Site Visit: alternative Italy

Italy: Describe the architecture and the formal landscapes. Describe the gift shop(s). Explain the relationships you see between Byron's poems about the Abby (or Childe Harold in Italy). Contrast Rome with your experience of Sherwood Forest and the Yorkshire moors. Explain the influence these places might have had on the authors in the context of their writing.

As soon as I stepped off the plane I had realized Rome was going to be some kind of experience. Airports are normally at least a little chaotic, but Romes' airport was worse than Orlando's and Atlanta's airport put together, but 1/18th the size. Then we had getting to our hotel. I am 21 and I thought I had multiple mini heart attacks on the way there. I always thought that when there are lines painted on the road, they were there for something. But in Rome I guess it is used as some sort of art work because no one seemed to pay ANY attention to them at all. It was like we were driving along and all of a sudden the cabi is trying to fit this car where I would not even try to squeeze my body through. Finally we make it to our hotel. The first thing I realize is the atmosphere. It has almost done at complete 180. It is the peaceful beautiful Rome I had always thought about. Beautiful buildings designed in a Tuscany architecture, with flowers over hanging everywhere. Color is just everywhere. And It seemed the places that did not have color, they seemed to put it right in. Rome did not have many flower beds or things of that nature. But what Rome did have was huge parks. One of the only reason's we were able to find any certain place in Rome was because we most likely got lost. But that normally turned out to be a good thing. While we were walking around for every block there was at least 2 'Roma' gift shops. At these places the only thing that a person could find there was some object with 'I Love Roma' on it. If you wanted you Italy t shirt to say anything else...tough luck on your part. But on one of our many trips into the streets of Rome we did stumble across a store that gave us a good laugh. The store was called 'Byron'. The main person we have been searching everywhere for. We made a point to ask our tour guide's about him and the only thing we could get out of that was there MAYBE something about him in the park. Instead of finding a real statue of him. We found a contemporary clothing store. Now to say this store was named after him, I personally could not tell you. But I did find this situation funny. But I did feel like Rome would suit Byron pretty well. While we were getting the tours through Rome he reminded me a lot of the Romans. All about themselves. The beautiful people, the festivals at the Colosseum with people fighting huge animals(for fun?) and parties congratulating Constantine on his victory. With them, I think Byron would have fit it very well. Maybe that is why he loved to travel so much, he felt more 'at home' with the more self centered people at that time. When I think about what Byron loved and thought was beautiful the quote, 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' really stands out in my mind. Yes, Rome is beautiful. But one of the reason it is beautiful is the place. The exotic nature and architecture. Not the lavish parties and whatever would go with that. But maybe that is what Byron thought was beautiful. I think that is why I enjoyed Robin Hood a lot more than Byron. Robin Hood stuck to his grounds and took what was given to him (Sherwood Forest) as saw how beautiful it was without all the glam and makeup. I believe the forest has a more powerful effect on people than the places Byron was talking about. Thus, showing why I just do not really enjoy him that much.