Honors in Rome
A Study into Art History, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Italian Culture
Brief Reflection on Italian Culture:
If anything could be said of Italians, it's that they know how to enjoy life. They enjoy life because it is not stressful. Life is not stressful because there is no constant demand to work. There is no constant demand to work because there is no need to do so. There is no need to do so because there is no emphasis on materialism. The inhabitants of Italy do not seem overly concerned on climbing the socioeconomic ladder that is prevalent here in the United States. They learn to enjoy with what they already have instead of chasing after what they do not. The joys of life is found not in the possessions they have but in the experiences and relationships they have. They start work late in the morning. They spend hours on lunch and dinner. And they stay up late in the night socializing. In general, the pace of life feels slower, more relaxed. Initially, outsiders (such as me) might perceive this attitude as inefficient or maybe even lazy, only to realize this conclusion is a result of cultural misunderstanding, trying to project a different culture's expectations onto another. Only after further contemplation was I only able to understand (and maybe even admire) this more relaxed lifestyle and carry this cultural lesson back home with me.
If anything could be said of Italians, it's that they know how to enjoy life. They enjoy life because it is not stressful. Life is not stressful because there is no constant demand to work. There is no constant demand to work because there is no need to do so. There is no need to do so because there is no emphasis on materialism. The inhabitants of Italy do not seem overly concerned on climbing the socioeconomic ladder that is prevalent here in the United States. They learn to enjoy with what they already have instead of chasing after what they do not. The joys of life is found not in the possessions they have but in the experiences and relationships they have. They start work late in the morning. They spend hours on lunch and dinner. And they stay up late in the night socializing. In general, the pace of life feels slower, more relaxed. Initially, outsiders (such as me) might perceive this attitude as inefficient or maybe even lazy, only to realize this conclusion is a result of cultural misunderstanding, trying to project a different culture's expectations onto another. Only after further contemplation was I only able to understand (and maybe even admire) this more relaxed lifestyle and carry this cultural lesson back home with me.
Lengthy Reflection on Italian Culture:
During my study abroad program, my professor and supervisor, Arendt Spenser, often stated, “It’s important to be a traveler and not a tourist. While the tourist only sees the obvious, the region’s landmarks, and only intends to see those landmarks, the traveler observes beyond the obvious: he (or she) will absorb the atmosphere and from that, learn the region’s culture and history. During my in Italy, I strove to not be the tourist but the traveler. From my time there, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to describe Italy in a single word; instead, a multitude of words flood my mind from memories: architecture, art, beauty, culinary delights, culture and sub-cultures, Italian language, people,…and more.
Within the overarching, mainstream Italian culture, there are subcultures, and within those cultures are subcultures. Cultures within cultures. For example, Italy has northern, central, and southern regional subculture. And within those regional cultures, there are subcultures, the cultures of cities. Cultural differences can be subtle and may range from spoken dialects to perceptions of outsiders.
The Italians live in multiple time periods simultaneously. They live in the past in the time of ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance, but they also live in the present. My impression of Italians are they are not futurists but historians, the keepers of the past. In Italy, the humanities are still cherished unlike the rest of world who have seemingly forgotten the beauty of art, music, and history. The Italians have a philosophical view of life. They emphasize the quality of life rather than the quantity of life; they learn to be content with what they have instead of chasing after what they do not have, a lesson that the rest of the world could use. Yet, Italy is not only a place of humanistic beauty but a place of topographical beauty as well.
ROMA (ROME). The city where ancient Rome is still alive. Everywhere the traveler can see a relic from the past: a two-thousand-year-old ponte, bridge, a pantheon where the Roman gods and goddesses used to stand, the square where Caesar’s blood was spilt, a Roman column (Trajan’s column) that celebrates and tells the story of Rome’s military victory in Dacia (modern-day Romania), an ancient Roman forum, an amphitheater (Coliseum) where gladiators fought for the entertainment of the masses. The relics of the past whisper their stories to those who listen, giving them a glimpse into a past long gone. Everywhere, ancient Rome projects itself onto modern Rome, providing a blending dichotomy. Yet, while Rome has one foot firmly planted in the past, it has the other foot firmly planted in the present. Everywhere, one can see tourists flooding to landmarks; everywhere, one can see vehicles hurrying to their destinations. Rome is also the city that never sleeps. Always, there is some form of activity: people attending a public theater at night, the young flock to bars and night clubs, travelers walk along the mighty Tiber River, marveling at the beautiful sight and appreciating its historical significance. The people of Rome are proud of their culture and rightly so. It's misfortunate that not many people take the time to properly understand the culture, leading some of the inhabitants to develop a jaundiced perspective on outsiders; yet, they appreciate the traveler who tries to gain a true understanding of the culture. The Romans know how to enjoy life. They go out late in the night without any fear of violent crimes, and they wake up late in the morning knowing that they can. The traveler may find it difficult to transition to the slower pace of life; conversely, the traveler may find it difficult to transition to the faster place of life of home.
