Students Weigh In

Since we didn't have an easy way to pull this off in Italy, I hope the students will take the opportunity now to share their reflections on the trip by commenting on this post. You can access these comments by clicking on the header of this post or the comments section at the bottom of the post.

Ongoing Updates

Now that we're back and I'm enjoying a speedy and reliable internet connection, I've been going back to each day's photo album and adding more photos and adding captions for some of the existing ones. As more students share their favorite photos in the coming days and weeks, I will go ahead and add those to the photos already here.

Day Eight - Last Day in Rome

(post delayed due to a lost wi-fi connection)

Well, here we are at the end of the trip, and time has really flown by. As we neared the end of the collection in the Capitoline Museums, it was fitting that the last mosaics we talked about were taken from Hadrian's Villa, the first site we visited upon arriving in Italy. Today was a very full day, and in many ways I think we saved the best for last. First, we were joined this morning by Peggy Brucia, a retired high school Latin teacher and author who now teaches classes every spring at Temple University's Rome Campus. Peggy guided us through the Pantheon, which we were finally able to see after not having enough time for it earlier in the trip and after arriving during mass yesterday. From there, we walked back up the Capitoline to the Campidoglio (designed by Michelangelo) and down the hill into the Roman Forum. Viewing the Forum without an expert's help is very difficult, as it is filled with ruins spanning hundreds of years and you always get the mistaken impression that all of these things existed at the same time instead of being added gradually throughout the history of the city. You will see three arches in today's photos, with two (Septimius Severus and Titus) being at either end of the Forum, and the last (Constantine) being across from the Colosseum. After reading and hearing about the Forum for years, I know the students were really excited to be following in the footsteps of countless Romans as they walked past the site of Caesar's funeral pyre or along the Via Sacra toward the Colosseum.

After the tour of the Forum, we walked up to the Palatine Hill for a great view and then proceeded to the Colosseum. To add to the excitement of being in the Colosseum, we also got our first glimpses of those participating in the Rome Marathon, as the race began and ended right outside. Before going off to the Capitoline Museums, we had a late lunch in the Jewish Ghetto, which is located near the Theater of Marcellus and not far from our hotel.

We returned to the area around the Pantheon for our last dinner here, which was followed by the obligatory stop for gelato, this time at Giolitti's, definitely the best gelateria we visited in Rome. Our walk back to the hotel took us past the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and the Largo Argentina one more time. Tomorrow morning will find us boarding a 6am shuttle for an early flight back to Cleveland through Atlanta.

Day Seven - Juventus 4 - AS Roma 1 (Stadio Olympico)

"Roma, Roma, Roma / core de sta citta / unico grande amore / de tanta e tanta gente / che fai sospira / Roma, Roma, Roma...."

 After the introduction of the AS Roma team, their devoted and faithful (some might call fanatical) fans filled the Stadio Olimpico with the melodious anthem (excerpted above) for the maroon, yellow, and white, the colors of the AS Roma club.  Sitting in amazing seats, we were treated to a fantastic show of play by the visiting team Juventus.  Anchored by the Italian National Team goalie, Buffon, Juventus dominated AS Roma who only found the back of Buffon’s net once in the second half off a corner kick.  This lackluster showing by the home team did not dim the spirit of the loyal Roma supporters in the "curva" who continued to wave flags and chant for the entire game.  This was truly a night to remember. From the crammed bus ride to and from the game to hearing the volleys of chants and responses given by both sides' fans during the contest, our students reveled in the experience of seeing an Italian Football match.  The cold weather did not dampen the excitement for the game nor the comments of "this is amazing" which we heard repeatedly through the night from our students who dressed in as much AS Roma gear as they could find.  

 

Tomorrow we are off to the Forum and the Colosseum to examine the ancient arena of sport and politics all while dodging runners looking and hoping to finish the 26.2 miles of the Rome Marathon.  It looks to be a great final day of our adventure. 

Day Six - Vatican City

This is an amazing shot of Raphael's The School of Athens that Jim took today at the Vatican Museums, with several others available in the web album. The perfect weather of the first half of the trip has been replaced with clouds and a chill in the air, something we got to experience for about an hour while in line for the Vatican this morning. One cannot really complain, though, when sights like this are the reward for the cold, the crowds, and the waiting. After marveling at the Sistine Chapel, the next stop was St. Peter's Basilica.

