dominic's TRAVELS

It's been too long....

2010-11-21T08:49:00.007-05:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I must begin by apologizing for not updating this in a few --- months. It has been a busy time, but for all good reasons. Since my last update (July) my parents and sister (Angela) came to visit me! We met in Paris and then on to a little tour around Italy where we met some of our Italian family, truly one of the greatest and most rewarding experiences of my entire life. I don't think I could ever top that, it made me really happy to be Italian, that is for sure. So after our trip I got to go home for a few weeks! It was SO nice to be home and to visit with friends and a lot of family. I sure do wish I had been able to stay longer and meet my nephew JAMES! I truly cannot wait to get home and meet him, and hug him, and hold him, and kiss him.

But alas, school was waiting for me. So once back in Rome I had a few days before school started up again. In this first quarter I took a day trip to a town named Caserta, where the Bourbon kings of Italy lived. It is considered one of the top palaces in Europe and I would agree.

We went because my brother, Mario had visited it when he was studying abroad and he said it was well worth the train. The palace was extremely beautiful and the gardens were very nice, although LONG - we must have walked at least a thousand miles. We did decide to take a little bus back though, for 1 euro. Who knows why we didn't do that in the first place!

Then once the first quarter of school ended we had a small break and my friend Wes and I took a trip to London and then a train to Edinburgh. There are many things about London that I enjoy, most probably the food! It was so nice to have something other than pizza, pasta, and more pasta. Like Fish & Chips! Every time we didn't know what to see or do next, we just went to a pub and got a pint. Now that's something London has - pubs, and lots of them. So we had a nice two day stay in London...we did a lot of walking around.

Also got to go to the Cabinet War Rooms (another Mario recommendation), which are the bunkers where Winston Churchill and the government operated during World War II. I still cannot believe that a country such as England, during something as monumental as WWII - operated from nothing more than a glorified basement!

We also spent some time in the British Museum, where we saw the Elgin Marbles (the marbles taken from the Parthenon in Greece) which were really cool.

After our time in London we took a train up the coast to Edinburgh - this was my first time in Scotland and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking, it is just so green, with the grasses growing on the rocky cliffs and remnants of past castles, it was so great - right out of Braveheart. I would really like to spend some more time there someday.

Wes and I ended up - on a whim - climbing what felt like the tallest mountain in the world - to Arthur's Seat. A really high point overlooking the city, it was a brutal climb/hike/death march but once our legs returned from their jello state - it was worth it.

Because this is my last opportunity to travel I have tried to do as much as possible and take advantage of where I am. The real world is nocking hard at my door and who knows when I will have the opportunity and be lucky enough to travel again. So next I packed in was a trip to Istanbul in Turkey, I went with another friend of mine from school and we had a great time. I think I have decided that the more different a country is from the United States the more I like it, the more it intrigues me and the more I realize how similar the people and cultures around the world really are.

One of my favorite aspects of Turkish culture was their tea - and boy do they drink lots of it. It is really good. I also had the BEST baklava imaginable there - food - maybe the best part of any trip for me :-)

We also visited a few mosques, the Blue Mosque was my favorite - really beautiful, as well as the Hagia Sophia - which was built over 1,600 years ago by the Emperor Justinian. You may have heard of his code - The Justinian Code - which was the precursor to the modern system of laws and government (history nerd I know). It was really incredible to be standing before mosaics that were made ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED years ago, just simply incredible.

(^The Blue Mosque^)

(^The Hagia Sophia^)

So before heading home we did some shopping at the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Markets, which were another favorite part of the trip - I found some really great treasures, I just hope I can get them home in December in one piece!

In other news, perhaps more importantly I have submitted my first draft of my Thesis and am that much closer to being done with school - forever. (I guess never say never) I am just now waiting to hear back from my advisor to make any changes. I am completely done with all my actual classes now though, what a relief it is to be done with all the tests and projects that come with classes.

I am of course truly looking forward to going home for Christmas, hopefully this year there won't be a blizzard the day I am trying to come home - what a mess that was. This will be the third Thanksgiving I have missed and I am trying to just pretend that Thanksgiving is being skipped this year and that I'm not missing anything. We will probably go to an American restaurant however and gorge ourselves with unhealthy foods in honor of America.

It is truly unimaginable to think that I have only 24 short days left before moving back to America for good. Time sure does fly when you are having fun. I am definitely ready though for the next stage of my life, what will probably be called the "unemployed" stage.

Can't wait to see you all soon!

-Dominic

Running of the Bulls - Pamplona Spain!

2010-07-12T06:47:00.006-04:00

I am fairly confident that this will be the craziest entry to date... brace yourself...

It all started at 6 am Friday morning when I woke up, I ate some cereal and got dressed, packed up my few remaining things and headed to Piazza Cavour to catch a bus to the airport. We waited for a while for the bus before deciding to just pay 8 euro more and take a taxi. Of course as soon as the taxi drives away, we see the bus arrive! We went to the airport and caught our flight to Madrid. The flight was an hour late so we got into to Madrid around 11:00. Our bus to Pamplona was not set to leave until 2:30, so we left our bags at the bus station and took the metro into the city. We had just enough time to walk around two squares and ate lunch, had some traditional Spanish Tapas and Sangria, really good stuff.

Then it was back to the bus terminal to get our bags and got on the bus for Pamplona! Unfortunately, we ran into some heavy traffic and our 2 and a half hour bus ride to Soria (to change busses) turned into a 3.5 hour bus ride. Being late we were worried that we would miss our connecting bus, but luckily it waited for all of us. SO, we got on the next bus. (This is where the trip hit a small to significant SNAFU)

We realized that the hostel where we were staying closed at 11:00... it was now 10:45 and were not yet in Pamplona.... yikes. So we called the hostel to let them know we were going to be late and well, I guess customer service is not high on their business model because the woman said she would wait 15 minutes for us and despite our explanation of traffic etc... she just could not fathom why we were late! She told us we needed to take a taxi right away and she would try and wait for us.

Faced with the prospect of sleeping outside all night in Pamplona we got off the bus and started to book-it out to the taxis only to find to our surprise there was a giant festival going on, complete with the most intense close range fireworks display I have seen. No taxi's to be found and no buses in sight, we got a map and a police officer circled where we needed to go, so literally fireworks exploding overhead and I in my flip-flops we took off running. We made it half way and asked another person for directions, so we made it to destination #1 .... where we realized the woman was wrong and we were not where we thought, so we ran some more, this time my book bag had come unzipped and my clothes fell out while I was running! Upon realizing this I turned around and found a woman holding my clothes, thankfully I had put them in a spacebag so they were all together! More running ensued... destination #2... failure... the police man had circled the wrong street! So by now I am looking to see which park bench looks the cleanest and we kept running... finally destination #3 we arrived! Went in covered in sweat and exhausted we thanked the woman for waiting for us, who responded with a smile and said "oh its not a problem at all." I could have screamed. Finally we had arrived, I took a quick shower and went to bed, I can't be sure of what time it was, but it was probably closer to 12:45 by the time we arrived.

The next morning we woke up at 5 am to get dressed and headed out to stake out our spot for the Running of the Bulls! On our way we stopped and bought our traditional Running of the Bulls outfits, we looked awesome!

So we walked to a good spot along the course and waited for two more hours, people were packed in and all waiting in anticipation!

People began to climb up anything they could see to get a better view, trees, street sign polls and balconies on nearby buildings. One guy climbed up a fence to a balcony and sat there until the owners of the balcony came out, the guy was clearly nervous about being exposed up on their balcony (so was the entire crowd) and when he was the owner just laughed and told him to stay there and not to try and climb down, so he said okay, then he lit a cigarette, it was so funny!

So we waited for a good two hours before finally we heard the cannon fire and the people took off running followed closely behind them...were the bulls!!! It was really exciting, the entire thing was over in a matter of seconds but it was 100% worth every bit of our exhausting journey, we had accomplished our goal and we were euphoric! It was so exciting!

After the running we climbed over the fences and walked along the route up to the arena where in the following days the bulls would "participate" in a bull fight to ultimately -meat- their end. (The red door is the entrance to the arena and the end of the half mile course for the Running)

I think these people probably had the best view out of everyone!

After the Running we went to get some lunch and then took a nap before heading to the bus station for our 5 and a half hour bus ride back to Madrid, once there we went to dinner and went to bed, 5 am wake up call to catch our 7 am flight back to Rome... just in time for the final game of the World Cup, 15,000 fans up in the park! Could not have been more exciting! What an adventurous weekend!

This is a video I took, it lasted only a few seconds so you can see the bulls running and then at the end one of the bulls turned around and started to come back towards the people, you can see that at the very end!

The whole experience was so surreal, I had to keep reminding myself of where I was and what I was doing, and every time I got chills! What an experience of a life-time... no... 10 lifetimes!

The Palio in Siena

2010-07-04T06:53:00.009-04:00

This past weekend I accomplished a life goal of mine... to go to Siena to see the Palio!

