Wine Tasting, the Roman Forum, the Vatican and St. Peter's

Two weeks ago I signed up to go wine tasting with 8 other students in my CEA group. Our student coordinator, Tom, took us to a small wine bar near Campo de'Fiori that had many different kinds of wine. We met Tom's friend there who told us about 4 different kinds of wine as we sampled them. The four wines were Tirle, Rocca Rubbia, Aglianco del Vulture and Roero Superiore. The Greeks supposedle introduced wine to the Italians, and one of the wines I had (Aglianico del Vulture) s made from the Aglianico grape which is a traditional southern Italian grape believed to be introduced by the Greeks. The Romans were the first to introduce wooden barrels and glas bottles to the wine trade. A wine gets its color from the skin of a grape (for instance white wine can be made from white grapes or skinned red grapes). Many wines consist of a combination of diferent grapes, yet something interesting I learned is that pink wine is not made from mixing red and white wines together, but rather by using the skins of red grapes for only a few hours. The thinner the skin of a grape, the higher acidity the grape will have and the stronger wine it will produce. Vinegars are produced with very high acidity. Out of all the wines my favorite was Roero Superiore, which is produced by Malvira' in Piemonte. Piemonte and Tuscany are where the most abundant/popular wines come from in Italy, yet Roero Superiore is less known. I liked it best because it was made with the Nebbole grape, which has a small skin. Our bottle in particular had grapes picked in 1998 so it was especially strong (the older a wine is the more bitter it becomes), and it had a pleasant aftertaste, although it was too strong for many of the girls at our table. I also like bitter beers and bitter vinegar, so it is no surprise that I now know that I like bitter wine. It is recommended to eat something inbetween each taste of wines this bitter/strong.
As for the other wines, Rocca Rubia is produced by Santadi in Sardegna, and it is a quality wine (which are produced with low acidity) made by many small producers who combine all of their different kinds of grapes. It is sweet and has a decent aftertaste. Tirle is produced by Carandole in Tuscany and it is also sweet but doesn't have much of an aftertaste. It ages in a wooden drum which makes it smoother and last longer. Aglianico del Vulture is produced by Il Repertorio in Basilicata, using the ancient Aglianica grape, and it has a hint of chocolate and horseradish in it.
The other highlight of last week was visiting the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum for my archaeology class. My professor, an archaeologist and architectural historian, fed my hunger for knowledge about this area, the birthplace and bedrock of Rome. The legend of Rome states that it was founded in 753 BC, and archaeological evidence supports it being founded roughly at that time. The area of the forum is located in the valley between the Palatine, Capitoline, and Esquiline hills. This area used to be a swamp (flooded by the nearby Tiber river), and its original inhabitants, the Etruscans and Villanovans (early Etruscans), would live on the hilltops and only bury their dead near the valley/swamp. Different tribes living in the area, including the Sabines and Latins (who are tied to the Romulus and Remus legend) assimilated with the Etruscans, eventually forming a kingdom (which was largely ruled by Etruscan kings). During this period the swamp was
drained. The last Etruscan king was eventually dethroned, establishing the Roman Republic in 509 BC. This period would last until Julius Caesar gained significant power causing him to be assassinated out of fear of becoming a monarch, and Octavian (Caesar’s nephew and adopted son) responded by killing all of the perpetrators and defeating Mark Antony at the battle of Actium, leaving no one to challenge his rule. Octavian thus became the first emperor of Rome and had the Senate proclaim him Augustus (meaning the “revered one”), marking the beginning of the empire in 27 BC.
One important aspect about the Roman Empire is that there was always a wish to connect itself with its past. The famous Via Sacra (Sacred Road), which emperors marched down in the Forum during triumphs, gets its name from the old Etruscan grave sites located nearby the road. Part of the reason for this was for propaganda purposes of the emperors, which is an extremely important part of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar was a mastermind of propaganda, and all the successive emperors (including Augustus) would copy Caesar’s techniques. The placement of almost every building in the Forum and vicinity, the way imperial statues look, etc. all had precise intentional meanings and purposes to further the political agendas of the emperors. Julius Caesar claimed to be a descendent of Aeneas (Ancestor of Romulus and Remus) and the Goddess Venus, so he would in effect claim to have the blood of the founders of Rome. After he was killed, Augustus had the
Senate officially deify him, and placed his temple/burial place in the center of the Forum. He was the only Roman ruler to ever have either of these great distinctions. Since Augustus was proclaimed the adopted son of Caesar in his will, Augustus officially made himself the son of a deity. Also, by placing “S.P.Q.R.” (which means “Senatus Populusque Romanis” or the “Senate and the People of Rome”) on each new public work, it in effect meant that not only the Senate approved of it, but all of Rome must have approved of it, further unifying and controlling the people of Rome. Caesar placed the Curia (senate house) between the sacred monument/site of Romulus in the Forum and his nearby imperial forum, all for propaganda purposes. By keeping their ties to the founders and past rulers, successive emperors were able to maintain authority. It is interesting to compare the propaganda techniques of the Roman emperors with the techniques used in
the current General Election (such as McCain attempting to skip the first debate or how Obama is now always wearing a flag lapel pin). By learning how to read the iconography and decipher the purpose of each monument or piece of art, I am also gaining a keen eye for deciphering hidden meanings behind situations in both the past and the present.
