Rome to Jerusalem

Gypsies, Mexicans, North Africans, Jews,

After having a few technically difficulties on blogspot I got everything figured out, and I’m able to post again. I was having a problem posting blogs before, but with the help of some friends, and me worrying about not getting the posts in on time I fixed the problem. This week’s blog question is very open and can have multiple answers, the questions goes a little something like this, “Gypsies, North Africans, Jews, and Mexicans.” At first I thought there had to be more to the question, until we were told to think about the question.

So my interpretation of the question is that, like America; Italy is experiencing the same problem with illegal immigrants as we are. They are experiencing North Africans coming to their country illegally, and taking jobs from the citizens. This is the same for America, and how Mexicans are taking jobs, and are doing them for less pay. It is funny how are cultures can seem so different, but yet we have all the same problems. Everyday we walk through Rome saying “man that is so weird...” or “that is really different from America.” Yet they have the same problems and same solutions as we do. So we really aren’t as different as we thought, you just have to not worry about the differences, and focus on the similarities.

We also have the same ideas on legal immigrants, and how we try to get them to fit in society. When an immigrant decides to move to America we have a process which allows them to understand the culture and laws. So we help them when they first start out in a new country; this is the same with Italy as well. The Catholic Church decides to help these legal immigrants by supplying them with basic necessities, until they get started. The only difference between America and Italy, is that America has foundations that help the new immigrants, and these are usually volunteer ran. So in actuality, we both are supporting immigrants, as long as the do it the legal way.

Immigration is a very big problem in both countries. We both are trying to stop the illegal immigrants from coming into our country; and we try and help the legal ones. It is a hard problem that both sides have not yet solved. We will continue to try and fix the problem, but until then we will have to deal with them one at a time.

Rome Stories and Traditions

The Pope’s address on Easter and Christmas always begins, “ Urbi et Orbi” - “To the City of Rome and to the World.” The term “Roman Catholic” also suggests that there is something “roman” and something “universal” about the Church. In what sense is the Church “roman” and in what sense is it “global?”

Roman Catholic religion has been for generations a religion that has changed world policies and ideas. Catholicism is a part of the large Christian community, and has been a large part of the ideas in Christianity. Christianity was started through Jewish, and many other religions, all of which can be traced back to the creation of Catholicism. Catholicism is also a worldwide religion because of the persuasion it has with world problems. The Pope (the symbol of Roman Catholicism) is a great world leader, who has little, to no power outside of the Vatican.

The Church today is still very Roman in the art sense. In every church around the world you will see a sculpture of Jesus or a saint that looks like a Roman sculpture made of marble. The Roman art is a large part of the Roman Catholic religion it is how Catholics symbolize their faith, and show beauty, sin, hope, and faith. The faith of Rome also affects the world by trying new ideas and faiths. What I mean by this is if The Vatican decides that they want everyone to wear a toga when attending church, then all of the other churches around the world will do the same.

The world may not be run by the Catholic religion, but it is heavily persuaded by its ideas. A lot of world leaders use the Catholic religion (really the Pope) to make decisions for their country. They will set up meetings with the Pope to discuss current world affairs. It is kind of funny to think that a man who has no power outside of the Vatican can persuade a world leader, who may have power over a whole country. A good example that just happened was the President of Israel. Pope Benedict and Shimon Peres just met up this past month to discuss current affairs. Shimon probably asked what his ideas were on the current affairs. So it goes to show that a man who lives by the laws of the church, can persuade a man of power and justice.

Seeing the Pope this week was a very interesting and spiritual experience. It allowed me to see what religion is all about, and get a good idea on the Catholic ideas. Religion is really not my forte but seeing the Pope and learning about religion is an very interesting topic.

Sistine Chapel and St. Peter Basilica Art

The art we saw this week was some of the most famous art in history. One of the pieces is the Sistine Chapel, which I can safely say, is probably the most popular chapel in the world. Its’ shear beauty and prestige alone; can cause someone to become paralyzed. The conflicting colors, and use of detail; is eye catching and yet so simple. The simplicity and complexity is so mystifying that one cannot help but to stop and stare. This also goes along with St. Peter Basilica, the size and mass of the building alone can cause a feeling of minuscule. These two pieces of art are the images of Rome and can be talked about for years.

The Sistine Chapel is made up of multiple paintings that tells the story of man. It is made up of; the creation of Adam, creation of sin, and the separation of light and dark, and many other stories. However, the large painting on the wall behind the altar is known as the Last Judgment. This painting was done by Michelangelo, and was started three decades after the famous ceiling was finished. It took Michelangelo four years to complete; between the years 1537 to 1541. The Last Judgment is supposed to be a representation of the second coming of Christ and the apocalypse. Where people are chosen ether to rise into heaven and fall to hell. There are a lot of symbols and secret messages in this painting; one being the man with the carcass is suppose to be St. Bartholomew and corpse is suppose to be Michelangelo. This is suppose to say that he will show himself as a saint by removing the fake skin. Another unique fact about this painting is when you stand at the opposite wall of the chapel, it takes on the shape of a face; which George Lucas used as Darth Vader’s helmet.