The Palio is a big race that takes place in the small town of Siena in Tuscany, it happens twice a year, once in July and once in August, this year if fell on Friday July 2nd, so I HAD TO GO!

I recruited some friends and we decided to head up early in the morning to get good seats and camp out until the race, which was going to start around 7pm. So on Friday morning I woke up at 4:45 made it to the metro at 5:17, got the first metro to Termini and then we took the 6:45 train to Chiusi, then caught a bus to Siena, then another bus into the city center... arriving in Siena around 9:30am.

Once in Siena we realized the Campo was not as crowded as we had anticipated so we walked around the city for a while and got some lunch, and hung out.

Siena is divided into 17 Contrate, or neighborhoods, 10 of these neighborhoods run in each palio, 7 coming from those that didn't run in the previous Palio and 3 are drawn. So we each picked a neighborhood to root for and bought flags to cheer on our jockeys! After that we headed down to the Campo and staked our places with some towels, and then.... we sat there... in the 85 degre sun... and waited.... for the next 7 hours.... hahaha... you only live once!

Around 5:30 though there was a huge parade that lasted for two of the 7 hours, it was entertaining, each neighborhood was represented by soldiers, knights, and of course flag throwers. Each of the neighborhood's Jockeys rode huge horses through the parade and were basically the kings of the parade.

After the parade then came time for the Palio! By now the Campo was PACKED with people, it was so exciting! So much anticipation and suspense leading up to a race that I have waited no less than nine years to see!

When the Jockeys came out the crowd went wild with excitement, flags were being waved all over the place, the trumpets sounded, bells rang, and cannons were shot off in the square. The Jockeys then rode their horses to the starting line rope. All the horses had to be in line before the race could start, so after many failed attempts to start.... They were off!

The horse run three laps around the Campo, My horse was in 2nd place for the first two laps, after the second lap one of the horses had lost its Jockey and ended up hitting the corner where I was standing! Then another horse ran into the first and both when tumbling into the railing! It was really really crazy!

After the final lap the race was over... an entire day's worth of anticipation for 90 seconds of the most exciting thing! It was great so after the race we began to make our way out of the Campo and towards our hostel, we ended up on this street where at the bottom was this huge crowd of people had gathered, they were waiting for their neighborhood's jockey to come out, when he did they all erupted in cheer for him, even though he had lost, he was their hero for the day, gave me chills, it was really neat to see their support for him, I mean really, how brave you must be to ride full speed around 90 degree turns bare-back on a horse! I sure would not be able to do it.

So eventually we made it out of the town and began our walk towards the hostel, which was a ways outside the city center, once we arrive we hit a rather large SNAFU. The hostel never received my booking! So we had no room, on the busiest day of the year in Siena... not good! After much negotiation and the help of the guy at the hostel he was able to find us two rooms nearby, one at a hostel and one at a hotel, so we let the girls go to the hotel while my friend David and I went to the hostel. So in the end it worked out okay, but needless to say we were all so exhausted, (i had been up since 4:45am) and eaten nothing but a sandwich and pringles, so we got some food, scarfed it down and went to bed. In the morning we were able to have maybe the best italian breakfast I have seen, which still isn't saying much but Italian's don't do breakfast really. Then we took a bus, train, and metro and was finally home where I could take a much needed shower. It was yet another once in a life-time experience for all of us, and even though it was really hot and sweaty and we waited a really long time and went through some hoops to get there, it was so worth it! Another thing to checked off my bucket list.

This is a video of the first 45ish seconds, I accidently stopped recording part of it... woops

Forza Azzurri! - Coppa Mondiale

2010-06-25T18:15:00.005-04:00

Dear Family & Friends

I thought I would take a minute a really send some pictures more than anything else. As you may have heard the World Cup is currently going on. As you also may know, Europe is a MECCA of soccer fans. So, I have gotten really into it! It is so much fun! Here in Rome they built one of 5 Fan Fest pavilions around the world, there are also ones in London, Paris, Sydney, and New York, it is like being at an American sporting event, they have concession stands and pizza its great! The last Italy game my friend Anthony and I decided to paint our faces in support of Azzurri (blues - the nickname of the Italian National Team)... we had a great time...

At points during the game, it was quite warm, upwards of 85 degrees, sitting out on astroturf in the blaring sun... not ideal but a good time never-the-less....

This is a picture of the pavilion with its GIGANTIC tv for everyone to watch the game, it was really crowded but so much fun to be there with everyone supporting Italia! One of the best things I have ever done in Rome!

Also as you may know, Italy did not win the game, this was the last picture I will show because we were all pretty depressed after this, they scored 2 goals in like the last 3 minutes of the game, but it wasn't enough :-(

It was okay though because two days later the USA was going to play again! So we all got jazzed up for that, only to once again be let down... the USA lost to Ghana and both of my teams were done... so now we just root for whoever has the best looking jersey, hahaha.... This is me eating an Arancine.

In other news, today is the feast of Saints Peter & Paul, so last night in celebration of Italy's national holiday they shot up a ton of fireworks on the Castel Sant'Angelo... I told my friend Anthony it was a good substitute for the 4th of July - a week early! Lots of people came to see the show and were lined up on all the bridges and the river...

While the show was going on people just stopped on the bridge and needless to say they blocked the road completely and traffic was stopped for like a mile for the full 30-45 minutes of the show. It was really neat and fun, if I can't see fireworks in America for the fourth I guess this is a fair substitute.

Still Loving Rome,

-Dominic

Relatives

2010-06-22T12:42:00.002-04:00

Well, I received some exciting news today via e-mail that I thought I would share.... a few weeks ago I wrote to a long lost relative, Anna Iob in Cunevo Italy in the region of Trento... today I recieved a response from Anna's Nephew Mauro...

Caro Dominic,

sono un nipote di Anna Iob, nostra comune parente attraverso tuo bisnonno
(se ho capito bene).
ti scrivo a nome di mia zia Anna e di mia mamma Antonietta (sorella di Anna)
che vi aspettano molto volentieri per una visita a Cunevo il 23 luglio.
Mandami conferma qualche giorno prima del giorno e circa anche dell'ora del
vostro arrivo a Cunevo.
Cercherò di esserci anche io (abito e lavoro a Trento) con almeno una delle
mie figlie che parla bene inglese.
A presto.

Mauro Dellantonio
Via Gramsci,3
38123 TRENTO

Tel. 3389713136

Dear Dominic,

I am a nephew of Anna lob, our common relative through your great grandfather

(if i've understand it well)

I am writing you in the name of my aunt Anna and my mother Antonietta (sister of Anna)

who are willing waiting for you for a visit to Cunevo on the 23rd of July

send me confirmation one day before the day and about what time you will arrive in Cunevo

I will try to be there as well, (i live and work in Trento) with at least one of my

daughters who speaks english well.

A presto

VERY EXCITING! :-)

American Cemetery - Nettuno

2010-05-10T08:26:00.006-04:00

Hello again family and friends,

Just thought I would update you on a recent excursion of mine. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine, Wes, invited me to go with him to Nettuno to the American Memorial Cemetery. There just over 7,861 American Soldiers from World War II are buried there.

It is about a one hour train ride just south of Rome so we just went down for the day and spent some time there. It was really a moving experience to think about all the American service men who gave their lives in defense of freedom, and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Inside this rotunda there were engraved thousands of names of Service men who were never recovered or rest in unmarked graves either in cemeteries or throughout the world. It was pretty moving and awe inspiring to see so many names, of so many people. It really gives you a new perspective on the costs of War.

After walking around for a while we went into the guest house and looked a the log, there were no Bianconi's, but there was a soldier with the same last name as my friend Wes, and from West Virginia, so we decided to leave some flowers on his tomb before we left.

I really enjoyed the trip and was so glad I went, it just made me that much more excited to go to the cemetery in Normandy, France someday, hopefully this coming July. But that is all thats new for now, just working on my thesis and taking some classes, hard to believe its already been a full year since I graduated from college, AND cut my leg with a chainsaw. Below is one of my favorite quotes, I thought it was fitting for this update.

-Dominic

Executive Mansion,

Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Netherlands & Belgium

2010-05-08T13:50:00.006-04:00

Buon Giorno Famiglia,

SO, yet again I bring you a tale of an adventure.

Recently I went on a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium. I left Rome on a 10 am flight for Amsterdam on April 30th, which coincidentally is Queens Day in the Netherlands, the largest national holiday in the country to commemorate the Dutch Queens birthday. Needless to say it was maybe the biggest party I have ever seen! It took me a while to make it into the city because the trains were beyond packed with people going into Amsterdam for the festivities, but somehow I made it onto one and stood in the stairwell until we arrived. EVERYONE was wearing Orange, the countries national color, to commemorate William of Orange, who is someone important in their national history (I don't remember exactly why). SO the first day I was there was a lot of fun, I met up with a friend from Rome and her friends and we went all over the city, had some beers (Heineken is brewed there) and enjoyed the festivities.

