Hey you’ve Gotta see this!






Hey you’ve Gotta see this!
Posted by
Maudie Banta
at
5:01 AM
The day starts off with a parade around the different plazas throughout the city with around 100 or so men dressed up in medieval costumes, holding flags and guns, marching to the beat of the drums. We got the most pleasant wake up call at about 8am of the drum parade making its way around the city. This event happens once a year and we were lucky enough to be apart of its festivities for the day. The festival is in the honor of St. John, the patron saint of the city. The event is called “Calcio Storico Fiorentino,” or “Historical soccer from Florence,” originated in Florence around 1200-1300 AD. It served as a competition for many of the nobleman in the area at the time and it was seen as ok because violence and death were accepted back then. The fighting that goes on during these games can date back to when the Gladiators fought during Roman times. The players and the men in the parade wore clothes that represented what was worn in the 15th century. In an article I read about the annual event, even popes such as Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII are said to have enjoyed the bloody game. However, in the last few years, the game has been seen as too violent because of the fights that have broke out in the middle of the game and was actually banned for the entire year of 2007 as punishment for their “unacceptable behavior.”
My friends and I sat down and waited for all of the members of the parade to line up on the field and then it was time for the two rugby teams to enter the arena. The crowd was going wild and I was having a hard time just taking it all in. There I was sitting in front of one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen and I was about to watch big hefty men tear each other to shreds for possession of the ball and trying to win for their “side” of he city. Wearing blue meant you were from one side of the river and wearing white meant you were from the opposite side of the river. The parades of medieval men were summoned off the field and it was time to begin the match. There were 27 muscled and shirtless players on the field from each team and I knew from that point on I was in for a real surprise. The whistle was blown and I was shocked at all the hitting, punching, tackling that went on in the first minute of the game. I was seriously in my own little world trying to keep up with what was going on. The ball was being tossed from player to player but then that player would get pounded into the ground and the next player, white or blue would pick up the ball and run. Men from opposing teams were tackling and fighting all over the field while referees were trying to break up the major punch throwing also going on.
A couple of times during the match, a stretcher made its way onto the field, but no one on the field even noticed. The game continued on as a member of the white team was carried off the field in agony. The gruesome game went on for about 50 minutes and by the time it was over I had to sit down for a good 10 minutes and take in what I had just witnessed. Nothing like that would ever be played in the United States.
The event was more than just a game and some hitting; it was a major symbol for
Posted by
Maudie Banta
at
5:00 AM
When you go to Rome one of the most popular attractions is Vatican City.Vatican City is its own country inside of a country; it has its own laws and regulations and is one of the biggest tourist venues in the world. The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, lives within the parameters of the city making this one of the holiest places on the planet.
When we arrived at Vatican City, we were awestruck by the number of people that were congregating in the central plaza.As we were headed down the street we saw tons of people lining the street so we stopped for a second and I asked this English tourist what was going on and she said the Pope was supposed to be driving by in a few minutes, sure enough, 30 seconds later the we saw a black Mercedes cruising down the street and inside you could see Pope Benedict XVI. For me it was a humbling experience as a Catholic because I felt a connection to everyone else around me. I was sharing in a common identity that millions of other people share with me, it was a moment of total solidarity and understanding.
After we took a bunch of pictures in the central plaza we headed over to find a tour guide, we ended up getting this crazy, stereotypical Italian man who loved to tell jokes and make his group laugh. We walked all around the walls that surround the city and mark off its own national territory so Romans know where their city ends. We walked through the Musei Vaticani where we saw countless famous statues and many more paintings, frescos, tapestries, and mosaics. We saw quite a few of the Roman gods, which I thought was really interesting because I am surprised that the Vatican which denounces paganism houses these ancient statues. In addition to the Roman gods, quite a few Egyptian pieces are focal points throughout the Musei Vaticani.Our tour guide pointed out that the Vatican itself is made up of many different and distinct pieces such as the pillars from famous places in Rome and artwork that has been all over the world. I personally think the reason the Catholic Church has decided to include such pieces is because the word “Catholic” is supposed to mean universal and these pieces contribute to the idea of this worldliness.