St. Peter’s Basilica is a thing of wonder and has a lot to offer, but the art I would like to talk about is not apart of the church, but actually protects it, and that is the Swiss Guard and their uniforms. Although this is not their everyday uniforms the colors are unique to the Vatican. The Medici Blue, Red, and Yellow are the three colors that make up the uniforms. These colors are supposed to represent light, when the Swiss Guards walk the bright colors shimmer and glow. The uniforms are also torn up because when the uniforms were created, the soldiers that were used as models had just came from war and there pants and shirts were torn up. So when they created the uniform they put in the torn up pants and clothes. This is very interesting because I wondered why they had torn up pants and shirts, when normal Swiss Guards uniforms are complete.

I found these last couple sites very interesting and educational. Seeing the Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgment was a very inspiring piece of art. Thinking that one man did all of this by himself is really moving. Also seeing the size, and magnitude of St. Peter Basilica; and witnessing distinctive Swiss Guards that protect the chapel, is something that not many people can say they’ve done. All in all, one of the most interesting trips yet.

314 Rome Stories and Traditions

It feels like forever since I blogged last. Last week being mid-terms, means I’m half way down with this trip. This is sad yet exciting news, on one hand, I love what Italy has to offer and can’t get enough of this foreign culture. While on the other hand, I cannot wait to get back to America and share all my experiences with friends and family. I am hoping that the second half of this semester will be as electrifying and exhilarating as the first half. Being lost in emotion and thoughts, I better start answering this week’s question, which talks about the Jewish ghettos in Rome. It goes into the impact of the ghetto on the people living inside, and outside of the ghetto.

It is easy to see how the Jewish ghettos impacted ancient Rome through culture. They both persuaded each other by sharing ideas when they would buy and sell goods. Word would travel through these markets, and finally make it to the Roman people. The Jewish ghetto was a great place for ideas to spread. It was the center for the Jewish community; and made the community strong. Unlike current day, the Jewish ghetto was not a very nice place to live. It was dirty, unsanitary, and full of people. This obvious because they were forced to live inside a small part of town, so it was hard to keep things clean and organized.

It seems like even today the Jewish ghetto is the center of the Jewish Community; people crowd the streets when school and work lets out. They come out for all different reasons; kids sit on the street corner, talking about what happened in school, while adults order drinks and talk about local news. This is where the whole community comes together and builds a bond, just like the Italian’s. Which makes sense; since Jewish and Italian communities have been sharing ideas for years. There is also a polar opposite in the ghetto today. Today the ghetto is a place where the wealthy live; they buy large apartments where old buildings use to be. They buy these expensive apartments because the area has such great history and a lot of culture.

The Jewish Ghetto has a large impact on Roman history, and Italian history. They persuade a large number of people, and continue to do so. Jewish ghettos can be looked at as a negative and a positive for the Jewish community, and it continues to be the center for Jewish culture.

Rome Traditions and Culture 4.23342

The Italian Piazza is a thing of beauty, it can really sum up Italy into a 200 by 200 foot square. Italian Piazza's is why Italy was created, and how it became to be the city it is today. You can find everything in a piazza; food, art, entertainment, religion, music, and even ancient artifacts. The piazza also is a place where all walks of life meet. It doesn't matter if your poor or rich, young or old; everyone becomes equal in a piazza.

Piazza's are the place to be if you want to indulge in delicious Italian food. It is where all Italians go for a quick lunch, or a nice, sit down dinner. Food is an important part of italian culture so it would only be right to have a restaurant in the piazza's. Art is also a large part of the italian culture. It is such a large part of their culture, that they base the piazza's around art. The art in the middle of these piazza's range from fountains, to basiliks. All of which usually have a place to sit around the base. This is were people can sit and enjoy the beauty of the piazza. Also, in most piazza's there is usually some type of religious building. This comes to no surprise since, in history Italy was controled by religion.

Another trend is the type of people that enjoy the piazza's. It doesn't matter if you are homeless, or have the biggest home in all of Rome, people don't care. It seems as though the piazza changes the view's of people, no one see's differences. You can see a homeless man sitting next to a man in an Armani fitted suit, with no problems. Piazza's are also enjoyed by million of tourists; since most countries don't have piazza's, the tourists flock to these city centers. You usually can point out tourists by the sheer spectical in their facial expressions. It as if they saw an airplane for the first time. When I saw the piazzas for the first time, I was so ashtonised, that I didn't believe I was in Italy. I actually thought for awhile I was dreaming.

Piazza's in Italy have a way with people. It makes them feel as though, they are the most important person in the world. They also get the sense that there are no cares in the world, and that life is very simple. This feeling probably comes from the food that is around the piazza's. It puts everyone in a trance as if they were on vacation. The Italian piazza is an extremely important part of Italy's history, and will continue to be in the future.