The next day I woke up fairly early and went to the Anne Frank House, which is now a museum, it was truly an incredible experience for me, I just have learned a great deal about the holocaust and it always just moves me in a profound way. It was really incredible to walk through the fake book-case to the secret rooms where Anne Frank and her family lived in solitude for so long, I was able to see her actual diaries that she kept and walk through her bedroom. It was without question one of the top 5 things I did on this trip.

Next I went to the Van Gogh Museum and got to see 200 of his works, this was probably my favorite thing I did in Amsterdam, I enjoy Van Gogh's work so much and have for so long, and I am someone who really has a great appreciation for art, and the artist. They had among others a self-portrait of his that I could have starred at all day, looking into the artists eyes through his own work was like looking into the artists soul itself, it was incredible! I really really enjoyed it, also because I was by myself I was able to take my time and read the information on the walls and learn about what I was seeing. It was really a great museum.

Next I went to the Rijksmuseum, which is essentially the Dutch national museum, there I was able to see a number of Rembrandt's pieces including his self-portrait, really cool. They also had some works by Vermeer, he is the one who painted the now famous girl with the pearl earring, although she wasn't there, apparently the girl with the pear earring is in The Hague, but I liked the museum just the same.

The next day I took a train into Brussels, the train was supposed to last two hours, but after just one we ran into some trouble and the locomotive broke down! So we were diverted to another town where they changed it out and we were then on our way again. Once in Brussels I met up with another friend from Rome whose parents are living in Brussels working for NATO. It was really nice to stay with his family and to enjoy Brussels with him. We drank some GREAT AMAZING beer and I had without question too many Belgian waffles.

On the second day in Brussels we went to see the Antomium, a structure built for the worlds fair in 1958. It was really cool, to be honest, not worth the money to go inside, it was neater to see from the outside, but a good experience.

After the Antomium we went just next door to a sort of amusement park called "Mini-Europe" there they have extremely detailed models of landmarks from all the EU countries, some of them cost in excess of 200,000 dollars! It was really fun to see all the Italian landmarks that I had seen in real life, but now in miniature.

After Brussels I went on to a town in Belgium called Bruges. When I was in High-school my teacher had lived in Europe for a number of years and always said that Bruges was the most beautiful city in all of Europe, after visiting I would agree, with the exception of Venice! Bruges was incredible, the flowers, the architecture, (the belgian beer) it was all so incredible. I really had a great time there. I took a boat tour along the canals, saw the blood of christ in the church of the holy blood - it was really a vial with a rag in it that supposedly St. Joseph used to clean the body of christ before the entombment, pretty neat. I also saw a statue by Michelangelo of the Madonna and Child. It was a beautiful town and a great experience.

My last day in Bruges I went to the edge of town and walked along the canal to find some Windmills I saw on a map, they were super cool and one of them was even spinning! I was really glad that I got to see some windmills before I left. I also went into a little restaurant that they told me about at the hostel where I could get some "real flemish" food. This was now my third attempt at eating here because every other time it had been closes, it is only open for 3 hours every day! I don't know how they can stay in business. So I went in and got a beer and asked what the special of the day was, nobody spoke any english so all I got in response was a confused look...potatoes.....long pause.....meat......another pause....sauce. I looked around and saw that everyone in the place was eating this special so I thought it must be good and gave her the thumbs up! It was probably the best meal of the entire trip and I still dont know what it was, haha. It was...like she said, potatoes, meat and a sauce.

So because I was flying out of Brussels I had to go back to Brussels from Bruges to spend one night before flying back to Rome the next day. So I took the train back into Brussels and after a lengthy walk from the train station I found my hostel. Then I headed to the EU part of town. Brussels is the Capital city of the European Union and so I went to see the European Parliament building's which were very cool.

So that night I wandered around Brussels making my way back towards the hostel and stopped into a bar to have a beer and ended meeting some guys from Bulgaria who invited me over to have a drink with them. We chatted about the usual international things, George Bush vs. Barack Obama, how Americans only know one language but all europeans seem to speak a minimum of 3...things like that. I came to find out that both of these guys had PhD's and worked for the Bulgarian government and helped to regulate the prices of energy. So needless to say it was an interesting chat.

The next morning I woke up and had some breakfast and then headed to the airport to fly back to Rome. The trip over-all was a great experience and I am so glad I went, even if it was just by myself. I was able to hang out with some friends from Rome and only spent the last 36 hours alone, in those 36 hours though, I decided the only thing worse than traveling by yourself, is not traveling! So I am glad I went but it is ALWAYS more fun to enjoy things with other people, than just by yourself, even if you have to compromise on what you see and do.

Piccole Notizie

2010-03-30T13:50:00.007-04:00

Hello Family & Friends,

Not much to report, just wanted to load some pictures really. I have just been trugg'n along. This past semester has finished, I took my last exam on Wednesday. It is really unbelievable to think that I have now finished an entire YEAR of graduate school. It seems like I just started! Over half way done now. I have been able to do and see so much because of this opportunity and I try not to take a single day for granted. I uploaded these pictures with the idea of then writing about it, but I guess that was some time ago. But I went to Palm Sunday mass in St. Peters Square, it was really neat to see, talk about pageantry! There were maybe 40 Cardinals and everyone received palms, weather was perfect!

Then I also finished reading a great book called Michelangelo and the Popes Ceiling, It was REALLY good, so when I finished reading about the Sistine chapel I decided to go and see it! I was really looking forward to just going to the Vatican Museums and taking my time and get an audio guide and learn about everything I was seeing, little did I know you have to have a passport or drivers license with you in order to get an audio guide, both of which I do not carry on a regular basis. So, my plan failed nearly 3 minutes into it..haha. But I went through never-the-less and enjoyed it. It is something you can never see too many times, awe inspiring whether its the 1st or 101st time you go.

This is one of my favorite things, it is actually painted on a ceiling of a great hallway, I just love the colors in it.

They also had on display the original plaster molds carved by the artist Bernini, he is responsible for much of the sculptures and architecture within St. Peters today. I thought it was very neat to see the materials used in the clay model, the iron, straw and pieces of rope.

In the book I read, I learned about how artists would use what are called cartoons before actually executing the painting, it was a rough sketch of everything that the painting would be, I found an example of this in the Vatican Museums and thought it was really interesting to see in person.

Also I had the accidental experience of going to World Youth Day in St. Peters square. I have heard of world youth day before but always assumed it took place somewhere in the world, last year it was in Sydney and I remember JP2 held it in Germany. I didn't realize that this is only every 3rd year, the 2 years in between WYD is celebrated in St. Peters Square. It was really neat, the square was PACKED, there were bands and music, everyone was given a hat, and scarves as well as candles. There were a number of "giovane" youths that would go up and they literally asked the Pope a question, about anything (in relation to Catholicism) and he would answer the question, tell his thoughts and opinion, it was really interesting it was really almost like a conversation with the Pope, really off-the-cuff and unscripted. I uploaded a video of the Pope when he drove past us, I hope you are able to see it.

So other than that I have just been busy with school, I recently started working on my Masters thesis and have been reading endless amounts of research, it is a perk that I normally go to Castel St. Angelo and do my reading in the park there, the weather has been SO nice. So I suppose if I am going to have to do work I can't complain about the setting. :-)

Tomorrow I am taking a trip to Amsterdam for two days before moving on to Brussels and Bruges before returning back to Rome to begin the summer session of classes. Classes will be 3.5 hours long, so...I am not looking forward to that. I guess I better enjoy my break while I can.

I will be sure to write again when I return.

I am also anxiously awaiting a Bianconi reunion in Paris and Italy...only 76 more days, it will be here before ya know it!

Arrividerci per ora

-Dominic

Malta

2010-03-22T11:26:00.011-04:00

As promised I am writing after I have returned from Malta!

This past weekend two friends and I ventured to an island south of Sicily called Malta, as well as its neighboring island Gozo. It was so great, so warm, and SO beautiful.

We left Rome on Friday, our flight left at 6:30 am and so I had to get up at 4 IN THE MORNING! We took a taxi to the airport and arrived in Malta about an hour later. Our hotel was REALLY NICE, considering we spent 11 dollars a night for it! Everything was really cheep there, which was such a welcome change from the expenses of Rome and the rest of Europe. We stayed in the village of Saint Jullian on the coast just up from Spinola Bay.

After a much needed nap we took a bus up to two towns, Mdina and Rabat. In Mdina we went inside the old city walls and walked around, enjoyed the view and bought some souvenirs, I got a glass paper weight that reminded me of the ocean, apparently Mdina glass is some famous thing, who knew. After that we walked over to Rabat and through the streets which were all decorated to the max! We happened to be there on a national holiday celebrating the feast of St. Joseph. There was confetti and candy vendors and chocolate EVERYWHERE, the streets were all decorated with banners, ribbons, flags and lights. In some areas the paper confetti must have been a foot thick!

