adventures in learning

Holy crap guys, I am so sorry for taking 2 weeks off. Let me just say, these past weeks have been busy!!! So let me see how fast I can sum up what's been going on in Italy...

After Tom and Edgar left, with much sorrow felt amongst the students, I took off to the beach for the day. Bellissima! Me, Gaby and Leslie went and lounged in the beautiful white sands of Civitavecchia until heading into Rome for a quick stop by Santa Maria del Popolo to see some Caravaggio paintings. Unfortunately a wedding and the rain prevented us from getting up close and personal with his Conversion of St. Paul and the Crucifixion of St. Peter. Gaby has tried twice now to see it this summer, unsuccessfully. The last time I was at this church, I too was "shooed" out with Mark, Mary and Erin after Mary tried to walk up by the alter. Ah, this church just does not hold any luck for me.

These past two weeks of class have been very interesting, to say the least. Maybe more frustrating. After the awesome, intellectual conversations from the prior weeks, in which we debunked many "myths" (and lies) of the world of art crime, this week feels more like a dud and leaves some students questioning why they came to Amelia. I must say, Judge Arthur Tompkins taught a good class on art looting and destruction during war- a very interesting topic. Most of us, however, question why he was teaching this specific course and not the other one this week, art and law. It seems Noah messed up in recruiting. Instead of Tompkins teaching in a more appropriate area (and I do not discount his class at all- I enjoyed it thoroughly), we got Derek Fincham to teach the art and law class. Given, he is the next director of ARCA and he is an art and law professor, but he actually didnt know anything much about art... he thought the Chrysler Building was in Chicago for crying out loud. I must say, his course has left much to be desired. We literally spent an entire day going over the articles of the UNESCO convention, only to conclude that, while the idea behind the convention is a great step toward recognizing and fixing the problem of the illicit antiquities trade, it is actually ineffective. Wow- that took a whole day to figure out... man, awesome. Tomorrow is our last class with Fincham, in which he will be testing us over said convention and we have to "apply it" to a case or two. Interesting... grade us on applying a law that isnt a law and one that isnt actually applicable; cant wait for that grade. All-in-all, Fincham is a great guy- he has a lot of qualities that should take ARCA far in the next year, but maybe stick to that and not teach this course... or at least change it, a lot.

Anyway, thats enough bitching about classes. The conference is this weekend and I cannot wait! A lot of important people in the art world will be here and it is time to act professional and try to find a job. I think a lot of the presentations will be very interesting, while some might be less than insightful. Either way, I brought my big girl shoes and I will be on my best behavior. One thing I do wish is that the conference was a little more organized. After helping put on the conferences at BG, I know there is a lot to be done and it is stressful, but this is seriously the last minute and programs have yet to be printed. I don't even think abstracts exist for most of the talks and it is just disorganized. I will definitely lend my services to them in the future, if welcomed.

Ah, so what is happening around town and such... well, it seems as though a teenage angst band has moved in down the street and practices every night. Also, a new addition to the nightlife in Amelia is that the flag throwers from our welcome gala have decided to practice at 11 pm in captain tractor's field (our neighbor who mows constantly at 7 am with the worlds slowest tractor... he also misses large patches on a regular basis). Needless to say, we do not need itunes at night for music. Also, there have been a lot of social gatherings. For the 4th of July the staff had a pool party. One of the interns left the next day so there was a farewell party for him. There have been some birthdays so we all go to Gianni's for the best meal of your life! He cooks with such passion that if you order form the menu he is very disappointed. He prefers you to say "I like meat, cook me food" and you will get about 6 courses of the best dishes ever. I could die happy after a Gianni meal. So, we also went to an olive oil factory, which made everyone sick because there was so much oil in the dinner that it just put our stomachs in knots. The homemade wine was good, however. I had a mexican fiesta for some friends too- my dad sent taco shells and sauce and limes so we cooked a feast! I was so happy because mexican food is my favorite and they don't sell the seasoning here-- or the shells. Lastly, this week there were a few cocktail events at a local spa and a piazza, showing off their facilities and welcoming us to the town... about 2 months late. I will, however, book a massage- I am so sore from sleeping with a 2x4 in my back, playing soccer weekly, and from playing chicken in the pool on the 4th.

