The Vatican

On Friday, we went to the Vatican. We met at St. Peter's Basilica in the morning, went through security (Rome's major basilicas have metal detectors), and then got to enjoy one of the most fabulous churches in the world. St. Peter's has been built and rebuilt several times over the centuries, and there are several interesting things to see inside. Everyone's favorite is, of course, St. Peter, whose foot is starting to look a little bit worn out because pilgrims like to rub and even kiss it:

There are also several other hidden gems scattered about the place, such as an altar to Gregory the Great, who has a special place in history and in my heart as the first truly papal Pope. There are also some VERY interesting paintings on the ceiling if you look closely. This one is part of a set that is supposed to represent the four corners of the earth, and probably symbolizes Africa. It's weird to see stereotypes from another era living on in the current one... although not as surprising as I would like.

And I haven't even mentioned the Pieta, which remains a real showstopper. It's hard to get close to really examine it, which is kind of a shame because it's such a masterpiece. I guess it's not that different from trying to get a good look at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre:

After our contemplation of St. Peter's Basilica, we got to take a tour of one of the holiest sites for Christians: The Vatican Necropolis, where the alleged bones of St. Peter have been venerated for centuries. To see the bones, we got to go underground, below St. Peter's itself, to wander through some ancient tombs and finally get to St. Peter's burial place. It was a bit gross down there because they keep it at 95% humidity, but it's otherwise a fantastic experience.

Alas, photographs are not permitted, so if you want to see, you'll have to come to Rome and take the tour yourself. I highly recommend it. Our group split into two groups to take the tour, and it's clear that different tour guides emphasize different aspects of the site and also put personal spins on whether they believe the bones are authentically St. Peter's. For me, it doesn't really matter whether they are "really" his—what matters is that people think they are, and choose interesting ways to pay their respects.

Once we had reemerged above ground, we went to the Vatican Museums, which are always worth a visit. The Vatican has so many treasures that the exhibits are haphazard, overwhelming you with how many precious and interesting items there are to see. As part of the AAR program, we were able to access a gallery that isn't typically open to the public and see Augustus of Prima Porta, probably the most famous depiction of Augustus, the first Roman emperor.

We then wandered around enjoying incredible classical sculptures, and we took a trip to see the School of Athens in person before heading to the Sistine Chapel. The guards in there had a heck of a time trying to maintain silence and prevent people from snapping photos, but it is probably a lost cause. As a teacher, I deeply sympathize. 

Ostia

You hear a lot about Pompeii and Herculaneum, but there is also a very cool Roman city that is very well-preserved and that can be easily reached using public transportation: Ostia. Ostia was Rome's big port city (although the shoreline has receded a bit since then), and the site contains many buildings and items of interest—so many that it would take several visits to the site to really feel like you'd seen everything.

Ostia is particularly exciting for people who study Roman baths because it contains many of them (Pompeii only has a handful, comparatively). The Baths of Neptune have lovely floor mosaics, which are still in place.

One of the most interesting things about Ostia, though, is its preservation of artifacts of multiple religious traditions in the area. It preserves an ancient synagogue and there are some churches on the outskirts. Our guide led us to one Mithraeum but said that there are several more. Mithras was a Persian god who was particularly popular with Roman soldiers and who was worshiped via a mystery cult—you had to be initiated. Most images of Mithras are small and have very standard features, but the one we saw at Ostia was larger and more unusual-looking.

For the record, images of Mithras usually look more like this:

If you will look carefully, Mithras is still sacrificing a bull in this image, but he has some animal friends to help him, including a dog, a snake, and a scorpion. Yes, the scorpion is pinching the bull's testicles. That bull does not get to die with dignity, sorry to say.

The highlight of our day in Ostia, however, was our time spent in the Amphitheater. Participants were encouraged to perform there together, which led to great things. Two of my friends, roommates with a love/hate relationship, redid some Sonny and Cher lyrics to create "I Hate You Babe." Another hero performed an amazing rendition of the monologue from Gladiator. Then we all sang a Disney song together, because everyone knows the lyrics to those! It was a really fun moment together that we'll be grinning about for years. And even though we got some weird looks, we didn't feel too bad about it—we'd spent the morning in the wake of a German tour group that seemed to spontaneously burst into song in places that were decidedly not theaters.

