middle of the week

Hope everyone is doing well wherever they are and whatever the weather. The weather today is a little grey and cold, probably because of the disturbing loss last night of Juventus against Inter in the copaitalia. After going down 1-0 they came back 2-1 and then allowed 2 more goals in a losing effort of 3-2. The worst part was that it didn't look like Juventus had the ability to play under control at all. Macerata, as I've noticed, is a fairly Juventus crazed town so many people around are disappointed today.
I am going to San Benedetto and Ascoli this weekend on my own to see some sights as well as a soccer game. Many people are heading to Roma an Venice for Carnivale celebrations. I'm gonna stay local and wait until after break to do a lot of traveling.
But for now everything is well, learning much italian and talking frequently, enjoying spending time with friends of both american and italian origins. I hope to write again soon with pictures from the weekend. Take care!

Venerdi Scorso vicino a Macerata (last friday near Macerata)

Buon Giorno Tutti. Settimana scorso e stato bene. Ho avuto clase della lingua di Italiano dove sto imparando possato prossimo e imperfetto piu. Esci sono poco difficale ma practico tanto essere buono. Pittura e bene anche. Noi pitturiamo adesso. Una pittura fresca dalla Basillica di San Nicola. In nostra clase di Culturale in tra Italia e America, abbiamo parlato a la differenza a i vestiti, i tempi, le strade e constructione a le citte. Penso que la differenze e morali, perche, le persone della stati uniti gli piace indepenzia mentro le persone della Italia gli piace alti pozitione e amicizia. E stato bene.

Venerdi scorso sono andati a quarto posti vicino a Macerata. Primo, sono andati a San Ginesio, una citta piccolo ma molto bellisima. Ci sono molti constructione antici. Anche, sono andati la Chiesa Collegiata della SS. Annunziata. Questa chiesa e una combinazione de multi tipo de archittectura, gotica, barocha, romanesca. E fantastico. Anche, la citta e vicino a le montagne. Noi abbiamo visto bene in San Ginesio che in Macerata. Ho fotografato tanto tanto. Aqui a poco…

(this is the main church of San Ginesio)

(this is inside that church but not the main space, but the transept)

(this is off a lookout spot at San Ginesio, my class)

(a beautiful shot of the mountains)

(a panorama of the countryside, click it to make it bigger)

(another class photo)

Dopo, sono andati a Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra. E piccolo piccolo citta dove e questa abbazia. Certo, la abbazia e bella. C’e una chiesa, chiostro e tanto piu. La chiesa e stato interesante perche loro hanno fatto in construczione piu da il construczione originale. Molti interesante. Aqui a poco fotografie….

(this is the cloister of the abbey)

(this is inside the church, it is amazing because its so many different time periods of construction and destruction that you can see the different time periods of architecture)

(a bell tower)

Abbiamo mangato pranza dopo. Ci sono stato pasta, ensalata, carne e una dolce traditionale de Carnivale, no lo so chiama, mi dispiace, ma so che e dappertutto, molte famosa. Quando pranza e finito, sono andati a Castello della Rancia.

Questo Castello e piccolo ma importanti per la regione de Macerata. Ultimo, sono andati a Tolentino. In questa citta e la Basilica di San Nicola. Questa e molto molto famosa chiesa della Italia. C’e una camera solo di pitture fresca. Fantastico. Questa camera (cappellone di San Nicola) dice la viva de San Nicola e suo viaggio durante vita. Aqui e poco fotografie….

(the main bell/clock tower in Tolentino, it has four time pieces on it, the lunar clock (very little at top, the six time clock because time used to be kept in six zone incriments, the current 12/24 hour clock, and the 31 days of the month clock) fascinating huh?)

(inside the church of San Nicola at a transept)

(this is a figure of San Nicola, under it are his ashes, and the frescos around it describe his life)

(a fresco from the same room, San Nicola is on the far right)

(a cool government building with a fountain in front)

Il giorno e stato largo ma mi sono piachuto. Sto fino scrivare. A presto tutti, ciao ciao!

Hey everyone. Last week was good. I had Italian class where I am learning past tense and imperfect more. They are a little difficult but I practice so much to be good. Painting is good too. We are painting now. A fresco painting from the Basilica di San Nicola. In our class of cultures between Italy and America, we talked about the difference in clothes, time, streets and building placements of the cities. I thin the difference is in values or morals, because the people of the states like independence and equality while people of Italy like high status and friendship. It was good.

Last Friday, we went to four places near macerate. First, we went to San Ginesio, a small city but very beautiful. There are many ancient buildings. Also we went to the church of SS. Annuziata. This church is a combination of many types of architecture, gothic, baroque, Romanesque, etc. It’s fantastic. Also, the city is near the mountains. We saw better in San Ginesio than in Macerata. So I took a lot of pictures. Here are some…

After, we went to Chiaravalle Abbey. It’s a little little city where this abbey is located. Of course it was beautiful. There is a church, a cloister, and much much more. The church was interesting because they built more on the original construction. So you can see the places where the building used to be some places and things like that. Very interesting. Here are some photographs…

We ate lunch after. There was pasta, salad, pork chops, lamb and a traditional dessert of Carnivale. I don’t know what it’s called but I know that it is everywhere, very famous. When lunch ended, we went to the Castle of Rancia.

