Orto Botanico and the Italian countryside… sorprese semplici a Roma e Viterbo

Coming to a foreign country I wasn’t looking for a vacation or some sightseeing, or even just a simple book of photos to show off to my friends.  I decided to come here for an experience.  To dig my feet in some new soil, to eat new food, meet new friends… live a different life so completely outside of my familiar surroundings.  It’s crazy that it took an entire month to actually feel like I was finally accomplishing something and getting somewhere.  It is one thing to drop into a foreign country, see some sights, take some photos, and take off soon after, but it’s quite another thing to settle down and make the foreign country your home.

It is unfortunate sometimes because I am realizing how fast 4 months really is going.  I finally am beginning to really love it: the people, the food, the atmosphere.  The way of life so unique to this country.  It is so authentically rich, just like the flavors of their food.  Spaghetti al dente, musky thick fall air, crinkled fallen leaves, gelato stuck to our thumbs.  Fountains, buildings with age, but full of life.  The ivy, the peach smoked walls of my bedroom and the way traffic never stops.  It’s all Italy and it’s all what I’m becoming accustomed to.  It’s all what I’m falling in love with.  So much so that I’m almost scared sometimes to go back and losing all that I have found.

It’s just the simple things really that get to me.  That send a rush of excitement through my body, that sparks a smile across my face, like I’d been hit by some mysterious yet magical bolt of lightening.  From the moment a train takes off to the color of the turquoise seats.  The experience of an Italian woman with thick black Gucci sunglasses and a marbled color scarf yelling at you in Italian.  The fact that it makes you laugh inside because you can’t understand a word she says.  And the way the entire train is looking at you, yet you’re not a tad bit embarrassed.

Then the birds.  The way the birds dance heavily in the sky, the way the light follows them from the train stations after midnight.  Then there is the color of a simple pigeon.  The sway of its head, carrying it along. And the beautiful violet color of its neck.  The moment where you wish you had a crumb to share.  That would perhaps make you that much closer to the things that you can never understand.

And my favorite.  The colors.  The color of the sky right now.  White, a moment ago, now blue.  Soft, the colors of a baby boy’s velvet blanket.  It’s clarity and it’s written invitation. As though it wants me to come wherever the clouds carry it, as far as it goes, further away.  Terra cotta and orange.  The color of peaches, fresh plucked from the tree.  The contrast of it against the green hillside. The pink Convolvus nervously peaking from behind a rod iron fence.  The thick forests of bamboo swaying along the highways.  The view from a castle.  The hills rolling into the horizon.  Dotted with houses.  Oranges and yellows.  Creamy white, the color of vanilla and whipping cream. 

It’s all these moments that make me so badly want to stay here and never leave.  The discovery of the Italian countryside today.  The moment where I feel truly at home, only against the curve of dirt roads, rows of fruit trees and the smell of the earth held statically and thickly in the air.  The smell I want to take with me wherever I go.  And eat it, live it, become it.

All these moments- just lent discoveries in these small yet oh so big four months.  Scrolling through hundreds of photos already taken, wondering of the person I was, and perhaps the person I am becoming.  But that’s life, its all stepping-stones… this one just happens to be a half a world away.

I am finding that the best moments come unplanned and unscheduled.  This is the only way the outcome is… unforgotten.

Roma,

this last Friday.

The area of the Vatican where daily mass is held

My last post.  I wasn’t a fan of Rome.  It made me want to go home, to Viterbo and back to I knew what Italy was.  But that was the day I didn’t really see Rome.  I saw the Colosseum, The Forum, I saw buildings.  But I saw these things against crowds and people and an overabundance of noise and sweltering air.  I saw the corner of Rome that swallowed tourists whole, like Jonah and the whale.

But Friday I escaped this vortex, of following the crowd like a little lost lamb.  Without a group, just one other person, we let ourselves take us where we want to go.  We explored Rome for what it truly is, and got to see an entirely different part of it. 

My friend and I started out by catching the 8 am train from Viterbo.  12.50 Euro for a ticket there and back, which includes metro transportation in Rome.  Quite a steal if you ask me.  It began on the train, by a window seat and watching the part of Italy forgotten in tour books pass outside my window.  Plots of gardens, thick green brush, scatterings of starved trees, of lively ones too.   With several stops, the train ride takes about two hours.  And the goal once we arrived: to get to the Vatican mass by 11am. 

