After chocolate croissant and pineapple juice (I have not made myself try apricot juice yet - seems to be something they like over here), we made our way over to the gateway to learn about the history of architecture which will continue for the next two days. I’ll be honest, I was fighting to stay awake considering it was about 2:30 or 3 AM in Alabama. At 11:30, the lesson paused for lunch for which we had the best pizza I have ever put in my mouth - I think my favorite was the mushroom one. As of now we just got back (a small group of us) to the gateway from the hotel to get sunscreen - it is extremely hot today. As we walk we stop by one of the many water fountains around the city. These aren’t regular metal water fountains but little spouts pumped from below the earth with the best tasting water. On our way back, we were discussing conspiracy theories and in conclusion; birds aren't real, the earth is flat, and the government controls us via fluoride in the water (at least in America). Back at the gateway, we chase the shade and beg for gelato and espresso.
If I had a title for the last two hours of my life, it would be “Keeping Up with Paolo”. He is an amazing professor but he talks slow and moves fast so for a person like me who can’t not take a picture of everything and therefore gets distracted A LOT, it was tough. He had so much good information to share with us and to watch him get so passionate about the history of his city and country was truly a great experience.
There are so many ruins to see and two weeks is definitely not enough time to take it all in . . .I don't think I could ever get tired of it.
The Palatine was breathtaking and to imagine walking and simply being where ancient civilians walked is absolutely unfathomable. If I had the choice, I do not think I would ever leave. Currently, I am sitting on a rock completely surrounded by greenery other than in front of me. I would call it the perfect reading spot . . . if it didn’t have two spots of bird poop which I am awkwardly avoiding. 10/10 would recommend.
-Peyton
Our first full day in Rome started out with an interesting lesson about the layered history of the city. We learned about the development of the city and the many important people that contributed to its expansion, including Julius Caesar and Augustus. Later in the day, we explored Palatine hill and the imperial forum. During this time, we learned about the differences between Greek and Roman architecture, including that temples in Greece have columns surrounding the entire building, unlike Rome, where the columns are constructed only at the front of the building. While visiting the Temple of Genius Augusti, we learned about how a person, in order to become a God, had to be dead, so Augustus deemed the spirit inside of him “genius,” and was thus able to make a shrine to genius (and himself) while he was still alive.
Throughout the day, we ate great Italian pizza, pasta, and gelato! My favorite part of the day was exploring Palatine and the forums and learning about their specific history.
-Sarah
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