After the festival we headed back to St. Jullian got some food at a great restaurant where I ate and some rabbit and had a drink before heading back to our hotel where were fast asleep. The next day we got up and went down to a restaurant on the bay and had a "traditional english breakfast" which was nothing short of AMAZING, after 9 months of italian breakfast (no bacon sausage jelly and hash-browns) nothing ever tasted so good. Then we took yet another bus down the island to the capital city of Victoria. We walked around the city and eventually we split up and I went sight-seeing and then went down to the ocean and wadded in for a while and just relaxed, it was so gorgeous, indescribably clear and calm and just...incredible, so beautiful.

After my rest by the shore I headed over to another part of town to see what can best be described as a modern Pantheon, a HUGE domed church that was entirely made from sandstone (as almost all buildings on the island are) and took some pictures before heading back towards Saint Jullian. After taking 3 busses and waiting 2 hours for them I eventually made it back. Once again we went out to eat and then had some drinks before heading back to the hotel to prepare for the next day. Which brings us to Sunday, our last day in Malta :(

On Sunday we got up and took a buss to a town, whose name I can't remember, to catch a ferry to the other island of Malta named Gozo. After the 15 minute ferry we took yet another buss to Victoria, the islands city center and then to the ancient citadel fortress. Apparently at its height all citizens had to make it into the fortress before night because the threat of invasion was so great.

After spending some time in Victoria we found out that all the busses had stopped running because it was Sunday, so we found a taxi driver who would take us to the Gigante Temples, which would'nt you know it are the oldest megalithic structures in the world! Over 1,000 years older than the pyramids!! Don't ask me what megalithic means, but it sounds great doesn't it!?

After walking around the temples our taxi driver offered to be our driver for the day and take us all over the island and its beautiful sights for 10 euro each!! So of course we made a deal and were off. After taking us to an old windmill and a church he took us to my favorite part of the trip. We went down to the coast where there were three things of note. The first of which is an inland sea, which is a little lagoon that was created as a result of a narrow cave that runs out to the ocean which then in turn feeds the inland sea.

We also saw the fungus rock. During medieval times there was some fungus that grew only on this rock that was considered to be so medically valuable to pick some without permission was punishable by death! Recent tests have shown the fungus has zero value...irony. We also got to see what is called the Azzure Window (Azzure is italian for blue) which was a great opening in the cliff side through which you could see the ocean, thus giving the rock structure its name.

This was my favorite part of the trip, the cliffs and the water were so beautiful, truly a once in a life-time experience, I think I could have sat there with my ice cream cone all day...but alas all great things must come to an end. The taxi drive took us down to the port where we took the ferry back to the main island and then another bus to the hotel. For our last night in Malta we went to the Dubliner Irish pub where I got some BBQ RIBS! Something as rare as a pollar bear in Rome. After my ribs and pint it was back to the hotel where the following morning we were up at 6:30 to catch our flight back to Rome, none of us were ready to go. I think I could have spent at least the whole week there down by the ocean...perhaps some day I will return.

Qualcose Nuovo

2010-03-18T10:09:00.007-04:00

Dear Family & Friends,

I am again sorry that it has been so long since I have written you all last but Rome is a happen'n place! haha...

Since I wrote last a few things have happened, the new quarter has started and I am taking Capital and Money Markets with a teacher I really enjoy, I think she is going to challenge me which I welcome as well as Operations Management and Market Research. The quarter has picked up and things are moving right along, next week I will have my mid-terms ALREADY! Time fly's when you're having fun!

Also in the news, my friend from college Deirdre came to visit me during her spring break for a week. It was really great to have her here, just an old familiar face was really nice. She arrived on Saturday and left the following Sunday, so the first few days I showed her all over Rome, Piazza Navona, Fontana di Trevi, Il Collosseo, il Foro Romano, il Campidoglio, the list goes on... ALSO we were walking through the Borghese gardens and found man who you could rent Segways from for only 8 euro for an half hour and 15 for a full hour. So we did a half hour, it was a BLAST, we rode all over the gardens/parks, maybe twice, I think I need to get one. After riding the segways we decided that walking is really over-rated.

After spending a few days in Rome we took a train up to Pisa to see the leaning tower, then that night we trained it over to Florence where we spent the night. Then the next day we spent the whole day there in Florence seeing the sites and enjoying the food (of course). One thing we saw that I had never seen before was the tomb of Michelangelo in Santa Maria Della Croce. I thought it was not really representative of the impact Michelangelo had on the arts, I thought he deserved something a bit more grand myself.

As you may know the 15th of March is known as the Ides of March. On this day in 44 BC Julius Caesar was walking past the Theater of Pompey which is today Campo dei Fiori where he was assassinated by Brutus and a number of other senators, he was stabbed 23 times. SO, in honor of Julius my friend Anthony and I took a walk through Rome through Campo dei Fiori and down to the Roman Forum where this is a statue of Julius, it was pretty surreal to be in Rome on the Ides of March, definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

I have also been trying to do some more walking and eating better, although I now and forever will have a strong devotion to Pasta...a man can only take so much! So during one walk I went to Ponte Milvio, a bridge in north Rome which has a really cool tradition. Couples go to the bridge and place a lock on it and write their initials or something of them and their significant other and then they throw they key into the tiber. How romantic right!?! Needless to say, there tens of thousands of locks on this bridge!

Last Sunday three friends and I decided to take advantage of the trains here in Italy and decided to take a trip to Napoli, for the day. So we got up early and took the 3 hour train down, walked down along the bay and ate at a great restaurant right on the ocean. Then we just continued our walk around the city and some of you might remember the Galleria there, which is basically a really beautiful covered mall. We went there in 2002 during my first trip to Italy with DeSales. So then we took the finicula up to the top of Naples and had a drink overlooking the whole city with Mount Vesuvius in the background and then after a great day in Naploli we headed to the train station to return to Rome.

Most recently the school organized a tour of the Bank of Italy's Money Museum. In this one museum they have examples that represent 5,000 years of the history of money...5,000 years! One of the coolest things there were clay tablets from 3,000 BC which are essentially contracts between people or groups for the exchange of goods (the first form of currency) these contracts contain what we would think of as modern inventions, interest rates, terms, maturity dates...really really interesting...at least I think (nerd I know).

So that is really all that is new here in Rome, the weather is getting warmer and it rains less and less which is great! We are all so excited for it to be light out longer and warmer so we can go out and enjoy the city in the evenings more. Of course as it gets closer to summer the tourists have begun to descend upon the eternal city. Today I went and sat in St. Peters square to do some reading and there was noticeably more people there. I am reading a book called Michelangelo and the Popes Ceiling, it is really interesting, it may be the fastest I have ever read a book. When I finish I intend to go to the Vatican Museums and spend some time looking at the ceiling that I am reading about. There are so many great opportunities living here.

Tomorrow my friend Tara, her friend visiting from home and I are going to be heading to the island of Malta just south of Sicily. I am really excited to go but less excited for our flight leaving at 6:30, which means I will be getting up around 4 am to leave! I guess it is a small price to pay. We will be there for 4 days 3 nights returning on Monday, I am looking forward to the warmer weather and the beach to do some relaxing, so I will try to write again when I return.

As always, miss you all and can not wait to visit this summer!

A dopo,

-Dominic

Carnival!

2010-02-16T06:56:00.014-05:00

Buon Giorno Mia Famiglia,

I am so sorry its been so long since I have updated you all on the happenings of a grad student in Rome. Since my last entry here is what has happened...(the exciting stuff anyway)....

There was a blizzard in the United States and subsequently my flight home for christmas was canceled, so after a horrifying 8 hours in the airport lobby I ended up leaving to go back to my apt and booked another ticket for the next day, this time flying through Atlanta...no snow! The trip home was great because I got to fly 1st class....but now I am spoiled, it was disgusting luxury, hot fudge sundaes, warm nuts and beer, filet mignon....it was AMAZING.

So I made it home for christmas and it was so great to be home and see family and friends, I spent new years in Cleveland with some college friends from John Carroll.

Then it was back to Rome and school....UNTIL....

CARNIVAL!!!!!

There were 10 of us who went, we were able to get a house just a short train ride outside the city so it only cost us 10 euro per night!

The first day we had to get up at 4:30 to make our 7:20 flight out of Rome, (it was faster and actually cheeper to fly there). It was a really early day for us. Once in Venice we left our luggage at the luggage deposit in the train station and headed into Venice. Right off the train you walk out of the station and there in front of you is one of the canals, the fresh smell of the sea in the air and just the awesomeness of the city, It gives you chills!

So we had some time to kill before we had to meet up with the others (who took the train). We walked all through Venice and basically got lost in the streets...which was a goal of mine. We ate in this little Venetian cafe and I had a pastry and an espresso, then after wandering around soaking up the sights we had lunch in another little Venetian restaurant, I had duck ragu with vino della casa, one of the best meals of my entire life...SO GOOD.

Then after some mask shopping we headed back to the house to meet up with our fellow travelers. We were there just long enough for a power nap and a snack before getting ready to head back into the city.

