Week 2 of our trek across Europe was in Rome! Day one of our stay consisted of a road trip to Pompeii! It was like we were actually walking through a present-day Roman city… All the buildings were mostly made to look like they would after being buried in ash and covered in lava for hundreds of years. We sat down to do a class reading, and it started to thunder in the distance; dark clouds sprang up behind Mt. Vesuvius as we read eyewitness accounts of the people who survived the huge eruption.
The next day, we went to the Flavian Amphitheater, otherwise known as the Colosseum. We also went to the Roman Forum, which is a section of Ancient Rome that includes the tomb where Caesar was burned after his death. We did a reading there too, acting out the murder of Caesar. Then we went to the Tiber River and ate dinner.
On Monday, we were left to our own devices. We were given the option to take a tour of the Basilica of Rome in the morning. I went, and it was gorgeous. The church was made around the same time as St. Peter’s Basilica, and they went back and forth trying to make the bigger better church. St. Peter’s Basilica won.
Our last full day in Rome was spent walking through St. Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican City. We walked through the museum portion, and we got to see so many famous paintings, like Raphael’s The School of Athens. In the painting, he actually puts himself into the painting with Pathagorous and many other geniuses of the time. We wrapped up our night with some delicious pizza. Tomorrow is our drive to Florence.
-Carmen