This castle is very small, but important to the region of Macerata. Lastly, we went to Tolentino. This city has the Basilica of San Nicola. This is a very very famous church of Italy. There is a room solely of frescos. Amazing. This room tells the life of this saint and his journey to sainthood, etc through the frescos. Here are some photographs…

The day was long, but I liked it a lot. I’m done writing though, until next time, bye everyone!

Gli Stadi della Italia - Parte 1 (Stadiums of Italy - part 1)

Here are four stadi I have had a chance to see so far in Italia. I have written a small passage for each giving some visual analysis of what I have observed and some other site analysis. Of course with each entry I will have analytical drawings and sketches that I will include later this week (there is only one scanner I have access to and it is only available for four hours for four days a week and is very popular). Since this is my first entry a lot of feedback and possible further direction would be nice…if possible. Thanks Lohren!

Il Coliseo –

The Roman Coliseum, located in Roma, Italia is nestled into a small and subtle valley between the Roman Forum and the new city of Roma. One of the most major contributions of the Romans, the arch, is apparent everywhere in the Coliseum. Every layer of its structure and levels are arches upon arches turned into vaults and cross vaults, creating a network that provided immense stability for the numerous inhabitants during games. Visually from the exterior, the arches form the façade which terminates abruptly at the top in a linear fashion, matching contextual buildings (besides its large scale). From the second image, it is apparent that despite its large stature, the Coliseum was contextual. If the Coliseum was a few stories less in height, the stadio would not stand out at all from the other constructions.

Inside the Coliseum, the most important aspect (the game) is the obvious focal point. Before the Coliseum became ruins, its height was the same around all sides creating no visual interest at any point inside the stadio besides the field and the seat of the emperor. This conscious effort to focus all eyes on the games would probably make for a more involved crowd, which was definitely the case. From the last image, it is noticeable that the structure creates visual lines towards the center of the Coliseum.

As for access and egress, the stadio uses multiple staircases moving in and out (never around so as not to disrupt the arched structure) at multiple locations for maximum movement of people. There is no main entrance; there is no special attention to any particular façade. The Coliseum was designed to fit within a city context and be accessible from all points like most other Roman constructions.

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Piazza della Vittoria, Il Monumento al Caduti e Il Campo Sportivo Vecchio ( Old Macerata Stadio) –

The Piazza della Vittoria (Victory Plaza) was the main entrance to the old stadio in Macerata. Locally streets and buildings weave around the field in an effort to respect context because of its central location in the city of Macerata. From the second image, it is apparent that neighboring stores and homes are within yards of the stadio, and the monumental steps of Il Monumento al Caduti show the significance of the sport and the stadio to the city. On all sides of the stadio, homes, stores and buildings interact with the field. Inside, the stadio is home to a soccer field and a running track. For a relatively small city like Macerata, space for only one stadio was possible, so to utilize that space, multiple sports were played within the singular stadio of the city. It is also clear from the inside, that the context and surrounding buildings of Macerata is visible, reminding inhabitants of the location.

For Macerata, a larger, canopied seating area is made for the home team in contrast to an uncovered section on the opposite side for an away team. This significance is to promote strength and power against rivals.

Il Monumento al Caduti in Piazza della Vittoria is a series of five statues amongst brick columns (Macerata is called the city of bricks, and almost every church and local palace uses carefully cut bricks to form beautiful columns). At each end of the monument are original gates for entry into the stadio. Above each gate are the words Al Caduti…A la Vittoria (to Caduti to the Victory). For people entering into the Piazza, and especially rival visitors, the strength of Macerata’s sports is represented through five statues of players striking athletic and muscular poses of ancient warriors. Locally, the monument is affectionately named the Jackson 5. Today, the stadio is used for practice and local school teams.

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Stadio Helvia Recina (New Macerata Stadio) –

Macerata’s new stadio was placed further from the city center in an effort to accommodate more fans and more importantly parking for people. Like most contemporary stadi, this stadium is surrounded by parking, and from the nearest street (first image) you can only get a glimpse of the stadium and its tall lights. The main entrance takes people to the visiting stands where a small curving set of stands embraces one sideline. Home fans walk around the stadio upon entering to get to the more linear covered stands (a reference back to the old stadium to show strength and superiority). The view of the exterior from the main entrance is not indicative of a large park or stadio. The highpoint of the stands is less than twenty feet from the exterior ground and storefront type walls house concessions and other facilities. The design of the stadium did not consider context, only history, and more than likely was designed much larger than the original stadium as means to show the city’s growth and strength in sports.