So with wine in our stomachs and masks on our faces we were there! CARNIVAL! It was pretty crowded by this time and so we slowly but surely made our way to St. Marks square for the costume show, which was incredible, like everything else!

After the show the square actually began to fill up with water right under our feet! It was one of the craziest things I have ever experienced...

.... so we headed out of the square towards the train station and ended up finding square after square of parties with a band and people dancing and everyone in costumes just having a great time, so after some dancing and I have to say, some drinking, we made it to the train station and headed home. Because it was so late we had to take a train and then a bus, it was quite the adventure trying to figure out where the bus was and where to get tickets and....at this point it was pretty late keeping in mind I had been up since 4:30! But ALAS we made it home and I went right to sleep.

The next day we got up and headed back to Venice at around 10 o'clock with the goal of going to the Guggenheim Museum. Once in Venice we all tried to find a place where all 10 of us could eat together which was not so easy. Eventually we found a pizza and pasta place where I began my gastronomic adventure by trying pizza with cavallo (horse). It was actually not bad at all, really didn't have too much of a distinguishing flavor, but never-the-less a good experience.

Then we all went in our own direction with me and some others heading towards the museum which we never made it to, it was just WAY TOO CROWDED, I did however manage to get my favorite picture of the trip.

Then we went to Harry's bar, the birthplace of the Bellini and then just went around to find some other places to hang out and have a drink, eventually finding more squares with bands and parties which is where we stayed until it was time to catch the train back, once home we were all pretty tuckered out and headed to bed.

The next morning we all got up and some went back into Venice while a few others and myself took the train into Verona. I wanted to see Juliet's balcony (of Romeo and Juliet), on Valentines Day! (how romantic I know) as well as the colosseum there, it is much more intact than the one in Rome but a little smaller. They still hold concerts, operas and plays there on a regular basis, how cool would that be!

After a few hours in Verona and some Club Sandwiches (the first I have had in a LONG time) we took the high-speed train back into Venice to meet up for dinner, where again I continued my adventure and had fettucini with a bolognese sauce made with venison, the first time I have ever had it, I also had some pasta with clam sauce, also my first time having clams! Then it was back to the train station and back to bed, another early day tomorrow (6:00 am) to catch the flight back to Rome.

Venice was amazing, every time I have been there I fall in love just a little bit more with its beauty and its character, there truly is no place like it on earth and it was so hard not to take 1,000 pictures when literally around every corner was a postcard sight. There were many times when we were all stopped dead in our tracks to take it all in. I hope to go back again someday for carnival only next time with an amazing elaborate costume. It is rumored that costumes like the ones we saw can cost upwards of 2,000 dollars! (maybe not quite THAT amazing....)

The only thing that would have made my experience better is if all of you were there with us...

Con Ama,

-Dominic

Ireland

2009-12-18T06:44:00.008-05:00

Dear Family,

So I got back from Ireland yesterday it was really amazing. I went to visit my friend Dan who has been studying abroad there since September as well as my friend Paul, who was able to fly over from the States to visit with Dan and I.

My trip was off to a rocky start when I missed my first flight, which was not too fun, I took the metro all the way to the end and then a bus to the airport just to find out I had missed my flight by 7 minutes. I was whole heartedly under the impression my flight left at 22.30 but apparently it left at 20.30! so when I thought I was two hours early, I was actually 7 minutes late...bummer.

So I went home and after much deliberation I decided to buy a new ticket. I decided I have the rest of my life to earn money, the opportunity to go to Ireland, let alone with my two good friends comes maybe once in a lifetime.

SO OFF I WENT...

After I landed I stayed the night in Dublin near the airport and then the next morning met my friend Paul at the airport, were we waited for Dan. Then the three of us took a train to Maynooth, the home of Irelands national University, where Dan goes to school. It was very pretty, and we got to see some of the countryside, as well as the "chapel", on the campus even though it was more like a cathedral.

We stayed the night there before heading back to Dublin to take a train to Cork, which is where Blarney Castle is and the Blarney Stone. The castle is just a 20 minute bus ride outside of the city. It again was very green and very cool to see.

In order to get to the stone you have to walk through the gardens to the Castle and the stone is all the way at to top. In order to kiss it you have to lay down on your back and then lean really far over the edge of the castle (which is a straight drop down) while someone holds onto you so you dont fall...intense...but worth it...SO I kissed the Blarney stone, which as legend holds will bring me the virtue of eloquence and flattery. It was really cool just to think that I kissed the stone that Winston Churchill and others have come to kiss before me.

Then we just walked around the castle grounds and saw Dublin House ^^^ which is a really old mansion that was again very beautiful and very green! Then we left and stayed near the castle for dinner and of course a pint of Guiness before heading back to Cork for the night. Then in the morning we took the train back to Dublin and went to the Guiness brewery and took a tour. My favorite part of the tour was at the end you end up at the top of the factory where they have a rooftop bar with views of the entire city of Dublin, and a free pint of Guiness, which we enjoyed immensely. It was so great to be there over looking the city with christmas music playing having a pint of Guiness in Dublin with two good friends...truly a surreal experience.

After the Guiness tour we went out and walked around the city and saw some of the sites, one of which being St. Patricks Cathedral in Dublin. I thought it appropriate to visit St. Patricks while I was in Ireland, let alone, Dublin. It was really cool but unfortunately we got there too late and couldn't go inside...next time.

The next day I headed to the airport and back to Rome to begin the process of packing! On Sunday (20 Dec) I will return home for Christmas. There is no place like home for the holidays! Although my first semester here has gone by fast, I feel like it has been SO long since I was home and have seen everyone. I am so eager and so excited to spend time with family and friends over the holidays. So from Rome to America I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year....Buona Natale e' Buon'Anno a tutti!

Viaggi

2009-12-11T11:12:00.006-05:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I just want you all to know how much I miss everyone and how much I wish I could have been there with everyone for Uncle Bud's funeral. Over the past week every moment not spent studying for finals was spent thinking about our family and Uncle Bud.

Aside from being sad that I could not be there with everyone this past week things have been going good. I just finished my last final this morning and am official done for the semester. I have been very much in the holiday spirit these past few weeks especially after my trip to Paris. It was extremely beautiful all decorated with lights and decorations for Christmas. Some squares were even playing Christmas music in them on speakers! It was so nice to be there, to walk down the Champs-Elysse and drink hot mulled wine enjoying the lights the cold and friends.

That same night we also went to the Louvre and went inside the lobby / shopping complex. This trip we didn't go inside the Museum because it was closed and we had taken a vote to enjoy some of the other sights of Paris during out trip.

Later in our trip we took a day trip to Versailles Palace and I loved it, it was so pretty, the weather was borderline horrible, (like 44 and drizzling/raining) but we made the best of it. The palace was really pretty and so opulent...I can't imagine living in a place like that with hundreds of rooms. My favorite part was the hall of mirrors, which is the most famous room in the palace. This was the palace of Louis the XVI and Marie-Antoinette during the French Revolution.

On the last day of our trip which happened to fall on the first Sunday of Advent, we went to Notre Dame Cathedral, and inside it was PACKED for the mass. There was a Cardinal overseeing the service and it was extremely moving to hear the organ and the choir in Notre Dame in Paris. Truly a great experience.

Over-all the trip was great, I LOVED Paris and I can't wait to go back someday. This is my favorite picture of the whole trip, we spent a long time trying to get this picture! (thats me)

Since coming back to Rome I have just been busy with school, getting ready and studying for finals, which went well I think. I've also been trying to do some christmas shopping. Every Sunday they have a huge market (maybe I have written about before) at Porte Portesse. I was able to find some good things there. They sell everything from 1947 television sets to pocket watches, fur, everything!

Also in between studying I have been listening to christmas music and watching every christmas movie I can think of. ALSO I found some decorations left over in my apartment and made some out of paper and bought some others from Party World down the street.

Tomorrow I am leaving to visit my friend Dan from high-school who is studying in Ireland. I have never been to Ireland and am really excited to go, I think we are going to go to Blarney Castle and I will get to kiss the famed Blarney Stone! Then I will be back to Rome on Thursday, then two days in Rome and then on Sunday I will be heading back to the States to be HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Ringraziemento

2009-11-25T05:57:00.005-05:00

THANKSGIVNG = RINGRAZIEMENTO

Dear Family & Friends,

I hope that you all are preparing for your Thanksgiving's tomorrow. I am sad that I wont be there for EAT with everyone but I know that Christmas will be here before we know it and I will save my appetite for then! Can't wait to see everyone!

So in light of my friends and I not being able to go home for Thanksgiving we decided to have a little meal here. We ordered the turkey from the butcher, who I am pretty sure killed it THAT morning! (there were still feathers on it...) We bought all the ingredients and we (my friend Tara and I) set to work....I made the stuffing the night before so it would be all ready and picked up the turkey as well, then Sunday morning I stuffed the bird and put it in the oven.