I would have liked to spend more time in Ostia. Maybe one day I'll get my chance.

Road Trip

Last Tuesday was an exhausting day. We took a bit of a road trip along the path of the ancient Via Appia—a major road that connected several important places in Italy.

Our first stop was the Baths of Caracalla. I've been in several Roman bath houses at this point, but the baths of Caracalla are huge. The baths are often used for modern musical performances, including operas. But given how hot it was, I wished that the natatio, or swimming pool, was still in use. It was clearly enormous, and at one spot along the side, someone etched in a game board so that people could relax in the water and play poolside.

We also saw the remaining part of the Aurelianic Wall, built by Emperor Aurelian, as well as the tomb of Caecilia Metella and the Villa and Stadium of Maxentius. Two of the other sites we saw, however, really took the cake.

As part of our road trip, I got to take my first trip down into Roman catacombs, which was fascinating (if somewhat claustrophobic). There aren't any bones remaining there, though. Human remains had to be removed after tourists started to take little pieces as souvenirs. Gross. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photographs inside of the catacombs, which was extremely disappointing for me. There were some very interesting inscriptions and paintings that I would have liked a record of for later. I guess that's what libraries are for. I did sneak in one picture before I was scolded for breaking the rules (I swear I didn't know!).

I am a criminal. 

The other big showstopper was the Villa dei Quintili. In its heyday, this villa was a personal paradise with its own bathhouse, fancy sculptures, and gorgeous marble floors. In fact, it was so desirable that Emperor Commodus had its owners put to death and took the villa for himself. I'm sensing a new series on HGTV—House Hunters: Imperial Edition.

Because the Via Appia was such a major thoroughfare, it was a great place to build if you wanted people to notice how awesome you were. Want to be remembered after your death? Build a mausoleum along the Via Appia. Want people to notice and enjoy your monumental bathhouse? Via Appia. Want to have a nice home away from the city, but still be able to go into town without too much trouble? Via Appia. Just make sure you don't attract too much attention... unless you're the Emperor.

Trajan's Markets + Domus Aurea

Yesterday was exhausting, but amazing. We started off with a visit to Trajan's markets. The buildings have been in use for centuries, so there has been a lot of building and rebuilding, but it is amazing to walk around in the ruins and wonder how things used to work. The area is large and you're left to your own devices, wandering in and out of shady corridors and now-empty shops.

The museum that is attached to the markets, the Museo dei Fori Imperiali, is a real gem. The way the exhibits are put together is so thoughtful. Mirrors are carefully placed to allow you to see all sides of the artifacts, and there are little fun interactive elements that make the museum more engaging. We were particularly fond of collecting stamps throughout the museum. Ancient craftspeople branded their work with stamps, just like modern companies at their logos to their products. The museum lets you run around collecting ancient stamps, which you can then compare to the real deal!

But the real highlight of the day was our trip into the Domus Aurea—the house that Nero built after he fiddled while Rome burned in 64 AD. Nero died before the building was finished, and some of its building materials were pillaged for other projects. But much of the structure is still intact, and on Saturdays and Sundays, you can sign up to take a tour. The Domus Aurea tour was amazing for a number of reasons. Not only is the Domus itself a stunning place to visit, but on a scorching hot day in Rome, it's blessedly cold in there—so cold that you'll want to wear a hoodie. A/C is hard to come by in the eternal city, so the natural cool of the Domus Aurea was a welcome change of pace. The building is huge, and only some of it is open to the public.

We all had to wear hard hats inside, just in case, but honestly I felt safe in there. It was stunning to get to walk around a building constructed for a rich Roman, with its high ceilings and impressive decorations (even though they weren't finished). The dining room, with a high domed ceiling, was amazing. I would certainly want to host a dinner party in there.

If you are in Rome, you must tour this building. Not only will you get a look at decorations that date all the way back to Nero's day, but your admission fee goes towards continued excavation and restoration that will make the building safer and even more accessible to future tourists. I'm so excited I got to see this.

Lovely Villas

Yesterday was long and involved a lot of walking, but it was well worth it. We went to Tivoli, where our first stop was Hadrian's Villa. The complex is huge and impressive, which I suppose you would expect for a Roman emperor. Hadrian was known as a relatively scholarly emperor, so one of the funnier aspects of the site is that whenever someone doesn't know how to identify a room, it's called a library. This led to lots of moments where someone would look at the site map, ask where we were, and be told, "Oh, we're in the library."

