Week 6 Class 325

The Pope begins the Easter address: To Rome and the to the World; What qualities about it reflect Roman and Universal natures of the world? How can it be both?

Being the the oldest and the largest of all...the Church is a far-reaching, powerful and omnipresence of a state within a state. According to Barzini in The Italains, "The Church is a world it itself, the most labyrinthine and complicated of all human organizations" (220). Barzini goes on to say "It obeys its own laws, it offers infinite possiblities,it protects and aids loyal followers, it solves all kinds of problems, it promotes prosperity and security of good men in all kinds of circumstances." (220).

It is possible that the Pope addresses Rome and the World, because he is seen as an international leader for Catholics througout the world. Thoughout the ages, Popes served as leaders to Rome because the Italian population wanted it this way. According to The Italians, "The Church's power was always strong, not because the Popes were great statesmen ...but because the Italians never really wanted to become the actors of their own history...and used the church...to prevent unification or when unification was achieved, to undermine and weaken it" (334).

Another reason that the Pope addresses Rome and the World is that during his Easter address, he forgives the sins of all those present in Rome and watching around the world. Trying to assist in solving all kinds of problems, universally, the Pope also calls for world peace during this addrstatesmenIt condemned breaches of an agreement signed between the Nazi government and the Church, and included criticism of Nazi ideology and, in the interpretation of some scholars, of Nazism[2] and Hitler.[ess. Pope Pius the XXII called for Italians to help Jewish citizens during WWII.(Wikipedia)

The qualities that reflect Roman as well as universal qualities can be seen in the Mit brennender Sorge, while he did not write the Mit brennender Sorge, it is credited to Pope Pius XXII. It spoke of "God-given rights" and invoked a "human nature" that went beyond national boundaries. According to Wikipedia, the Pope's Mit brennender Sorge reminded the Nazi regime that “None but superficial minds could stumble into concepts of a national God, of a national religion; or attempt to lock within the frontiers of a single people, within the narrow limits of a single race, God, the Creator of the universe, King and Legislator of all nations before whose immensity they are ‘as a drop of a bucket’ (Isaiah XL. 15).” On Easter Sunday, Cardinal Angelo Scola, talked about universal Christians. He said, "In our days the witness (martyrion) of an increasing number of christians (in Iraq, in India and in other Eastern Counties, in Africa...) arrives to the spreading of blood... We multiply ourselves every time we are reaped by you: the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians." (Apol.,50,13: CCl l,17).

In the homily, Easter Sunday, Cardinal Scola speaks to Italians and many other christians present in the church about practicing an authentic faith which "derives also the beneficial contribution of the christian citizens to common life. With humble frankness they should propose, not imposing, good relation at every level, and proof in every daily life virtuous practices in the sphere of affections, of work and rest" (2).

Wk 5 Class 225

Week 6 Class 225

Today, we visited St. Peter's; however, the dome was closed today because Pope Benedict the XVI decided to go to the dome. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict did not report his change in itinerary to Danilo :-( Even so, while at the St. Peter's, we mingled with the many visitors of the day. Professor informed us later that he was asked to leave because Pope Benedict decideed to say a Mass in honor of St. John Paul II death 5 yrs ago.

For Class 225, Michelangelo’s Pietá is the subject and can be found, according to Smiles, “at the front of a small chapel on the right” in the basilica (109). This sculpture of the Blessed Virgin holding her dead son is sculpted in white Carrara marble, and it is, according to Brigitte Hintzen-Bohlen’s Art and Architecture: Rome and the Vatican, one of Michelangelo’s earliest works. (484) The work was “originally intended for the tomb of French Cardinal Jean Bihѐres de Lagraulas in Old St. Peter’s and brought to St Peter’s around 1519.” (Bohlen,484) Bohlen explains that in the sculpture, Michelangelo managed harmonize and blend the upright position of the Mary’s figure with the horizontal figure of Christ as he is stretched across her lap. (Bohlen, p484)

