Ceveteri

Today we traveled outside of Rome to the small town of Ceveteri to visit Etruscan tombs. It was a beautiful day, so check back soon for more student blog posts about this day and other adventures!

Laundry Day

Thank you to Tess for sharing this Snapchat image of laundry on the go. Lexi and Tess worked together to make sure their clean sock supply wasn’t going to run out before the end of the trip!

Saturday on the Via Appia—by Oscar (photos by Kelli except when noted)

This was a day filled with much wonder, relaxation, and curiosity. Some of the activities today included the brief exploration of the 9-mile long catacombs that lay deep beneath the ground, as well as the inevitable shopping for Gucci, Prada, and other exotic, expensive designer brands as requested by the many shopping enthusiasts within the group. [Editors note: sarcasm] 

To start off the day, we traveled across the street from our hotel over to the market where a luscious aroma of fresh bread, vegetables, and sweets filled the air. We went to the sandwich place, just as we did the day before, where we each got to pick from the many breads, cheeses, and meats available to us. It was an incredible experience for me to watch the members of my group communicate with the locals. 

Jake was given a gift by the bakery ladies—gluten free torrone. 

The bakery gave the students a bag of these delicious cookies to go with the picnic food. 

After getting our sandwiches from the market, which was our lunch for later, we took the subway to one of the many Catacombs of Rome. 

These catacombs were ancient cemeteries located underground, and the one that we visited was an incredible 7 kilometers long. In fact, it was estimated that archaeologists have discovered over 65,000 tombs in these catacombs, alone. It is believed from the ancient graffiti that is still visible that the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul were once buried here before being moved to the Vatican and another cathedral. These particular catacombs also happen to have an incredibly well-preserved Ancient necropolis that has mausoleums that still have the original decorated plaster ceilings, amphora, and identifying plaques that our group, especially Eddie, helped to translate for the whole tour group. 

[Note: No photography is allowed in the Catacombs so the above three images are taken from postcards.]

 After exploring these narrow tunnels, we visited the incredible Church of San Sebastiano that sat directly above it. 

Then, we walked along the Via Appia towards our lovely picnic spot which overlooked some of the incredible Roman baths that were fortunate enough to have the intricate raised floor heating systems visible. Our picnic lunch consisted of an inclusive, opinionated question session that really bonded the entire group as a whole. 

We continued exploring the Via Appia until we unfortunately got stuck in a ditch!  Not really. This is a reference to many chapters in the middle school Latin book that many of us had used where the characters get their cart stuck in a ditch on the side of the Via Appia. 

There were many old monuments and tombs along this road through the country. 

After all that walking, we took a bus and then the Metro back to Rome. 

Next, we visited Ara Pacis Museum where we spent a short while looking at some ancient artifacts and inscriptions. 

The museum’s main attraction was the gloriously decorated “Altar of Peace” that was centered in the middle of the museum. Such altars, like this one, were typically used for sacrificial rituals to certain gods and goddesses on special occasions, however this altar was specifically dedicated to Apollo, who was known for being the god of the sun and light. 

Later, us students were given some free time, which a majority of us, myself included, dedicated to shopping. The day came to an end with a relaxing dinner at a nice restaurant which was followed by a quick gelato/crepe stop nearby.

Post shopping time with the sun setting on the Spanish Steps in the background. 

Piazza Navona on a Saturday Night

The Market, Ostia Antica and the Ecstasy of Santa Teresa—by Lexi (photos by Kelli)

When my alarm went off this morning, I groaned, grabbed my phone, and forced myself to stare at it for a minute or so to avoid drifting back to sleep. I tugged my window shade open and woke up my roommates, but each one struggled as much as me to get up. Still half-asleep, we got ready and wandered down to breakfast. Arriving at the meeting spot at 8:00am, only about a third of the group was present -- it seems we weren't the only ones experiencing a slow morning. Once everyone arrived, we started to wake up, and the short walk to the market got the group back to its normal, energetic state. From the just-opened stalls wafted smells of coffee, spices, and fresh fruit, making many of us hungry despite having just eaten. We lined up to choose our sandwich bread and fixings, and although the vendors spoke limited English and we spoke limited Italian, we communicated well enough; when getting fruit and vegetables, Google Translate came in handy. With the exception of Pike's Place, if I needed lunch at home I would go the supermarket and buy everything, packaged or fresh, at one place, but here I found the stratification and the freshness of the products to be quite fun -- and it made for a lovely lunch later. 

