An Italian Reflection

The week long cultural experience expedition has indeed been quite an experience.
From Rome to Bagnaia, Bagnaia to Capalbio, Capalbio to Bolgheri, Bolgheri to Massa,
Massa to the city of Pietrasanta, the city of Pietrasanta to Florence, each destination that
we have stayed the night or two while traveling to neighboring places has been a week
full of ongoing, unforgiving pleasure to the eyes of sightseeing and trek’s that I am glad
I have been given the opportunity to have experienced. The first week in Italy engaged
me into the raw culture of Italy propelling me to become one with the culture as I
experienced what this journey had to offer which included: monumental history such as
agriculture, architecture, and the steady flow of Italian behavior. From the first day,
stepping foot onto the grounds of Italy and seeing the historic architecture that are
used today as functioning buildings for business amazed me. My amazement grew as
the historic buildings turned into monuments that are on display with such rich culture
hidden inside such as the Colosseum. Through the walking tours I took, I learned more
about famous monuments such as the Colosseum than I had by just reading stories about
them in history class back home.
Each day continuing to get more rich into the history of Italy as the third day continued
on about the Italian government during my visit at Palazzo Farnese palace and it’s story
of being owned by the Italian republic. The fourth day dug into the Italian gardens as well
as the mannerist art at the Villa Lante which personally took my breath away. As the middle
of the week passed by and the end was nearing, the fifth day only suitable touched on
the Etruscan Necropolis graves and how the people were buried according to social
class-bigger graves for the higher class, smaller and simpler graves for the lower class.
Cittadella di Carnivale was visited during day six which is a tradition that takes place on
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, every year where papier mache masters
show off their work through a carnival. Day seven was a day to explore the little towns
of Cinque Terre where the ocean ran into the beaches and time seemed to slow by the
natural beauty of the views from up top the little hills these towns had that looked over
the sunbathing people and beyond. Then day eight appeared and it was time to take off
toward another adventure in Florence.

If I were to only pick three sites visited during this adventure, however, that I found most
memorable and noteworthy, I would surely pick the Roman Forum, St. Peter’s Basilica,
and the Caccia al Piano vineyard. For these reasons I would pick these specific places,
The Roman Forum due to the beautiful eye pleasing architecture that surrounds it.
The Colosseum, one of the structures included in the Roman Forum was used as a
place for public spectacles such as animal hunts. The Temple of Vesta is also included
in the Roman Forum, and in the middle of the Temple of Vesta there used to be the
Vesta goddess, goddess of hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. However over
time she withered away and now all that stands is the remains of the temple.

St. Peter’s Basilica, an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City is of importance to
me due to its vast size; amount of artwork which includes Renaissance and Baroque art,
much of which were the works of Michelangelo; and deeply rooted history. The creation of
St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1506 under Pope Julius II and was finished in 1615 under
Paul V.

The vineyard Caccia al Piano is a reflection worthy experience because the wine of
Italy is such an important part of Italian culture. The wine is rooted so deeply into the
culture of Italy that it even costs less than water when at a restaurant. During the tour
of the vineyard Caccia al Piano, I was taken through the process of wine making, which
takes place in order to create such famous wine. The grapes must first be crushed before
being put into big wooden barrels which hold the wine for years during fermentation.
These barrels are located in the lower level of the vineyard building where the natural
temperature of the earth below ground help to keep the room temperature cool along
with an air conditioning unit which helps keep the temperature  at a constant equilibrium
to ensure the making of perfect Italian wine.

Although every place I have visited during my first weeks expedition were the definition of awe themselves, I believe all three of these places I have talked about are noteworthy for reflection because they represent a great amount of culture which Italy has endured through time. From the history of the Roman Forum, to the religion of St. Peter’s Basilica, and then to the secret wine recipes of the Italian vineyards, an enriching knowledge has been taken from the experiences I have learned from during the trip.