Snow...in Rome!

I was only 3 years old when it last snowed in Rome…it was 1985!

I remember that the first thing I did after waking up, was jumping off the bed and running to the window to see if the snow we had so long expected, had arrived. And my astonishment in front of such an unusual show was great, of course!

My mother saw my anxious expression and she immediately dressed me up for the occasion. I remember having a lot of fun playing in the garden with my sister and with all of the other little kids living in my building.

And finally, after such a long time, Rome has turned white again on Friday morning offering its people and the numerous tourists who visit it a breathtaking show.

Obviously, this event has not only brought joy and amazement but also chaos…a lot of chaos!

We Romans are not suitable for dealing with snow at all…Rain is yet a big problem, mostly for cars and scooters that paralyze the city when it rains…drivers just go crazy! Can you imagine what happens with snow?

But all of the discomforts that this uncommon event has caused to the Eternal City won’t make us want to forget such a special day! Not until the next snowfall, at least!

"On Top of the World" (Villa Adriana Trip by a PI student)

On top of the world, or at least Adrian’s. You tend to see things in perspective, the broad scope of humanity when you’re perched above all things around you.

There is a certain amount of pride one feels, I imagine without actually understanding, those that have ventured to the top of the world.

In this instance a picture is worth about as much as a postcard you’d find across the street from Mount Rushmore. My deepest feeling is that as evolved creatures, we have the ability to create astonishing images within our minds. One that Nikon cannot even begin to comprehend. I may have a tendency to over dramatize a moment. Create the illusion of some cataclysmic scene. I have no problem admitting that. When you are unable to open your mind to thinking in a way that is bigger than you, I have to criticize.

Fifty years from now I am going to want these memories. I want to remember standing on what was once the private villa of an emperor to Rome. Overlooking Tivoli and the surrounding mountains. The ay the olive trees seem to create a sparkling sea of green that shimmers in the wind. One barn plopped down in a vast endless plain, sheets of green layered all the way to a distant range. The only thing that keeps my eyes and imagination from running off is the tiny moving boxes crossing smack dab in the middle of my painting. Fucking Highway.

Who would have thought I would be sitting in a town outside of Rome, suffocated by architects. Sketching, putting my picture to paper using lines and geometry instead of loops, dots, and scratches. Allowing me to see the world from a different perspective, it keeps me sane. Brings objective light into an otherwise subject moment.

Carnival Time!

Carnival has very ancient origins: it is believed to have originated in Roman times when the Saturnalia, the Saturn festival, and the Lupercalia, the full moon feast, were celebrated.

Carnival is celebrated forty days before Easter, as a final party before Ash Wednesday and the restrictions of Lent, when the rigors of fasting and sacrifice begin. As a matter of fact, the word “carnival” derives from the Latin expression “carne-levare”, literally "to stop eating meat".

The celebration of carnival ends on Mardi Gras (French for "Shrove Tuesday").

For the second year running, Rome city council has organized a programme of events to celebrate the traditional carnival season. Carnevale Romano runs from February 6th to Shrove Tuesday, on February16th.

A considerable number of events are now taking place in the city center and, more precisely, in the area that comprises Via del Corso, Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna.

Among other activities, masquerade parades, equestrian shows, concerts and theatre plays are scheduled for the 2010 Carnevale Romano edition. Most of these events are free and they represent a unique chance to immerse oneself in this magical atmosphere!

Whether you are attending these events or not, do not forget to walk into a pastry shop and buy the traditional Carnival fried or baked sweets: frappe and castagnole…simply delicious!

Cooking Class & Dinner at Gustolab Restaurant

What’s the difference between Pomodoro San Marzano and Pomodoro Pendolo? What does the expression “fare la scarpetta” mean? Where do the lemons used to prepare the delicious torta Amalfitana come from?

These are only some of things that the Gustolab restaurant staff explained to the Pantheon Institute students during the cooking class and dinner that took place last Tuesday.

Armando, the Neapolitan cook, prepared a yummy menu with involtini di melanzane (eggplant rolls filled with mozzarella cheese), scarparielli pomodoro e basilico (a very large size kind of pasta with a typical variety of tomatoes from the Campania region and basil) and Torta Amalfitana (chocolate cake with lemon scented cream).

And wine could not miss of course! What’s better that a glass of great Nero D’Avola wine to accompany this fabulous dinner?

Looking for a book? Ask the Pantheon Institute!

Besides hosting two classrooms, the Student Services Team office and the computer room, our Via del Pantheon location has become the seat of our library since the beginning of the Spring 2010 semester.

With about 1000 items, the Pantheon Institute library offers our students a good selection of Italian and foreign literature books going on with social sciences and language texts and ending, of course, with a considerable number of architecture and landscape architecture items.

The Pantheon Center is the ideal place to relax while reading a novel or to study on an architecture book and elaborate a design project on our iMacs.

Simona, our librarian, is available for all the students who want to check out books or need any other kind of didactic material.

Spring Break...Pantheon Institute Style

While most US colleges students were gearing up for the same old, alcohol splattered, I did what, dude, Spring Break in some sunny foreign resort mostly resembling a frat house, Pantheon Institute students were preparing their Spring break assault on Europe. Like the song goes, Rome, London, Paris, Pantheon Institute students packed up their sacks and headed out in all directions for this ten-day pause from class. From Barcelona to Amsterdam to Ireland, they had the great opportunity of exploring other parts of Europe, only adding to their knowledge, experience and learning. With many destinations only a short plane ride away, students enjoyed the opportunity to visit two or three countries over the course of their break taking in the various cultures that spread out over the continent. Something that makes studying at the Pantheon Institute all the rave; unforgettable Spring Break in Europe, dude!

Barcelona/Paris
Photos courtesy of Paige Landry,
Pantheon Institute/ConnColl
Spring 2009

Our Central Location in Rome Makes a Difference

The Pantheon Institute is spread out over a number of buildings in the historic center of Rome. Among its most treasured locations is the center located in one of the Doria Pamphilji Palazzi located on the Piazza Navona adjacent to Borromini’s masterpiece, the Sant’Agnese in Agone church. Students have dorms, study rooms and even classes in the palazzo where the monuments of historic Rome are literally on their doorstep. In addition to the Navona Center, the Pantheon Institute’s faculty and administration building is located on Via del Pantheon on the Piazza della Rotunda where the Roman architectural marvel, the Pantheon, has stood for nearly 2000 years. Finally, students enjoy the characteristic Roman quarter of Trastevere with additional Pantheon Institute dorms located right on the Tiber river just a short walk away from the Institute.If you interested in studying abroad in Rome and live day-to-day in the historic center of the Eternal City with experienced and dedicated professors coupled by unparalleled student services, the Pantheon Institute is the obvious and only choice.