FIRENZE (FLORENCE). The city where the Renaissance still lives…and rightly so, as the Renaissance had its beginnings here. Like Rome, Florence exists both in the past and present. Everywhere the traveler can see the Renaissance: an enormous cathedral designed by the great Leonardo da Vinci, famous artworks and sculptures by famous artists such as Michelangelo’s David, musicians playing the works of Baroque music composers such as Bach and Indie-style artists such as Coldplay, an outdoor orchestra playing classical music, even a bridge has been made into a work of art, masquerading as a series of building hanging over the water: a sensory overload. The Renaissance architectural style of the buildings makes the traveler feel like he (or she) has stepped into the past and is living in the past. Yet, Florence is also a city of the present. Everywhere, the traveler can see fashion and business. Everywhere, the traveler can see tourists from around the world. In this city, the traveler gains a sense of temporal oneness, living in the past and present, where the barriers between the past and present fall away, and the two blend together into a cohesive whole. Florence is the city of the wealthy. Everywhere, the traveler can see the opulence of the city: well-maintained and clean streets, beautifully designed buildings, shops for expensive tastes, many artworks and sculpture, a public orchestra. The city’s inhabitants are more professional in business, a result of doing business with the other countries, and they are more open with outsiders, a result of dealing with different people from different countries. Yet, in a city where business thrives, there is no sense of urgency; it is surprisingly quiet, relaxing, making it difficult for the traveler to leave this beautiful city.
VENEZIA (VENICE). The water city. Everything about this city stands out from the rest. The city doesn’t have roads; instead, it has canals. The city doesn’t have bordering countrysides; instead it has the Mediterranean Sea. The city doesn’t have any vehicles; instead, it has boats. The art style doesn’t focus on frescos; instead, it focuses on mosaics. The Venetians don’t speak standardized Italian; they speak Venetian Italian, a dialect of standardized Italian. Venice is the negative mirror of all the other Italian cities.
MILANO (MILAN). The modern city. The atmosphere brims with energy. Tourists do what tourists usually do, flocking to the landmarks. Vehicles rush by, hurrying to their destination. Cobblestones roads have been transformed into streaks of asphalt gray. Skyscrapers grow towards the heavens. Even the skies change dynamically from sunny to thunder and lightning and rain. At night, the city lights shower from the sky. One never needs to walk far to see lines of shops and restaurants or exquisite shopping centers, all clamoring for attention. Travelers who listen to their surroundings can ascertain that this is a city of business, tourism, and more. Yet, even in this modern city, history still exists alongside the modern if the traveler stops and listens. The famous cathedral of Milan displays its Italian Gothic architectural style. Sforza Castle stands tall after many centuries; within it are relics of the past that give the traveler a glimpse of life in the Italian medieval age. Also within the castle is Michelangelo’s final sculpture, Rondanini Pieta, that speaks of human mortality and pain. Within Milan, some of the works of the great Leonardo da Vinci reside, The Last Supper and the Codex Leicester. The relics of the past gives the traveler a glimpse of only a minuscule portion of the might of Renaissance intellectualism. Yet although history is present, it does not echo as strongly into the present as it did in Rome and Florence. Rather, the city allows the traveler to return from a journey into the past and return home into the present where the traveler can enjoy the conveniences of the technology that has transformed the rest of the world.
ASSISI. The medieval town. Medieval structures pervade the place. A castle that overlooks the Assisi. Churches and saints seem prevalent. The town emanates a sense of quiet and peace, untouched by modern technology. Surrounding Assisi is the beautiful Italian countryside with its checkered patterns of varying hues. Nearby, an enormous underground cave contains stalagmites that took thousands of years to form. Assisi is perhaps the epitome of the beautiful Italian countryside town.
