Roman Sights: The Trevi Fountain

Although some of my greatest memories from my time in Italy were wandering around the streets of Rome, visiting the tourist attractions was still exciting!

On our first day of class at Italiaidea, we went on a walking tour of the city.  Our tour guide took us past famous churches, buildings, and piazzas down various vias and stradas. It was all breathtaking, and I was still in shock that I was actually in Rome. I blindly photographed every building to be sure I remembered my first foray into la citta eterna.

The photo from our walking tour of Rome!

Unfortunately, my first tour of Rome was not on the back of a red vespa, a la Lizzie McGuire. However, my first time at the Trevi Fountain was still a magical experience!

Our tour guide was trying to show us the congested areas filled with visitors from around the world. These were not the areas he suggested exploring for a long time, as everything is more expensive in the area due to massive amounts of tourists.  All of a sudden, I heard running water. Our tour guide informed us that we would soon walk past the Trevi Fountain, and mentioned that it is common to hear the water long before seeing it.

Last night in Rome. 

There were TONS of people. Even though it was crowded, it was beautiful. The majestic white Baroque statues were exactly what I was expecting.  I contained my excitement and squealing by trying to take the most perfect picture. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to sit at the fountain's ledge and toss a coin in my first time visiting, but we made many, many trips past the Trevi during the five week study abroad program. I threw not one, but TWO coins in!

Interesting Fact: The Trevi Fountain yields at least 400 euros a day, and the money is donated to various local charities.

For me, the Trevi Fountain is more than a tourist attraction. Legend says that those who toss a coin into the fountain backwards are destined to return to Rome. As air travel becomes increasingly expensive and life gets insanely busy, it gives me hope that I will be able to regularly return to Italy someday.

Italy in the News: Venice is Flooding

I always love reading about Italy in the news. It makes me feel connected to the country and brings back memories from my time there. Recently, parts of Italy have experienced major flooding, from Tuscany all the way to Venice.

As Venice is a city made up of tiny islands, canals take the place of streets and everything is built on water.  When standing in the church in Piazza San Marco, I was able to feel the water moving under the floor! However, heavy rains bring floods. According to the Huffington Post, three quarters of the city is currently flooded. Normal defense methods, such as lifted boards on which residents and visitors walk, are not enough this time. Water is everywhere.

A photo of one of the canals during my trip to Venice in July 2011.

According to the BBC video on Huffington Post, Venetians are normally used to flooding in the fall, but this is the worst recorded flood in six years. Photos on the online news outlet show that even businesses are flooded - rain boots for sale are floating in a shoe store! However, some of my favorite photos are those of people floating in cafe chairs or taking a swim in the piazza.  It truly shows the Italian ideology of la dolce vita. 

Although it seems as though some are enjoying the increase of water in Venice, hopefully it goes down soon.  Too much flood water will do long term damage homes and businesses, greatly affecting countless people. 

Musica Italiana

Italian music was constantly present when I was growing up.  My Nonna took care of me while my parents worked, and her way of teaching me Italian was through singing traditional Italian songs. It was after dinner ritual that my Nonna, parents, aunt and I would sing "Un Mazzolin Di Fiori," a traditonal Alpini, or Italian Mountain Solider song about flowers. Singing songs such as this allowed me to learn how to correctly pronounce words at young age, even though I did not know the exact translation.  I was lucky enough to find a YouTube video of the same song, titled "Quel Mazzolin Di Fiori."

As I grew older, it no longer was "cool" to sing "Un Mazzolin Di Fiori" at the dinner table.  However, as I grew up and started taking an interest in pop culture, The Lizzie McGuire Movie came out and modern remixes of old Italian songs were included in the soundtrack. Dean Martin hits "Volare," and "On an Evening in Roma" are two.  The song that truly got me into learning about "Italian Pop" was American singer Vitamin C's cover of Volare for Lizzie McGuire. 