Michelangelo took some criticism for this sculpture because the Virgin Mary is portrayed as a young woman. When critics questioned Michelangelo about Mary’s age he replied, according to Smiles, with the following questions: “Don’t you know,” [Michelangelo] asked…”that women who are chaste remain much fresher than those who are not? How much more so a virgin who was never touched by even the slightest lascivious desire which might alter her body?”’ (109)

The iconography of the piece is that it represents the criticism Michelangelo received; the expression of the Virgin’s incorruptible purity and finally, “it successfully combines death and youth, grief and beauty.” (485)

Week 5 Class225

We travelled to St. Peter's grave. We met our tour guide in the South Annexe of the Old Gottoes and passed through several rooms containing 14th and 15th century tomb slabs, transennae, architectural fragments and sarcophagi, according to Blue Guide: Rome.Then, we headed down the stairs to the necropolis. There are many rooms there that preserved loved ones of Roman families; some of them were not of aristocratic origin.

It is directly below the the altar of the present church (the New Vatican). Supposedly, Constantine built his basilica directly over the site because he new that St. Peter's grave was located there. According to the Blue Guide: Rome, in an shocking revelation after his battle with Maxentius, "Constantine announced that his victory over Maxentius was a sign ofthe favour of the Christian Gods" (16). His decision to build over the grave proved to be very difficult because of the incline of the hill. So, why did Constantine select this particular spot? There are two possible answers: 1) It is the spot where St. Peter is buried and 2) it is possible that it is also the site of an imperial estate; similar to the two earliest Basilicas built by Constantine, San Giovanni in Laterano and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

Archeologists believe that Constanine knew St. Peter's grave is located in this spot is because he left a the grafitti wall in place to everyone's surprise. While on the trip, we were able to see the excavated bones of St Peter. According to the guide, every bone was in place except those of the feet, and this is because the feet were amputated to take the body off the Cross.

St. Peter requested to be crucified upside down because he did not feel that he should be crucified in the same manner as Christ. Glimpsing the bones of St. Peter started an emotion that continued to the end of the tour and visitin the tomb of Pope John Paul II. To my surprise, this trip proved to be very emotional for me.

Week 5 Class 325

What is the meaning of leisure and how does Italian leisure differ from American leisure?

For most Americans, leisure means recuperating and gearing up for the next day or week. Too often, even while enjoying their leisure time, American employees are working at home to finish work that they didn't complete while at work. Big business is demanding more and more from their employees. They keep them attached through cell phones day in and day out; you damn well better not stand around and chit chat; they demand that one employee do the work of three or four employees; and they are allowing more work to be taken home for completion. So, ends family life.


When I walk around Italy, I am amazed at the relaxed atmosphere in the workplace. In the TIM store they were having a caffe'; In Albano, employees walk outside to chat with people walking down the street and smoke. Watching the people in Albano, I've come to believe that taking the family for a walk or going to the piazza after coming home from work is a form of leisure for Italians. I saw several "grandmothers and daughters taking a stroll" (Smiles) arm in arm and it brought back the old days when we saw this more often in the US. In Gandolfo piazza last night, two grown men were twirling the jump rope while a girl and her two brothers jumped the rope.
The other night while getting ready for dinner, I heard a dad jump out and startle his kids and their friends and they yelled: "Papa!" and laughed. It really is refreshing.

Overall, I think that Europeans travel internationally far more than Americans as a form of self improvement; however, Americans like to travel their own country to see its wonders.

For me, it is about taking the animals outside to play and blow off the stink or working in the flower garden, so that during the summer, I can sit and enjoy the beauty of the flowers, trees and birds sharing food. Bird at feeders are actually polite. They take a seed and fly away so that the next bird can have a seed.

Our itinerary included the Borghese gardens this week. They are beautiful and well manicured. While there, I found Via del Girgio Washington which surprised me. Then, I walked over to the Museum of Modern Art and it was closed :-( After that, I went for lunch and found a park bench to sit on and read. It was an extremely relaxing day.

Week 6 Class 490

The question is can we cure disease through the power of prayer?

