Viva Roma!

Gladiators, Ancient Roman politics, pizza making, the Trevi Fountain and late night cab rides were all part of the first full day in Rome. The morning began with a short bus ride to the Flavian Amphitheater (otherwise known as the Colosseum). Walking around the 2,000 year old building and being in the same spot where millions cheered the death of hundreds of thousands showed the students both the depravity of the Roman Empire and its architectural grandeur. Moving through the forum, where Roman politicians such as Caesar, Cicero, and Emperors like Nero and Constantine spoke gave students an idea of the reality of place they had only read about.

After lunch at the City Hall of Rome overlooking the forum and parts of the city, we traveled to the Palatine Hill, with its gardens and former homes of the wealthy of the city. There we wandered among the pines, green grass and rose bushes to visit the Arch of Titus which celebrates the Roman sack of Jerusalem after the Jewish Revolt in 68AD.

Ok, maybe these scenes are not historically accurate, but who can resist pictures with Legionaries who in the seconds before the pictures you see were busy smoking cigarettes and annoying the crowds. It all makes for good fun and good stories.

After returning to the hotel for a brief break, we proceeded to a local resturant to make our own pizzas and enjoy some tiramisu. Then onto a night ride through Rome and to visit the Trevi Fountain and

the Spanish Steps. We threw our coins into the fountain and wished to return to Rome, walked through

the cold streets to the Spanish Steps and took some fast and furious cabs home to the hotel. All in all a great day to remember.

Tomorrow, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and
St. Peter's Basillica. Ciao!