When I started taking Italian in high school, I yearned to discover more Italian music. After searching high and low for current hits, my mother and I found a compilation album from the Sanremo music festival, the Italian leg of Univision.  "Che bella gente" by Simone Christicchi, and "Svegliarsi la mattina" by Zero Assoluto became top played songs in my iPod.  For Christmas, one of my cousins gave me an Eros Ramazzotti greatest hits album. "Cuore Agitati" is now one of my favorite songs. 

Searching "Italian Pop Music" on iTunes also helped me discovered some gems of Italian pop songs. "Happy hour" by Ligabue and "Bella Vera" by 883 are catchy upbeat songs from the late '90s/early 2000's that I still enjoy today.  Even remixes of classic Italian hits, such as "Ti Amo," make me happy.

My Italian friends introduced me to more up to date Italian music during my study abroad trip. Although American hits are usually played in cafe's and bars, some Italian artists are just as popular. Listening to songs by Fabri Fibra, specifically "Le donne," "In Italia," and "Vip in Trip" take me back to Rome and Bari. 

Italian music still brings my family together. Recording artist Patrizio Buanne is a favorite amongst every generation of women in my family, from my Nonna to my little cousins. His original music and covers of classic Italian and Italian American hits make you feel as if you are sipping espresso in a piazza. 

Italian music is diverse, romantic, and catchy. It will always have a special place in my heart! 

Study Abroad Memory: Il Rosso e Il Blu

As previously mentioned, my study abroad classes focused on Italian film.  One class discussed the usage of Rome in classic Italian cinema, and the other class discussed issues and culture in contemporary Italian cinema.  As a part of studying contemporary Italian cinema, my classmates, professors and I were invited to the set of Italian director Giuseppe Piccioni's 2012 film, Il Rosso e Il Blu.  It premiered in Italy last month, and I just found the trailer online.  

Il Rosso e Il Blu is a film about the challenges teachers and students face in the Italian public education system, set in liceo, or an Italian high school.  It stars some of the biggest names in Italian film, Riccardo Scamarcio and Margherita Buy.  Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of information on the film in English, but the trailer is still worth checking out.  

This movie is also special to me because it was the inspiration behind my final project for my two classes.  I created an integrated marketing plan for the film, studying Italian perspectives on film promotion, and integrating it with American marketing tactics. Although I did not have as much training in public relations and marketing communications then as I do now, I am still proud of it! My professor from Italy asked if she could show my plan to Giuseppe, the director, and as a going away gift, she gave everyone in my study abroad group a red and blue pencil, which is the symbol of the Italian school system! 

Red and Blue pencil! Photo Credit: ebay.com

The image above is what the title Il Rosso e Il Blu means - the standard pencil Italian teachers use to correct students' work.  The red side of the pencil is used for a wrong answer, and the blue side is used for a correct answer.  

I cannot wait until this film comes out with subtitles!  The trailer even includes clips of two scenes for which my classmates and I were present.  Il Rosso e Il Blu is special to me because sometimes I felt confused with film jargon and technicalities in class, but my marketing plan allowed me to show everyone one of my greatest strengths! 

Italian & Italian American: Cultural Differences

One of the first cultural lessons I learned in Italy was regarding the differences of "Italian" and "Italian American." Growing up as an Italian American, I always thought I knew everything there was to know about life in Italy thanks to firsthand accounts from my Nonna, mom (who lived in Marostica for two months), family friends with dual citizenship, and of course, high school Italian class!

Although I definitely had a better grasp of the culture than most American students studying in Italy, I was surprised to learn that "Italian" customs I was used to from home were not truly Italian. From food to restaurant etiquette, I compiled a list of "Italian" practices that are seen as "American."

"Italian" dishes that are not actually from Italy:

Photo credit: simplyrecipes.com

• Fettuccine Alfredo - Alfredo sauce is an American concoction! When Italian immigrants first arrived in the United States, many of them needed an affordable way to incorporate more fat into daily meals, so they began to add cream to pasta. Have a craving for a creamier pasta meal while in Italy? Try gnocchi with four cheese sauce, also known as gnocchi ai quattro formaggi! 
• Spaghetti and Meatballs - Shocking, right!? For many people, this is the quintessential Italian meal, complete with garlic bread and red wine.  However, it is another American creation! Italian immigrants needed a way to quickly cook both meat and pasta, so they cooked meat on top of pasta. Want to incorporate more protein in your authentic Italian meal? Try a bolognese sauce or add a secondo piatto, which is traditionally a meat dish.