In America, we change our eating habits; for instance, we count our calories and carbohydrates, we've banned smoking and charge fines for open containers and drunk driving trying to save lives. Unfortunately, drunk drivers without a license and a list of offenses a mile long are still getting away with little or no punishment. Now the government wants to fine Americans for eating what they want. Obviously, the fining is not working for drinking; do we really think it will work where food is concernedf? For years, Americans have been working at changing their eating habits; so much that its become a multibillion dollar business.So far, this is not working for those addicted to food anymore taxes on cigarettes and alcohol is working for those addicted to alcohol and tabacco.

According to Controversies in Healthcare, "We're becoming less responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else's. Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits. And if the government is paying for my anti-cholesterol medication, what incentive is there fore me to put down the cheeseburger?" (166).

In Italy, the people do as they please and their statistics are surpassing those of the US; however, they do spend the majority of their time walking where they want to go. They smoke when they want and they drink wine with their meals, eat plenty of carbohydrates late at night before going to bed. They take cigarette breaks or walk outside to chit chat with someone on the street without the fear of being fired.

Italians also have a strong belief system.

In The Italians, Luigi Barizini says that "At some point, real power destroys make-believe power and everything ends in catastophe." (83) Maybe we see the real power of a less stressful life in Italy. Incorporating this life style in the US could jeapordize its corporate world. Maybe what US citizens really need is a less stressful life.

Religion does have its positive effects or healing or recovery. According to “Spirituality, Religion, and Health,” religion establishes community and community provides a support system for coping with illness. Skokan and Bader (2000) report that spirituality can bring an ill person three benefits: hope, strength, and emotional support” (93). In my mind, you don’t need to be ill to experience these three benefits. One can experience these three benefits while dealing with the illness of another person or any other stressful life situation.

Every time we stop in a church Danilo takes the time to meditate. He probably does this with every group, but right now he needs an inner strength and the emotional support to move past a devastating point in his life. Personally, prayer brought me through two instances in life that could leave a person totally deflated. I’ll talk about the second instance; our grandson, Michael (aka Bubs), came down with a true esophagitis. It took weeks for it to develop; about half way to the doctor’s office and past the last hospital, I am pretty sure that he stopped breathing for a second or two. I just prayed to make it to the doctor’s office and kept talking to him the whole way. The doctor transferred him to Aultman. He went an entire night without being brought to the attention of the pediatrician in charge. The next morning, Dr. Langsdorf spent the entire morning with Bubs. He insisted on taking a backboard to x-ray; he held him up to x-ray machine to get a good picture (looking for a foreign body). He didn’t see one; so, he cleared a surgery suite and took him in to find the foreign body (fb) – nothing found. Thank God. While they looked for the fb, I prayed that it was not from our house. As a result, Dr. Langsdorf transferred Bubs to Children’s Hospital in Akron. He spent the next three days paralyzed. We could talk to him but not stimulate him in an attempt to wake him up. I spent my nights rocking him (while mom rested up for the next day). While rocking him I prayed to Mary (something that I’ve done since junior high school), sang “He Walks with Me and He Talks with me” in Bubs ear, and prayed that God’s will be done. Luckily, His will turned out to be the result that I was looking for.

While working at a local hospital, a lady of Jehovah Witness faith came in for treatment. She needed a blood transfusion and refused the transfusion. As a result, the staff felt total frustration and each used their form of support system to deal with the situation. It works the same when they lose a patient. They rely on their belief system and each other during these times of stress. The Connection Between Spirituality, Religion and Health goes on to say that religion and its accompanying beliefs and behaviors can affect every aspect of life, including social organizations, political beliefs, economic status, and family life…human development. As a result of my encounters with life, I’ve become more involved with my Church and want to participate.

Week 4 Class 325

What is the function of the piazza?

For today's society, I feel the function of the piazza is very much like that of a park. Because few citizens have a yard in Rome, the people go the piazza to sit and people watch or just to take in the view or some sun. One can see "grandmothers and daughters" strolling along arm in arm or lovers leisurely spending the day together.

According to The Smiles of Rome, the Piazza Navona preserves the oval hape of the stadium of the Agonale Circus. (146) This is the spot where Domitian reigned over games. Bernini tried to give a park-like flavor to the piazzas with his fountains. Smiles says that Bernini tried "to liberate the kinetic qualities of light and water through fountain sculpture." (146) He worked to provide one fluid, musical sequence with his fountins. (146) Eventually, the piazza's became thriving Wednesday markets and eventually they became the street fairs of the city. Piazzas, according to Smiles, became the trading places of gossip, political ideas and scandals.