The Sistine Chapel is one of those places that are the absolute highlights of Rome and The Vatican. It was everything I had expected and more, the frescoes were absolutely incredible and massive in a way that is hard to describe. There were strict rules about photography in the Sistine Chapel but our tour guide told us to take some pictures quickly. Some of the other members of my tour group and I whipped out our cameras and snapped a few shots of these famous scenes. Right after I took two shots, the guards rushed over and pulled the cameras out of the others hands and made them delete the pictures immediately. I saw this and quickly tossed my camera in purse so I have two “prohibited” pictures of the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide was explaining some of the cleaning that has taken place in the Sistine Chapel; a few years ago, a Japanese cleaning company was hired to restore the color to these famous frescoes. Most of Rome and the rest of the world was appalled at this action because it is a commonly known fact that artwork can be damaged through restoration. The fact that the Vatican decided to restore these frescoes to their original glory showed that their true value was not in the physical possession of the artwork, but it lies within the happiness and inspiration that the artworks can bring to many of the patrons and tourists. The Sistine Chapel and Musei Vaticani are some of the most frequented places in the world and I now see why they are so popular. These places can mean so many different things to so many different people.
Posted by
Maudie Banta
at
4:44 AM
Italy may be home to
some of the oldest history in all of Europe, but I have to admit, what I was most excited for was the food!
Whether Elizabeth Gilbert is writing about her falling in love with the pasta and gelato, Papa John is bragging about his pizza, or Lady and the Tramp are sharing a dish of spaghetti, we have been raised as an American culture to associate Italy with authentic cuisine. Therefore, my goal of the weekend was to have the most delicious pasta, pizza, and whatever else I could find in Rome or Florence, in my opinion, the ultimate tourist attraction.
As usual, on the train to Florence I was preparing for the weekend by reading the “Let’s Go: Western Europe” travel book. The first subject I flipped to (rather than the sites, museums, or transportation) was the Food section. There I found out that Florence is known for bruschetta and gelato… and considering I find anything with tomatoes to be amazing and, well, gelato speaks for itself, I was even more excited for our arrival.
Florence has it all figured out: plant four gelaterias on every block and everyone is bound to get business- or at least that’s how it seemed. As soon as we stepped out of the train station we bee-lined to the gelateria across the street only to find it packed with the every other tourist from the train station. Clearly we are pretty obvious about our desires in Italy, because everything was written in English at each gelateria, and we never came across a non-English speaking worker. This solidified the fact that the Duomo, Academia, and Roman ruins weren’t the only tourist attractions Italy has to offer.
Then for dinner we put all of Italy’s, and especially Florence’s, traditional cuisine to the test. First (and what I still think of as the best) thing for me to eat (after the gelato,
Needless to say I indulged in gelato twice a day four days straight (literally) and had bruschetta with every dinner, and I don’t regret a single bite. But I will say, that the hype of the Italian dishes was kind of crazy, and really made me wonder how Italy (specifically Florence) became known for its gelaterias and bruschetta dishes. I found out that although gelato is adored and enjoyed throughout Europe, it is especially famous in Florence because the inventor of the desert, the Buontalenti family, is Florentine. Therefore, the Florentines take this history very seriously and claim the delicacy as their own- proven by the abundance of gelaterias throughout the city.
And although it may seem obvious, pasta and tomatoes are a cultural norm for Italians because of their geography and history. It used to be that the Italians only ate and produced according to the resources they had access to and also according to their funds. Pasta was an inexpensive dish that could be eaten with meat in order to appease an appetite without spending a fortune on the meal. The olives and tomatoes that are present in almost every dish are so ripe and fresh because they grow in the perfectly in the Italian climate- therefore the locals always have access to these ingredients. It is because of the spread by word of mouth, media, and photography that these traditions have spread globally and made Italy an eating capital of the world. So while I found the David to be extraordinary and the views from the Duomo breathtaking; it is the authentic Flortine cuisine that brought me to Italy. After seven weeks of travel I have definitely learned that it’s not just monuments, museums, and landscapes that will bring me to a country- but also the food and deserts!
Posted by
Alyson Byrne
at
9:11 AM
Posted by
Alyson Byrne
at
9:02 AM
Posted by
Alyson Byrne
at
8:54 AM