After the market we braved rush hour at the metro station and eventually made it to the train taking us into the countryside. After a half hour of watching the apartment buildings fade and the green hills go by, we arrived in Ostia Antica, the ancient port city once located at the mouth of the Tiber. For centuries Ostia was a wealthy, diverse trade city through which most goods passed en route to Rome, but once the path of the Tiber shifted and Naples because a more major port city, Ostia was abandoned, left to be preserved by nature. As we got off the train and walked towards the site, we passed the blush-colored houses and soccer of Rome's suburbs, a peaceful respite from the business of the city. In the ancient city, we split our attention between the massive brick structures and navigating the uneven stone pavement. We reached the amphitheatre where we received some breif background information about what happened to Ostia, then some of us recited Shakespeare, Latin poems, and even limericks in the massive theatre. After that, Sarah took us to a rather interesting location: the toilets. Though perhaps not up to our modern standards of privacy, we were all impressed with the complexity and efficacy of the Roman sewer system. At that point I peaked around a corner and noticed a hallway, so of course I had to go down it. I expected it to stop in a dead end, yet it kept going in crazy directions. Once I made my way back to the group, we were let off to eat lunch and explore the ruins. 

We ate our fantastic picnic lunches in the shade of some walls before splitting up. Many of us marched up some uneven steps to the base of the Tempio Rotunda, where we promptly layed down and took naps. As my alarm went off 45 minutes later, I blinked my eyes open just as a butterfly flitted past my nose, and I sat up to see white marble columns and towering travertine walls all around me, once more reminding me just how unique and fabulous the place we're in is. After being granted 45 more minutes to explore, I walked through what used to be the bath houses and discovered a basement, into which I slid Indiana Jones style, then walked up to a vantage point overlooking all of Ostia. As I made my way back to the amphitheatre, I passed the fast food restaurant of Ostia with its layout and mosaic menu still discernable. Again and again, I remarked, "This was a big city. This was almost the size of Redmond;" I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that a city as big and important as Ostia could be abandoned so quickly, and that I was there, 2000 years later, walking the same roads as the Romans. Our time at Ostia finished, we walked back to the train station and travelled back to Rome.

*Ecstasy of St. Teresa*

After the massive scale of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, walking into the small nave of Santa Maria Della Vittoria at first seemed to be a cozier atmosphere, until the ornateness and extravagance hits. The epitome of Baroque architecture and design, every available surface is filled by a painting, a gilding carving, a Latin inscription, or a statue. While the paintings down the nave were breathtaking, the show stopper was in the left transept: Bernini's The Ecstasy of St. Teresa. As we learned in art history, Bernini fancied himself a set designer for plays, and his dramatic flair truly came through in not only the sculpture itself but also its location and surroundings. On either side are scupted audience members marvelling at the scene before them, lit as though by a spotlight from a hidden window. With incredible skill, Bernini made the hard marble of St. Teresa's dress appear soft and silky, and her expression, while somewhat suggestive, was beautifully carved. The angel beside her appeared muscular and fit, as though made of a whole different material from St. Teresa. After studying this is class, it was a pleasure to see something as significant as The Ecstasy of St. Teresa in real life. While the statue was the main attraction, the beautiful scupture of Joseph and Gabriel and the relic of St. Vittoria were incredible to see. Sitting on a pew to take in all the extravagance, I still couldn't believe the beauty and astonishing history that surrounded me here in Rome.

Roman Legos

The Lego creations are extra Roman around here!