We still see this today as people gather to sit and chat, read a book or a magazine in the piazza. They gather around the fountain or in the cafe' to exchange information, play checkers or whatever. The piazza takes on the park role because so many of Italians have no yard. They live in these high-rises and hang their laundry out the window to dry. I can only imagine how long it takes a woman to do the laundry. It must be a never ending job; I would be on strike until my husband bought me a dryer :-)

Wk5 Class 325

What is the point of leisure?

For Americans, leisure is about doing nothing, catching up for lost time in the yard or house, reading a book or taking in a movie. For Italians, it is the pursuit of life through their writing, art or other artistic means. It is a game played "strictly according to the rules of the game as the Italians understood them at the time and understand them, more or less unchanged, today." (172) They work to better the moral and material conditons, but in the end, they remain the same.

In Europe, it is about learning how the other half lives and educating yourself so that one can tell the story through art, writing, etc. It is about not taking what we have or know for granted. In European households after dinner and relaxing around the table, the stories begin and history is passed on in the form of folklore about the people that are no longer around and stories to warn the younger generation are past down. Too often in America, we hear stories of not eating supper together and valuable family time is lost by taking it for granted.

Week 4 Class 490

On Thursday, we went to the market place of the common man, San Lorenzo, to survey Italians about their healthcare; while there, we needed to interview ten women and ten men about the healthcare in Italy. I found women more willing to participate, after some explanation, in the survey than men. Young people were also more willing to participate in the survey. They seemed to feel threatened.

I related this observation with soemthing that Luigi Barzini says in The Italians: "The problem the people faced under Fascism was as old as Italy; how to survive and possibly prosper in the midst of corruption, civil wars, revolutions and foreign invasions, under bloody tyrants and their greedy courties, without the protection of the law." (157) One could see the look in their eyes when they listened to our request for participation.

Overall, the experience of asking for participation in an unfamiliar language went better than expected, but the people were helpful in helping students with communication; and when all else failed, sign language became useful.

Week 4

On Tuesday, we visited the other side of the Tiber River. While there, we managed to get in under the wire at the San Fransesco de Ripa church. Then we headed over to Santa Maria Travestere. When you see the exterior of this church, one is not impressed, but that changes when you enter the church.

The iconography of this church, according to the Blue Guide, is that it is the first church dedicated to the mother of all - The Blessed Virgin. It contained beautiful mosiacs of the Virgin and attendants. According to the Blue Guide, the dome is Baroque and the tomb that we saw is of Innocent the II. Even though I haven't had a chance to look at my pictures, the guide explains that there is a mosiac of a cage bird that represents Christ's imprisonment for our sins. I haven't had a chance to view the pictures on my camera, but I hope that I have this on film.

Week 4 Class 325

Today, we visited the market place of Campo di Fiori. We just browsed the market place and then we stopped for a bite to eat before moving on the Piazza Navona. At the Piazza Navona, we split into groups for a scavenger hunt. For the scavenger hunt, we needed to practice our Italian by asking directions to find certain points of interest. I thought this was a fun and great way to practice the language. The majority of people in the piazza were friendly and tried to be helpful. Several times we ran into English speakers and were thankful for their English.

Week 3 Class:490

What can we take from the Roman approach to improve our health?



To improve our health, we can take several approaches used by the Romans. First, we can provide our children with baths, just as the Romans did with their entire society. So often, when substituting in elementary classrooms, children are chided because they smell. In middle and high school classrooms, signs are hung in some of the classrooms about using soap, shampoo and deodorant. If we eliminate physical education from schools, some students will be denied the only chance they have for a bath/shower. Teachers actually tell tales of taking students to the showers because they smell so badly.



Another approach we can use from the Roman approach is to walk to our destinations rather than drive and use more public transportation.

I would also like to see our society go back to growing their own fruits and vegetables and have the little Mom and Pop shops on the corner. The fruit from local growers always taste better than the fruit from the large supermarket that was harvested before ripening.

