Le Sagre

If you really want to see how the Italians in rural Italy live, your best bet is to head to the nearest sagra.

A sagra (from the Latin “sacrum”, meaning sacred) is a festival held in the open air: most of them are held in small towns, usually in the main piazza, and they usually celebrate a food that is typically harvested at the time of the festival.

Many Italian Sagre (plural of sagra) are in conjunction with a Saint's feast day or based on historic events and often include processions with people dressed in period costume, contests between neighborhoods of the town, flag throwers, food and fireworks, musical bands.

Festivals can be quite specific. They can celebrate local specialties, i.e. truffles or wild boar, or a specific dish or preparation. You generally sit at long comunal tables and the food is usually brought to you. The food at a Sagra costs much less than it does in a restaurant.

There are enough festivals throughout the year in Italy that it’s a food idea to check whether something is going on when you are here: with all the saint days and local food festivals, something is being celebrated somewhere in Italy on every day of the year.

Among the most famous in Rome and surroundings: Sagra dell’Uva at Marino (Festival of Grapes – October); Sagra della Porchetta at Ariccia (Festival of roasted flavoured pig); Sagra della Castagna at Soriano del Cimino (Festival of Chestnut).

Do you want to know more? Go to http://www.festivalsinitaly.com/main-events-in-italy.html! Or simply do not miss our weekly messages and notes we post in studios and offices: you will have all the necessary details on the current sagra and information on how to get there!

New Soles

Unlike most places in America that are paved smooth with asphalt, all of Rome's streets are cobblestones. Not only does it take some time getting used to walking on the uneven surface, but it takes a toll on one's shoes! Before coming to Rome, I received a new pair of boots for Christmas. I wear them almost every day and as you can imagine, the heals of my boots have worn down to reveal the material underneath the rubber sole. Today, I decided that I would ask the Pantheon office assistant if there is a place nearby that I would be able to go to to resole my shoes. The woman said yes and circled on a map where one was located. She also wrote me down a phrase that I needed to say to the cobbler. I decided that I would then go to the cobbler to get an estimate of the price it was cost to repair my shoes. I walked into the small store down a side street and said to the man what I had been told to say: Devo resvolare la scarpa. The cobbler looks at me as if I need to continue saying something and I just stand there smiling. I'm then confused and I say, "Parlo italiano un po." That's when I realize he speaks no English. He's now talking to me in Italian. I'm confused and try showing him the heals of my boots. In Italian I ask how much: Quanto costa? He replies by saying, "Dieci euros." In my head I am saying, "Crap...I know how to count! How much is that? Oh right, that means ten." He continues to say "Domani" which means tomorrow. I'm sure he thought I was going to try to leave my boots with him today without having another pair of shoes to walk out of the store in! I replied with "si" and tried to think of how to say I will return tomorrow, yet all I could think was how to say it in Spanish. Frazzled, I said in English that I will be back tomorrow. I thanked him ("Grazie mille") and left the store. Tomorrow, I hope to drop off my shoes...in the meantime, I am going to be practicing my Italian.

Picture of the Month - February 2011

Here is the winning picture of the February 2011 photo competition!

Congratulations to Theresa Garrety! If you want to see all of the pictures that were submitted by the Pantheon Institute students for the competition, check out our activities photopage: http://www.pantheon-institute.com/photopage.php.

Shall we dance?

Last night we went to Fonclea, a beautiful music pub in the city centre. Born in 1977, this music house still mantains its soft atmosphere and nice staff, and organizes music events promoting young bands and reproposing ever-lasting successes and covers.

Mondays are dedicated to Greg, a comic actor and singer who, in collaboration with jazz singer Antonella Aprea, filled the night with the rhythm of swing. The orchestra played songs by Sinatra, Gershwin, and the best of ’30s, ’40s and ‘50s.

A wonderful occasion to chill out, sing along, and have fun with the comical sketches Greg played with Antonella! Definitely a great evening, and definitely yesterday night two great voices made the old swing live again.

We were happy to receive the news of the recent Tulane School of Architecture student work exhibit from the 2010 Rome Program at the Pantheon Institute. The installation looks great and the work by the students even better. I cannot but confirm the feeling of accomplishment which characterized our common experience on both the academic and human levels, and am looking forward to confirming such high standards in the forthcoming future.

Prof. Arch. David Sabatello

You can take a look at some of the pictures taken by the TSA students during their stay in Rome on our activities photopage: http://216.14.127.190/photopage.php.

Tulane School of Architecture Rome Fall 2010

Here is a very nice video that some students from the Tulane School of Architecture prepared about their experience in Rome! They were students at the Pantheon Institute during the Fall2010 semester.

My Holiday in Rome

My holiday in Roma has been blissful and a dream come true. Daily life includes a cafe of some sort (of course), trips to the market, guided walks of the city, class by the Pantheon, and cooking an Italian meal to the best of my ability.

Speaking of..last week, a staff member came to our apartment to teach us how to cook a true Italian meal! The Menu: Parmesan Pear Salad, Rigatoni alla Carbonara, and Tiramisu that was to die for! When I go home to the States they will be blown away by my new talent.

This past weekend Chad and I took a weekend trip to the Amalfi Coat and Capri. BREATHTAKING. I can't imagine how stunning it must be in the spring when everything is in bloom! Chad and I may have gotten off path a few times, but what a better way to see the coast then to hike it? Sunday we took a ferry from Sorrento to Capri. The water was brilliantly blue and surrounded the entire island. Chad and I enjoyed a cafe and gelato on top of the city centro. It was truly paradise on earth.

I try to pinch myself daily to be reminded of where I am. Every day holds a new adventure in Roma and I plan on embracing every moment of it!