Final presentations

After three-and-a-half weeks of learning topics relevant to art history and international studies, culminating group projects were presented to the entire class and faculty. For our class on Islam/Italian cities, we were assigned to present something that displayed Eastern influences in Italy. My group discussed coffee and its history across the Mediterranean. An interesting fact about Italy is that there are no Starbucks coffee shops here. This is due not only to the political lobbying force that protects this industry from such corporate chains, but also to the way Italians consider their coffee making a tradition/art/hobby/past time. Our professor seemed genuinely interested in our topic and our classmates generated thought-provoking questions that inquired further research. Overall, I felt that we delivered a solid presentation.

I normally don't drink coffee, but dire circumstances called for dire action. I was already at the end of my rope come lunch time with two presentations left in the afternoon, so a couple of people in my next presentation group and I went to a nearby coffee house and purchased several orders of caffè freddo. It had the right amount of sugar and the beverage's cold temperature was a perfect contrast to the unbearable hot weather in Italy.

After a couple of personal presentation practice rounds in the Rome Center Library, I felt the caffeine kick in immediately. And it saved me. I was able to give a dynamic presentation in Piazza Navona about the Pamphili Family and Pope Innocent X for my art history class. I performed significantly better than I did in the morning; maybe I should drink emergency coffee more often? We then went inside Sant'Angese (unfortunately, no cameras were allowed at all) and viewed the final burial place of the pope.

Afterwards, we headed back out to Piazza Navona and I gave my final presentation on the Fountain of the Four Rivers, also referred to in Italian as Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. I'm actually going to post my ten-page paper on this topic online soon, so I'll spare you its historical details. Presenting in the afternoon at Piazza Navona was a bit of a difficulty because of the obnoxiously loud tourists nearby; I was practically shouting towards the end of my presentation. Fortunately, everyone was able to hear me, and my art history professor seems to have liked what I had to say about Bernini's work (we were actually treated to more free gelato after the rest of the presentations). I'm just glad that my presentations are finished and I can enjoy the next 36 hours in Rome before heading off to Istanbul, Turkey.

"Exonerated."