Wk #2 Class 490

The question this week is why are the people of Cuyahoga County unhealthy and not using the Cleveland Clinic to capacity? As many believe that the population makes unhealthy decisions about their health, one thought is that the population patronizes hospitals other than the CC. These people probably feel more comfortable with the physicians of a smaller facility. The first thing we need to understand is that the CC is a hospital that boasts of specialty areas, and to keep these areas competing, the hospital as we learned in our reading invests in high tech equipment. More often than not, one needs a referral to see a physician there. The referral must be cleared by the insurance company. In the late 1990's, the practice of many insurance companies was to pay physicians not to refer patients to specialists. If you didn't know this, your treatment was skued.

Another possibility causing people's health to be compromised in the Cuyahoga County area might be the industrial run off. While we have EPA guidelines, they are not enforced on a regular basis. If the guidelines are enforced, the exodus of companies is huge.

I see more people trying to be healthy today than ever before, and I hope that they continue to practice at achieving their goals.

5 Marzo 2010 Trip to Florence

Friday 3/5: Today, we left for Florence at 6:30 am. The trip was not bad; we boarded the fast train and the trip only took 1 1/2 hrs from Roma. Our hotel is an old villa not far from the train station. We will check in and head out to explore the city. The group is eating together tonight; Danilo is making the reservations for us. While Danilo is tending to his business, we explored the city; especially the Marcato di Lorenzo to shop for cashmere scarves and leather goods.

Saturday 3/4: We are going to the Uffizi Museum. While visiting the museum, I was able to see the actual pictures that we saw in our books in Intro to Art. The building's original use was as office for a duke; construction lasted from 1560 -80. A majority of the paintings in the museum were commissioned by the Medici family; Anna Maria Lodovica, the last of the Medicis bequeathed the collection to the people of Florence. In the early Roman and Gothic art, one can see the development of perspective from unrealistic or disproportionate characteristics to more human and realistic. For instance, The Ognissanti Madonna has a linear look about her and personally, I think her features are more male than female. The child's face appears to be that of an adult. The picture is noted for making an advancement in spatial depth. Some of my favorites are The Birth of Venus and Primavera by Botticelli and The Venus of Urbino by Titan. Titan dared to paint a nude woman reclining and looking at the audience. I also like the fact that she is voluptuous and unlike today's society, it is considered beautiful in early history. Even though I mentioned a very small number of paintings as my favorite, it is hard to to pick just one. Each has its own beauty, and this blog would go on and on and on. While at the museum, I picked up a book on the history of painting for mom to read to Michael and Madeesaun (my artistic babies:-).

Sunday 3/7: We attended Mass at the Santa Maria Fiore - the Duomo. The outside is marble facade with terracotta with bas-reliefs. Its floor is of marble pavement. Inside is very cold physically. Bessie, I remembered you while kneeling on the low, primative, uncushioned kneeler:-). From Mass, we went to a department store for espresso on the rooftop (Love on a Rooftop). After our espresso, we set out for Mercato Nuovo to visit Il Porcellino to rub his snout. If you rub his snout, you will return to Florence. I also dropped a coin from his mouth; the coins are used for the needy of Florence.

325 Week #2

In The Fatal Charm of Italy, it is said that "The charm was, as always in Italy, in the tone and the air and the happy hazard of things, which made any positive pretentions or claimed importance a comparative trifling question...he loved 'the delightfully natural human beings one could always be sure of in this land of human nature unbashed' "(56). It is the ability of Italians to make one feel at ease that charms people into wanting to stay or return. As tourists, we believe that life in Italy is just sitting at the cafe' or visiting the ruins. Unfortulately, the reality is that one needs to work to support their lifestyle. We came here to enjoy the history of the city, but we are too busy rushing there to relax and enjoy sitting at a cafe' to read and watch the people pass by. Variety is the spice of life and different people enjoy life in different ways.

I think that I've become obsessed with this question. I believe that the Fatality of Rome is the people and the history of the culture both religious and pagan is the cruelty that comes to life as one explores the history of the city. Rome can also be charming in the beauty of the art and the ruins one finds while exploring.