The turkey cooked for about 3 hours and then at 180 degrees it was done! We did run into a little problem, I forgot two minor things, to put butter all over the turkey before I put it in so it would turn nice and golden brown, and I forgot to put flower in the bag "to avoid bag from bursting" ALSO I forgot to cut little holes in the bag to allow steam to escape....needless to say once we realized the bag may burst, I cut some holes in it, so all in all it turned out fantastic, the skin wasn't all crispy and nice but the turkey was extra juicy (thanks to the steam).

So once the turkey was done cooking I carved it up and put it back in the oven until all the other trimmings were finished. Aside from Turkey we had; salad, stuffing, corn, green beans, gravy, mashed potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie, vanilla gelato, and espresso.

After the meal we were all stuffed! (as it should be) I was particularly exhausted after the day, I had no idea how much work it was to get everything done and on time and in the right order and tasting good and keeping it all warm...sigh...its a JOB! So, on behalf of all the eaters out there, kudos to all the chefs on Thanksgiving who pull it off, it was a lot of fun and I'm really glad that everything turned out good, even though it all tasted like home, it was nothing like BEING at home....

Solo in Roma

2009-11-17T11:56:00.005-05:00

Hello everybody,

I hope everyone is doing good back in the states, things here are moving right along, I can hardly believe that I will be coming home in 32 days, it seems like I just left! I am excited to come home though and see everyone.

Today I went to get a haircut and a shave, it was one of the best experiences ever, its this little old barbershop with an old italian guy, everyone comes in and they just talk to each other, more with hands than actual words, its almost like these guys haven't said a word to anyone and they've gotta get it all out! Its great, the haircut and to get a shave takes almost two hours! Its fantastic, I had never had a straight razor shave before, it was great, I loved the whole experience. This time however (today) when I went, he accidently cut my lip just under my nose, I felt bad because I could tell he felt bad, it bled for a long time, but its okay now. I could tell he was upset about it.

Anyway...the other day I decided to go for a walk and see some churches, I have made it my goal to visit everyone here in Rome, it is rumored there are over 900 churches in the whole of Rome, so I have limited mine to the churches on a map I got from school, only about 50 or maybe more. The sunset was really pretty and some of the churches were incredible.

As I was walking around I happened upon something that only happens in Rome. I was walking past the parliament building and next to it, in the window was a painting by Carriavagio, that was being restored. Just there in the window! Only in Rome can you see something like that. There were people in white lab coats and everything....

So anyway this past weekend I just hung out with my friends here from school, we decided to make breakfast for dinner, because its hard to get actual breakfast here, they don't really do that. So we made french toast, as you can see from the pictures, it turned out really good.

In other news I am all set for Thanksgiving here, I had to order a turkey special from the butcher because they really only have turkey breasts and turkey legs, but not the entire turkey. I am really excited to cook it all, although it will certainly be an adventure trying to cook the whole meal in my little kitchen, especially because I've not cooked a whole turkey before. Some friends from school are coming over, I think there will be close to 10 of us total. I will miss being with everyone though, but soon enough Christmas will come and we can have turkey AGAIN!

See you all soon,

-Dominic

Budapest and Vienna

2009-11-01T06:05:00.003-05:00

Hello Family and Friends,

I know its been a little while and I apologize for not writing more/sooner. It has been a little busy here in the eternal city. I completed my first graduate level course! (with an A-) which I was very pleased with, finished up the first quarter and then we had a small (2 extra day) break before the start of our new quarter. Three friends from school and myself decided to go to Budapest for two days and then take a bus from Budapest to Vienna, I have always wanted to go to Vienna so I was really excited for that, SO...

We landed in Budapest....

and headed to our hostel which turned out to be an apartment on the top floor of a building literally next to the major basilica St. Stevens in Budapest, our view was fantastic. Then Freddie (our hostel guide) drove us around the city and showed us some sites, he also took us to get some food, we hadn't eaten in a while and then took us to the grocery store to get some things. At this time it was closer to 2 in the morning, so Freddie was fantastic to us, we really enjoyed the hostel/apartment. The best part of Budapest was the exchange rate! 19,000 forints = 100 dollars, and entire meal is maybe 2,000 forints. It was really fun to say things like "okay Kevin, you owe me four grand now, or "lets go spend some g's" haha.

So we spent the two days there, the first day we spent just walking around and getting the feel for the city, saw the basilica, parliament and hero square. The second day in Budapest we spent in the Castle Quarter, we went into Buda castle, today an art museum that turned out to be a little less than stellar. Very beautiful views of the city during the day and at night. So then we were woke up early (5am) and headed to Vienna, we took a 3 hour bus, which was not bad at all.

Once in Vienna, after about an hour of getting lost, 3 separate times, we found our hostel there which was nice, essentially a hostel for young people traveling. We spent our first day just walking around and seeing what the city had to offer, saw their parliament building and city hall, the state theatre and the Hoffburg Imperial Palace. At the palace we stumbled upon a huge military festival that was really quite weird and random, with tanks and army soldiers and demonstrations and helicopters. We also went into the Hoffburg which was (I thought) pretty cool to see, especially the imperial apartments. Then we took a tour of the state theatre which was very pretty and we got to go behind the stage which was maybe the best part. The second day Kevin and I went to Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna which was absolutely incredible, everything that you expect in a 18th century palace. It was so ornate and the gardens were very pretty, the views in the fall time, everything was spectacular.

Then we headed out and saw some more of the city, there was so much to see we didn't even get to most of it, a reason to go back someday.

The next day we had to return to Rome, the flight was good and we made it back to school with plenty of time for Accounting....fun. So since then I have just been going to class, eating, sleeping, the usual daily routine. Last night was Halloween, it is not AS celebrated here as in the States but it is catching on pretty quickly. I went as the H1N1 virus, most people thought it was funny. I haven't been over to see my neighbor the Pope in a while so I might go see him on Wednesday.

But that is all the news from this part of the world. Hope everything is going well in all other areas.

A piu tardi,

-Dominic

Then we had to go back to Rome.

(Kevin took this picture, but I thought it was so cool)

Address

2009-10-19T17:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Family and Friends,

After a great deal of problems with the not-so-reliable Italian Mail System please send all future packages and letters to the following address:

St. Johns University

C/O Dominic Bianconi

Via Marcantonio Colonna, 21A

Rome Italy 00192

Sorry for the confusion

-Dominic

Roma

2009-10-18T06:46:00.004-04:00

This page is best viewed at: http://dominicstravels.blogspot.com/

Hello friends and family,

Not a great deal is new here in the eternal city. As you may or may not have heard, my bike was stolen two weeks ago :( SO apparently the lock and chain that I had on my bike was, insufficient. I suppose now, looking back that thought that it would have kept my bike safe is a little comical. Anyway, I was able to get a new HUGE chain and a really big lock from the hardware store. So after I got the chain and lock I then went down to the Porta Portese market in Trastevere and got a new bike. The new bike coincidently is the EXACT same as the old one, so much so, that upon seeing the bike, I studied it for about 15 minutes to make sure I wasn't re-buying my bike! It is indeed a new bike. So needless to say, I was very happy to have a bike again and have ridden it nearly everyday since.

Also, I was able to see the Pope again, it's been three years since Ben and I have seen each other, I'm pretty sure he missed me more through... haha. I saw him at the weekly audience on Wednesdays. Then I also went to see him (but failed) last Sunday. There was a Cannonization for 5 new Saints in St. Peters Square, so I went, but most of the service was held inside the church so I had to leave before the Pope came out. It was really neat to see though, they had these huge banners with the new Saints pictures on them, the square was filled with people who had come in support of that Saint. (I tried to upload a picture but it wouldn't work and I'm not sure why)

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to go and see an Opera performed inside a church, it was Carmina Burana, It was performed inside St. Paul inside the Walls, and Episcopal church. It was absolutely incredible. I think it was even better because they did it inside a church, so the sound was....wow!

That is really all that is new, I took my first graduate level final exam last thursday, it wasn't too bad, 2 1/2 hours long, 12 pages typed on my computer (so we could e-mail him when we finished). On Wednesday three friends from school and I are going to take a trip to Budapest for two days, then take a train to Vienna and possibly a town in Slovenia, Bratislava. I am pretty excited/nervous to travel, there is always room for errors, but I hope between our combined language abilities in English, Italian and German, we will be able to get around okay. Also....THE EXCHANGE RATE IS IN MY FAVOR FOR ONCE!

I will be sure to post some pictures next time I write, I'm not sure why it wouldn't work...

A dopo,

-Dominic

Good New & Bad News

2009-10-05T05:39:00.008-04:00

In light of ending on a positive note I will start with the bad news:

1.) My Bike was Stolen!

Yes, you read that right, MY BIKE WAS STOLEN, I was SO incredibly mad when I came out of school thursday night, walked around the corner and saw there was no longer anything chained to the pole where once stood my bike. I looked around, trying to make sure I did lock it to the pole and not to a tree as I sometimes do, and there on the ground was the chain and lock, cut through the side and lying on the pavement. I picked it up and started pacing towards my apartment in anger. Then I decided to go back to school and talk to the security guard who doesn't have a camera pointing around the corner where my bike was and told me there is really no point in going to the police station...for a bike. I was so mad, top 10 most mad moments of my life, my bike, essentially my car here in Rome is now gone because some idiot doesn't have anything better to do with his time. Stay in School.

