225 Week 6

My work art for his weeks 225 blog is Cosimo Rosselli’s remake of “The Last Supper” in the Sistine Chapel. This picture is a Fresco, was painted in 1480, and is located on the chapel’s wall. It is the final scene of the works portraying Jesus’ life. The Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican and is most famous for Michael Angelo’s ceiling and altar wall.

The Iconography of this fresco is deep and there are many different things that can interpreted. The first thing that jumped out at me was the scenes painted in the background. These scenes depict parts of Jesus’ life after the Last Supper. The first one shows Jesus in the garden asking God to not let him be killed, the second shows Judases betrayal and the third shows his crucifixion. These scenes are excellent examples of one the core themes of Renaissance art, depicting Christ as human. They show a human side of Jesus because they show Him being afraid and not wanting die, being betrayed by one of His closest followers and His death.

You can also see Judas in this fresco. He is painted in front of the table and is located on Jesus’ left. He is wearing a black or dark colored robe. He also has a dark halo above his head. The dark robe and halo are an obvious signal to how Judas betrays Christ. I also believe that Rosselli moved him from sitting behind the table (Where da Vinci has him) to the front to symbolize his importance in Jesus’ life. If Judas did not betray him, the scenes in the background would never have happened.

325 Week 6

At the start of every Easter and Christmas Papal address, the Pope starts out by saying: “To Rome and to the World”. Why does the Pope feel the need to single out Rome? Why don’t they just address the world as a whole? I believe they do this because the Papacy has qualities that make it both Roman/Italian and Universal.

The Papacy has Roman and Italian qualities because this is where Peter decided to found the church. Jesus Christ Himself trusted Peter to continue his teachings and his legacy after he was crucified. Peter travelled around the world and could have picked anywhere. However, he decided to found the church in Rome because is those times; Rome was the center of the world. In our readings, Barzini calls Rome “Gods seat on earth, the rock on which Christ had established His Church, the centre of a vast spiritual Empire”. The Papacy is also Roman because Peter, the Bishop of Rome and the first Pope, was buried there after being martyred.

I believe the Papacy to be Italian because Catholics in Italy are different than the rest of the world. In Rome, there are literally churches on every corner. Italians have such a strong belief in Christ and consequently the Pope that they felt the need to build hundreds of churches throughout the city. During our first week in Rome, Professor M also mentioned that more than 90% of the country is Catholic. When 90% of an entire country believes in someone or something, that object, person or thing will inherently become part of that country.

The Papacy is also universal because while the Catholic Church was founded in Rome, it has spread to every country all over the world. The Pope is the leader of an institution that people from all over the world believe in. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, is also fluent in 7 different languages. This is necessary because how much the Church has spread all over the world. The Vatican itself is also a separate state apart from Italy and Rome. Since The Vatican is a different country, that makes the Pope a leader of a country as well.

The Papacy can also be called universal because of the amount of people that travel from all over the world to see him. Catholics from every continent and different countries make the pilgrimage to pay respect to their leader. The Churches traditions also make it universal. No matter what country you go to, or what language they speak, mass and the Sacraments do not change.

The Papacy has its foundations rooted in Roman and Italian history, however over the years it has expanded into a universal institution, with universal traditions.

490 Week 5

For our 490 class excursion this week we were able to see an Italian hospital. This was definitely one of the most interesting site visits we have had while in Rome. We visited Santo Spirito Hospital. Santo Spirito is the oldest hospital in Rome. Before this visit I had no idea what to expect, but I wont lie I had pretty low expectations.



When we first arrived at the hospital, a doctor talked to us about the procedures of the hospital and of the health care system itself. While it was hard to understand what he was saying through his broken English, I think I was able to get the basic points. One thing that he told us that interested me the most was how they pay for health care in Italy. Each Italian citizen pays 1000 Euro at the beginning of each year. This is a annual fee that covers you whether you go to the doctors once for a cold or whether your a cancer patient.

One thing that impressed me about the Santo Sprito hospital is their prescription medication dispensing. They used what looked like a high tech vending machine, that was connected to a central network. Using bar codes on the medications and records of which nurse took out which medication, they are able to keep accurate records. This helps ensure that medications are not being wasted or abused.

John Goodman writes in Opposing Viewpoints that a common myth about an American single payer national health care system is it will reduce the cost of prescription drugs. However, Italy seems to have the proper regulations and networking abilities to make sure that most drugs are not lost to abuse or being misplaced. While this does not guarantee lower medication costs, it is most definitely a step in the right direction.

225 Week 5

The topic for this weeks Art History blog is the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain was completed in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini, is 85x65 feet and is made of stone and marble. It's function was to mark the end of one of the major ancient aqueducts in the city. The Trevi Fountain is located in the Piazza de Trevi.