"Italian" restaurant customs viewed as "American" while abroad:

Photo credit: wineweb.com

• Olive oil and bread - At the beginning of most Italian American meals, olive oil and bread is served. However, that is not the case when out to eat in Italy! Native Italians view this practice as something reserved for the home - dipping bread in olive oil and cheese before your meal is not seen as "mature."
• Family style everything - While family style is definitely present when eating in an Italian home, one does not simply go out to eat and order a pizza for five people.  Portion sizes abroad are smaller   than in the United States, so each person orders   their own dish. I did not think I would be able to finish my food while abroad, but most of the time I did! It is just that good. Plus, walking everywhere is great excercise! 

Additionally, customs viewed as "Italian" in the United States are not necessarily exactly the current custom in Italy.  For example, my family in America goes to church every Sunday.  However, my family in Italy does not go every Sunday, however they do participate in church festivals celebrating different saints. Due to the fact that culture is dynamic, the Italy my Nonna grew up in is not the Italy I visited.

Although there are vast differences in many facets of "Italian" and "Italian American" lifestyles, there are obviously commonalities between the two as well. Going a little deeper than food, both groups of people cherish their family, heritage, and are just striving to live la dolce vita. 

National Pasta Day

Today a PR related Twitter account that I follow informed me that it is National Pasta Day! Of course for Italians, every day is National Pasta Day, but I still think it is a fun way to celebrate a staple food that is known and loved around the world.

To celebrate National Pasta Day, here are some interesting facts about pasta, courtesy of the website Life In Italy:

• Although it is believed that Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy from a journey to China, it is also believed that Arab invasions of the 8th Century had an influence on modern dried pasta. 
• Italians eat over 60 pounds of pasta per year, per person!
• There are around 350 shapes of dried pasta. 

Photo Credit: authentic-italian-pasta-recipes.com

From the perspective of a college student, pasta is cheap and easy to cook, with tons of varieties from which to choose! For example, I recently found "vegetable pasta" at Dominick's, pasta claimed to be made from vegetables such as carrots and beets. It was delicious. I also discovered a recipe for squash-based spaghetti via Pinterest from the food blog, dashingdish.com - definitely something I would like to investigate! 

Personally, pasta has always been a staple in my diet due to my Italian heritage. Nonna makes homemade ravioli every Christmas, and my mom makes a delicious penne, chicken, and vegetable dish.     I have countless memories based around it.  Many of my favorite meals during my study abroad experience in Rome consisted of some sort of pasta, specifically gnocchi quattro formaggi - gnocchi with four cheese sauce. Pasta dinners was also one of the ways my little sister in my sorority and I bonded during Chicago's 2011 "Snowpacolypse!" My mom and Nonna's pasta dishes are always welcome comfort food when I am stressed out about work or finals.  

Pasta is perfetto!

Italy in the news

As I was perusing the social media and tech news website, Mashable, this afternoon, I came across the headline "Massive 'Gangnam Style Flash Mob Rides Through Italy [VIDEO]." I immediately clicked the link.  Two of my favorite things - marketing and Italy - in one article! It made my day.

According to the Mashable article by Lorenzo Franceschi-Biccherai, about 9,000 people gathered in Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily last month to dance to South Korean artist Psy's hit song, "Gangnam Style."

As a PR major, I try to stay tuned into the happenings in the public relations, advertising, and media industries, so seeing something related to Italy in the headlines was fantastic!

View the video below:

And you can read the Mashable article here:

http://mashable.com/2012/10/10/gangnam-style-flash-mob/

Maybe an Italian pop star will record a viral hit someday!