After returning home, brad, derek and myself grabbed our computers and headed out. It was our final hours in Roma, and I didn’t want to spend them sleeping. We headed for the Campidoglio and I kept on for a bit to enjoy the shadows in the back overlooking the forum. What a sight to behold at night. The lights and sounds of the surrounding city proved only to distinguish the contrast between the dark silence of the forum. This play wonderfully highlighted the ancient textures of the arch of septimus severus, and the temple of saturn; the scale of which was hard to grasp amongst the tourists and overcast sky..

But last night, it was surreal. I could easily imagine a trimpual march through the imperial core.. visualizing the forum as it was intended to be. With the colosseo, gently lit, standing strong in the distance, the power, and might, and legacy of Rome became fathomable at last. So I sat, overlooking the ruins of what I consider the most powerful civilization in history, and I got it. And I loved it. And it was one of my most favorite moments in Rome.

After a quick visit to the park above the Campidoglio we returned to the Celio to use the net, when I finally uploaded some photos and said some hellos.. and when 3:30 rolled around, we headed back. I could have easily given Derek and Brad my bag and toured the city till dawn – cameraless, but not without a memory and words with which to communicate it, but it was bed time. And now I am in Tuscany, in Dolciano, outside of Chiusi. And as I said last night, I am already Romesick – homesick for the eternal city. City of life, history, chaos, and something that cannot be put into words. I will FOREVER cherish and remember my time in Roma.

Living here is interesting. I feel homesick, but excited at the same time. Lonely, but can’t get away from people. Every now and then I yearn to go somewhere to sit, relax, and speak english. My Italian works, but it’s not that great – It’s helped me out a few times, like when Pante, Kiks and I were in Testaccio a few days ago doing some ethno research. We met a few kids painting up some graffiti on the wall near the Ostiense rail station. We managed to use our italian to learn where they’re from, why they’re doing it, why that wall, and evidently, why they weren’t in school. Shortly thereafter, I talked to the security guard at the Air Terminal Ostiense, who then allowed us to take photos throughout the interior of the decaying structure. Oddly, there were no zombies to be found.

As far as the house situation goes, we all get along pretty well. I’ve made myself something of a mamirobert, trying to convince people to keep the kitchen clean (and not eat my food without at least asking first). A few people still have trouble keeping the speech volume down, which does pose a problem when the windows are open (our neighbours’ windows to the courtyard are no less than a meter or two away, and from my bedroom, door closed, I can often hear them climbing up the stairs from the bottom floor, echoing up the shaft and through the front door. Oh wells.

Today is our first day off. We have 2 keys, and the buzzer doesn’t always work. For the 9 dudes staying in this apartment, it poses a bit of a problem, and some unfortunate time-wasting and morale-killing has already been experienced, but plans have to be made and stuck to.

That said, I’d planned to head to the coast – maybe see Ostia Antica, or get right to the beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t as cooperative – it’s nice out, but it’s very cloudy (I was really hoping for intense sun), and it’s now now 10:55… perhaps I’ll follow the rest out to the Corso or the Campo to buy a few things. (Which will be a problem for me, because I don’t want to keep spending money.. but food is expensive here, and any group dinners Rus takes us on end up being 15-20euros a head.)

Oh wells, I need to get on with my day off while I still have it. There are so many things still to do in Roma – the Forum, Colosseo, Pantheon, and a slew of other things I can’t even remember. All I know is that I don’t want to get home and regret not seeing or doing anything.. so if it costs a bit, and means I don’t have time to write about it for another week, so be it… I’ll have my memory.. and I’ll try to take photos.

Still, I’m disappointed I haven’t had the time to write nightly. The first week was intense – from waking up before 7am, to coming home, sharing the power time so as to not blow the building’s transformer, downloading photos, showering, finding cheap food, etc. By the time 1 or 2am rolled around, there was no time for anything but sleep. Hopefully that will change.

rbo – fri, jun6, 11am
(Originally published June 18th: Like last time, this was written almost 2 weeks ago, but I now have Internet again!)

Through the airport, onto the plane, into the sky.  10 hours of daylight, with an arrival time of 10:30am in Frankfurt.  Thanks to the digital flight tracking, I confirmed that we did indeed trace the sun across the arctic, so until tonight, we experienced at least 24 straight hours of daylight.  Slightly confusing, especially paired with a short stop at the apartment to drop our bags and head out to the Celian Hill for our first brief tour of the study.

San Stefano Rotundo was the first visit.  Though I should start by describing the drive from the airport.  We experienced our first Italian traffic. Fun!  We also experienced the landscape from ground-level, vs. our familiar Google Earth view (and everything seems so much closer this way). Not only is everything so much closer, it is all much larger. The Gazzometro skeletons in Ostiense, the Colloseo, the dome of St. Peter’s.  It’s all right there, and it’s big..  San Stefano Rotundo. Huge. We arrived 2 minutes to closing, but Rus asked politely and we were granted an extra 3 mins.  Then hit another church, then the Caeliemontana park, the Arc of Dolabella, San Giovanni e Paolo, and the Clivus Scaura before taking a look at the Colloseo from atop one of the hills.

It hasn’t hit me yet.  I’m in Roma.  I know I’m in Roma.  It’s hot and humid and hectic and italian, but I’m not quite here yet.  Perhaps sleep will help, but there’s much reviewing to do before meeting il gruppo at the arc of Titus before grabbing a monthly metro pass at 8am for a full day of walking a good portion of ancient Roma (Palazzo Popolo to the Jewish Ghetto, and everything in-between)

It should be good.  It will be good.
Heyguesswhat I’m in Italia!
- rbo

(Originally published June 12: I apologise for the lack of updates. Internet was either completely unavailable, or there was no time between sleeping and working to go out and find it. But here I am, 3am on our last night in Roma, sitting on the stoop of a closed store a block away from the apartment.. fully packed for the drive to Dolciano up in Tuscany in the morning, but not at all ready to leave…)