So we jumped off the train like anxious children do like when they get out of their beds on Christmas morning.  We took out our map, and followed the dome of the Vatican, occasionally asking for directions every few blocks.  It was pretty straightforward so we found it quickly enough.  The trick is to find a nun or priest and just follow.  They’re bound to be headed there anyways. 

The Vatican & Piazza San Pietro

Upon arriving to Piazza San Pietro, I was immediately overcome with memories of my last visit to the Vatican.  The Piazza looked so empty, though it was a bustling Friday morning.  This probably was because the last time I had visited was on Easter Sunday.  The most of what occurred that day was a rain shower, a view of umbrellas, and the frustration of people trying to get the best view.  The open piazza that morning looked so much more… inviting.  And consequently I was looking forward to participating in mass a lot more.

After going through a long line and passing through security, which actually went pretty fast, we were able to finally make it to the Vatican.  Its size is so completely overwhelming, from the columns reaching to the ceiling of gold so high that my eyes could barely reach, to the detailed statues and paintings at every vantage point.  I couldn’t believe that people had actually created this marvelous structure.  It’s so difficult to imagine when you feel like a speck against the grandiose of columns and archways.  We were right on time for mass, which was located at the back left corner of the Vatican.  There were pews set up, and it was kept separate from the rest of the Vatican only with red markers.  It took a few moments to settle out of the mindset of sightseeing and to calm down from the mad rush that it took to get there.  But it didn’t take too long as it seemed so separate from the plethora of tourists and crowds of people.  Though the mass was held in Italian, it was a good time for silence and prayer for all those that participated. 

Michelagnelo's Pieta

The mass lasted an hour, typical of Catholic mass, so after that we toured around the Vatican.  After admiring the beautiful statues, paintings and mosaics from several famous artists, we marveled at the beautiful “Pieta” by Michelangelo.  The statue was commissioned with the contract stipulating that it had to be “the most beautiful work in marble that exists in Rome to this day.”  According to the story, the statue was being attributed to other artists, so one night Michelangelo crept into Saint Peter’s and engraved his name on the Virgin’s breast.  This is the only sculpture Michelangelo signed. 

From the Vatican, we decided to cross over the Ponte Sant’Angelo, to take a walking tour that would end at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere.  The bridge was located right by the Castel Aant’Angelo and passed directly over the Fiume Tevere (Tiber River).  Along the bridge were statues of white marble angels that held “an instrument of the martyrdom of Christ” such as the nails and the cross.  They were humble reminders of the long history of Vatican City along with its dedications and religious roots.

The weather was perfect for walking, and thought it was humid, it wasn’t too warm. The cool air from the river helped and the beautiful views would have probably kept us going whatever the weather.  Our goal was to ultimately reach the Basilica of Santa Maria though the guidebook we were using noted there was a garden on the way.  I was assuming it would be a simple garden that might take a few moments to tour around and admire… but luckily I was more than wrong.

I am used to these being able to fit in the palm of my hand...

After walking quite a ways and stopping at some local shops here and there, we finally stumbled upon the Orto Botanico.  The garden belongs to the University of Rome and hosts an amazingly rich variety of Mediterranean trees and plants.  We decided to just take a few moments to walk around, not realizing it covered nearly 30 acres, hosted more than 3,000 species, not to mention a beautiful staircase and waterfall…

With a turn of the corner, we were immediately overtaken by gigantic Yucca plants.  As I work at a Greenhouse, I had become accustomed to several of the smaller varieties, and maybe even some of the same varieties but just not so large.  But here right in front of me were succulents and desert plants so large they almost seemed unreal.  I really almost went wild walking from plant to plan in excitement learning their names and seeing the plethora of varieties of plants: ones I was familiar with and ones I had never heard of.  I felt super smart when I could name a few plants like Brugmansia, Lantana, and Euphorbia, though I knew I just put a tiny dent into the dozens of other plants I couldn’t seem to find a name for.  It was fun nonetheless.  I wanted to just pitch a tent and stay the night, but unfortunately the tour book didn’t list that as an option.

