Daily Updates
Week One: 21 September
21 September. Dan Racic Reporting:
Today is our third day in Rome and we're starting to see some excitement. This morning about five or six of us were still awake at 2 o'clock in the morning, for some reason. We were chatting in the lobby when James, with some sort of super human radar, heard the beginnings of a fight outside the hotel. We flocked to the windows to watch. Among the highlights were some good old-fashioned brawling, a shattered windshield, and a guy who was hit by a Vespa. Fortunately, the police arrived quickly and no one was hurt, so our faith in the safety of the Italian piazzas remained unchecked. Even after that night's excitement, we all woke up bright and early to check out the Roman forum. After a short classroom session, we headed to the forum to check out the oldest areas of forum. First we examined the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, a temple from the imperial period and compared it to the earliest temple, that of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Craig gave a stellar and humorous report on the history of the Lapis Niger, and its relevance in our everyday lives. Charlie followed that up with an extremely informative report on the old Regia. We also checked out the Rostrum, the podium of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, and the vantage point from which the old Roman augurs divined the future by examining the auspices of bird flight. After that, the group called it a day and disbanded, after making plans to utilize the upcoming free day. A trip to an old aqueduct system and a visit to Perugia are two possibilities, while some will choose to just lay around and catch up on work, sleep, or sightseeing around Rome. This is Dan, signing off and wishing everyone happy traveling.
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum.
Brian re-hydrates.
Charlie presents the old Regia.
Craig presents the Lapis Niger.
Professor Ulrich steps in.
Conscientious note-takers at work.