I did not go skydiving last weekend because the airfield was shut down. I am, however, planning it for next sunday, hopefully. Also, the world cup is drawing to a close. With Italy out it is not as exciting here, but there were a few Germans in the group and we were rooting hard for them last night. Come saturday it will all be over and I assume more parties will be thrown in the absence of the pull to the bars.

So, I think this was a sufficient crash course update! I am truly enjoying myself here and don't want to leave. My Italian is coming along nicely and I can somewhat carry on a conversation with people. This is great, especially considering that when I first got here I could only say 'thank you' and 'how much'. I promise to try to update more often- it is getting hard with the work piling up. I hope everyone who reads this is doing well and dreaming of their next vacation... to ITALY!!!!

ciao tutti- fino alla volta prossima!

I Modi and illicit antiquities

Hello all- so sorry its been forever since the last post. I keep thinking about it and never do it- than all of a sudden its almost been 2 weeks! Anyway, Im sitting in class now and think its the perfect time to update... here's what's been going on:

Last week we had Tom Flynn come and teach us about the history of the art market and how art crime is affected by the market, and vice versa. The class was great- very informative. We were also given the opportunity to present our opinion on an issue with art institutions, or present "what we do" within the art world, etc. Since I, unfortunately, don't do anything within the art world, yet, I decided to take issue with "The White Cube". Naturally, I introduced the idea of somaesthetics to the class and used the I Modi images as a demonstration, among others. The class really liked it, I think. I got a few requests to go over the idea more and provide the rest of the I Modi images. Awesome- everyone loves a little Renaissance porn :)

So... that weekend: Friday we went to the discotheque run by the husband of the cute little Italian woman who teaches us the language, Monica. This couple is SO cute! But anyway, we went and had a 3-course dinner, and then danced the night away. Anyone familiar with european discotheques knows what this means... haha. So I finally pulled myself together and left around 4 am. Not bad. Saturday I took advantage of the free day and lounged around, cooked, caught up on some reading, and napped. A fabulous day! Sunday we went to Cerveteri and went through the necropolis. The excavated site was huge and there were hundreds of tombs. Then we left the "museum" and walked out into the forest and discovered hundreds more. These have not been properly excavated or protected. Tomb robbers are still going out at night and digging up Etruscan pots and such and selling them on the black market. It was really neat to go and see what is happening, but its also disappointing to see how helpless we are in the scheme of things.

This week we have Edgar Tijhuis here teaching us on criminology, the theories behind it, and how it can be used to explain art crime. This class is a little harder to get into because it is "theory-based", but Edgar is a great character and keeps it as interesting as possible. We had a terrace party last night and I got to talk with him for a few hours. He is really funny and has a lot to say about art crime and ARCA, etc. I think he and Tom are two people I definitely want to keep in touch with. I also brainstormed with a fellow student/lawyer and we decided to create our own business based in London to offer hostile surveillance and consulting services for institutions around the world... we will see if this happens! Either way, I am making a lot of great professional contacts and am hoping to come away with some opportunities in my near future.

Well, I should go and pay attention a little. This weekend I have a date with the beach. And next weekend, there are plans to go skydiving. Looks like I will have some great stuff to write about! Also, photos are on facebook, but I will try to get some on here soon. Ciao amici!

Lets take a really short break... like 20 minutes.

So we just finished Noah's class and I feel well prepared for the classes that lie ahead. Not too much to report on the class front... we start a history of institutions and criminology this week which should be exciting. I also have a lead on a thesis topic which should be interesting- something about bringing pop culture into art crime and its cross influences, whether correctly or incorrectly portraying the severity of art crime, blah blah blah. It is still under construction. Anyway, this week/weekend was more about getting to know people better and really finding interesting and hilarious bonds with the roomies. Essentially the week consisted of long lunches and coffee breaks (Noah's now infamous way of offering coffee breaks is this week's title- a 20 minute BREAK, really?).