2.) Nothing in Italy Works!

I went to the Piazza Friday to get some passport photos taken for my Permesso di Sogiorno (my permit to be in Italy legally) and the machine ate 5 euro's of my money...gone. Then I get to the Questura and their computer system is down, so I had to come back later next week.

Yesterday (Sunday) I go to get on the metro to Termini and I try to buy a ticket for the metro (1 euro), I put in a 5 euro bill and yet agin and it ate my money, then I have to fill out a form and allegedly, although not likely, I will receive 5 metro tickets in the mail.

Once I get to Termini all of the ticket machines are broke and so no longer accept cash! THEN when I get my ticket and go to the little yellow machines to validate my ticket before getting on the train, surprise! none of them work, we walked around for like 20 minutes trying to find one that worked.

3.) Italian people can be really Rude.

So Sunday we went to Marino, this town outside of Rome, the train to the city was unbelievably crowded, you cant imagine, the entire train ride I was standing shoulder to shoulder back to back with other people in the middle of a doorway in 80 degree heat, it was not fun. Some people in the town were so rude, it was so crowded in the town you couldn't walk without stepping on each other and these old women would not stop yelling at us because they couldn't see the parade, its not my fault I have to walk and the security guard tells me to stop right in front of you and you decided the best spot to watch the parade is in the back!

People in Rome are also rude and not very friendly sometimes, more than once I have had some problems with waiters and just other people being rude or talking shit about us while we are right there, thinking that we don't understand Italian. Not to mention, they steal bikes here, how rude is that!

Now I will write the Good News:

Rome is still amazing, I really love the city and it never ceases to be beautiful, waking up every morning and throwing open my shutters to Rome is something I don't think I will ever get tired of. Although the city may have some flaws just as all major cities of the world do, it certainly has some jewels. Not only that but I try not to forget where I am and what I am doing, every moment whither its good or bad is an experience and something that I haven't done before.

Although the train ride was horrible, the actual festival was so much fun and the wine; so cheap! Hopefully soon I will get a new bike and a lock to rival Banca di Roma. Although some things get on my nerves I try to take everything with a grain of salt and look at new things, good or bad, as something to be learned from and I think this is a good philosophy to have throughout life, whether I am dealing with difficult travel buddies, or difficult teachers or bosses there is something positive in every situation, I just don't see it at first sometimes, maybe I will find a better cheaper bike than before. (don't get me wrong, I'm still really mad about it being stolen)

Being here in Rome is great for so many reasons, I have already learned and experienced so much, seen so many new things, met new people, and more than once a week I experience something so surreal that it just doesn't feel real. Sitting on the spanish steps drinking a bottle of wine, eating gelato while walking around St. Peters at night, times like these I have to think to myself "this can not be my life."

-Dominic

Sono Andato a Pisa

2009-09-28T11:45:00.008-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Recently I have been pretty busy which is actually a welcome change. On Saturday I went to Pisa with a friend from school and his roommate. We took a train from Rome to Pisa, four hour train ride, but it was maybe the best train ride I have ever taken. The train went right up the east coast of Italy and this was basically my view for entire train ride.

We got to Pisa around 2 and of course went right to the leaning tower. Leaning is not even a good word to describe it, its basically FALLING before your eyes. It was incredible, I couldn't believe it! My friend from school was an engineering major in undergrad so he was of course dumbfounded as well as to why it was still standing! So of course we took the stereotypical picture of myself holding it up:

After we walked around and took 320948 pictures of the tower we went and got out tickets to climb to the top. I believe it was close for nearly all of the 90's and just in the past few years opened back up so that you can climb it. So we got our ticket for 5:20 to climb the tower and had some time to kill. So we got another ticket for the Baptistry, the Duomo and the Cemetary, all three were very cool.

After visiting all of those we went over and sat in the grass, (its been a while since I have done that, Rome isn't too big on grass). We climbed the tower, it was borderline terrifying, the entire time going up the steps you can feel it leaning, and you just feel like any second its going to tip over and your dead! It was so weird to climb up the tower and the higher you got the worse it felt, the top was unbelievable, I mean, I know its obvious but THE TOWER IS LEANING! and when you're on top of a LEANING tower, its insane!

If you get this in an e-mail, go to to view the video:

http://dominicstravels.blogspot.com/

After climbing up the tower we started walking around the city, Kevin (my friend from school) said his landlady told him that we should get some steak in Pisa because apparently they are known for their beef. So after walking as far from tourist city as we could get we sat down and got some wine and bruschetta and ordered some steaks. They were REALLY good, not the best, but very good, I wish mine had been bigger though. So after that we made our way to the train station and were able to catch the 7:56 train back to Rome, so we could get home by midnight. The next train didn't leave until 9:56 so we were in luck. The train ride back was less exciting because by that time it had gotten dark and I couldn't see anything outside.

Pisa was one of the top 10 cities I have been to in Italy, I loved it, the river was so pretty that ran through the town, it was like a scaled back version of Rome, it was so quiet and calm and relaxed but still a huge city, the streets were so great and it was just such a breath of fresh air from the hectic busy and loud Rome. I hope to go back sometime. I think one of the greatest things about living here is the access to transportation, and not only that, but CHEAP transportation, my train ticket to Pisa was only 17 euro, you cant beat that.

Now I am back in Rome finishing up case studies and what seems like endless grocery shopping, hopefully I will be able to take another day trip soon. Tomorrow I am going to continue my quest to visit every church in central Rome, I've got a few down, but a long way to go.

Tutte' Sempre Bene

2009-09-22T11:25:00.008-04:00

Ciao da Roma,

It has been a while since I updated so I thought that I should write. Nothing too exciting to report. Since my last entry I have attempted and failed to see the Pope TWICE. Once he had his papal audience in this auditorium and I did'nt have a ticket, and the second time he held the Angelis at his summer house, Castel Gandolfo about an hour outside of Rome. So...hopefully soon I will get to see my old friend.

It has been raining almost daily here, sometimes big storms, but generally it does'nt last longer than an hour. It has also cooled down significantly since I last wrote which is fantastic! It was SO hot here when I first came.

This past weekend my Aunt Polly's niece was in town so I was able to show her and her husband Josh around the city a little bit. I think they really enjoyed their time here in Rome. One of my failed attempts to see the Pope was with them, the line to get inside St. Peters was the longest I have ever seen it, it wrapped nearly all the way around St. Peters square, which is rather large.

Also we went to the colosseum and the palatine hill. In the colosseum I have taken a picture of myself inside at three times that I have been there:

In 2001

In 2006

In 2009

Also on Sunday my roommates two friends from school and I went to see Roma play Fiorentina, it was absolutely INSANE. They bring flares, and literally bombs to the game! I love it. I cant wait to go again! Roma won 3-1. Apparently the hard core fans who sit in the south curve (curva sud) of the stadium were protesting something so they didnt come into the stadium until maybe half way through the first half, they filled up the entire section in no more than one minute, I will try to post a video but I'm not sure if it will work...If you look closely you can see people jumping over the walls of plexi-glass to get to curva sud, as well as the bombs going off...

So I have just been doing homework and occasionally going out for an outing, doing laundry and cooking food, just living. I think tomorrow I am going to go to the Villa Borghese museum with some friends from school. This weekend I am thinking about going to Pisa to see that tower the leans, I have never seen it and I'm a little bit ashamed I have never been there!

I was able to find the board game Monopoly in Italian, I think its funny that the go space says "VAI" and the go to jail space has a picture of a Carabinieri on it. So I am hoping to get to play it soon.

Well....other than that, nothing much is new. I will make sure to post again soon, hope everything is going well for everyone back in the States.

-Dominic

oh...and....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

Ho Cominciato

2009-09-07T13:58:00.003-04:00

I am happy to report that I have started graduate school in Rome. Is it everything I thought it would be? Yes and No.

I had my first class last week and it went well, its a small class but most classes here are, there aren't very many students because we are just a small branch campus. I have met a lot of other students, most like me just beginning their programs here in Rome and most will be here for their entire graduat

e program. I'm sure as the year progresses I will get to know them pretty well. Everyone is very nice and excited to be here, some have lived here before and know Italian fluently and others I have met have never traveled outside of their home state!

So far my classes are not too challenging but I'm sure I wont be lucky enough to have that last long, I did do my first homework assignment last night though, which was exciting...(not).

The temperature in Rome has finally cooled down and I even turned off my fan last night for the first time. On a more exciting note, two days ago I became the proud owner of a Gilant Bicycle! My roommate Jayson and I took a bus down to Trastevere (a neighborhood of Rome) and went to the Porte Portese market there, which is a HUGE market that happens every Sunday from 7 to ?. There I was able to find some people selling bikes and after a chat and a test ride it was mine!

