003 primo giorno nel lavoro

Today I started work at 3 pm, just enough time to meet people in the Sites department at ICCROM and learn a little more about what my project will be while I am here. ICCROM (International Center for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage) is an international non-profit organization similar to UNESCO. There are 180 member countries, and this office in Rome, is the only physical office of the group. There are about 45 employees here in the office in Trastevere (translates to "across the Tiber"). My department is the Sites department, and we number about 10-12. There are 8 full-time employees and the rest are interns and fellows. So far I have met no other Americans. My colleagues are from Sri Lanka, Africa, Bulgaria, Canada, UK, and Japan, so far.

ICCROM is similar to US/ICOMOS (the other non-profit sponsoring this fellowship), but while US/ICOMOS is more focused on the "why"of cultural heritage, ICCROM deals with the "how". They sponsor courses, primarily taught in Europe, about conservation. Interesting to note that in the US the prevalent term is 'preservation' and elsewhere it tends to be 'conservation''. Anyway, they have traditionally had courses on topics such as Stone Conservation, Wood Conservation, Earth Construction Conservation and Modern Architecture. They are proposing a new course on structural engineering concerns and I am going to be developing a questionaire and outline of how the course might run. I am also going to have input on the Modern Architecture course, due to my fabulous experience with the Farnsworth House from when I worked at the National Trust.

I walked here from Piazzale Clodio, down by San Pietro and essentially followed the Tevere the rest of the way. It's really pleasant to walk along the river, since there are droopy shade trees covering the path and few opportunities to get run over by a car or motorcycle.

In softball news, I just found out that JMU, the perennial powerhouse in our division, suffered a loss to Florida over the weekend, which gives my Tigers a decent chance to repeat as division champions.

002 sono arrivata a roma

After a crazy week of tying up loose ends at work, moving out, closing on a condo, moving in, going to ICOMOS orientation in DC, unpacking, and repacking for 3 months, I am here at my new 'home' in Rome. I am living with a woman named Delfina, actually letting 1 room in her two bedroom apartment. The location is in the north of the city, close to the Ottaviano metro stop. After landing at Fiumicino, I took a train for EUR 9,50 into Termini. Luckily I had read in my tourist book that you have to validate the ticket with automatic stamping machines so I didn't make a scene like some American tourists sitting close to me when the train guy checked my ticket. At the main train station, Termini, I bought a phone card. After trying a number of combinations of preceding Delfina's mobile number with 06, 1, 0, deleting the leading 3, I made contact with her and headed via the Metro to the apartment. I set the apartment up over the internet, so I was really relieved that Delfina & Diana are real people and not scam artists. At least so far. ;)

I have a simple little room with a desk, bed, dresser & closet in a very typical Roman apartment building - 4 wings around a central courtyard & about 10 stories high. The stucco finish is painted a pale yellow and there are green shutters on each window, some open, others closed, but most with plants and/or laundry hanging in the window.

Part of my deal with Delfina is that she buys all the food and cooks all the food. (She is vegetarian & Kosher, so it's pretty restrictive.) last night she made pasta, followed by a quiche with peas & another with pumpkin, then mustard greens, a salad, & sauteed pepperoncini. She tried to cut up a cantaloupe afterwards but I had to refuse...