The Iconolgy of the Trevi Fountain consists mainly of myths. One myth surrounding the Trevi Fountain regards people throwing coins into the basin. Tradition says that if you throw a coin into the Fountain, it will guarantee another trip to Rome. There are also traditions that say two coins will lead to a new love, and three will lead to a marriage or a divorce.

The myths surrounding the Trevi Fountain are a testament to how important this work of art was in ancient times and still is today. There are probably a hundred or more fountains in Rome, however this is the one that people come to when they want to guarantee a trip back to Rome, a new love or marriage. This importance comes from the Fountain being attached to Romes most powerful aqueduct and such an elaborate scene of Neptune and other Triton's in the Fountain itself.

325 Week 5

The topic this week is the purpose of leisure. For our class excursion on Monday, we went to the Borghese Gardens. The Borghese Gardens remind me of New Yorks Central Park. I think that the purpose of leisure for Americans and Italians is slightly different.

As we discussed in class, Americans view leisure as "recharging the old battery to return to work". As Americans we feel that our time off is an opportunity to rest up and be able to work harder. I believe that for Americans the link between travelling and leisure is very strong. When we are able to get vacation time from work, in my experience, we very rarely stay at home. We would rather go visit and exciting, exotic place, that we really enjoy or have never been to before.

In my experience with Italians however, their view of leisure is slightly different. I believe that Italians are much more likely to view leisure as an opportunity to spend time with family and friends, rather than an opportunity to travel all over and see new places. Italians would rather spend their time with family and friends because they know these are people they can trust. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, Barzini describes Italians as suspicious people who believe that things are rarely what they seem, words have hidden meanings and basically that no one that they are not familiar with can be trusted. This molds their view of leisure because its allows them to spend more time with people they trust. It gives them a chance to let their guard down, and truly relax instead of constantly being on high alert for pickpockets, scams and thefts.

An example of this is our Campus Coordinator and friend, Danilo. Danilo had this past weekend off. He was free to do whatever he wanted, he could have travelled anywhere he wanted, and seeing as he is such a connected person with many friends, it would not have been hard to find a destination. However, instead of travelling all over Italy or Europe, he decided to go home and visit his Dad and brother. After a few weeks of taking us all over Rome and Italy, and looking out for us, I'm sure he was ready to relax (especially after Naples). Danilo did not need exotic places to be able to relax and unwind, all he needed was his family and those he trusted.

490 Week 4

Today for our class excursion, we had to pass out surveys on the Italian national health care system. This was a very interesting experience. I really had a better understanding of what Barzini is talking about in his book. In chapter 10 Barzini talks about how the day an Italian is "truly born" is when he figures out that things are seldom what they seem, words not always what they sound like, and most of what he has learned throughout his life is complete nonsense. He claims that an Italian will "surely come to grief if he carelessly tries to live according to the rules he has been taught." He talks about how the rules may work in some countries, where the people are "well ordered" but it is different in Italy.

Many of the people who I interviewed last Thursday definitely shared some of the same sentiments and Barzini. The first four people I asked to do the survey were people selling things in the square. I approached them, and in my horribly broken Italian asked them if they had a moment to fill out a sonjado (survey) for me, a studente Americano. There first reaction me asking them was the same. No. No matter what I tried to say in Italian or English could get them to fill out this survey. After these first four failures, I decided to switch my attention from middle aged vendors, to people my age. After I made this change, I was much more successful. I believe that I was much more successful with people my age for two reasons. The first being I had much more in common with them, compared to the middle aged men selling fruit. The second I think comes from the fact they may not have had their "true birth" and were not as paranoid as the older, more seasoned vendors. The vendors have had more experience than the younger people with the darker side of Italy. This darker side consists of the pickpockets, beggars and the all the other people who have nothing to lose. They will use innocent looking schemes to try and scam you. I believe that these street vendors have more experience with these elements of Italian society than the younger students, and that is reflected in their attitudes and trust levels.

325 Week 4

As you walk through the city of Rome, you will find that there are piazzas everywhere. One of my favorite is the Piazza del Popolo. Many years ago Popolo was the first thing you will find when you enter the city. It is also called the "trident" because Via's Corso, Babuino and Ripetta intersect there. It is my personal favorite because if you look with the North gate to your back, the southern side of the piazza is mirrored. The exact same image is reflected on both sides of an obelisk in the center.

The Piazza del Popolo is an example of a piazza being used to impress other people. In the older days, it was the first thing people saw when they entered the city. The piazza was used to give foreigners a good first impression of the city when they arrived. Piazza's also serve as a meeting place for people and market places as well.