Ever since the Lizzie McGuire movie, I’ve always wanted to visit Italy. Hopping on the back of some cute Italian popstar’s motorcycle for the ultimate tour of Rome? Getting a spontaneous fifteen minutes of fame on national television? And friends that have my back while I’m breaking the rules just a wee bit? Sounds like an incredible Eurotrip to me.
Alas, the years passed and I never did have the opportunity to visit Italy. But when I found out that the Yeshiva University Honors Program was going to Italy this summer, I knew that the time had come for my Italian adventure. I signed up for the summer program with little knowledge about it, other than the fact that we were going to Italy and taking two courses: Classicism Art in Italy, taught by Professor Young; and Classical Jewish History in Rome, taught by Professor Fine and Professor Angel. The classes were held during the first two weeks of summer on the YU campus, and then on June 14th, we finally made our way to Italia.
We began our trip staying in Hotel Arenula, an adorable hotel located right next to the Tiber River and the Jewish Ghetto, or as Jewish Italians refer to it, the “Piazza”/the Square. It was a prime location for us YU students, with all the kosher restaurants and tourist attractions right around the corner.
The first week was spent entirely in Rome. Like any good tourist should, we quickly visited the Vatican and the Colosseum. The amount of art by famous Renaissance artists in the Vatican is staggering; we had the opportunity to see Raphael’s famous School of Athens as well as the original Augustus of Prima Porta sculpture. Since these were pieces that I had become familiar with in previous art history courses, I gave myself a moment to “fangirl” over seeing them in person. Getting to see the smallest details in the artworks that went unnoticed in the classroom setting gave me new perspectives on them.
As this class also focused on the Jewish history, we also visited the famous Arch of Titus on Palatine Hill. One side of the arch depicts Jewish spoils of the Temple, such as the menorah and showbread, being carried by the Romans to symbolize their victory over the Jews in the Great Revolt in 70 CE. Though I liked the arch, I thought an ancient synagogue in Ostia Antica, an old city on the outskirts of Rome, was more interesting. It was estimated to have been built in the first half of the third century and lasted into the end of the 5th century. The archeologists excavating the synagogue gave us a tour and showed us a Torah shrine that was built in the second half of the fifth century. It is astounding how the Jewish tradition made it all the way from 5th century Rome to a twenty first century American girl such as myself!
At nights, we left the educational aspects of the program behind and dined at the finest Italian kosher restaurants. When we were in the mood for the classic pizza and pasta combination, we ate at Mily Ba’Ghetto and Yotvata, where we got to try the famous Jerusalem artichokes of Rome. When we were in the mood for meat, we ate at Bella Carne, which actually translates into “Pretty Meat.” When we had a craving for gelato, we hit up Cremaria Romania. Italians have dinner late compared to Americans–at around 8 – 10 PM–so that was a experience.
Italian cuisine wasn’t the only thing we indulged in after hours; along the Tiber River, there were market shops that included jewelry and clothing stands, hookah bars, cartoon galleries, kiddie rides and so much more. It had similar vibes to Shuk HaCarmel in Tel Aviv. We also hung out in Plaza Campo del Fiore and Piazzo Navono, which had street fairs with local artists and flower sellers as well as street performers by day and turned into a bar scene at night. We spent our first Shabbat in the Square and attended services at the Great Synagogue, which I would describe in a nutshell as huge, ornate and Italian.
We started our second week in Italia touring Naples and Pompeii. We stayed at the Pizza Hostel, which received its namesakes since Naples is the birthplace of pizza. A friendly Italian that gave us directions referred to Naples as “a city of pizza, mozzarella, and cameo.” Though we did not get to experience the pizza and mozzarella of the city since not much food is kosher in Naples, we did get to see cameo jewelry being made live, which I admired for quite a while. We also got to visit Napoli Sottorenea, meaning the underground cities of Naples before modern times. My favorite view, however, was the Bay of Naples. It was a beautiful melding of clouds, mountains, and sea. The next day, we spent a whole day in the ruins of Pompeii. We passed through ancient temples, brothels, columns and graffiti. We also spent some time in the Great Theatre of Pompeii, which was a mini-version of the Colosseum.
We left Naples mid-week to go back to Rome and spent our last few days in Italy exploring the arts. Professor Young took us Palazzo Barberini, which is a palace featuring many famous artworks depicting mythological Ovidian themes. We saw Titian’s Venus and Adonis, and even took a group selfie with Caravaggio’s Narcissus. As usual, I found myself fangirling yet again.
Another highlight of the last couple of days was Villa D’este, a getaway mansion for the wealthy D’este family. We wandered through the most beautiful gardens filled with fish ponds and incredible fountains. Getting lost at Villa D’este was like getting lost in a fairytale. It wasn’t the only place we visited where art interacted with the environment; we ate lunch at Villa Borghese at some point during the week, which I would describe as the Central Park of Rome. The last couple of days were definitely visually pleasing.
Before our last Shabbat, we got an official tour of the Jewish Ghetto. What stuck with me the most from the tour was the Fountain of the Turtles, a fountain donated by Rothschild. The turtle sculptures on the fountain symbolized the Jews because turtles are ancient animals and carry their shells like a burden; similarly, the Jews are an ancient people that carry their burden and hardships through the ages. I related to the symbolism of the fountain; it was probably my favorite thing about the tour and has remained fresh in my memory since the trip.
On Motzei Shabbat, we had a party to end the two incredible weeks we spent together in Italy. A few girls put together an amazing slideshow, and we consumed copious amounts of gelato (of course). It was the perfect way to end our Italian adventure together.
All I know is, I fell in love with Italy at 19 years old. I love the constant theme of orange and yellow tones in the architecture, the delicious carbs, the beautiful language and the culture overall. I couldn’t have spent my time there with a better group either. We were all different in our own ways, but we meshed well. I finally checked Italy off my bucket list, and definitely did it right. Lizzie McGuire would be proud.