Hadrian was also seriously into Egypt. There's a Serapeum (worship space for the Egyptian god Serapis) on the property. We also have some of the remains of the Antinoeion, a temple/memorial to Hadrian's younger lover, Antinous. After Antinous's death by drowning in the Nile, Hadrian memorialized the boy by assimilating him with the Egyptian god Osiris.

Most lovely, however, are the many pools around the property. Hadrian and his guests had lots of places to chill out by the water, which seemed like a great idea yesterday! The sun was beating down pretty hard, and I was starting to get jealous of the turtles and fish that inhabit the pools today.

After our stroll through Hadrian's Villa, we went to the Villa d'Este. It's not an ancient villa, but it's a beautiful one! Getting to walk through the gardens and get splashed by icy fountain water was a huge relief from the oppressive heat of the afternoon. The house itself is lovely, but trust me, the gardens are the really exciting part.

One thing that amazes me most about these kinds of properties is how much cooler you can feel, even without air conditioning, with the right combinations of water and shade. The Villa d'Este even had small caves you could step into that were so cold even though it was a scorcher outside. I'll have to remember this when I have my own villa someday. (I wish!)

Epigraphy

Tuesday was our day to enjoy being at the AAR, learning the traditional way. After a morning of interesting lectures and a delicious lunch, we had a short lesson on epigraphy (= inscriptions). I am no expert on epigraphy, so learning common abbreviations was tremendously useful for me. Even more fun, though, was making rubbings.

To make a rubbing—and thus have a record—of an inscription, you affix tracing paper to the wall around the inscription. Then, you get a piece of carbon paper, press it to your tracing paper, and rub the back of the carbon paper with a cloth. If you work thoroughly, you can transfer a pretty readable version of your inscription to paper that you can take with you. (Mine might end up in my classroom next year!) It was a lot of fun to do something "hands on" that I've never gotten to do before. If I can figure out how, it might be fun to try a version of this with my students.

Early Imperial Forum + Colosseum

Today we went back to the Forum Romanum, which remains gorgeous. The best part, though, was that we got to take a special tour of the houses of Augustus and his wife, Livia. Although Augustus is famous for being a relatively humble emperor, he and his wife were definitely living in style. Check out Augustus's awesome study!

Augustus's original name was Gaius Octavius, then Octavian. He was the nephew heir of Julius Caesar. When his uncle was assassinated, Octavian proclaimed him as a god and buoyed himself politically by stirring up outrage over his death. Before long, though, Augustus gained momentum from his own achievements, and became Rome's first emperor. He spent the rest of his life delicately balancing his authoritarian position with an image of appreciation for Rome's traditional (Republican...) values.

Livia's house is similarly majestic. As an avid fan of I, Claudius, I like to imagine her plotting the demise of Augustus's heirs in her luxurious digs.

Livia has gone down in history as a wicked plotter and potentially a murderer. But she was also an important woman in many ways. The senate even voted her a triumphal arch, even though she was a woman and no woman had ever had an arch before. She also helped Augustus, her husband, to form a public image of his family that gave moral superiority and a sense of "Roman-ness" to the first family—a major part of Augustus's legacy as emperor.

After a lovely morning in the Forum, we went to the Colosseum, the center of Roman entertainment after it was built by the Flavians. Although you may be imagining Nero feeding Christians to the lions in the Colosseum, that is not actually possible. There was no Colosseum at the time Nero was emperor, and there are actually no recorded Christian martyrdoms in the Colosseum itself (although they may have been killed as part of the afternoon public executions that often took place on show days). The sands of the Colosseum were, however, the site of many epic gladiator battles, and possibly a ship battle for which the entire arena was flooded. (One ancient author says so, but it's not entirely certain that it really happened.)

Compared to other ancient arenas, the Colosseum truly is enormous. I like to walk through it and imagine what it was like in its heyday—people everywhere, food vendors hawking their wares, people spraying perfume to cover the rampant B.O. I bet it was awful and amazing and unforgettable.