Tomorrow we'll start the day at the Villa Borghese before moving on to the Ara Pacis and a proper look at the Pantheon. After a week filled with visits to some of the best sites and museums in the world, we'll experience something completely different tomorrow night as we watch two heavyweights in Italian football, A.S. Roma and Juventus, square off at the Stadio Olimpico. Many of the students are getting ready for the match by picking up Roma gear, and the excitement is palpable.

Day Six photos...

Day Five - Renaissance Florence

Boarding the Eurostar train this morning for Florence, we left Rome behind us for the day and headed to the cradle of Renaissance art, and for many of the group, Italian shopping.  Clearly we have some academic stars on the trip who are well versed in the language of art analysis, but we also have some serious power shoppers who took Florence by storm.  From full length leather jackets to designer handbags, Hawken students took advantage of all that Florence had to offer. In all seriousness, they spent a great deal of time in the Uffizi Gallery viewing the masterpieces of many Renaissance artists as well as climbing to the top of the Duomo for some amazing panoramic shots of the city.  What about Michelangelo's David?  Been there and done that!  A wonderful day ended with a fantastic dinner where everyone enjoyed the good cheer of the group and a well earned multi-course Italian meal.  Next stop, the Vatican and an inside look at the Pantheon.

Day Five Photos...

Day Four - Roma

Today was our first of several days here, and we did an extensive walking tour that allowed everyone to become acquainted with the sights and sites of the city. Sorrento seems like a distant memory after a day spent dodging cars, motorbikes, and pedestrians. There were many moments today when I found myself scarcely believing that we were really here in Rome. Watching our group react to seeing things like the Trevi Fountain tonight or the Colosseum this afternoon was a real treat. One of the things that struck them today was realizing just how old everything in this city actually is, brought in home in part, I think, by our visits to several old churches that are still very much in use today.

After lunch, we enjoyed an incredible view of the city from the Aventine Hill, something I hope you will check out in today's photo album. While our internet connection in Rome has been a bit unreliable, Jim and I will try our best to keep posting an album of photos each day we are here. Also, we will surely go back and add photos to previous albums as we obtain more photos from the students' cameras.

On Thursday, we'll be catching an early train for a day trip to Florence.

Day Four photos...

Day Three - Rome at Night

Day Three - Pompeii

Today we bid goodbye to Sorrento before heading out to see the ruins of Pompeii. We explored a good portion of the site on another perfect Italian day. Walking through the forum we came upon  victims like this from the eruption that destroyed the city. The students could not have been more excited about the visit. Overall, it was a great day of seeing not only homes, graffiti, brothels, and theaters, but we also safely navigated the Naples train station to take the Eurostar train to Rome where we concluded the day.

Day Three photos...

Day Two - Herculaneum and Naples

After enjoying our first night in Sorrento, we started the morning by taking a bus to visit the ruins of Herculaneum, one of the cities buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD. In the afternoon, we went to the Naples Archaeological Museum, which houses many of the items found in the excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii. As you'll see in the photo album, the mosaics and bronzes were especially stunning. After enjoying another day of perfect weather, we were treated to this beautiful sunset over the Bay of Naples. Tomorrow morning, we'll be spending the day at Pompeii before heading to Rome.

View the photos from Day Two...

Photos - Hadrian's Villa and Sorrento

Jim and I have put together a photo album with pictures from today's visits to Hadrian's Villa and Sorrento. Follow this link to view the album.

Day One - The Hawk Has Landed

We made it! It has been a great day full of excitement and fun. We just returned from eating authentic Neapolitan pizza at a local Sorrento location. Hadrian's Villa was amazing and we have some great photos we are going to share. Lots of learning of archaeology with the emperor Hadrian. He certainly knew how to build a mighty palace for himself.

Hadrian's Villa

What Are We Doing in Italy?

This trip focuses on ancient and Renaissance Italian culture. Our southern Italian swing includes visits to Hadrian's Villa, Sorrento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Naples Archaeological Museum. While in Rome we will hit all of the classical sites for what Cicero would call "a sizzlin' good time." If this were not enough - what about the Vatican? Yea, we will be there and to Florence too. Football - European soccer style - we hope. Go AS Roma....It promises to be a great trip. Check in with us from March 14 - March 23 while we are soaking up Italy Hawk style. - Mr. Newman

Ciao - Welcome to Our Italian Adventure