Our day began with a quick wake up and a regular breakfast: coffee, tea, various breads and bakery treats, what we’ve been accustomed to in the mornings. After we were all up and ready we gathered in the main lobby to hear our briefing for the day.
Our first item on our menu for the day was the Colosseum, where we had an appointment to make because of the fact that we had a relatively large group. We walked quickly to our first destination on our way to our main stop: the tram stop. Though it was my first time on one I quickly realized that it was basically a slower metro, so I wasn’t worried about it too much, aside from the fact that it was a little difficult to get on because it was so crowded inside the doorway.
 |
| The Roman Forum as viewed from the Palatine Hill |
 |
| The Colosseum |
After a quick ride and another quick walk we arrived at the Colosseum, which was also very crowded. We luckily had our passes ready and proceeded inside where we heard Mr. Hochberg read descriptions from ancient authors about daily entertainment in the amphitheater. We then split up and walked around for a while. After about an hour or so we all met up again. After this we walked out of the Colosseum towards a nearby grocery store. Our plan was to find food there and then take it up to the top of the Palatine hill where we would have a picnic.
We made the short walk to the hill and then passed through security to begin our small hike up the hill. It was a very sunny but cool day so our picnic was great. Afterwards we enjoyed translating with Mr. Hochberg a Latin passage from Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita about the founding of Rome on the Palatine hill. After relaxing for a bit we walked around and talked all about the history of the area. We took many pictures of the different sights as we walked and made our way over to the forum, which we first viewed from a very high up overlook.
 |
| Everyone on the Palatine Hill |
 |
| A picnic lunch on the Palatine Hill |
We took a small trip down the trail to the forum joking about our experiences and about the forum as a whole. After we reached the bottom of the trail we were told we had about a full hour to walk around and take pictures of the area. I went and walked, talked, and took pictures with Jonah and Hudson. It was a lot of fun to hear stories about the areas we walked in, and to take pictures where so many people once walked.
After that we met up right next to a massive arch at the opposite of the forum. Where we talked for a bit and then made our way to our next stop, which was a small museum just a little ways away that held the prison that at one point had held St. Peter and St. Paul, as well as Vercingetorix at another time.
After our quick visit we walked up the hill a bit more and to the Capitoline Museum where we enjoyed seeing sculptures and many busts of emperors, as well as mythological and religious figures. We competed in a fun scavenger hunt throughout the museum. It included pictures, translations, and videos. At the end we walked to Campo de Fiori and walked around until we were ready for dinner.
We all had delicious meals and by the end of it we were ready to return to the hotel and rest after our long day
Overall it was a great day, and I’m looking forward to all the rest of them.
-Tim Bell 3/23/2018
No comments:
Post a Comment