Philip Assetto is our conductor to Rome, Italy. He is a 21-year-old Junior at Penn State University. He is majoring in Finance and International Business. He chose to study abroad in Rome to get a new outlook on education and to return to his roots. He is an Italian-American and although he calls America home, he knows that Italy is his home. His family dances the Tarantella at weddings and La Befana visits his house on January 6 in addition to Santa coming on December 25.
Phil has been in Rome since the beginning of January and has already posted fifteen blogs chronicling his amazing time. They are filled with dazzling descriptions of some of the most famous buildings, sculptures, and paintings in the world. They are informal, they are educational, and they are an absolute blast to read. Here is an excerpt from a brief description of the Sistine Chapel:
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, perhaps the most famous fresco in the world, staggers the viewer in its immensity. On the floor everyone gazes up with jaw hanging free. There are figures everywhere engaged in different actions or tasks. They all seem powerful, vibrant, and in motion even though they are still. Like Adam being endowed with life in the center, it is as if Michelangelo endowed lifeless pigment with immortality on that ceiling. The Vatican Museums are fantastic to say the least. I am sure I will return several more times during my stay here in Rome.
But perhaps more interesting than some of his blogs about the classes he is taking, the professors he is being taught by, or the way Italians treat Americans in the street, are some of the responses he is getting from avid readers of his blog. Many people comment that they are traveling to Italy soon and thus appreciate the advice, or have questions they would like answered, etc., such as:
Hey, I'm a student, 15 years old, and I'm going with my Latin class to Rome next April. We plan on checking out the Vatican, Coliseum, all those important places. I was just wondering if you have any suggestions as to what else to do in Rome, sounds like you would know. Have fun in Italy, and "do as the Romans".
Other readers find something different in Phil's blog. A twenty-year-old girl from Canada wrote:
I enjoyed that. I went to Rome a few years ago, when I was 16. I partly regret going at that age, because I don't seem to have the right memories of the amazing things that I saw. Thanks for helping me to remember.
Phil will continue to pull us deeper into his new world, and you should be right along for the ride. He has already seen the Grand Canal of Venice and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He has witnessed Carnivale and discussed politics with true Romans. And he still has three months left! Next stop - Florence.
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