Magnificent Modern Rome!

CIAO !!!

It seems like it's been forever since I have posted on here, but I have been so incredibly busy with travels that I haven't had a spare moment! I am just as excited to write about my ten day fall break as you are to hear about it (don't get too jealous!), but first I want to talk a little about the Modern Art Rome Weekend 1 credit course I had three weekends ago. The course was taught by an elder couple who we all call "The Drs", they are the Drs. Wilkins and are retired professors of art history and architecture. Going into this course, I was thinking how modern is the Eternal City? As it turns out, some things are wonderfully modern (being finished in 2002) and are just so great to see. A lot of the modern architecture is based from the fascist era; Mussolini had a great influence on many of these buildings, and it was very neat to see. This was a busy three day course filled with lots of traveling, but it was well worth every minute (and the learning experience is priceless). Here are some pictures to  express the modern art here in Rome:

Above is Mussolini's House and a picture inside of the ball room.

These three images are all from the Olympic games held in Italy during 1932 and in the 1960s. The track and field was still in use today for school children and athletes. There were mosaics all leading up to the stadium which were really neat, but of course my favorite one was of the swimmers and divers!

Super modern bridge!

Mussolini's Obelisk

The two above images are the main modern architecture buildings Rome has to offer. On the left is the Auditorium, which is the concert hall of Rome. It was completed in 2002 and consists of different halls and recording studios; a wide variety of artists play here ranging from classic composers to jazz and more current artists such as Norah Jones. The area of the Auditorium was filled with a younger crowd, many looked like students, but it was a great atmosphere! The right picture is of the new (still in the making) of Rome's convention center. This isn't the best picture, so if you get a minute do a Google search. The building had an estimated cost of over $10 million and the finish date is always changing.

One of the coolest stops was at the Fashion Museum of Italy!! Here are a few dresses that stood out to me, or you could basically say the dresses I wish I owned.

The gown on the left was worn by Audrey Hepburn. In the middle are dresses all by Gucci, Versace and Emilio Pucci.

JFK Suit!

John Wayne's Suit!

THE SUIT OF JAMES BOND!

 Just having a good old time up on Vittorino Emanuele! 

This is of a modern church about an hour away from center city. It is a Catholic church, and we were lucky enough to get to attend a mass! It is called a children's mass, which means the priest actively has children participate in a question and answer segment during his sermon. The atmosphere was incredibly lively and there was dancing and singing all throughout the service. As you can see, the church is very open-- way different from the other churches in Rome-- but it helped to keep focus. This was definitely a cool experience. 

Modern Art was a great three day class. I got to see, and learn, an incredible amount that I would have never known about while here in Rome. This modernization continued with me all throughout break as I visited a modern art museum while in Paris, too! I am doing my best to keep posting, especially about Fall Break, so don't worry!!!

I hope you all are prepared for Frakenstorm... Please be safe, my prayers are with you all. I also feel so included, because my Facebook and Twitter news feeds have been flooded with information about Sandy. God Bless!

Buonanotte!!!

Ky xx