WELCOME FALL 2010 STUDENTS!
Let’s meet and greet on Thursday, September 2nd at 10am for orientation, followed by a welcome lunch.
Fall 2010 LDM Rome Extra Curricular Activities
Thursday September 2nd – Morning
LDM Orientation, Neighborhood walk and welcome Lunch.
After your Orientation here at school, we will take a walk around the neighborhood followed by a delicious buffet lunch of Roman specialties. Friday September 3rd : Orientation Permit of Stay
Monday September 6th – Afternoon
Italy, an overview
During this lecture, students will be introduced to the geography of the Italian peninsula and to the Italian historic background. They will be explained useful information that will help them orientate during their semester abroad: the morphology of the peninsula, the difference between north and south, the climate, the regions and the different cultural and food habits.
Thursday September 9th – Afternoon
Introduction to wine culture
Learn to drink like an Italian; by savoring the flavors and distinctive qualities of fine Italian wines. Heather Hanson will introduce you to wine tasting basic techniques while exploring several types of Italian wine accompanied by complementary food tasting.
Monday September 13th– Evening
Gianicolo Hill and Santa Maria in Trastevere
Gianicolo Hill, with arguably the best view of Rome, is one of the most romantic place in the city. We’ll walk through the charming neighborhood of Trastevere, home to one of the oldest churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere, which dates back to 340’s AD and it is the home to the relic of Saint Apollonia’s head, a portion of the Holy Sponge, as well as numerous 13th century mosaic masterpieces. Then we will have a social aperitivo in one of the trendiest bar in Rome in this famous area.
Read more…
Italian Club activities Fall 2010
Orientation:
13th September – h11.00
Meet and greet with the other Italian Clubbers, discussing scheduled activities and making proposals, getting handouts on the cultural yet funny aspects of living in Rome
Football fever
28th September – h20.30
AS Roma vs CFR Cluj
Watch AS Roma playing a Champions League Game in the Historical Roma Fan Club, cheering and chanting with the real fans!
Slow Down day
4th October – all day long
This is the opportunity to get back a more human rhythm of life, enjoying the several activities which will go on all day long in school: listening to music, watching a movie, having lunch together and moreover learning something about what we could do everyday to help the planet in a group lecture. Finally a group activity will emphasize the aspects of the socializing.
Into the Wild
8th October – Day Trip
We’ll go in a beautiful place in the Nation Park of Abruzzi, with a Natural Guide, enjoying local genuine foods and drinks after a walk together in the nature, far away from the stressing metropolitan life.
Culture exchange #1:
11th October – h18.00
Socialize with Italian students during this aperitivo together in a friendly and unformal atmosphere, as well as practicing and improving your language skills.
Walk of Rome
3rd November – h9.30
A walking tour, to discover the many stories and legends, which have populated the streets and the the squares of Rome, between talking statues, poets, the island in the river, ghosts and a penniless prince in love
Have your say…/ take 2
6.4.10
No Place Like Rome
This is my last weekend in Rome. My eight crazy roommates, as well as the rest of my classmates, all flew home three weeks ago. After the program ended, I traveled with friends to Prague, Vienna, Croatia and Paris. I turned 21. And here I am again, wandering the narrow streets of Roma as if nothing has changed, and yet—now I play the role of visitor to a place I called home. Unlike the masses of tourists frantically shuffling from Colosseo to Pantheon, I have memories attached to the locations and people in between—to the corner bar where I drank my morning cappuccino, to the doorman Claudio, to my teachers and friends from LdM. The feeling of being any other tourist is unsettling, so I practice what I’ve learned this semester to remind myself that I was once an inhabitant of this city.