Near the Colosseum is one of my other favorite monuments, the Arch of Constantine. Constantine was the first Christian emperor, but he was still very Roman—he built himself a classic triumphal arch and maintained a cozy relationship with the sun god, Sol Invictus. People are complicated, and that's what makes history so interesting.

Campania!

We spent most of this week on a trip to Campania, where we saw Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Villa di Poppaea—all sites that were buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. It's weird to benefit from something that at the time was a terrible tragedy. You can still see plaster casts of many who died in Pompeii, including children and even a dog. Many of the people who witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius did not realize that it would engulf them and everything they knew, so they died at home, trying to hide from a force of nature.

At Herculaneum, we don't have casts of the bodies, but we have skeletons. Pompeii was covered in ash, but Herculaneum was buried beneath pyroclastic flow. Hundreds of people who were trying to hide ended up dying together in the eruption.

But all of that destruction has yielded a goldmine for classicists like me. Because of the volcanic eruption, we have carbonized wood and buildings with extant second floors. Walking through Pompeii is like walking through an actual city instead of a flat ruin where you have to imagine that the walls are taller. And all of the sites we saw this week featured incredible wall paintings. The Villa of the Mysteries was open at Pompeii, and it was stunning.

We also got to see some really cool bath houses, which included locker rooms, cold rooms, and hot rooms where you could get a good steam (although it was so hot out I felt pretty steamy already). The women's bath at Herculaneum had an amazing floor mosaic. Why don't they do bathrooms like this anymore?

Pompeii is also delightful because you can see the wilder parts of life, too. There is a brothel you can walk through that features risqué wall paintings, and there are scandalous street signs that may have, ahem, pointed the way to said brothel. The archaeological museum in Naples even has a "secret chamber" that features all of the completely filthy art they found while excavating Pompeii. If you ever get a chance, you should take a good look and have a good laugh—unless you're one of my students. In that case, there is nothing interesting in there at all.

Interesting Things about Italy

Italy isn't so different from the U.S. that you can't figure out how to live here, but you definitely need to make some adjustments. Here are a few of the more interesting/difficult differences between Italy and the United States!

1) Toilet Seats are Optional.

No, seriously, when you go into a public restroom, there is no guarantee that you will have a toilet seat. This is uncomfortable no matter how you choose to cope with the situation. Fortunately, I have advanced squatting skills from previous international excursions, but your mileage may vary. You should also expect to see several different kinds of flushing mechanisms, all of which seem weird or annoying in their own way because they are not like what you find in the States.

2) Crossing the Street Is Terrifying (The First Few Times)

Not all crosswalks have street lights. In fact, most of them don't. This means that when you come to a crosswalk, you should be prepared for an adventure, especially if it's a multi-lane street. You do not wait for an opening in traffic. Instead, you try to make eye contact with the drivers coming towards you... and START WALKING. They really do stop... at least so far. But you shouldn't be surprised if someone rushes by right ahead of or behind you. You can't stop traffic, after all.

3) There Are 5 Different Dumpsters

Italy is serious about recycling its trash, so when you go out to dispose of some, you will find five different dumpsters, all in a row. One is for trash-trash (like old CDs, other weird stuff you can't recycle). But there are separate receptacles for food waste, plastic, paper, and glass. Even the restaurants here have separate trash cans to help keep things sorted.

4) Parking Is INSANE

There is a reason they sell so many scooters, Fiats, and Smart Cars here in Italy. The streets are unbelievably narrow to an American driver (and also to our bus drivers, who pull off superhuman driving feats on a regular basis). When you walk along the street, you will see cars and scooters jammed up onto the sidewalks and crowded into improbably tight spaces. I'm not even sure what the actual rules are, as long as you are not in the actual street. On the other hand, people here love scooters and tiny cars, so it's probably my kind of place. It's not uncommon to see guys in suits or women in flowy dresses racing by on Vespas, and everyone is conscientious enough to wear a helmet. Love it.

An Italian "Parking Lot"

5) Pizza Is Not a Lunchtime Food

Seriously, restaurant kitchens not only open really late for dinner (7:30 is early for dinner here), but most of them do not serve pizza during lunch hours. It's also considered weird to walk down the street eating your food, to order coffee beverages that contain milk at lunchtime or later, and to drink coffee with a meal. Bonus points, however, to places that actually close for siesta time. The tradition of taking a nice afternoon nap is not as consistent here as it apparently used to be, but there are places that preserve healthy midday breaks. I personally think we ought to adopt this practice back home. 

