This was our last day in Rome, and we savored every minute! A few rose early for a morning run in the Villa Borghese gardens, just up the Via Veneto from our residence hall.
Then after breakfast (both of these cappuccini were for Ms. Cody, by the way)…
the whole group walked to the Villa Borghese galleries to view Bernini’s exquisite (and often classically inspired) sculpture. Continue reading
Friday morning we took a quick Metro ride to the heart of ancient Rome. Even the walk from the subway is picturesque: we get a close-up glimpse of Trajan’s Column as we head to Julius Caesar’s Forum and then, just down the street, the great Forum Romanum.
The sun is high and the Forum is hot, dusty and thin on shade. But our travelers are well-prepared with sunscreen and water bottles, and we traverse the whole Via Sacra, taking in temples (the site of Juno Moneta’s temple, Magna Mater, Castor & Pollux–Horse Riding Gods!); public buildings; the site of Julius Caesar’s spontaneous cremation; and triumphal arches (Septimius Severus and Titus). Continue reading
Students gather outside I Cappuccini Guest House (as we did every morning we were in Rome) to take the Metro to the Vatican Museum. First we count off (Vos numerate: “number yourselves!”). The six adults count off too, shouting out their assigned Latin present active verb endings (-o! -s! -t! -mus! -tis! -nt!). Every one of us was unfailingly attentive to the modest dress code required for churches–Williston’s Purpose, Passion, and Integrity were in full bloom!
After a smooth transition to Rome by coach on Tuesday evening, we settled into our residence on Via Veneto: the Cappuccini Guest House, a former convent of the Capuchin Friars dating back to the 17th century and adjoining the church of the Immacolata Concezione and famous Ossuary Crypt. Continue reading
We spent the morning exploring the ancient city of Pompeii, destroyed and preserved by the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
In the morning we rode our charter bus a couple hours south of Naples to Paestum, a prosperous ancient Greek colony famous for its three beautifully preserved Doric temples, dating from about 600-450 BC.
Then we traveled back up to Naples to visit the National Archaeological Museum in the heart of the city, where we saw many familiar faces. Continue reading
Resting on the bus from Fiumicino Airport in Rome to Cumae—two seats per person and enough leg room to properly relax! Continue reading
On June 3, a group of 17 Latin students, two parents and three Williston teachers met behind the Phillips Stevens Chapel to set out on an epic journey to Naples and Rome. Our trip was organized through the Paideia Institute, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster a close relationship between students and the classics.
After arriving to Fiumicino Airport in Rome the group was all smiles! At the airport we met our Paideia teaching assistant, Mitchell Towne, and boarded a chartered bus bound for Naples Bay.
Read more about this journey to the Eternal City and surrounding sites! Daily posts are below, as are links to Flickr and Facebook photo galleries. Thanks to photographers Beatrice Cody, Ellen Alvord, Sarah Klumpp, and Ethan Bradway. Posts are by Beatrice Cody.