This week I went to the Vatican with my art history class. I climbed up to the top of St. Peter’s dome the week before and had an awesome panoramic view of Rome. On this visit I visited the Vatican museums and saw the Sistine Chapel. The most important statues I saw were the Laocoon (and His Sons), the Belvedere Torso and the Augustus of Prima Porta, and I also saw the famous School of Athens fresco by Raphael. The Laocoon is a magnificent statue depicting Laocoon and his sons at the moment when they are being attacked by snakes sent from Athena for warning the Trojans about the dangers of the Trojan Horse. It is a Greek Hellenistic work due to its great display of emotion, movement, and unbalance. It is significant because although it is believed to be created in the first century BC it was unearthed in 1506 (during the Renaissance) and had a huge influence on the artists of the time, especially Michelangelo. The Belvedere Torso had a similar
effect on Renaissance artists. It (although missing many of its parts) may depict a Greek mythological character who is contemplating suicide (which is why the figure’s muscles are so tense). Its great display of emotion through its tense muscles and scrunched pose influenced Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque artists, including Raphael and Michelangelo. The Augustus of Prima Porta depicts Augusts in a commanding pose, and on his armor is depicted a conquered foreigner handing back the Standard (eagle) of the Roman Empire. Augustus made a big deal over himself retrieving this standard and by engraving this scene on his armor it was there for all Roman citizens to see and remember, serving as a propaganda tool. He also was always depicted with longer hair than a normal Roman to resemble another great young leader in the then-not-so-distant past, Alexander the Great.
My favorite fresco that I saw was Raphael’s School of Athens, painted in the study room/ library of the pope. It was located on the side where the books on philosophy were located, which is why it depicts so many famous Greek philosophers and scholars. The main figures in the center are Plato and Aristotle. Plato, representing his philosophy based in the realm of ideas, is pointing his finger upwards. Aristotle, representing how his ideas are grounded with real-life observations, extends his hand with his palm faced downward towards the earth. There are many famous figures depicted, including Pythagoras and Alexander the Great, yet what is perhaps most interesting is Raphael’s figure portrayed on the right which is believed to depict himself, looking out towards the viewer.
I learned much about the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel from my professor right before we went in it. It depicts the 9 books of Genesis, beginning with the separation of light and dark. The famous two fingers almost touching are that of God and Adam when God creates Adam. God’s hand is full of energy and Adam’s is limp, showing the very moment when God is creating and instilling life into Adam. The reason why this is such an important fresco is not just its beauty but also its originality. Never before had man been depicted to be comparable to God, yet in this fresco Adam exemplifies a perfect body and is a spitting image of God (they have the same face, although God is older). Another interesting fact is that the first half of the ceiling showing the creation the earth and man has God in it, and it is the side under which the clergy were located, while the other half which depicts human misery is where the visitors were located. In this way
the clergy were tied to the greatness of God and the visitors were tied to human misery (a nice propaganda statement). Also depicted on the far end of the chapel is the Last Judgment, and Michelangelo depicted himself (like possibly Raphael in the School of Athens) as the empty flesh/skin being held by one of the figures. Michelangelo spent 4 years of his life painting the ceiling of the Sistine, and he used interesting scaffolding that looked like a bridge mimicking the arch of the ceiling. The ceiling was much higher than I expected, and it was wonderful to be in the same spot as and imagine Michelangelo painting his masterpiece.
For my Italian language class I met some Italians for a conversation exchange. We all had gelato at a gelateria located near Piazza Bologna (which is the metro stop I take for school). The gelateria has the most generous servings out any other one I’ve been to so far, so I will definitely come back to it. The Italian students are around the same age as me and it was extremely fun to get to know them and learn about their culture. We talked about many things, and one girl confirmed that they eat only a brioche (croissant or biscuit) with a small espresso for breakfast. I have already partaken in the Italian tradition of starting off the morning by ordering a small espresso while standing up at the bar and reading the morning paper, so I will try to buy some biscuits and have that for breakfast. It was great to make some potential new friends (Italians won’t call you a friend until you know each other well) and my time with them greatly
improved my Italian language skills. A conversation exchange really is the way to go! We exchanged numbers, made plans to hang out again, and said goodbye (which for me included exchanging kisses on the cheeks with the girls). I really like the closeness of the Italian culture (once you break the ice) and the Italian accent too.
In an effort to become a little more Italian, I walked around the major shopping area (by the Spanish Steps) and looked through the windows and walked into some of the stores. I walked into Gucci, Prada, Giorgio Armani and even tried on a suit at Versace. These places are way to expensive but it was interesting to look around at the stores of the major Italian fashion name brands. I checked out many other cheaper stores and found some good ones which I might shop at sometime.
I now know the layout of the city very well and can easily get around without getting lost. Rome isn’t too big so I often walk when I’m not in a hurry. Italians walk slower than Americans, which is funny because they drive faster and ignore traffic rules (and pedestrians now including I do too… Italians like to challenge authority). Walking in the minor alleys is always a pleasant experience, and every corner you turn there is more beauty around you. I will have my midterms in two weeks and then have a week of vacation. That will mark the middle-point of my time in Rome, which is hard to believe because I am having a blast and time is really going by too fast. I am trying to make the most of my experience by truly living like an Italian… when in Rome.