Rome Culture and Tradition

When I say the word hero; What is the first thing that comes to your mind? Maybe Superman or Captain America; or perhaps parents, grandparents, or siblings. These are all good examples, however, what makes these people "authentic" hero's? What makes these people extraodanary from all the rest? What makes them a hero? This is a tough question to answer because, there are some many options to choose from. Such as a small hero, like a kids who helps his grandma with cleaning (which some may argue is a big hero, but we will get into that later). Or, a big hero like Ghandi who helped millions of people through his kindness and intellect.

Giorgio Perlasca is not a name that most people recognize. In fact if it were said to a group of college graduates, I would guess one-hundred percent of them would not know who he is. This is strange to me because he saved hundreds of lives and didn't ask for fame or fortune; while everyone knows who Iron Man is. It is crazy to me that everyone knows a fictional character, but couldn't tell you who Perlasca is. I personally see Perlasca as an authentic hero because, he did not ask for anything for his good deeds. He did these honorable deeds because he thought it was right. You really don't here about hero's like that today. It is very rare to here about someone helping others because it is right. Now this doesn't mean everyone is bad, and no one helps each other out. There are a lot of good people in the world, they are just are hard to find.

An authentic hero doesn't ask for a repayment for his or her actions. They act because it's the right thing to do. They help other people because we are all apart of the same race; the human race. They seperate themself from the rest by their kind actions, they don't worry about the consequences, they just worry about people. An authentic hero in my life would be my mother and father. They both sacrifice everything for my sister and me, and do not ask for anything in return. This is very noble of them and not because they have to, but because they want to. I cannot put into words how thankful I am to have them as my parents.

It is really hard to describe a hero because, every one is different. There are no guidelines on being a hero, and anyone can be one. So describing one hero would be impossible. So next time you hear about a hero, think about how much they go through, and maybe thank them for doing such great deeds.

Art and Culture or Rome

Art is EVERYWHERE in Rome, and when I mean everywhere, I mean everywhere. You can walk into a public bathroom and find an oilpainting on the wall. Or for those who like graffti, I think about every ten steps, there is some type of tag on a wall, fountain, door, and even some fences. This is the one place in the world that must have over 1,000 works of art in one city, and they all date older than 1400 c.e.





My first art piece this week is a change from the normal art pieces because, this was the first church we've seen in Rome. The church name is Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano. This Basilica was created by Constantine in the IV century. He created this because of this new religion he found, which he saw in a dream. In this dream a sword upside was in the sky and a voice told him that, if he follows this idea he would prosper. Constantine followed this idea to war. In this war he was obviously not win. However, he told his troops to paint these upside down swords on their armor, in hopes it would help. He soon won this battle, and became a follower of this new religion called Christianity.





After this basilica was created Borromini restored the inside of the church in 1650. He was asked by Innocenzo X before he died. The front facade we see today, was created by Alessandro Galilei in 1735. Which represents the past facades the Basilica had before. The shape of the Basilica has never changed.

My second piece of art is the statue of Jesus. I'm first going to start with color, I edit this photo a little so we could see the colors a little better. The firsts color that really sticks out is the red in the background. Red is a color of power and control, this shows (if someone didn't know who Jesus was) that this man was really looked up to. I also see the red as being the blood he sacrificed for the people.

The line I see here is from his finger tip, to finger tip. It is a half circle shape, showing openness and acceptance. Also, his right hand is open which shows he is open and accepting as well. Also if you can see in the picture his space is quite big, and his gown is flowing. This shows he is a major part of the religion and he has a lot of power. However, if you can see he is stepping on a serpent that is in his space. It once again shows he has power and control.

"I've never believed in God, but I believe in Picasso." - Euan Uglow

Rome Stories and Traditions Three

The question for this week is does history contribute/bolster faith, or does the past limit faith? This is a tough question for me because I am not a very religious person, however, thanks to the miracles of the World Wide Web I could look up history of different faiths. After some searching and reading I decided that history both contributes and limits faith. History is a funny thing when it comes to faith because, events that happen in the past, good or bad, is what makes the religion today. It is, what change's the idea's of faith and will form it into what it is today.

I feel that faith is contributed by history because, stories of different faiths is based on past events. Having faith is believeing in a past event that brings a sense of meaning to ones life. It allows someone to believe in something greater than themself. History is also a good thing to faith because it helps build the idea and can help one realize how great faith can be. Everyone learns from history including faith; so if faith can learn from its mistakes (which it does) then more people will start following its idea.

History can limit faith as well. History can limit every faith, religion, or country by the negative. Wars are one way faith can be hurt by history. People lose faith when one faith fights with another. Faith, like I said, brings meaning to ones life, however, if war hurts the meaning, people will lose faith. History can also push faith and make it hard to believe in faith. If a faiths history is pushing the ideas of todays life, people may have a hard time believeing.

This is a really deep question and has alot of different options to choose from. I personally had a hard time because, faith is not something easy to come by. I feel to have faith you must put your whole life into an idea, and base your life around it. There really is know right and wrong answer to this question ether. Someones faith may not be hurt by history, while others may be based around negative things from the past. All-around this question required a lot of thinking of ideas I never thought of before.