealing of ancient Rome or of some aspect of ancient Rome? What does it reveal?)
Assignment #3, Day 3: Self-guided tour: Into the heart of Rome, The Campus Martius
(Members from each group should be prepared to offer a quick, 3-5 minute oral report on what you found. Don’t hesitate to register disappointment or criticism, but do try to say something about the historical significance of your site. The Blue Guide, as always, will help.)
Pagan Romans: Visit the Largo Torre Argentina as a group and be prepared to report back.
(Unless I’ve just missed it, The Blue Guide is useless on this site. There are, however, some site maps and explanations posted at the site itself.) Can you figure out what this site is? Is there anything to note about it besides the cats? What does it suggest about the state of the remains of ancient Rome? What does it suggest about the changed “level” of ancient Rome?
Christian Romans: Visit the Church of San Ignazio as a group and be prepared to report back.
Pay special attention to the dome. Do you know who San Ignazio (St. Ignatius) was and why he was important? See Blue Guide 152-53. (Optional extra: hit the related Church of Il Gesù on your way back; see Blue Guide 292-93.)
Secular Romans: Visit Piazza Navona and be prepared to report back. How is this piazza “used” today? What kinds of people and what kinds of activities do you observe? Why does the piazza have the general shape it does? Do you have any observations on any of the buildings that surround the piazza? Blue Guide 267-71
Assignment Number 4, Day 3: Name____________________________
Ostia Antica
Enjoy the ruins but also give some thought to this general question: What various different factors do you think would help a civilization endure through decades and centuries? (I ask not only because of ancient pagan Rome’s amazing achievement in this regard but also because I wonder whether and how the USA will meet its end, and whether it will be sooner or later.)
Day 4, Walk to the Borghese:
Checklist for a leisurely Sunday afternoon, from about 2:00 to 4:30:
- All locations below will be on the east side of the Via del Corso. They will help lead you toward the Galleria Borghese (more or less).
- We have a strictly enforced reservation at the Galleria, so be there – by the entrance – no later than 4:30 for an intro to the museum.
- The Galleria Borghese is north of central Rome: see map p. 620, 2D.
- All backpacks, purses, cameras must be checked as a group; try to travel light, and at least be prepared for some confusion!
Wander to and around the area of Fontana di Trevi. Smaller streets are more pleasant than big ones. Don’t throw your coins yet: we’ll do that on the last night.
[1]
Wander along the Via Condotti, the most famous fashion street in Rome.
Rest on the Spanish Steps above the Piazza di Spagna, but watch out for pickpockets and shysters in this popular tourist area. Really!
Note the Keats-Shelly Memorial House to the right of the steps as you face them, and climb the steps.
At the top, enjoy the view and head to the right on via Sistina for Piazza Barberini.
[2]Don’t check your
Blue Guide: just guess: who did the fountain in the center of the piazza (the Fontana del Tritone)? Get water at the smaller fountain, the Fontana delle Api – the fountain of the bees, a symbol of the Barberini family, as you head up the Via Veneto.
The Via Veneto in the 1960’s was the place for the rich and famous: things have changed! But you might be interested in “the bone church,” Santa Maria della Concezione, on the right near the beginning of the Via Veneto at Piazza Barberini. The main church has some impressive paintings (Blue Guide, p. 226), but it is the lower level that finds its way into students’ portfolios: Do the burial practices of these Capuchin Friars reflect a unique view of death or, perhaps, is it a tendency within [medieval?] Christianity?
Following the curves uphill on the Via Veneto will take you past the American Embassy and bring you to one of the main gates in the Aurelian Walls, which date from the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire, around 270 AD.
Pass through the Porta Pinciana and enter the park, the Villa Borghese. Turning right on the Viale del Museo Borghese will take you directly to our meeting spot, the entrance to the Galleria Borghese.
[3]
[1] Have time? Consider visiting the Piazza Colonna, on the w. side of the Corso, and the Italian Parliament.
[2] Have time? Wander to the Pincio, to the left at the top of the Spanish Steps.
[3] Have lots of time? Follow signs to the zoo (Giardino Zoologico), not too far from the Galleria Borghese.
Assignment Number 5, Day 4: Name____________________________
Galleria Borghese
Choose any one of the famous statues here by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Describe what you see.
Consider the emotion and/or character of the subject(s) of the sculpture, the (possible) intended effect of the sculpture, and any observations about the craftsmanship you would care to make. Does your chosen statue give any insight into 17th century Rome?
Assignment Number 6, Day 5: Name____________________________
Castel S. Angelo
How have the changed purposes of Castel S. Angelo reflected the changed circumstances of Rome over the course of its long history? Support what you say, if you can, not only in general terms but also by personal observations made on site.
