We've learned to share in Rome . . .

As we we waited to begin our tour of the synagogue and museum in the Jewish Ghetto, a downpour began. The few folks who had umbrellas were kind enough to share. Opportunities for cute photo-ops ensued (evidenced in the image to the right).

Museo-Atelier Canova-Tadolini

We held a meeting of the minds this past week (A.K.A. an instructors' meeting), and Jenny & Mike picked a great spot for it: Museo-Atelier Canova-Tadolini. We walked up Via del Corso, toward the Spanish Steps, and meandered into a cafe/museum on Via Babuino crowded with plaster casts of sculptures large and small. We sat among the sculptures and talked shop, enjoying over-priced (but I have to admit, kinda worth it) cappuccini and spremute. This "museum" was once the studio of sculptor Antonio Canova and then his student Adamo Tadolini. Definitely beats grading speeches on a coffeehouse couch in State College.

Palazzo Pitti

After we wore out our welcome in Siena, we set out for Firenze on Saturday morning. The line to see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia was absurd (and there was no guarantee that we would get in), so we headed south, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, and paid the entry fee for the Pitti Palace. Hillary and I bought the second ticket option (for ten euro, not too bad), which was good for all of the special exhibits as well as the Boboli Gardens that sprawl out behind the palace.

I enjoyed all of the exhibits (really, it's totally worth the ten euro), but I was most pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a fashion exhibit--Galleria del Costume. No photos were allowed, so you'll just have to believe me that it consisted of women's and men's clothing from the past three centuries, as well as two extra special exhibits: one that showcased buttons (they ranged from functional to artsy to blatantly imperialist to markers of status) and another that featured the burial clothing of two of the Medicis (quite the macabre scene--extremely low light, decomposed dress parts, and codpieces--oh my!). There was a disclaimer at the entrance explained that the focus of the exhibit is the concept of "being in fashion." Also included were some broader questions about humans and dress and the historical and situational constraints that interact with our personal choices of what (not) to wear:

"Being fashionable means following the taste of the time and adapting to the latest novelties. But what room does this leave for personal choices in dress? And to what extent do we really want to distinguish ourselves by what we wear? Does the tailormade garment really succeed in expressing our innermost identity? Finally, what role do the dressmaker and the designer play in our choices?"

These questions speak to the rhetoric of fashion broadly, as well as my specific concern with the rhetoric of fashion in Rome. Fashion is a way of communicating meaning, and is thus rhetorical. As much as what we wear is a choice, it is also a product of interacting economies (be they cultural, political, financial, etc.) and relative systems of power.

(In lieu of photos of the exhibit, I've included a peony from Boboli Gardens above.)

Siena

Turns out we made a great choice for our first weekend excursion. We arrived in Siena Thursday night and spent the day there on Friday. Siena once competed with Florence and other larger Italian towns in terms of economic and military power, but damn that Black Death for seriously diminishing its population and ruining its chances at world domination (Steves 455). No matter, for Siena is a hopping little tourist town today, and it has retained a certain charm that is not as salient in the larger urban centers.

Siena is also a university town, which is perhaps why the local population appeared to be quite young. The shops are cute, the Internet points are numerous, and nearly everyone's demeanor and dress casually indicate her/his hipness. Even the infants in their strollers were dressed to impress and definitely working it.

As far as our "experience of the culture" of Siena goes (a problematic claim no matter how you attempt to explain it away), we climbed the Torre del Mangia (330 feet tall and a splendid view), walked amidst folks socializing in Il Campo (the town's main square) at night, and found a good deal of wine shops full of souvenir-sized bottles of chianti, grappe, and the traditional Tuscan dessert, panforte. We also snapped some photos of the Duomo (pictured above).

It was a bit easier to observe who is a tourist in Siena, considering there is a lot less noise (in the auditory sense and otherwise) than we have to contend with in Rome on a daily basis. I heard a lot of folks speaking German and French. There were also a good number of tourists and Siena natives communicating in English, although English was not the first language of either person involved in the interaction.

Oh, and lest I forget, our hotel was as small and charming as the city itself, right down to the shower over the toilet. If not for the modest shower curtain, there is no differentiating between the space for showering and the space for toiletting (I think that made up word is enough for you to get the picture). I was so pleased with our time in Siena, I was more than happy to shower over the toilet, and I would be more than happy to do it again.

Grading in Rome

We're just getting back from a morning spent at St. Peter's. We got there before the crowds got too large, so the line to get in was nice and short. The sun was out for a bit (the first time in days), but there's a downpour at the moment. Students are wandering in for Thursday Studio--a few are a bit drenched and over the rain. Hopefully, the weather will clear up soon.

I have spent a substantial amount of the past three days grading undergraduate journals, and so blogging has taken a backseat. I have had some time to put up a flickr site, so you can view more of my photos there, my dear readers (it's a bit thin at the moment, there are more that need to be uploaded). Later today, Hillary, Jessica, Mark, and I are taking the train to Siena and will spend some time there and in Florence. We'll be back in Rome Saturday night, and blogging may resume on Sunday. Until then!

A Surprise in the Park

As the 95 bus we were riding pulled up beside my "place"--the park in the Piazza di Santa Maria Liberatrice--we noticed there was a small fair set up with vendors and some shady looking carnival rides (my favorite). I haven't quite figured out what the celebration is about, but I was pleasantly surprised to happen upon it. After dropping heavy school bags off in our apartment, we walked through the park, and I caught a few photos. There were lots of families, babies, and dogs--the fair attracted more folks than might normally be out on a Monday evening. The children appeared to be more interested in the existing playground equipment than the impromptu rides. The assorted vendors' inventories included breads, wines, cheeses, t-shirts, Native American art, pottery, and CDs and DVDs.

Porta Portese

Yesterday, Hillary, Jessica, and I meandered over to the Sunday flea market just across the river in the neighborhood of Trastevere. The Porta Portese market is loud, bustling, and (apparently) a good place to have your pocket picked. Fortunately, we all returned with all of our valuables, and a few extras (for example, a travel alarm clock--something I completely forgot and is definitely a necessity). The deal at this market is to bargain your way down from the vendor's stated price. The most popular advice is to offer half the original amount and walk away, getting the vendor to "bite" and haggle with you. I was hoping for more food stalls, and perhaps some diverse kinds of foods, but alas, there were only the usual panini and pizza vendors. What we did find were lots of small electronics, clothing, bags & luggage, and shoe vendors.