This class has given me the opportunity to travel and imagine the lifestyles and cultures of ancient civilizations that isn't possible through an Internet cable by any means. Rome itself was more than I could have expected, and as a history buff, I was amazed. My presentations locations, the Pantheon and Ostia were opposites in expectations. After going to Pompeii, Ostia seemed in preserved shambles so everyone wasn't impressed, but on the other hand I think everyone was impressed by the Pantheon.
Thursday - We left for Rome
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Friday - After checking in to the hotel, we explored in the rain the sites of Rome but not before eating AMAZING lasagna at these little greenhouse-looking restaurants on the sidewalk.
Saturday - We visited these monk catacombs around the corner from the hotel. It was disgusting what they've done with these bodies! There were roman crosses, monks still preserved with eye sockets and arm flesh! Interesting, yes, gross and scary, yes, will i see that again, hopefully not.
We went to the Baths which are gigantic! Mosaics completely covering this place, the image in my head was surreal and I could only imagine that is was breathtaking back in its heyday.
Circus Maximus was disappointing; my regards to the presenting group as they did their best to make a dirt road seem cool. The history of the place is impressive but all that is left now is a tower surrounded by rubble and a winding dirt oval.
Afterwards, we were free to explore so Marceus Areillus and the tomb of the unknown soldier was the destination. There were marble stairs and giant statues, inside there was a museum that held historical swords and war paintings.
I was so proud of the Pantheon after visiting Circus Maximus. Everyone was impressed. I loved seeing the tomb of Raphael, as he was instrumental in the grandeur that is Rome today and back in the day as well.
Sunday - We went to the Colosseum. It was humongous and intimidating even today. I can't even imagine what spectators or gladiators must have seen or felt. If we would've walked through the maze underneath the floor that would have been cool.
Next was the Arch of Constantine and the Forum. The forum was an interesting concept, unfortunately there wasn't much left to build an imagination. We found the center were at one point all roads lead to Rome. It sucks that a lot of things were looted and only a few things were left but the things that were still amaze me.
Monday - We arrived in Pompeii for a guided tour. Our guide was extremely educated in Pompeii's history. Here's some interesting facts:
-Roads were always straight hence why all the roads were in intersecting perpendicular arrangements.
-Nomadi was a widow who became a priestess and got her son Julius elected as president - she was good at influencing others with her powers in the textile world along with having the floor of the forum remade in marble.
- There are temples to all the religions, not one was persecuted - Romans, Greek and Persian
-They used the invention of sliding doors since the shops were small and there would be no room to swing a door open into the store or out onto the sidewalk.
- When the umbrella cloud erupted over the city no one left because they didn't realize what was happening. - 5ft of rock covered the town by noon and by night there was 10ft of rock and people were buried alive in their homes. Those who tried to escape breathed in toxic gases that would cement in their throat causing suffocation. On the 3rd day when the cloud collapsed it was basically a tsunami of rocks that crushed anything that was left standing and blew over 70-80 miles into nearby towns.
-Plaster casts were made of people in which you can almost feel the pain and agony those people had to have been feeling right before their death, their faces are frozen in this horrid expression with still all their teeth and bones- clenched fists and curled toes further their anguish as they probably tried to escape their fate.-Romans invented the fireman - a person who knew what to do to put out a fire had to be justified for entering so it became an organized way of life, mostly slaves held the jobs and were able to rise in status since they would get paid for saving someones house.
- There were lead pipes imported from Britain but only 5 cases of lead poisoning were found.
-Bakeries were run by blindfolded donkeys and 51 pieces of bread were found in the oven during excavation.
-their tools for medicine and work are similar to what we have now
- In 70B.C the oldest amphitheatre was built
-Pompeii also housed the 2nd most important school for gladiators
Tuesday - Today we saw the Bernini and Brunelleschi Churches - AMAZING!!! We walked in the rain to the Borghese museum and saw Bernini's David which shows him in the action of the fight instead of like Michelangelo and Donatello who show David after the battle. After that a group of us went to explore the Vatican - no line at the museum and went through the different collection of Egyptian to modern religious art. The Sistine Chapel was amazing and as inspiring as anyone boasts. And St. Peters Basilica is justification for being an international landmark! It is so belittling and decorative. I don't know if it's my love for anything pretty and glittering , but I am proud to say that I'm catholic when I see the basilica and everyone's chin drop as they enter. Everything is enormous, every statue is at least 8ft tall and the Pieta was the smallest one and so shinny and protected by glass.
Wednesday - We drove to Florence. We got to see an older church with a facade like the Duomo and wooden ceiling that held Marconi's tomb -inventor of the radio- as well as a statue that was used as the basis for the statue of liberty. We then climbed to the top. The view from the top is so gorgeous and the weather was
absolutely perfect! Then after the Duomo we all went to the David, which is just something to be experience, I found it extremely awkward to be staring at a man's naked body. I understand the time and talent and effort that went into the statue but, honestly! After that we raced over to the Palazzo Vecchio to see Mick and Mac (I made sure to kiss them!)as well as run to the top of the Ponte Vecchio.Thursday - Off to Ostia! It was like a little Pompeii but not as great of a view because it wasn't on a hill. There were tons of mosaics and half intact buildings. It gave me this secret garden feeling because things were overgrowing and you could turn down any little path and come out somewhere completely different. The theatre is actually still in use in the summer which would be pretty cool to see something in action there. After wondering around for a good 5 hours we headed off to the EUR. It was very contemporary feeling, white marble arches and the axis of evil was marked with a marble obelisk in the center of a round about and looking in either direction you could see the 4 main buildings of the fascist party.
Friday - Day to do as we pleased. I walked all over Rome, bought a skirt. In retrospect I think I was trying to capture the Roman culture of daily life. Because when I returned to the hotel, I took a nap and then went and shopped some more! haha
That night, the hotel staff through us a little party with champagne- the owners were so sweet and one even offered to hook any of us up with a family to live with if we wanted to come for a longer period of time! Yes, Please!
Packing time and one last time to just hang out with some pretty sweet people that I really hope we can maintain friendships over time.
Saturday - Arivederche Rome!! We flew back home and after a hectic juggle in the Atlanta airport got home around 9pm.
Everything was wonderful. I can't explain to the full extent how much fun I had, how much I learned about Rome and about myself. The problem based learning throughout the quarter definitely took some practice, as I get so nervous when giving presentations.
