Those amazing ancient Romans

The day began abruptly, with Julie’s voice in my ear. It was 8:40, and we were meeting Lisa at 9 downstairs. The five of us sat up in bed and then leapt to action. We ran around frantically, but made it down with time to spare. Soon we were all gathered, and set out for the coliseum, with Lisa at the head. Lisa, always full of surprises, led us through an open door way, into a private court yard guarded by imposing Greco-roman statues on all sides. The statues were the bodies of Greek gods, onto which the heads of famous Romans had been melded. Other friezes and statues could be seen along the walls, many of them taken from sarcophagi. When families were building their own palaces, they often took statues and works of art from other areas of the city and incorporated them in their own courts.

Then it was back into the streets of Rome, winding and twisting through the narrow maze, almost getting separated at a rather precarious crossing. We all managed to make it to the coliseum, and waited at the stones surrounding the spot where a huge statue of Nero used to stand while Lisa beat back the lines for our tickets. The masses in line watched jealously as we slipped past them and into the coliseum. The structure was amazing, even in its present stripped form. The weight of the world rested on the massive blocks, piled skillfully into arches and vaulted corridors. The dirt seemed to fall away, and I could see the white marble and brightly painted stucco, imagine the masses of excited Romans making their way to watch the games. Geoff gave a wonderful presentation, leading us around the ruin of the site and recreating the gladiatorial games. At the end we discussed whether people of today would watch the games, or whether we would be horrified. I almost wonder whether society would be more concerned by the treatment of the animals than the fact that people were impaling themselves. The rise of reality TV suggests that people enjoy watching crazy people possibly injure themselves, as long as they volunteered.

Next we made our way to Trajan’s forum. Most of the forum lies in ruins, and the excavation is still not complete. At the fore is Trajan’s column, no longer hidden in a small court yard behind the basilica Ulpia, but open to the world. The column spirals higher and higher, drawing the eye upward to the large statue of St. Peter that now sits on top of it. Julie drew the forum up from the rubble, rebuilding it around us, Trajan’s gift to the Romans. The populace of Rome loved Trajan, and he trusted them. Still, Rome was in an economic recession, so Trajan went to war with present day Romania, where the gold mines of the world were located. The frieze that runs up the column depicts the two wars that took place, and the ultimate victory of the Romans. It is important not only for it’s magnificent stature, but also because it is an important historical record of the two wars and battle tactics of the Roman army.


A day of wonders, our next stop was the Pantheon. Hidden in the streets of Rome, it takes me by surprise at we round the corner. Its structure has been reiterated across the world, so that it is oddly familiar even though it is foreign. We gather on the porch, beneath the massive columns, cut in one solid piece and dragged from Egypt, the ultimate display of wealth and power. Julia captured the group’s attention, enlightening and inquiring in turn, spinning the tale of the Pantheon. Built by Hadrian (as discovered by the Roman empires useful habit of stamping every brick with a date), the pantheon was at the core of his attempt to unite and consolidate the power of the Roman Empire. Following the familiar pattern, the Pantheon is erect today because it was consecrated as a church. As we make our way through the huge bronze doors, the bright heavens stare down at us through the oculus in the ceiling, watching our progression through the church, the eye of Jupiter.

Unfortunately, time was running short, and, as seemed to be the theme for the day, we were rushing again. The group split for lunch, and I went with a bunch of people to grab a slice of pizza. Then it was off to our first Italian lesson. We met Paulo, who is as amusing and friendly as Lisa promised. He introduced the class and our teachers, and then split our group in two alphabetically. Even though we are just beginning, and only know a handful of words, our classes a held in Italian. I’m sure that this is the best way to learn, but it is a little intimidating, even though Aurora was very friendly and understanding. Come ti chiami? Mi chiamo Rebecca. Sono di Seattle.
It was only 3:30, but it had already been a long day. I went back to my apartment, along with probably more than half the group, and crashed. Then I pulled myself together and wandered out into the campo to run some errands. When I returned, I managed to do a little reading. Then Johanna, Julie and I cooked pasta and heated up Shannon’s wonderful sauce for dinner. Jen, Elizabeth and Charissa were our dinner guests, and we opened two bottles of wine and had a grand old time. Julia, who was out wandering, returned and finished off the pasta, and then Steve stopped by to see what we were all up to. Julia gathered together her juggling equipment, and we all set out for the Pantheon. She began on the porch, to warm up, and then later moved into the middle of the piazza out front. It’s amazing how well she juggles, twirling clubs up and around, tre, quattro, cinque. The crowd loved her, although the other street sellers were understandably less enthused. The rest of our little group sat on the steps at the base of a statue, clapping and hollering. Julie went around with a hat, collecting money, a very adorable emissary.
After the juggling, we decided to go get gelato at Giollati, a place Lisa recommended near the pantheon. The gelato there is amazing, sweet and smooth, the flavors dancing on your tongue, so that you smile just remembering. I had mint and white chocolate, with whip cream on top. When we all had our gelato we meandered back toward the campo, dropping Charissa off on the way. At the apartment I read for a while, and then collapsed happily into bed.

Rebecca Reh