Rome

June 11, 2007

Well today they finally agreed to let me out of the Hospital. My blood work looks good, and I feel good so I’m off to Rome to catch up with the rest of my group. After some paper work and a few instructions from the doctors Sally, my group leader, and I headed our of the Hospital. We went straight to the train station and bought two tickets to Rome. The train ride was very pleasant. The countryside we past was beautiful; rolling Italian hills covered with vineyards and farmland. Very soothing and enjoyable. Sally and I continued our gin-rummy game, and took a little nap. The train ride was about 5 hours.

We arrived at the Rome Central Train Terminal at about 7 PM. After some running around we found the bus route to take to get the hotel. We found the Albani Hotel at about 8, and I was finally reunited with the group. Tonight I just took it easy. I found a little pizzeria, got some dinner, and hung out with some friends. I told them stories about my hospital experience, and they caught me up with everything that had been going on. It was a good day.

June 12, 2007

Today was the most awesome day so far. Today we toured Ancient Rome! We started with a Music Lecture in the morning to get ready for our concert tonight, then it was off to the Forum Roma. We met downtown near the entrance to the Forum. Dr. Lewcock told us about the Piazza del Campidoglio, the entrance way into the Forum. From there we headed down a long ramp lined with the old wall of the Tabularium, the ancient library of Rome. We walked out onto an overlook of the old city and it was awe inspiring. A truly breath taking scene. Here two millennia ago the greatest empire of the ancient world was made and centered. In the forum we were able to see famous structures like the ancient Senate House and the Basilica of Constantine. Walking among the runes, I could just image what it must have been like as a citizen of Rome to come here and discuss the current events of the Empire with my fellow Romans. It was an amazing experience.

We walked through the forum to the northern side where we topped a hill only to find the Coliseum on the other side. This amazing structure shocked me to the core. It was truly awe inspiring. The work and engineering might that it must have taken to complete such an immense project 2000 years ago must have been so monumental as to be inconceivable to us. I only wish we could see the structure in its glory days. Next to the Coliseum stands the Triumphal Arch of Constantine. This is also an awe inspiring site. We headed into the Coliseum to see the inner workings of the structure. Inside was even more beautiful. The ground floor is completely gone, and you could see into the under workings; the halls and rooms that must have housed the gladiators, animals, and equipment of the games. Above are the supports for the seating that would house 50,000 raging gladiatorial fans screaming for blood. The size of the Coliseum is something that can only be experienced. It is truly an amazing achievement of the ancient world.

After the Coliseum we headed back to the Piazza del Campidoglio to visit the Musei Capitolini. Here the Popes and other famous historical figures have collected and put on display ancient Roman Art. In the museum were several collections including, a hall of busts of Roman Emperors, and a hall of busts of the great Ancient Philosophers.

After this Dustin, Lisa, and I headed to The Church of St. Susanna to see the “Ecstasy of St. Teresa”. It was a very beautiful and masterful piece. Then we went to an English Mass at a church across the street. It was an interesting experience.

After the mass we headed to see the Pantheon. Everyone else had seen it yesterday, but I needed to go by and experience it. The Pantheon was a great dome structure built for and dedicated to all the Roman gods. After the Empire was converted to Christianity it became a Church, and still is one today. Inside are several tombs of historical figures, and several great pieces of Christian statuary art. The dome itself is amazing. Open at the top, it lets in light that travels from one side of the dome, onto the floor, and across to the other side of the dome during the day. The size of the Pantheon is incredible. Another truly amazing structure from the ancient world.

In the evening we had a concert to attend. It was a collection of Chopin piano pieces, and it was completely outdoors. It took place just outside a grand old Roman theatre that was uncovered during the reign of Mussolini. Unfortunately it was excavated in such a hurry that it was damaged a lot during the work, and a lot of information was lost. The building is beautiful, and I hope they are able to repair the damage as much as possible. The concert was incredible. I enjoyed it a lot. After the concert we were all so tired all we could do was come back to the hotel and crash into bed. This was an amazing day.

June 13, 2007

Today we went to the Vatican. We started with breakfast in the morning, and then headed out to Vatican City at 10:00 AM. We went on a guided tour of the Vatican Museum. It is a collection of art and artifacts collected by the Popes over the ages. The most interesting piece was Raphael’s “School of Athens”. It was a wonderful contrast of philosophers, scholars, and artists separated into the two schools of ancient Greek thought, Plato’s school and Aristotle’s school. There was also a very interesting hall of maps of Italy commissioned by one of the Popes. At the end of the Museum we saw the Sistine Chapel. The Chapel was an amazing structure with beautiful artwork inside. The Michelangelo Ceiling was a beautiful sight. It must have been so painstaking to work on his back for years creating this masterpiece.

After the museum we found a nice little pasta restaurant and had a good lunch. I had spaghetti with tomato sauce. Very simple but very good. After lunch we met at the northern fountain in the Vatican Square. From there we went into St. Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica was incredible. The hall is huge. The decoration is so ornate and beautiful it’s awe inspiring. Underneath the church is the tomb of St. Peter. Several of us went through the hall of tombs of the Popes. Also a few of us climbed that huge stairs to the top of the Basilica. There is round catwalk at the top of dome, and from there we could see into the Basilica. It was so high that the people looked like ants. Just when we thought we were at the top we followed more stair cases to the outside top of the dome. From there we must have been able to see for 40 miles around. The entire city lay out before us. We could see the old Forum Roma and the Coliseum. After taking in the breathtaking view we climbed down. We were all so tired we returned to the hotel and just rested for the night.