Circus Maximus, Nice Day
Author: Isaak Benchoff | Major: Architecture
My name is Isaak Benchoff. I travelled to Italy in January of 2022. It is currently 1:42 PM on the 24th of April. I am writing this now because this is the moment when I am mentally preparing for a return home from Rome. We are all preparing for finals, and then we leave on the 7th of May. I am an architecture student who travelled to Rome to study abroad for my fourth year and fourth spring semester. I suppose I must mention that this program is named the University of Arkansas Rome Center.
I came here expecting to survey a lot of historical monuments. That is my interest, as a person minoring in history of design. I was surprised to find that the areas of greatest knowledge expanded was not, as I expected, in that realm, but in the realm of urban planning and art. I obviously learned a lot about history besides. I also learned a lot about adapting to a new state of living altogether, as one does when living in a new country for a time.
I think most pertinent to my goals as a future architect are the skills I learned through the teachings of Riccardo D’aquino, my professor. He taught us how to identify patterns in the urban fabric that are relevant to understanding what an urban space needs. He also instructed us in the art of historic preservation, how a place may be preserved, repaired, and maintained without compromising understanding of the original forms. Lastly, his rigorous lessons taught me a lot about hand drawing accurately.
Riccardo is one of the best professors I’ve ever had. He is also a very interesting person. Consuelo Lollobrigida, the professor of Renaissance and Baroque (Art and Architecture) is also very knowledgeable. I often wonder how my professors have coped over the years of teaching American students at the UARC. I wonder if they generally find us annoying or more pleasant than Italian students in our age group. Italians are certainly less inclined to repeat themselves. Barbara Spaccini, the Italian professor, moves past each lesson with no refresher. We simply must remember. That is okay, of course, because it is a language course with not much time in the day. Consuelo is the same way, however, and comprehension of Mannerist principles do not come so easy to the memory I will say. All of these things that I have learned in my academic life in the past few months culminate into a better understanding of the processes that shape the world. How these processes may be expressed in the fabric of our world is the true study of Rome.
Art is a medium through which an artist engages their inner self. This means that art is an expression of an artist practicing their techniques to the ends of learning something about themselves, and through this inward look they may derive new knowledge about the outside world. This is a philosophy that I believe strongly in. Even now, I write because I am engaging my inner self to convey these thoughts. Writing as an art is chiefly important because words define the way that we think and feel, not always the other way around.
Here’s something I am passionate to write about: tiramisu. I participated in a cooking class and l learned how it is made. It condenses very important elements of Italian culture into pastry. The first ingredient, of course, is pastry. The second is strong espresso coffee. The third is a complex custard made by the careful mixing of boiling simple syrup and egg yolks, including mascarpone and heavy cream. These ingredients are quintessentially Italian. I am thankful for the experience to learn firsthand how to make this desert, as it is one of the most important in the world. I am going back to the United States with the recipe. I will make it a lot, I am hoping.
All this time, and all of these experiences that I have, that I relay to you now, are products of a cultural immersion in Rome. Rome is an idea. It is cultural creation that can only be perceived by a conscious being interpreting their stimuli. Rome is not only a place stapled to a single moment in the fluidity of time. It spans eons, as is said, it is the Eternal City.
I recommend studying abroad, I do. But while I appreciate the structure of life that the University has created here for us, as it offered a comforting environment while we adjusted, I grew tired very quickly of hand-holding I experienced on the optional trips they offered. I recommend to any student considering studying abroad, who is financially able, go somewhere that interests you, and not where you think you’ll be the most comfortable. That would be a waste of your time and money. I will add that I wish I had skipped some of the optional trips and went on my own to some of those places, specifically Pompeii.