The FIFA world cup of soccer started this friday too-- we got out of class at 1:15 instead of 5:30 because of this... note, the first game didn't start until 4:30. Works for me! Because we have satellite tv, we decided to invite a few (5 or 6) people over to watch the last match. This turned into a full blown party of about 22 people. Whoops. Our neighbors we not so thrilled, but c'est la vie (or however it is said in italian).

This party, I must say, was epic. We piled about 16 people on the terrace where we proceeded to consume WAY too much alcohol (despite all having to be up at 730 the next morning) and talked about very random and awesome things (imagine 16 people with minds just like me, all together and what that conversation could evolve into... hint, we spent about 2 hrs trying to explain to a Belgian what "fetish" means, unsuccessfully). Yeah, thats an awesome party. We also had a dance party at the intern's house where people just got out of control. Needless to say, the next morning was rough.

Due to my severe awesomeness of not getting hangovers, I was miss chipper the next day, much despised by Jennie who at one point made the bus to Orvieto stop so she could throw up. But, that is beside the point. We went to Orvieto for the day for a tour by Noah and a little free time. We went to the cathedral, saw a little relic called the Stained Corporal of the miracle of Bolsena. Its the cloth under the eucharist that actually, according to lore, bled when a priest was doubting the faith. It was housed in the beautiful reliquary (see picture below) that has insane intrinsic value, being that it is made from sapphire, diamonds, emeralds, and gold.

On the other side of the apse, there was a chapel with a Fra Angelico fresco Christ's Last Judgement. This, too, was beautiful. Very identifiable from the other frescos eventually done by Luca Signorelli in the early mannerist style.

After this we went underground and did a little "digging around" into Orvietos history. This was way cool and a very fun excursion. While our tour guide left a lot to be desired, Jennie and I made it worth our time and money. After lunch and a little light shopping, we hopped on the tram to the bottom of the city and headed home to Amelia.

Saturday night we watched the US v England match and did a little fun facebook stalking of Noah. Let me just say, this guy has a very interesting non-professional side that I would like to get to know...

Today, Sunday, we laid low, read for class, and headed into town for a potluck with the other students. A great idea because meat was too expensive to buy for 25, most of the dishes were vegetarian- a much needed reprieve from pasta and salami. After dinner, we all went down to Bar Leonardi, our favorite little coffee/wine bar and watched the game with this week's professor. Go Germany! Now, I am home and exhausted. Thank goodness we can sleep in a bit tomorrow because there is no Italian class on mondays. Smart! Well, thats all for now. I will try to update more often, but the week can be mostly boring. Enjoy the photos! Ciao tutti!

Ciliegiolo

So the weekend couldn't have gotten better! After a very fabulous terrace party Friday night, I was able to spend most of Saturday doing laundry and reading in preparation for class. Saturday evening I went up into the city for dinner with a few classmates and had a great time getting to know them even more. Now, the big weekend event was on Sunday. Amelia hosts a regional wine tasting event in the old cloisters of San Francesco (for non-art people, the cloisters are the open-air area in a convent/monastery- see pictures). Here we tasted around 20 local vendors' blends of Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet, and the local grape Ciliegiolo. All the wines were delicious.

In addition to the wine, we could taste local meats, cheese, olive oil and, the Amelia specialty, Il Dolce Frutto- which is fig, orange peel and chocolate! Talk about delicious!!!!! I bought some oil, wine and figs. Tonight I cooked with the oil and am eating the figs for dessert. Yummmm! Here is a picture of the cloisters and another of me with the roommates at the event.

So, Sunday ended peacefully with a home cooked dinner- pasta and pesto and some eggplant and zucchini straws. I must say, cooking is more fun and the end result is way better here too. One thing I do miss dearly is mexican food. When we get up to Florence I am going to the international market to get some spices and hopefully tortillas for a taco night. Its so hard being away from your favorite food!