Hot Digs, Cool Museums

Yesterday and today were extremely active, but also extremely enjoyable. Our first stop on Thursday was the non-Catholic cemetery, where many important literary figures are buried or memorialized. There is a marker for Percy Shelley, as well as the graves of Keats, Goethe, Gramsci, and others. The cemetery is obviously not a delightful place, but it's a beautiful and meditative one.

The older part of the cemetery offers a great view of the Pyramid of Cestius, which was built in the first century B.C.E. in imitation of the great pyramids of Egypt. What a way to be buried! We got to go inside and everything, although the most interesting stuff is gone because a tomb robber burrowed into the pyramid during the middle ages.

Although the paintings inside of the tomb are damaged, what remains is understated but impressive. I guess if you've got to be buried somewhere, this place will do...

After the pyramid, we headed over to one of the coolest museums I've seen so far: the Centrale Montemartini. This building used to be a power plant, but was abandoned for several decades. Then they turned the power plant into a museum for classical sculpture, but kept all of the old machinery. The result is pure AWESOME.

That's Agrippina, with a warrior statue in the background, all set in front of some heavy machinery. I love it.

Today involved a lot more time out in the sun, which was brutal but worth it. We got a tour of the archaeological dig at Gabii, which made me long to once again pick up a trowel. After that, we went to Praeneste (now Palestrina) and checked out the museum that preserves what is left of the Temple of Fortuna. People used to ask questions there and cast lots to get Fortuna's answer—maybe we should have brought a Magic Eight-Ball? The museum also features a huge and amazing Nilotic mosaic, which contains gems such as this rhinoceros:

Today had its moments of terror, as well. Our bus started leaking oil and spewing white smoke, which was not fun. And our first outing of the morning involved crossing a busy intersection to see the tomb of Eurysaces, a bread baker who was both proud of his profession and rich enough from his labors to build himself a pretty sweet tomb. His wife's remains were also interred there, in a stone model of a bread basket. This led to many ridiculous bread puns, such as "The first thing he said to his wife was, 'Nice buns!'" and "Baby, I knead you!" It's so fun to hang out with a bunch of other dorky teachers. Our students would have been so deliciously ashamed. (Get it? Delicious? HAHA.)

Temple of Veovis, Alba Fucens

Tuesday and Wednesday were very active, but a lot of fun. On Tuesday, we went back to the Capitoline Museum for a special underground tour of the Temple of Veovis. There isn't that much to see anymore, but the museum preserves what remains of a temple built for Jupiter before he was best and greatest—as Veovis, Jupiter is still a young god who has not yet become king. Here's all that is left of his cult statue:

After seeing the ruins of the temple, we had a good look at the epigraphy collection in the museum. Many of the inscriptions (epigraphy = study of inscriptions) that remain to us from the ancient world come from grave markers, and sometimes they are really sad. This one is for a little girl who died before she reached the age of six:

For the souls departed. For the sweet Geminia Agathe Mater. My name was Mater, but I was never destined to become a mother. In fact, I do not deny having lived only 5 years, 7 months, and 22 days. During the time that I lived, I enjoyed myself and I was always loved by everyone. In fact, believe me, I had the face of a little boy, not of a girl; as only those who generated me knew Agathe, of gentle temperament, of pleasing and noble appearance, with red hair, short on top and long behind...

There's more, but I figured I'd stop with the amusing image of a red-headed little girl with a mullet. So many children died in the ancient that it's difficult for us to imagine today—in fact, you were pretty lucky if you made it to your twenties, because a lot of diseases could easily take you out before then.

On Wednesday, we visited the site of Alba Fucens, an ancient Roman colony. Alba Fucens was occasionally a bit rebellious and came down on the wrong side in one of Rome's many civil wars. But it was a loyal enough colony to be entrusted with a major responsibility: the housing of political prisoners. Some of them were apparently treated pretty well, while others... well, one of them may have died because his guards refused to let him sleep. That is a terrible way to go.