Jayson and I rode the bike home from Trastevere along the river and today I took it out onto the streets of Rome. Let me tell you, it was terrifying! Drivers here are insane and more than once I think my heart stopped beating. I think once I get the hang of it and remember where the one way streets are and which way they go and where the bike paths are and which small streets I can use easily and where the sidewalks are big enough for a bike...I will be okay riding it around town. But I am really excited to have it and excited to explore the roads of Rome!

Other than that nothing is really new, just wake up, eat, maybe go on a little outing somewhere then home to eat again, maybe watch a movie and then do some homework and go to bed. Tonight they are showing a movie at school called Gomorra, a documentary about the mafia in Naples which I believe won an oscar this past year.

ALSO:

I was wondering if anyone might have some good and simple recipes they might want to send me? A man can only handle pizza and pasta for so long before he needs a little variety. Aunt Donna I remember you telling me about a good chicken and tomato recipe you have? Sarah, I'm sure you have to have some good ones or some suggestions from your years of college life? Any and all are welcome.

ALSO part II:

If you happen to desire to mail me something, you can send it to the following address, I think it might be slightly different than the one I posted originally.

Dominic Bianconi
C/O Balducci
Piazza Amerigo Capponi, 3
00193 Rome RM
Italy

Abito in Roma

2009-08-31T15:44:00.003-04:00

Well I thought I should write again,

Since last time, not a lot has happened, I have been able to see some things in Rome, another roommate of mine (Jayson) arrived, along with my original roommate Tim. Jayson and I have been finding things to do to keep ourselves busy as we have waited for school to begin.

So we find things to do. Everyday is fairly uneventful, sleep-in wake up, have breakfast, either make pasta or get pizza for lunch. Then normally we go on some outing to find some fairly non-essential item but one that is still needed, such as a power adaptor or sunglasses, but it gives us something to do. Then I have dinner with is either pasta or I get pizza or we go to one of the countless little restaurants near us. I think that in a short time I will have developed a first name relationship with more than one pizza vendor in my neighborhood (Prati). This to me, is very exciting.

However, most days its really hot so we dont go out much until it cools off in the evening. Many evenings we get some gelatto and walk around. The other night we wanted to buy some nock-off sun glasses but could not find a single illegal vendor! Normally they wont leave you alone! So we ended up walking all over the city, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Colosseum, the Victor Emanuel Monument, and the Pantheon finishing with of course our neighbor St. Peters Square.

That brings me to today. Today we got up fairly early, and took the metro to Termini and then a train to a town called Anzio, which is actually the town where the allies landed to liberate Italy.

It was really fun and nice to get out of Rome for the day and swim in the Mediterranean Sea, the water was the perfect temperature. I was going to purchase some sun-tan lotion but it was an absurd 20 euro, so in lieu of that I opted out and as a result...I'm a little burnt.

Then we got on the train to come home, I asked a woman if it was the train to Rome and she said yeah, so we got on. Then a few stops later she came up and told us that she was mistaken and that we should get off at the next stop, so we did. So we got off and then got back on the right train, or so we thought. So then we realized we were going the wrong way, so we got off...again....and figured out how to get back to Rome, so then we waited for another train and got on, and alas, it took us home to Rome....(home to Rome, it's still weird to say)

So, that is all that is new really, tomorrow I have orientation at 10:00 and then my first graduate level class wednesday at 7:00. Nervous and excited for school to begin, just not sure what to expect, as with everything in life I suppose.

I will try to update again soon, hope all is well with everyone else, miss you all and cant wait to see you all again soon!

-Dominic

Castelnuovo

2009-08-24T16:09:00.005-04:00

Ciao da Roma,

Well, I am again back in wonderful but never failing to be hot, Rome. On Friday night around 10:00 I received an e-mail from a lady named Stefania, she taught me Italian while I studied in Italy 3 years ago, she and her family live in a small village called Castelnuovo about two hours east of Rome, and she told me that I could come and visit her [Saturday] if I could. So that night I packed up my things and got ready to go.

Castelnuovo is a beautiful quaint little town where everyone knows everyone and they are so kind and generous, welcoming into their homes for wine and cookies or even setting up 5 picnic tables in a small basement to feed 100 people at once! I was lucky enough to have stayed in this town while I studied abroad my sophomore year and stayed in Stefania's hotel and restaurant "La Cabina", with the rest of the students from John Carroll. We really got to know her and her family, as well as everyone else in the town during our time there.

On April 6th, there was a very large earthquake centered in the nearby capital of L'Aquila, devastating the city as well as is neighboring villages like Castelnuovo. I went there not only to visit Stefania and her family but also to see the town and what condition it is in.

From what I saw in L'Aquila, it looked as though there has been a bad earthquake, but in Castelnuovo it more closely resembles Berlin after WWII. The entire town is essentially destroyed, with the exception of a few homes. It was indescribably sad to see the town that my classmates and I called home and enjoyed so much, three years ago. The people are still, 5 months later, living in a camp of tents waiting to be able to rebuilt. They have tremors still weekly and are unsure if they can even rebuild the town at all due to its soft soil.

It was so truly a new experience for me, to see this kind of destruction, not only of homes and buildings but of people's lives. Stefania told me everyday she is tired and feels like she is living the life of a gypsy with no roots and no place to go. She told me that she is afraid most in the evening and in the morning. At night, of another earthquake, and in the morning that the nightmare she is having wont end, and everyday when she wakes up, it is still a nightmare.

I know they will rebuild eventually, but it will take time, although I was and still am so happy to have seen everyone in the town, I wish it could have been in the light of better times. Being so close to Rome I hope that I can go visit them more over the next year or more. I told Stefania to please let me know if there is anything I can do for her. Hopefully they will start to clean up and rebuild soon, and I can come help with that process.

While I was there, walking through the streets all I could think about was what it would be like, to loose everything, you house, you families home, business, job everything, to have you life moved to a tent in a field, I can not imagine what it would be like, truly a nightmare. My experience in L'Aquila and Castelnuovo over the past few days have made me extremely grateful for all that I have had, and all that I continue to have, when so many people here have so little.

Ci Vediamo a Subito,

-Domenico

Castelnuovo: Before the earthquake

Castelnuovo: After the earthquake

Rome

2009-08-19T13:42:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

I am in Rome and JUST got the internet, so, sorry if I wasn't able to write you all sooner.

The flight over was good, except that my flight to philly was delayed for about an hour so I had a total of 10 minutes to get to my next flight in philly. Belive it or not I MADE IT! I ran then gave up, then ran again, then took a golf cart and made it! The flight was the best yet, virtually empty I had the entire row to myself and slept most of the way.

I made it to Rome, got swindled by a fake taxi, dont ever go with the people standing outside the terminal asking if you want a taxi, they are liars, and only after loading your 100 lb bags into the car and driving off do they THEN tell you how much it will cost you.

So then I had two days in Rome, so the first day I rested bought a few groceries, unpacked and slept. The second day I took the train to the airport (so the next morning I would know where I was going for Greece) and made it in good time. Then I took the metro to the colosseum and took a very good albeit touristy walk back to my apartment for dinner. I enjoyed it, even if I was by myself.

The next morning I woke up at 6:30, walk to termini, train to airport, flight to budapest, budapest to thessaloniki and I was there!

Greece was the time of my life, top 4 best experiences ever. Irene and her friends and family could not have been better. I spent two days in Thessaloniki with Irene and her two friends. It was so pretty.

Then we took a buss to Kastoria and then a car to Nestorio where Irene and her family live. It was a small village in the mountains that reminded me SO much of Castelnuovo. I loved it so much, it was so quaint and small and everyone was so nice. Irene's aunt cooked the best food for us and I enjoyed so much swimming in the river, eating, going to the festivals, traditional greek dancing!, going to the bar/cafe...all of it, even watching movies and perhaps best of all meeting Irene's family and friends.

I could cry just thinking about how great it was. I miss it.

So we left Greece yesterday and seeing Irene say good bye was one of the saddest things EVER!

Her Uncle drove us to Thessaloniki and I got on my plane for Italy via Budapest again: It was not the best flight ever, and rather than vent in a paragraph essay, I'll just leave it at that.

Rome is HOT

My roommate arrived today, He is sleeping now and I think we will get along well. I am very anxious for school to start and have a routine. Its very hard being here with nothing really to do and no one really to do anything with, I am pretty lonely right now, but I know it will get better.

Arrividerla

-Dominic/Domenico

Sono Pronto per Andare

2009-08-04T09:54:00.003-04:00

Before leaving I have purchased an international cell phone. Using this you can call using my global number with the United States prefix, (011)447924466315 (international rates apply for the caller)

You can also call me via Skype, its a free online calling service that is really easy to set up through the link below.

http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/

My skype name is:

dominic.bianconi

My address is:

Apt A4

Piazza Amerigo Capponi, 3

00193 Roma

Italy

My e-mail address is:

dominic.bianconi@gmail.com