La Dolce Vita Series: School Days at a Museum

Immediate view upon entering the museum. . .larger than life statues.

My sweet (and smart) husband is on his way to finishing his degree in Pharmacy (it’s his 2nd degree). He is studying at the University of La Sapienza in Rome. He has a habit of studying and spending his exam preparation time in the library at the university. In my university days, I hardly stepped foot inside the university library. I always preferred studying at home, in my regular, more comfortable (not to mention quieter) environment. I find it annoying to spend the time going to the university, sitting amongst a few hundred other students and listening to other people whisper or get up and down from their chairs. Not to mention, it seems like everyone has a cold this time of year. Everyone is coughing, sneezing, hacking and/or blowing their nose. Gross! Needless to say, I easily get distracted and am not comfortable in that particular setting.

The hubby does better in a more traditional study environment though, so to the university we go. No, I don’t have to go with him, but on the days I am able to, I prefer to support him and spend the time with him (plus I have plenty of things to keep me working on the computer, like this blog and our website with the free wi-fi available). It’s nice to have breakfast together, ride the train with each other, sit next to each other throughout the day, pause for a coffee break and share our lunch together before heading off to work in the afternoons. Many married couples wake in the morning, leave for work and don’t see each other again until time to eat dinner and go to bed. I really enjoy the fact that we are fortunate enough at this time in our lives to spend a great deal of time together throughout the day. For this, I am very thankful!

So I mentioned I am not a big fan of going to the library. That is, I wasn’t a big fan until a few weeks ago. You see, one day we arrived to the library and it was packed with students. There were no seats available, and we set out to find an alternate place for the day. We entered inside the museum on campus to see if there were any available tables. As soon as we entered, I fell in love with the place. There are statues and relics everywhere! They are all reproductions from the originals, but they are beautiful. Tables and chairs are placed sporadically amongst the statues and works of art, so no more ‘sitting on top’ of other students. It is truly like we are sitting and working inside a museum. It is a lovely place to be, and it is inspiring to look around and sit amongst so many beautiful pieces of art. I feel completely in my ‘element’ when there. These days, I no longer mind coming to the university … I even look forward to it.

What do you think of the photos? Isn’t it a lovely place to study, write and get some work done?After entering, this is what we get to walk through. I love it!

A perfect setting to study, write and work.

Copies of Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek statue from 130-100 BC. (We were so lucky and got to see the original during our anniversary trip to Paris, France a few months ago.)

It is inspiring to see and sit amongst so many beautiful pieces of art.

One of my absolute favorite pieces, Nike of Samothrace. I fell in love with her years ago during an art history class in college. I can’t explain it, but she is so beautiful to me. We also got to see the original in person during our anniversary trip to Paris, France a few months ago. (Scroll down to see the original.)

The original Nike of Samothrace (190 BC), displayed at the Louvre in Paris, France.

To see more La Dolce Vita stories and photos, click here. To check out how the series began, click here.

Why Rome?

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