Saying Goodbye to Santa Maria in Cappella

I am truly going to miss coming home to Santa Maria in Cappella every day. The sun shining on the trees and flowers in the courtyard when I come home in the evening from a long day in the city is an image that I will never forget. I like saying “ciao” to the doorman every time I leave and come back. It was so convenient of being able to walk down the street to the grocery store, go get gelato, or have dinner at a great restaurant, in one of the most enviable neighborhoods in the entire city. Romans could not believe that I live in Trastevere as a student, and the amazement in their expressions made me that much more appreciative to live here.

I will always have vivid memories of our apartment and our neighborhood after having spent seven weeks here. It really did start to feel like home, especially during the last few weeks. Even though seven weeks is a short time, I will remember Santa Maria in Cappella as a place where I felt comfortable and familiar. Before coming here, I never thought that I would ever feel this way in a foreign city, and I am so glad that I had this experience.

The Santa Maria Spy

During my entire stay here, I have felt comfortable and at-home living in Santa Maria in Cappella. The quiet atmosphere, beautiful courtyard, and friendly doormen make our living situation very pleasant and feel very safe (not to mention we have to go through three locked doors to get inside our apartment). However, it has been somewhat uncomfortable lately, due to one of the residents of the hospice across the courtyard from us. One night, two girls from Ohio State who live on the first floor came up to our apartment on the third floor. They informed us that a resident has been spying on our apartments with binoculars from across the courtyard, and sometimes filming with a video camera. Another resident was kind enough to tell the girls this, speaking only a little English while motioning spying with binoculars and filming. After getting this information, a couple girls realized that they had seen a man looking over here on occasion. In the past few days, some have even caught him in the act of spying! This man does not seem dangerous, and, chances are, someone is looking after him in the hospice. Even so, I told our landlord. She thought this story was amusing and assured us that he is just an older man, living in hospice care, and could not be dangerous. The next group to live here will probably have new curtains, she said. But, in the meantime, I do not feel quite as comfortable as I have felt living here.

Santa Maria in Trastevere

Though not located in the neighborhood closely surrounding our apartment, the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere is a short walk away in Piazza Santa Maria, across Viale de Trastevere from where we live. The influence of Santa Maria, the Virgin Mary, is everywhere in our area. Small shrines and paintings can be found on the buildings in our neighborhood and in many stores. On the way to visit the church we stopped in a cheese shop, where a statue of Mary stood on a shelf in the middle of all the cheese.

The Church of Santa Maria is the main attraction. It does not look very large from the outside, but the interior is spacious and beautifully decorated with gold mosaics. This church is known in Rome, and especially in Trastevere, as the city and its neighborhoods, including ours, built up around it over the centuries.

The History of Santa Maria in Cappella

I thought I knew the history of the building where we live, but after looking it up on the internet, I found some facts that I was unaware of. I heard that our building was an old monastery that was converted into a hospice. This made sense to me because I see elderly people in the courtyard almost every day and there always seems to be a few nuns around taking care of them. The building is three sided, wrapping around a central, square courtyard. The fourth side is a tall stone wall that blocks the courtyard from the sidewalk and street. Though the building is called Santa Maria, I never really considered it to be a church. When I looked it up, I found that it was a church, built in 1090 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. "In Cappella" means "at the chapel" but the phrase was taken from the word "cuppelle", meaning barrells. The Guild of Barrellmakers took over the church in the 15th century, hence the name.

The building changed hands again after this - the sister-in-law of Pope Innocent X, Donna Olimpia Pamphilj, made the courtyard a playground, but her later relatives transformed the building and courtyard into an elderly home. It was the first home established in Rome, and it is amazing that it is still serving the same purpose today. Now that I know the history I feel even luckier to be living in such a beautiful place.

Dinner Down the Street

Last night Nicole D, Nicole V, Ilana, Allison, and I went out to get dinner. It was the Roman holiday Republican Day, so we expected to walk around for a while and maybe find a pizza place that was open. To our surprise, we walked half a block down the street from our apartment and saw that a restaurant was open. We walk by this restaurant almost everyday but have never stopped to check it out. So, we sat down, ordered some red wine and pasta, and had a lot of fun. The two men who waited on our table spoke barely any English at all and wore gold crosses around their necks. We were so happy to have a real dinner, and they thought this was very amusing. We sat outside at the restaurant until the sun was almost down. The only other customers were a table of Italian women who ordered fruity drinks and chatted and painted their fingernails. It was a relaxed atmosphere, to say the least, and just what we all needed.