Again, this new stadium houses both a sports field and a running track; the large setting provides for a less intimate fan experience. At the edge of the track, a protective fence is provided for the players to prevent fanatic people from completely disrupting play (Old Macerata Stadio also has this feature). Locals place signs on these fences as means of support along with constant vocal songs to cheer on their team.

The new stadio also has a small seating section for home fans opposite the main stands next to the visitor’s section. This small seating area is on a hill and is cheap in cost for the fans who plan on singing and being the most supportive. The equivalent for most universities in America would be a student cheer section. People of Macerata do love their calcio (even though the city’s main strength in sports is volleyball) and cheer proudly during games, and constantly are seen around the city with local colors and scarfs displaying their pride.

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Stadio Comunale della Civitanova –

Civttanova is a small, fish market town with numerous amounts of tourists because of its great shoe markets. Its history of calcio is minimal and because of it, the city stadium is on the outskirts of the main town. Its location is against the shores of the Adriatic, local apartments and first floor shops. Its large land use resembles the city’s laidback and tropical atmosphere where palm trees are plentiful. The main entrance is marked by a two story façade on the southwest side that is contextual because of its first floor storefront appearance and second floor balcony or mezzanine (indicative of second and third floor balconies for nearby apartments and homes). The roof is a subtle butterfly structure, resembling the waves of the sea. Because of the stadio’s external location in relationship to the city, graffiti consumes most of the façade. On all sides, a brick wall does not permit pedestrians without tickets from viewing into the stadio, but provides a beautiful canvas for casual and unwanted, spray painted messages.

Like many other stadi in Italia, the main stands are for the home team and are covered where the other stands on the opposite side are not. This stadio houses both field sports and a running track to save on precious land space and maximize usage of the stadio. Entrance to each set of stands is only at the ends and at the middle, providing very little means for proper egress and providing a lot of distraction for those patrons who sit closest to the exists (because so many people walk past their line of vision during games)

Socially, the stadio is underutilized and is to far away from most daily exchange of business to be integrated properly.

Sabado a Civittanova

Sto scrivando questo in inglese perche le molte parole no so in italiano per questo entra. Mi dispiacce.

I’m writing this in English because many of the words I do not know in Italian for this entry. Sorry.

Civittanova is a somewhat small port town on the Adriatic that is the second largest fish port in Italy and the best for quality. 1.3 million kilos of fish go through this port yearly. I am pretty sure that is a lot. Civittanova is also known for its amazing markets and shopping. When we went there were tons and tons of shoe vendors and clothes vendors. I posted a few pictures of the outdoor markets and of a boat for fishing in the Adriatic. We walked around with professor Filiberto and one of his friends who used to be a mayor or something similar to that. We got to see how the fish market works with buyers and sellers and many other things.

This is a fantastic building I saw near of the main piazza in Civittanova. The structure is poured concrete that meets the ground at each end of the site creating arches for the roof. And each arch branches up to meet the arch next to it to create a saw tooth or butterfly effect. I think the coolest thing about this building (which I hope you can all see from the picture) is that those arches that meet the ground also act as the water shedding device for the building. The structure forms channels that carry the water from the top to the ground away from the building (how awesome).

Well the absolute best part of this trip to Civittanova was the lunch Filiberto gave to us. He knows a person who owns this restaurant and gave us an absolutely ridiculous discount for our meal. We paid 10 euro for this whole trip (about 4 euro for the train ride) and this meal alone could easily cost 40-50 euro a person. So if you are ever in Civittanova and are looking for a fantastic dish, go to this restaurant!!!

Try and follow along with these great courses. The first (which I regretfully didn’t take a picture of) was a smoked filleted salmon. It was cut extremely thin, almost like prosciutto is cut, and was drenched in home made olive oil and parsley. It was godly. Next we were given these huge pots with muscles, oysters and clams. By far the most tender and succulent seafood I have ever had. I was told that most of what we ate was less than a day old. After that dish we had seafood gnocchi. Intermixed with the pasta was shrimp and other seafoods that I can’t recall. After that we were given pasta with red sauce and more seafood. Once again, I wasn’t sure what kind of seafood was in the pasta, my best guess is clams or muscles because of the texture and size of the pieces. And by this point, we’ve had four different dishes and we’re all pretty much stuffed to the max, but the main dish hasn’t even arrived until now. The restaurant then brought out fried seafood, mostly minos, sardines, calamari, octopus, shrimp and scallops. They were unbelievable. We were completely spoiled. Next we got kebabs with slightly breaded and fried shrimp and scallops. They then gave us a side of French fries as a palate cleanser and finished us off with lemon ice sourbet and espressos. Imagine having plate on plate of each one of those dishes brought out to you. Everything was served family style so it isn’t like we each got our own small serving. The restaurant brought seconds and thirds of each course every time and someone had to eat it. It was amazing. I wish you all could experience it. Also at one point during dinner, the light coming through the clerestory created phenomenal lighting and we all went crazy taking pictures of the dishes and each other because it was such beautiful light, so I added a final picture to show you how beautiful the table was.

Well until next time, take care!