Assignment Number 7, Day 5: Name____________________________
San Pietro
1. Try to remember that this church was planned at a time when all of Europe was Christian and when all Christians in Europe were Catholic (as it was being built, the Protestant Reformation broke out). Nor, at this time, was there any such thing as a tourist, though pilgrims to Rome came from all over Europe to worship near the mortal remains of St. Peter and other Roman saints and martyrs – so try to block out the hordes of gawking tourists. Now, then, what do you consider to be the first effect of the architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica as you enter it? What effect do you think the architects wanted a 17th century Christian to experience? In light of their probable purposes, would any other architectural strategy have been better?
2. Apart from Michelangelo’s Pietà, what work of [non-architectural] art in S. Pietro do you consider to be the most effective in conveying the Christian message or some part of it? Why? (Consult Blue Guide, p. 410-17, for help in identifying what you are looking at. Remember that there are the Vatican Grottoes beneath the main floor of the basilica, pp. 418-19). Or, alternatively, what is missing from S. Pietro in terms of Christian art?
Assignment Number 8, Day 8: Name____________________________
The Pantheon
In what main ways was the Pantheon in her prime different from the building we saw today?
The original Pantheon has the reputation of being one of the world’s most remarkable buildings. Does it deserve this reputation? Why or why not?
Assignment Number 9, Day 9: Name____________________________
San Clemente
San Clemente is admired especially for the beauty and technical achievement of its apse mosaic. Do you think the creators of this mosaic would have been pleased by this reaction, or do you suspect that they would also have wanted to strengthen the Christian faith of those who viewed their work? Do you think that art can have the effect of changing attitudes toward religion, or is this beyond its power?
Assignment Number 10, Day 10: Name____________________________
Christianity and Science or Reason
We yesterday heard evidence suggesting that the Roman Catholic Church has often supported science, not opposed it. If we broaden the category “science” so that it becomes “reason,” how do you conceive the relationship between religious faith and reason? Alternative: if we now live in “the age of science,” is religion welcome? Or does enthusiasm for science drive out religion?
(Yes, it’s a bit crazy to ask such huge philosophical questions, but they are also key questions for this city. A few basic sentences will be fine for present purposes.)
Assignment Number 11, Day 11: Name____________________________
World War II in Italy
Here are some approximatenumbers to think about:
Ancient Roman soldiers killed at Battle of Cannae, Aug. 2, 216 BC 65,000
American soldiers killed during Vietnam War, 1959 -75: 58,000
Allied soldiers killed at battles of Monte Cassino, Jan – May, 1944 54,000
German soldiers killed at battles of Monte Cassino, Jan – May 1944 20,000
Total deaths, Battle of Stalingrad, July 1942 – February 1943: 1.5 million
Japanese civilian deaths from 2 atomic bombs dropped, Aug. 1945: 200,000
Japanese civilian deaths from fire bombings, spring 1945: 500,000 (?)
Annual US traffic fatalities for each of last 10-plus years: 40-42,000
Annual US traffic fatalities for each of last 10-plus years: 10,000
Modern secular judges are likely to judge modern secular Rome the best of the three, and there are reasons to help support this conclusion. Are any of the numbers above relevant to the question of how to go about assessing or judging the relative merits of modern Rome?
Assignment Number 12, Day 12: Name____________________________
Trastevere and il Gianiocolo
1. Enter the gates leading into Santa Maria in Trastevere, and observe some of the archeological finds that have been plastered onto the walls. Briefly describe any, especially one that might have a recognizable symbol or other reference. _____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Forget that you are tired and that it is getting hot, and walk up the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill), whence there is a nice view of Rome and park-like atmosphere. If you can find it, observe the little “Tempietto di Bramante,” which tucked away in a courtyard beside the larger church, San Pietro in Montorio (Blue Guide, p. 386-89). Perhaps surprisingly to us, this was a revolutionary building in its day, and helped to lead the way in bringing Renaissance architecture to Rome. Bramante also helped tear down the old San Pietro and design the new one.
Even if you miss the Tempietto di Bramante, I doubt you will miss the Aqua Paola, a huge fountain named after Pope Paul V (Borghese). The water comes by aqueduct – including a section of ancient Roman aqueduct! – from the beautiful volcanic lake, Lago di Bracciano, about 50 km away. (If you have a day to kill, this lake and town makes a pleasant short trip.)
2. The Gianicolo was the site of a famous defeat suffered by Garibaldi and other supporters of the Roman Republic declared in 1849. Foreign forces from what country attacked Garibaldi and helped reinstate Pope Pius IX, who had fled to Gaeta (a coastal town to the south of Rome)? _____________________
3. Of course the defeat in 1849 was not the end for Garibaldi or the Risorgimento. How many years later was it that Rome declared the capital of a new, united Italy? ___________________
4. Take a look at the huge equestrian statue of Garibaldi. Describe any one of its ways of trying to celebrate the Risorgimento? (One of these might be the way they represent the dates on the monument.)______________________________________________________________
5. Find the statue of Anita Garibaldi. How is she represented? (Sewing? Praying? Reading a book? Dancing?)________________________________________________
6. From the top of the hill take a look out over Rome, and imagine that that you have become inspired to spend the rest of your life writing the history of Rome. What theme do you think you would stress the most?__________________________________________________________
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