CINQUE TERRE. The Five Lands. The five islands. The five cities: Monterroso al Mare. Vernazza. Corniglia. Manarola. Riomaggiore. No roads link the villages besides the hiking trails. If any place could rival, or even surpass, the natural beauty of the Hawaiian islands, it would be Cinque Terre. The sea sparkles an startlingly clear azure complemented by the rich, sky blue of the heavens. The mountains wears a beautiful forest of lush, green trees contrasting the colorful houses that hug together along the chiseled cliff coasts. A place of beauty.
Looking back, I can only say that it was privilege to have the opportunity to visit Italy: to have learnt Italian culture and to gaze upon its splendor. I hope to visit Italy again someday soon.
During my study abroad program, my professor and supervisor, Arendt Spenser, often stated, “It’s important to be a traveler and not a tourist. While the tourist only sees the obvious, the region’s landmarks, and only intends to see those landmarks, the traveler observes beyond the obvious: he (or she) will absorb the atmosphere and from that, learn the region’s culture and history. During my in Italy, I strove to not be the tourist but the traveler. From my time there, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to describe Italy in a single word; instead, a multitude of words flood my mind from memories: architecture, art, beauty, culinary delights, culture and sub-cultures, Italian language, people,…and more.
Within the overarching, mainstream Italian culture, there are subcultures, and within those cultures are subcultures. Cultures within cultures. For example, Italy has northern, central, and southern regional subculture. And within those regional cultures, there are subcultures, the cultures of cities. Cultural differences can be subtle and may range from spoken dialects to perceptions of outsiders.
The Italians live in multiple time periods simultaneously. They live in the past in the time of ancient Rome and the Italian Renaissance, but they also live in the present. My impression of Italians are they are not futurists but historians, the keepers of the past. In Italy, the humanities are still cherished unlike the rest of world who have seemingly forgotten the beauty of art, music, and history. The Italians have a philosophical view of life. They emphasize the quality of life rather than the quantity of life; they learn to be content with what they have instead of chasing after what they do not have, a lesson that the rest of the world could use. Yet, Italy is not only a place of humanistic beauty but a place of topographical beauty as well.
ROMA (ROME). The city where ancient Rome is still alive. Everywhere the traveler can see a relic from the past: a two-thousand-year-old ponte, bridge, a pantheon where the Roman gods and goddesses used to stand, the square where Caesar’s blood was spilt, a Roman column (Trajan’s column) that celebrates and tells the story of Rome’s military victory in Dacia (modern-day Romania), an ancient Roman forum, an amphitheater (Coliseum) where gladiators fought for the entertainment of the masses. The relics of the past whisper their stories to those who listen, giving them a glimpse into a past long gone. Everywhere, ancient Rome projects itself onto modern Rome, providing a blending dichotomy. Yet, while Rome has one foot firmly planted in the past, it has the other foot firmly planted in the present. Everywhere, one can see tourists flooding to landmarks; everywhere, one can see vehicles hurrying to their destinations. Rome is also the city that never sleeps. Always, there is some form of activity: people attending a public theater at night, the young flock to bars and night clubs, travelers walk along the mighty Tiber River, marveling at the beautiful sight and appreciating its historical significance. The people of Rome are proud of their culture and rightly so. It's misfortunate that not many people take the time to properly understand the culture, leading some of the inhabitants to develop a jaundiced perspective on outsiders; yet, they appreciate the traveler who tries to gain a true understanding of the culture. The Romans know how to enjoy life. They go out late in the night without any fear of violent crimes, and they wake up late in the morning knowing that they can. The traveler may find it difficult to transition to the slower pace of life; conversely, the traveler may find it difficult to transition to the faster place of life of home.
