Rome rocked my world. If you ever visit go directly to the Trevi Fountain and throw in a coin. You will need to go back and will want to do it quickly. Legend has it those who throw a coin in the fountain will return shortly to the city. Those who throw two coins will fall in love.

            The group checked in a met in the lobby to go for a short tour. We passed the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Next we stopped at the Circus Maximus where Dr. Becker explained the history of chariot racing. He told us students always get a little rambunctious there. Although no one in our group pretended to be horses, Stony challenged AMK to a race. His victory didn’t secure an A in her class. Next we headed to St. Sabina one of the first Basilicas in Rome. The structure has all of the components of a traditional Christian basilica plan minus the transept.

            The group broke apart after touring the church. Stony Stuart and I went looking for the cat sanctuary. Rome was much colder than we expected. We gave up our search quickly and headed to a café. When you are in Rome and our welcomed by English speaking waiters, be cautious. Be weary of beverage purchases with out a price list. And do not give 2 Euros to waiters who ask for a tip. 3 beers came to 24 Euros.

            The hotel was very nice and seemed used to large groups of students. We ate dinner every night in a large dining hall full high school kids. If I had to guess I’d say New Jersey. I went to bed early the first night but wish I had gone out with my roommates.

            The two days are a complete blur. We woke up early and walked past the Coliseum again before spending the morning in the Roman Forum. Becker and AMK covered everything from Maxentious to Caesar. The group stopped to see the Column of Trajan, 112 ad commemorating a victory over the Dacians. The Column is very tall and each scene is unique depicting different parts of the battle. We covered much of our course material in before breaking for lunch. Stoney is a human bear. All of the girls took turns getting hugs from him in order to keep warm during our tour of the forum. 3 hours in the Roman Forum made a nap tempting.   Stuart and I had pizza at a restaurant near the hotel. In Rome pizza is rectangular and cut into strips. You pay for your lot by weight. We practiced our Italian and ordered a variety, from caprese to squid.

            The group reunited and headed to the Capoline Museum. In the courtyard a bride was having her photos taken; it seemed a little odd but Roma is a place of many people and things. Inside we saw pieces of the very large statue of Constantine. Following the battle Milvian Bridge commemorated himself in the Basillica of Maxentius and Constantine. All great history aside the sculpture makes for some great photos.

Moving along we came across the actual Capoline wolf complete with Renaissance Romulus and Remus. I was struck by the bust of Medusa but didn’t turn to stone. It is hard to imagine many of the structures around Rome in their original splendor. On the second floor there is a display cabinet full of marble samples. I tried to visualize the Coliseum and the triumphal arches covered in these bright purples greens and blues. I would see later in St. Peters where most of these materials ended up.

By far my favorite part of the Capitolini Museum was the Herbert List collection. After seeing mainly ancient and renaissance pieces it was refreshing to view some photography.  List is most known for his pictures of Rome mid 20^th century. His portraits have a lot of character and capture the personality of his subjects.  His collection consisted pictures taken in the Termini train station and around the Mediterranean. The pictures captured everyday people in the eternal city. Here are some examples I got offline.

            As usually the hour before dinner was spent drinking wine.  After a long day and big meal I went to bed early. The wine was a Monetpulciano d’Abruzo Illuminati Ilico. In the hallway I found a nice window seat looking out over Rome, I opted to stay in and avoid the cold.

            On Monday we woke up early and walked to the Vatican and St. Peter’s. at 9:30 in the morning the line wrapped around the entire building. Thankfully our group had reservations and got right in. First impression; way too many people. As if the art isn’t overwhelming enough, try adding a few thousand tourists crowding through the halls and sneaking photos. A few of us stuck close to Dr. Becker who cam prepared with his Blue Guide Book. Everyone should see this collection. We saw the Mars of Todi and many other famous pieces including the Laocoön.

  The story of Laocoön  is pretty cool. During the Trojan war Laocoön  warned against  the greek wooden horse left outside the trojan walls. To quiet him.Minerva sent sea serpents to eat him and his sons alive. I waited 5 minutes behind a group of asain toursits to see the graphic detail. 

As you work your way through various periods you wait anxiously for the main event. Eventually you find yourself staring at The School of Athens and outside the entrance to the Sistine Chapel.

Of all the security guard positions I think the Sistine would be the best just because of the reactions. I made some sort of squawk as my jaw dropped. I was quickly mocked by the sharply dressed guards. I was impressed by the paintings but turned off by the crowds. I think it is difficult to appreciate a packed cathedral and requires a little imagination to picture it empty.

After the Vatican we split for lunch. I was completely drained and fell asleep outside St. Peters in the sun. It is physically and mentally demanding to tour Rome and requires frequent naps. Later that afternoon the group took a tour of the cathedral. Words can’t describe the experience. It must have taken years of plundering and melting to cast the ornamentation inside. After exploring the interior Stuart and I headed for the top of the dome.

For 6 euros we climbed 521 steps for an amazing view. The woman behind me sounded like she was going to die. To me it felt like walking from the camp to the house. Years of cliff dwelling prepared me for Europe. As you near the top the stair well starts to curve in to hug the dome giving a very disorienting feeling. Once at the top we packed in shoulder to shoulder with other tourists looking out over Rome. We looked down to see a few solar panels on a near by roof. Dr. Rich has asked to keep a look out for sustainable ingenuity around the city.

In similar fashion to the other nights wine was enjoyed in the cozy window over looking the city. This time in anticipation for our trip to Cervetri I chose a Malvasia by Noave. It was horribly florally and did not make my list of favorites.

Early to bed early to rise; the next morning we woke up and headed for the Pantheon. On the way we stopped at the Trevi fountain. I have fallen in love with this Baroque piece and was excited to see other works of Bernini. I recalled the famous scene from Felini’s La Dolce Vita and hastily through my coin.  I went back several times during the day and plan to return again.

The Pantheon is remarkable. Carrie noted how cold it was. Molly explained to us that heat rises and escapes through the open oculus. We still haven’t let it go.

After the Pantheon we came to Piazza Navona. Unfortunately Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers was covered in scaffolding. I poked around and saw what I could. Just another excuse to go back to Rome. Bernini’s top competition was in full force. The Piazza is also home to by Francesco Borromini’ the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone. Another Baroque structure characterized by the use of alcoves. While in the Piazza Mike stopped to have his charaicature drawn.The agony of Sant’Agnese just might beat the story of the Laocoön. She preoformed several miracles. She avoided the acostment by crude men by instantly growing hair to cover herself. She repled flames when her assultants tried to burn her at the stake. Finally she was beheaded and died. –The Andy Becker rendition had a much better delviery.

Did I waste any other money other than the café on the first night? Yes, I paid to see the Ara Pacis. 6,5 Euros to see one monument. Unless you have studied this piece and feel compelled to know more about it skip the entrance fees. Instead stand outside and marvel at the nifty architecture of Richard Meier.

We passed quickly by the Spanish steps as we made our way back to the Coliseum. We stopped at an exhibit known as the “Nostoi” or the “Return” collection. It showcased works that had been returned back to Rome from museums that had unethically collected them. The main event was a Greek Cater. Our visit was brief as we realized our time was limited. We spent the afternoon in the Coliseum and the Palatine. I listened to a British tour guide make a stupid joke about roman bathrooms and the origin of the phrase “wrong end of the stick.”

After the hill I walked to several churches and tried not to collapse. Rather than retaining the information immediately I grabbed a stack of booklets, someday I will educate myself. I watched the group drinking a very large jug of rose wine and went to sleep. I regret