Let me just say, however, after this wonderful weekend, Monday was a bit of a drag, personally. I mean, classes were good and I really feel like I have found a great area to study and can do awesome things with, but my body just didn't want to sync up today. I start off with a splitting headache and being woken up buy the Leonardo of landscaping. This guy was using ancient hedging tools and taking his good old time going over the hedge right outside my window. Fine, even the plants need a hair cut, but this was incessant. I'm talking over 8 hours work on this hedge area. Anyways, after that, there was no time for breakfast, I got no coffee, and had to run out to class. Um, about 20 steps out the door I tripped and almost broke a shoe. Great. After the hike up to the town I got to class, dripping with sweat and panting like a freaking dog. Ok, fine. So Noah decides to not remember class times and goes a half an hour late, cutting into lunch/siesta time. Ok, fine again. I guess I will go to the grocery after class. Lunch was great and the last half of the day went well enough.

After the market, we all come home to cook. I go first since I had my stuff out and ready. MMM beef stroganoff. The end result was delicious, but I had forgotten cream and flour, the two items used to make the freakin sauce! Whatever, I make do. BUT in the middle of cooking, there is a loud BANG and the electricity goes off. awwwwesome! My computer charger blew up, the fridge went off and my half washed laundry was stuck in the washer. Holy crap! So we called the local in the group to help us get it fixed. Some a-typical Italian man (which means he was not hot) shows at the door, flips some switches and gets everything going. Thank god!

This is where I find myself, but with one event I have left out... After I eat dinner and get laundry going again and figure out that I have not lost my entire life's work on the computer, there is a little buzz at the door. Apparently our little land-lady wanted to come make sure everything was ok and introduce herself... in Italian. Mind you, no one here speaks any Italian. I am the only one with a foreign language under my belt-ish, and French is not so close. She comes in talking about the lights and her name and phone number so we can call her (something we cannot do since we cannot communicate except through sign language) and how her name is from her husband who is from Napoli and her son or daughter, or she is a son or daughter of someone in the next town and how blah blah blah... Im just nodding at this point and randomly saying "bene". So, the adventure of Monday comes to a close with me thanking the Lord my computer didn't blow up, that the Italian language class starts tomorrow, and that I made it through alive.

Bring on the rest of the week- it can't be any worse than today! I was avoiding alcohol for a while, but a glass of wine is totally warranted. Cin Cin!

Week 1 = done

hok, so...

Since I left you, a lot has happened. We finally had orientation to get a better grasp on what will be going on here this summer. The program is going to be crazy! We have so many scholars coming in for classes, guest lectures, the conference, etc. I cant wait to meet so many people actively involved in multiple areas of art crime fighting. There will be lawyers, professors, law enforcers, museum directors, etc. Every single person has one thing in common and, I have noticed this with even just the students, this commonality creates this level of excitement, camaraderie, and desire to get the ball rolling on policies and procedures that will combat art crime. And yes, I know at some point I am going to sound nerdy and all weird like a wannabe super hero. Maybe Ill make a mask and wear it when I write and research.

But, anyways, we also did really cool stuff around the city these past few days. We climbed to the top of the city and went in to their cathedral. The city's patron saint is San Fermina who was captured here and burned at the stake. They actually have this column sitting inside the church. Kinda creepy. But we also went down into the old roman cisterns. This place was really cold and wet and dark, but cool too. They were used until 1945 actually, which means the

concept of running water is still new to this town (thank god they have it now). So after a lot of walking around, we had a short lecture by Noah, the head of ARCA, and then the city of Amelia put on a banquet for us. This part was really awesome. Some cute old woman made all the regional specialties which included risotto balls, roasted zucchini and eggplant, some seafood pasta salad, and a variety of dessert- including tiramisu!!!!! So delicious. They also had the flag throwers come and perform for us. Imagine Under the Tuscan Sun. These guys are the #2 team right now, and have a competition next weekend they want us to cheer them on at. Hopefully they will become #1!