FIRENZE (FLORENCE). The city where the Renaissance still lives…and rightly so, as the Renaissance had its beginnings here. Like Rome, Florence exists both in the past and present. Everywhere the traveler can see the Renaissance: an enormous cathedral designed by the great Leonardo da Vinci, famous artworks and sculptures by famous artists such as Michelangelo’s David, musicians playing the works of Baroque music composers such as Bach and Indie-style artists such as Coldplay, an outdoor orchestra playing classical music, even a bridge has been made into a work of art, masquerading as a series of building hanging over the water: a sensory overload. The Renaissance architectural style of the buildings makes the traveler feel like he (or she) has stepped into the past and is living in the past. Yet, Florence is also a city of the present. Everywhere, the traveler can see fashion and business. Everywhere, the traveler can see tourists from around the world. In this city, the traveler gains a sense of temporal oneness, living in the past and present, where the barriers between the past and present fall away, and the two blend together into a cohesive whole. Florence is the city of the wealthy. Everywhere, the traveler can see the opulence of the city: well-maintained and clean streets, beautifully designed buildings, shops for expensive tastes, many artworks and sculpture, a public orchestra. The city’s inhabitants are more professional in business, a result of doing business with the other countries, and they are more open with outsiders, a result of dealing with different people from different countries. Yet, in a city where business thrives, there is no sense of urgency; it is surprisingly quiet, relaxing, making it difficult for the traveler to leave this beautiful city.
VENEZIA (VENICE). The water city. Everything about this city stands out from the rest. The city doesn’t have roads; instead, it has canals. The city doesn’t have bordering countrysides; instead it has the Mediterranean Sea. The city doesn’t have any vehicles; instead, it has boats. The art style doesn’t focus on frescos; instead, it focuses on mosaics. The Venetians don’t speak standardized Italian; they speak Venetian Italian, a dialect of standardized Italian. Venice is the negative mirror of all the other Italian cities.
MILANO (MILAN). The modern city. The atmosphere brims with energy. Tourists do what tourists usually do, flocking to the landmarks. Vehicles rush by, hurrying to their destination. Cobblestones roads have been transformed into streaks of asphalt gray. Skyscrapers grow towards the heavens. Even the skies change dynamically from sunny to thunder and lightning and rain. At night, the city lights shower from the sky. One never needs to walk far to see lines of shops and restaurants or exquisite shopping centers, all clamoring for attention. Travelers who listen to their surroundings can ascertain that this is a city of business, tourism, and more. Yet, even in this modern city, history still exists alongside the modern if the traveler stops and listens. The famous cathedral of Milan displays its Italian Gothic architectural style. Sforza Castle stands tall after many centuries; within it are relics of the past that give the traveler a glimpse of life in the Italian medieval age. Also within the castle is Michelangelo’s final sculpture, Rondanini Pieta, that speaks of human mortality and pain. Within Milan, some of the works of the great Leonardo da Vinci reside, The Last Supper and the Codex Leicester. The relics of the past gives the traveler a glimpse of only a minuscule portion of the might of Renaissance intellectualism. Yet although history is present, it does not echo as strongly into the present as it did in Rome and Florence. Rather, the city allows the traveler to return from a journey into the past and return home into the present where the traveler can enjoy the conveniences of the technology that has transformed the rest of the world.
ASSISI. The medieval town. Medieval structures pervade the place. A castle that overlooks the Assisi. Churches and saints seem prevalent. The town emanates a sense of quiet and peace, untouched by modern technology. Surrounding Assisi is the beautiful Italian countryside with its checkered patterns of varying hues. Nearby, an enormous underground cave contains stalagmites that took thousands of years to form. Assisi is perhaps the epitome of the beautiful Italian countryside town.
CINQUE TERRE. The Five Lands. The five islands. The five cities: Monterroso al Mare. Vernazza. Corniglia. Manarola. Riomaggiore. No roads link the villages besides the hiking trails. If any place could rival, or even surpass, the natural beauty of the Hawaiian islands, it would be Cinque Terre. The sea sparkles an startlingly clear azure complemented by the rich, sky blue of the heavens. The mountains wears a beautiful forest of lush, green trees contrasting the colorful houses that hug together along the chiseled cliff coasts. A place of beauty.
Looking back, I can only say that it was privilege to have the opportunity to visit Italy: to have learnt Italian culture and to gaze upon its splendor. I hope to visit Italy again someday soon.
Roma (Rome). The city where ancient Rome still lives.
Firenze (Florence). The city where the Renaissance still lives.
Venizia (Venice). The city of water.
Milano (Milan). The modern city.
Fabriano. The town where Medieval Italy still lives.
Cinque Terre. The Five Earths. The five cities of paradise.