South students stricken by Sophia’s surroundings
by Michael McDermott, reporter

     The media are full of images of Italy. Travel programs have taken us there; TV shows have concentrated on the culture of the boot-shaped country this year; one sitcom began its Fall season there; soap operas have set their latest plots there; car commercials have always been shot there.
     The country’s image is just too cool.
But it was almost surreal to return to Texas from a recent trip to Italy with several other South Campus students and see the Styrofoam-headed man from Jack-in-the-Box pushing his hamburgers in front of the Trevi Fountain in Rome or standing on a hill in the Italian countryside talking about burgers and fries with a priest and the town of Orvieto in the background, especially since I was standing in that very spot not a week earlier!
     Rest assured. Burgers and fries were the last thing we had on our minds in a country that boasts of the best cooking in all of Europe. We all knew that when Darlene Marks of the South Campus fine arts department put together a trip to Italy for her voice and opera students late last year. Italian music, history, art and architecture and, of course, unmatched cuisine are all part of the ancient culture that has attracted millions of travelers to this amazing country.
     Marks put together what would become the trip of a lifetime for a dozen of her students, along with her husband and parents. Two students swept up in the country would renew their wedding vows in an 18th century farmhouse in the hills of Umbria and also in Venice while on the trip.
     The itinerary included Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Lugano and Lucerne, Switzerland, various side trips, an opera and several meals over the nearly three weeks we were there.
     Landing in Rome, I was reminded of my perceptions of Italy and Italian culture as a boy when we marched with our luggage past a poster of Sophia Loren. Years ago she was asked how she liked her new found home in the United States. She replied, “I love America, but heart, body and soul belong to Italy.” Italy itself has a heart, and that heart is Rome.
     I live in a house that is 95 years old. In Rome, this would be considered new construction—a couple of days old. This year Rome is celebrating its Jubileo or 2000-year Jubliee. One of the oldest cities still in existence, Rome’s pulse has never been stronger.
     The first things a traveler notices in Rome are the throngs of people and proliferation of cars. Millions of cars, most not bigger than a breadbox, fill every square inch of pavement. The heart of Italy is overrun with cars. Between the lanes of tiny automobiles and enormous buses, scooters with men and women in all manner of dress squeeze between them like little clowns in a non-stop circus.
     But don't think the arteries of this heart are forever clogged. The traffic never stops. The blood flows—at about 70 mph. Roman driving has been called by scholars one of seven wonders of the world.
     Walking in Rome then is a challenge. But off we went to the Vatican.
     The Vatican, actually a walled city within the city of Rome, and technically a separate country, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, the home of Pope John Paul II. The art housed within the Museo Vaticoni, or Vatican Museums, is breathtaking, but no adjective is great enough to describe the ceilings of its rooms and hallways. No ceiling in all the world is more famous than that of the Cappello Sistina.
     Built almost 700 years ago, the Sistine Chapel had a typically dark blue-black painted ceiling dotted with gold stars to simulate the night sky. Much later, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint his version of the Bible across its ceiling. The building is large, and the ceiling is high, so a scope or binoculars are needed to view it.
     Rome also is famous for the ancient structures found throughout the city. The great Colosseum was brought even more fame with the recent film Gladiator. The enormity of the structure and the scope of the violence that occurred there are almost too much to wrap one’s brain around. Outside on the grounds, actors dressed in authentic gladiator costumes, play with the crowds and charge money to have a picture posed with them. Inside, the mammoth building, the first stadium of its kind, along with the knowledge of what occurred there, is almost overwhelming.
     At our first dining experience in Rome that evening, we learned that food is a huge part of the culture. Italians serve up to six courses in one meal, which could include half a rabbit, teeth included. There's also much seafood served called fruiti di more or fruit of the sea. The fare often included squid, octopus and prawns with black pasta made with squid ink.
     We rented cars upon leaving Rome for our weeklong stay at the farmhouse. Exiting Rome was challenging. I won't say the roads are too narrow, but I managed to knock the right hand mirror off the car … twice. For some reason this bothered the other passengers in the car even more than when I was driving and taping with the video camera at the same time.
     Along the way, it was clear that if Rome is the heart of Italy, the Tuscan countryside is its soul. We stopped at the breathtaking medieval town known as the Civita Di Bagnoregio. Perched like a castle on a steeply edged rock, the original walled town is accessible only by a long footbridge, leading out of the “new” part of town—circa 1600. One of our most memorable experiences of the entire trip was sitting in an outdoor restaurant under a canopy of grapevines with a spectacular view of the Civita while across the restaurant a large group of Austrian cyclists and businessmen serenaded us with Austrian yodels and mountain love songs.
     Our accommodations at the Macchione Farmhouse were very comfortable. The house sits outside the small village of Porto and overlooks a beautiful lake. In Porto one evening at a charming little Inn, Donna and David Coulson, two of the travelers, planned a small party for their anniversary and commemorated the restating of their vows.
     Each one of the small and not-so-small towns of this region—Tuscany and Umbria—have a personality. All began near the same period in history several hundred years ago, yet each is so distinct. A must-see tavern is the tavern of Assisi. Crowning the crest of the village's medieval building is the church of St. Francis of Assisi. The stunning white stone structure is actually one cathedral built on top of another, the first part built around 1100 A.D. Down in town, we sampled the local “gelato” of each village that tastes like ice cream flavored whipped cream and butter.
     The best gelato was in Venice. Our two-night stay there included a wonderful performance of The Marriage of Figaro, under a huge series of tents since Venice's famous opera house, where La Boheme premiered in the late 19th century, burned to the ground a few years ago.
     Venice is best known as the city of canals. There are no cars because of all the footbridges and steps. Another highlight of the trip was dressing up for the opera and heading down to the waterfront to step into four gondolas for a magical water tour of Venice before dinner.
     Florence had a completely different feel. Surrounded by the greatest works of art ever produced, none is more spectacular than Michelangelo's David. The massive statue was carved from a single block of marble.
     Upon leaving Venice, we headed into the lakes region of Italy. Bordering Switzerland, this area is mountainous with a Mediterranean feel. This, then, is the body of Italy with more curves than Sophia herself.
     The drive to Lugano was one of the most spectacular I have seen. Snow-capped mountains taper down to palm-tree lined lakes. The narrow highways are lined with sidewalk cafes and quaint hotels. In San Mamete, we dined by candlelight that evening under an arbor of grapevines and roses. Victoria Pool, part of our group, pulled a recorder, a small flute-like instrument, out of her coat and began to play as the evening sunset slipped away. It was like a dream—part of an incredible moment.
     In Lucerne, on the last day of the trip, we headed to the top of Mount Pilatus on the spectacular sky tram.
     I learned one important thing about the Italians: they know how to do things right, and I cannot wait to get back to the right way of life.