It was a very wonderful welcoming into the town. Everyone is very nice and appreciates us being here. This was nice because, as a foreigner, you always feel a little intrusive. There are a few local restaurants that have made special menus for us, and so far I have not been disappointed in what they make. The pizza is so good- very thin crust and not all covered in sauce and cheese like american pizza. Also, all pasta dishes are hands down the best ever and they certainly love their meat here. The level of flavor is just so different and has everything to do with the freshness of produce.

I wish I could eat more like this in the states. Thank god I have a long walk every day or all this food would take its toll.

So this weekend I have a lot of reading to do and preparing for the first week of class. It is with Noah and we are going to get a great foundation of knowledge for the future courses and conference. Fingers crossed I find an area I want to focus on for my thesis.

Ciao for now.

Visual Aids

So, Amelia is a charming little town that moves at a snails pace. Life is so relaxed here. Its also very nice being able to take a few days to adjust to the time, and new schedule of living. I love that siesta is observed here, although most of us students don't take part. I can also say my coffee/espresso consumption has quadrupled at least. Today alone I have had 4 cups and its just 3pm. I am sure about 2-3 more are in my near future. Maybe its just because things taste so much better here... who knows.

Anyway, so tonight is our cocktail gathering to get to know each other. Most of the students have already gotten together to accomplish everyday tasks (strength in numbers). Just a few remain mysterious. And, naturally, most students are girls. Let me just say, a few of these people are interesting. I mean, crazy and eccentric and just artsy weird people- I LOVE it! The roommates are awesome. We get along very well and I don't foresee any future problems. We cooked last night, a little pasta, chicken, veggies, and, of course, red wine!

Here are a few shots of the view from my balcony and the apartment itself. I will take more of the actual town once I get in there and walk around. We have a tour tomorrow or something and that will give me time. I went around yesterday, but for some reason was more occupied with climbing the hills and staying hydrated than I was with taking pictures. The town is insanely hilly, which is interesting when its 80* and I have already walked 1.5 miles just to get into the town. But, I wouldn't trade our apartment for the world. Others have rooftop terraces and easy accessibility to the classroom, but we have the market, internet, and the view! We also have satellite tv, which means we can watch and host FIFA parties! Viva Italia!!!

But anyways, ciao for now. More to come once classes start.

Bella Amelia...

Ciao from my new town, Amelia. It is absolutely gorgeous and totally serene. Our flat is about 1km outside the city, which provides a LOT of walking. I will get to all that in a moment, but lets recap my last night in Madrid with Alfredo...

So after I returned from the Prado and took a siesta, we headed out and walked around the west side of the city. We strolled through piazza del sol and piazza mayor, then headed to the palace and cathedral. Both buildings are great pieces of old spanish architecture mixed with international, classical influences. We then went to the theatre and saw what Alfredo called a "musical" but what I would call an opera. It was a very moving and great show- one that also makes me appreciate staging more, seeing as I could not understand the words at all. At intermission we had champagne and took a look at how the scenery and costumes were created. Afterwards, Alfredo and I went to a few bars for tapas and drinks. Around 2 am I went to bed, only to get up at 4 am to make sure I made it to the airport on time.

Which brings us back to Amelia. I came in with one of my roommates, Jennie, and as soon as we dropped our bags off at the flat we headed back into town. After a sandwich we explored the walled city (ps pictures will come soon). While around there we ran into our other roommate, Lauren and another student, Jacqueline. Her apartment is in the city and has a 3-level garden/rooftop terrace! Im talking gorgeous views and perfect for late night soirees!

So, anyways, here I am, back in my apartment (which, for now, has internet) and finally relaxing. It is a spacious, modern flat with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The kitchen is awesome and will definitely allow for some killer meals. I will update as I can with new adventures and people. Our first meet and greet is Tuesday, so I'm sure I will have good stories by then!

Ciao!