Today, I went to exchange traveler’s checks at the American Express near the Spanish Steps. I read from a book I carry in case of long queues (the European way to say “lines”). The tourist standing in front of me had no reading material, so he tapped his white sneaker on the marble floor. “This is just like Mexico,” he announced to any English speaker who would listen. “No system at all.” When his turn finally came, he was firmly rejected by the bank teller because he had no passport. The man flushed a shade redder than the sunburn on his neck. “I just waited 20 minutes,” he said. “You’re kidding.” The teller shrugged and indicated a sign that boldly stated: “Passport Required for Cash Exchange.” The man stomped off muttering about Italian inefficiency.
When it was my turn, I approached the window and slid my passport under the glass. After I inquired in Italian about a bathroom, the teller smiled and complimented my speaking. We wished each other a Buona giornata. Maybe I was simply more patient than the man—a virtue acquired during my time in Rome—but, in the moment the teller acknowledged my efforts, I wanted to whip around and shout, “WIN!” to the crowd of sweaty tourists behind me.
If you are a prospective student of LdM, and a prospective student of this city, I hope you experience a small victory like this. It’ll be a busy semester, filled with old stuff and espresso and cats and laundry lines and busses and many, many queues. At school, you’ll learn about the Italian language and history, about wines and writing, and after school, you’ll apply all this newfound knowledge to your life in Rome. I’m so happy I chose LdM and am writing this voluntarily to tell you that you’ll love studying in this city and at this school. Don’t let the small size frighten you (…that’s what she said?)—of the school, I mean.
Allora—my advice? Ride bus 64 at rush hour on a rainy day for me! Good luck getting off at the right stop. For lunch, order (in Italian) a freshly made panino at Forno via Firenze. Memorize the word “scusi.” Wear oodles of black, but never a puffy coat. Say “ciao” to Claudio—and to Davide, Barbara, Kim, Stefano and everyone else. Have an amazing time studying abroad (or a boy, whatever), and buona fortuna a te!
VA BENE. Ciao, grazie!
Malia Griggs, LdM Student Spring 2010
LdM partners with NUCT – scuola internazionale di cinema e televisione
LdM is proud to announce its new partnership with NUCT, international school of TV and cinema, considered one of the most important Italian schools in the field of Cinema and TV and based in the Cinecittà Film studios, the largest filmmaking facility on the European continent.
Poetry reading – Jack Hirschman: “All That’s Left” @ LdM
LDM Rome SPECIAL EVENT!!!
MONDAY, June 7th 2010 @ 7 pm
Jack Hirschman is a San Francisco poet, translator, and editor. His powerfully eloquent voice set the tone for political poetry the US many years ago. Since leaving a teaching career in the ’60s, Hirschman has taken the free exchange of poetry and politics into the streets where he is, in the words of poet Luke Breit, “America’s most important living poet.” He is the author of numerous books of poetry, plus some 45 translations from a half a dozen languages, as well as the editor of anthologies and journals. Among his many volumes of poetry are Endless Threshold, The Xibalba Arcane, and Lyripol (City Lights, 1976).
Have your say…
…I have loved taking each of the trips offered by LdM. Even if you have travelled through most of Italy LdM offers trips into undiscovered places that most tourists miss. As students here we were able to visit an agriturismo in Umbria, a winery in Tuscany, we celebrated Carnivale in Toscania, we enjoyed apertivo with real Romans after class, enjoy a chocolate tasting in Perugia, and visit countless museums, galleries and eat some of the best Tiramisu in the world in San Giovanni. (Spring 2010 LdM Rome student)
Aperitivo Roman style, featuring the renowned “Tiramisù” April 20, 2010
Field trip to the Isle of Ponza! April 17-18, 2010
Into the Wild ‘10- Day Trip to Abruzzi National Park @ Villavallelonga (16/04/10)
…We hiked through some beauitful landscapes in the mountains, drank fresh mountain spring water, and enjoyed a typical homemade breakfast of Pizza Bianca with coffee and tea. Later that day we had a cooking lesson where we learned to make our own pasta and two types of Italian cheese by hand! (comment kindly written by one of our current students!)
homemade breakfast of Pizza Bianca with coffee and tea
beech forest