A view of the greenhouse hosting succulents from all over.

We even ran into a greenhouse full of succulents from all over the world, some so rare they were behind metal fencing so nobody touched them.  There were cactuses that looked like they came straight out of a Dr. Seuss book and succulents with thick hair almost a foot long.  I never knew there was any such thing!  From the greenhouse we continued on following pathways that curved and winded along a plethora of evergreen, deciduous and even palm trees that towered above all.  One of my favorite parts though was a bamboo forest with a small stone pathway running between the rows of dense growth.  From there we reached a Japanese garden with beautiful Japanese trees and a quiet waterfall meandering through the vegetation.  From some points, through the silhouette of the trees, you could even seen Saint Peter’s Basilica towering above the scenic view of Rome. Molto bella, molto bella was all I could say.  Sometimes, a picture (or a view) can say more than a thousand words. And that’s a rare thing for me to say. 

And much to our surprise, we happened to be at the gardens when they were hosting a special weekend for locals to showcase their special products.  From soap made from extra virgin olive oil colored with natural pigments from flowers to local honey and candles, I definitely spent some time looking around and asking about the products.  It was a perfect place for souvenirs for close friends and family… ;-)

Palm trees galore.  I couldn't believe I was in Rome!

Though I never wanted to leave, the last train from Rome to Viterbo left at 9 and it was already after 6.  If we wanted to see the church and stop for a nice dinner, and catch the train, we had to be off.  The sun was already setting, so it made me a little nervous with the time constraint.  But we quickly made our way out and before we knew it, we were standing right at the base of the beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria.  Inside there were beautiful mosaics and in the background was the soft sounds of the Gregorian chant.  We were there 20 minutes before they closed, so we used those to gather our thoughts and to marvel in the beautiful pieces or artwork. 

From the church we found a nice place to sit down and eat dinner.  I really wanted to have the traditional Italian 4 course meal because I’ve been in Italy for a month and I haven’t had the opportunity to try it yet.  They had the option to do that for a prezoo fisso (fixed price) of 13 Euro so I ordered all 4 courses.  It sounds like a ton of food, but the portions are really small and it is healthy food (unlike most of the American restaurants at home with steak and fries).  My first course was an antipasti, Bruschetta, Primo was homemade lasagna, (the most delicious and amazing lasagna I’ve ever had in my life), then Secondo was chicken with a small salad, and to finish it off, for Dolce, I had crème caramel.  I wasn’t a fan of the dolce, because it tasted like a flan but was not at all thick or creamy, but I was still pretty happy by the end with how delicious the lasagna turned out to be.

The beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria

After finishing our delicious meal, it was time to be off with the fact we had 20 minutes to catch a train with a location we were unaware off.  But luckily we found someone to explain how to get there by taking the tram.  I was excited because I had only taken the tram once or twice before.  We caught it just in time before it left.  In the tram a man had his violin where he proceeded to play a piece from Beethoven and a piece that I recognized from the Disney movie, Aristocats.  I couldn’t stop smiling as I listened to him play.  It was almost a surreal and perfect ending to a wonderful and long day and was such a sweet sound against all the excitement of the new sounds, smells, and sights.  When he finished he walked around for tips.  I didn’t hesitate; he definitely deserved the thanks after putting the last sparkle in my Friday in Rome.

Today and yesterday have just been catching up with things at home, cleaning up, and packing for next week for my trip to Florence.  Today to get some fresh air though, my friends and I decided to take a long walk from behind the apartments outside the walls into the countryside.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon and gave me a glimpse into the quieter way of life some people in the Italy live.  From the winding dirt roads, to old rickety wooden fences, to garden plots, grape vines and olive orchards I was ready to call USAC up and prolong my stay.  It was a great place to take some beautiful photos and gather my thoughts after a busy last few weeks.  I was just really happy to find a place outside the realm of my living situation and be surrounded by the smells and atmosphere of country life. 

From Rome to the countryside of Viterbo, I am definitely having the time of my life.  I am so appreciative of every moment and I am determined to not let a moment slip by without living it to its fullest potential.  Enough with the cliché statements though… until next time…

Ciao Ciao