Today, Alba Fucens is absolutely gorgeous. We got our first good look from a church dedicated to St. Peter. The church was built in Late Antiquity, but its current decor is from about the 12th century. It's an important church because it preserves the shape and location of the pulpit and also the screen that separates the church's altar (priests only!) from the congregation.

The view from the top of the hill where the church is perched is amazing. (And probably part of the reason why Alba Fucens was strategically important in several wars, because you could see the enemy coming.) That castle you can see in the distance is an overgrown ruin, but we had a great (and sweaty) time climbing up to it in the afternoon.

The ruins themselves were also fun. We got to see what was left of a basilica, a house, some shops, and bath house, and a latrine. Let's just say that if you enjoy having personal space, you would not enjoy an ancient latrine. Part of the fun was that we were instructed not to read about the site in advance, so we had to wander around making guesses at what the different structures were. We did a pretty good job, too!

Overall, this has been another great week. Today was a lot of fun, and I'll definitely post about it soon (pictures are uploading now). Tomorrow, we'll be on a day trip looking at other ruins of ancient cities. I've been told to expect to climb lots of stairs. And, alas, there is no end to the walking in sight—next week will be our most exciting yet, because we'll spend part of it in Campania and will spend one entire day in Pompeii. My brain rejoices, but my feet are already weeping bitter tears.

Study Day

Today was a rare day spent entirely at the AAR, doing some traditional learning about the ancient world. First, we discussed Roman building practices. It was interesting to think through the different types of building materials, the cost to ship them, and the changes in their use over time. We also heard a very interesting lecture about Roman slavery that included some evidence I had never seen before. We read a document that recorded the purchase of a woman who was the slave of a slave of a slave, as well as some absolutely horrifying contracts that released female slaves upon their master's death—on the condition that they produced children, first. It was brutal, and it made me do some deep thinking about what I would like for my Latin students to understand about Roman slavery.

We also had a fantastic pedagogical discussion about spoken Latin, which led to some lively debates about oral Latin's place in the classroom. Latin students are often expected to progress through grammar very quickly and to read texts at a high level after only a couple of years, but research indicates that the grammar-translation method of teaching Latin only works for a very small percentage of students. Spoken Latin, as well as large doses of "easy" Latin reading, allow students to more deeply internalize the structure of the language. I personally am very interested in delving into the world of spoken Latin next year, even if it's only for a small portion of each class period.

After lunch, we got to experience what was probably my favorite part of the day—the material culture seminar! We got to check out some Greek pottery (a lot of it is found in Roman and Etruscan tombs) and it was a lot of fun. The curator of the collection, Valentina Follo, is an absolute delight to learn from. She often asks us questions we have no idea how to answer, just to make us think our way towards a solution. She never gives any information away for free—we always have to try first. This actually makes sessions with her more rewarding, and it's a delight to learn from someone who knows and loves her artifacts so deeply. Sometimes we ask questions that send her digging through a cabinet or drawer with the familiarity of someone looking for an item in her own house, and it's wonderful to see. My first artifact of the day was Etrusco-Corinthian pottery:

This pottery is basically a lower-quality knockoff of actual Corinthian pottery, which has sharper designs. Etrusco-Corinthian pottery rose in popularity when the real deal become less available.

We examined several different kinds of containers to hold wine, water, and oil. Plus, we got to see an ancient makeup case! This summer school is giving me a lot to think about in terms of incorporating material culture into my high school classes.

Our long day continued with a Latin reading group. We're working through selections from Suetonius's Life of Nero, which is suitably scandalous. After that, we heard the first of three Jerome lectures by Italian scholar Maurizio Bettini, who discussed a poem by Propertius that focuses on the god Vertumnus and purports to reveal the true origin of his name.

So we had a long day, but it was good. Tomorrow is another museum day, so I'm preparing myself to walk! 

Parla Inglese?

I have two major difficulties when navigating Rome. 

First, unlike Germany or France, the language barrier is a serious issue in Italy. Very few people speak English, and my lack of Italian is making life difficult at restaurants, in museums, on buses, and in life in general. If you visit Rome without learning Italian, your inability to speak the language will drive you and everyone around you absolutely crazy. (Especially if, like me, you are not staying in a tourist area.) 

The second problem is that at home, I am directionally challenged and I rely on Google Maps to tell me where to go. But I don't have data on my phone here. And Lonely Planet: Rome doesn't quite cover the residential area where I live.