Directions from Termini to Santa Maria in Cappella

Santa Maria in Cappella, the neighborhood and the topic of many of my blogs, is located in Travestere. The neighborhood is relatively small and made up of a maze of narrow streets. Many of the buildings are homes, but small shops, Tobacci stores, and markets can be found on almost every street. Restaurants, most of which have outdoor seating, are delicious and reasonably priced. This is a great place to live, but also an enjoyable visit.

From Termini:
- Starting at the Piazza del Cinquecento, outside of the Termini, go SW on Via Cavour
- Continue 5 blocks, Santa Maria Maggiore will be on your left
- Turn right on Via Panisperna and continue until the end
- Veer east until you see Colonna Traiana (Trajan's Column)
- You will approach Piazza Venezia, veer SW around the piazza
- Turn left on Via Teatro Marcello
- Turn right on Via del Foro Piscaro
- Take a quick left on Via de Ottavia
- Cross the Ponte Fabricio, cross over the island, and cross the second half of the river over the Pontve Cestio
- Take an immediate left on Lungotevere Alberteschi
- Turn right on Via Ripense
- Turn left on Via P. Peretti
*Destination: Santa Maria in Cappella

Al Forno di Travestere

Grocery shopping here is a different experience than at home. The stores are organized differently and there are only a few chain "supermarkets". The other day at Standa, one of the larger chain markets, the cashier got angry with me when I asked about a price. Then, she accidently rang up an item that did not belong to the person behind me. Instead of simply taking the item off, she grabbed the plastic conveyer belt separater and waved it in the person's face with exasperation.

The small market down the street from our apartment is a much more enjoyable and convenient place to shop. It is called Al Forno di Travestere, located on Via dei Genovesi. One older man at the counter rang up my groceries, another helped me bag, and a third stood chatting with the other two. Having interactions, like buying things in a store, with non-English speaking Italians is often frustrating. These older men spoke no English at all and could tell I was American, but instead of getting frustrated, they smiled and gave me a friendly "grazie, ciao!"

(Via dei Genovesi, where the market is located)

At Home

Nicole and I went out to do a few errands in our neighborhood the other night. There are stores scattered all along the streets, so we just walked around, looking for a Tobacci shop and a place to get a snack. I like wandering around the neighborhood and discovering new places, and even entirely new streets, that I haven't noticed yet. The neighborhood is one of the few places here where I can walk without a map and know that I can find my way back. Most of the time, you can walk in the general direction of our apartment, recognize the streets, and then spot our church-like doorway from down the road. We found what we needed, a phone card and some chocolate (of course) and in the process, found a new snack bar with sandwiches, pastries, and wine. Being able to leave the apartment and feel familiar with the neigborhood makes me feel at home here.

Local Color

I am starting to get more of a feel for how our neighborhood changes throughout the day. On Saturday evening we went to get dinner again, stopping in a restaurant to get a panini to-go rather than looking for a market. We took a different way back home and found many streets where local people gather to have a drink and a bite to eat at this time of the evening. Instead of sitting and having dinner like the tourists I saw the other day, they stand outside and talk with each other. I was so envious, and wished I spoke the language so I could use the neighborhood in the way that they do. I also noticed more types of shops, like an antique furniture store, a book shop, and a wedding dress shop. It is hard to tell where some doors lead without going in because not every store has a sign outside. The tiny doors and windows only let passers-by on the street get a quick glimpse inside. Residences are also very private. I can tell that this neighborhood houses a lot of people, but the narrow streets and private doors to shops and homes create a quiet, calm atmosphere.

Santa Maria in Cappella

Our apartment in the old monastery of Santa Maria in Cappella is a beautiful neighborhood in Travestere. One night this week a few of us went to get something for dinner in the many small shops near S. Maria. We went around 7 o'clock, only to discover that most stores were closed and the neighborhood was quiet. Most people walking around and eating at the restaurants were tourists. I'm not sure yet if our neighborhood is geared toward tourism or the local residents. I decided that our neighborhood will be the place I will continually observe throughout the semester.