Fortunately, I have made great strides today, thanks to Feltrinelli—the Italian equivalent of Barnes & Noble. 

Cue Angels Singing

Feltrinelli sells books, CDs, video games, notebooks, puzzles, etc. Fortunately, the store also sells foreign language dictionaries and maps. I picked up a pocket dictionary, an Italian phrase book, and two maps of Rome—a smaller one to consult on the go, and a more detailed one to use in case I really get lost. Now I am free to explore to my heart's content, because I will be able to figure out how to get home! 

I got this.

I looked at the books on Italian for foreigners, but several of them were written entirely in Italian—not ideal—and the rest weren't quite what I wanted. Still, today was a great success. Just being able to find a restaurant and translate the menu will justify these purchases!

Week 1: Very Early Rome

What a week! I've been averaging 20,000 steps per day on my Fitbit, and my feet hurt. Bigtime.

But it's all been worth it, because we spent this week on a whirlwind tour of early Roman remains. On Tuesday, we got an inside look at the Area Sacra di Sant'Omobono. It is now dominated by a modern church building, but Sant'Omobono is the site of two of Rome's early temples, dedicated to the goddesses Fortuna and Mater Matuta. Back when early Rome was trading with a bunch of foreign merchants, including the Etruscans, they did a lot of business in this area. Shops were crammed together between and around these ancient temples. The acknowledgement of common gods (and perhaps the threat of divine punishment for liars and cheats) seems to have aided the process of doing business in the ancient world.

We also toured neighboring temples just down the street. All of them, interestingly, have been preserved because of their association with modern churches. In some cases, temples were converted into churches wholesale, like this one:

In other cases, churches were built on top of and used material from ancient temples. Today, we got to go traipsing around in the basement of a very lovely church that happens to be built on top of the sites of three temples, and is using some parts of them in the foundation!

SO MANY LAYERS.

On Wednesday, we went tomb hopping in Etruscan necropolises. The Etruscans are a mysterious people known mostly by their tombs, but they are crucial to the history of Rome. The first necropolis we visited was made up of painted tombs that were quite beautiful. (And sometimes a bit naughty.) This one shows some revelers engaged in a wild Dionysian dance:

After a visit to the Etruscan museum in Tarquinia, a very cute town not too far from Rome, we went to Cerveteri, which was full of tombs carved into rock. The final result was a collection of visually striking mounds. There are so many that you truly are walking through a city of the dead:

The tombs at Cerveteri weren't painted for the most part, but we encountered a bird nest in one, and an "interactive surprise" in another. I pulled back a curtain in one of the tombs and laughed until I cried:

I think coming across the strange "Etruscan nun" with a shrouded "corpse" was the best moment of my week!

Next week, we'll be going on a lot more field trips, but we'll also be spending time reading Latin and talking about Latin pedagogy. As the schedule settles, I expect to post more regularly on this blog. I also expect to spend some time in the AAR library. (I am unreasonably excited about this.)

I'll leave you with a high five for a good week!

Actually, they're dancing.

Back to School

Today was an orientation day at the American Academy in Rome. I'm still jet lagged and I'm tired from walking a lot more than I usually do, but I'm having a fantastic time. How can you not, when your school looks like this?

We did a lot of introductory stuff today, including taking our first peek at the library (24/7 access? I CAN'T WAIT) and also at the AAR's archaeological study collection. We got to touch and attempt to identify several items, including an ancient Q-Tip, perfume bottles, a giant hunk of metal that was used as currency, and a loom weight. There was also some other cool stuff, such as a sling stone with a nasty message on it:

A rather charming dancing Lar (household god):

And an oil lamp that depicts a guy getting caught cheating at a board game:

Not only are the artifacts amazing, but the entire AAR campus is beautiful and full of interesting people. I met other scholars and teachers today, but I also met an architect, a landscaper, and a composer. Plus, the food—which is locally sourced and organic—is phenomenal. And after all of the tours and delicious food, I spent my afternoon sipping Prosecco in this beautiful garden:

Tomorrow is our first field trip, so we'll be meeting up to take a bus to the Capitoline. I'm learning a bit more about this city every day, and I'm excited about what I'll learn tomorrow.