by Geneva and Nick
Today we went to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples! There we saw a lovely mix of frescos, mosaics, busts, and full body sculptures. One amazing sculpture that we saw was a marble figure of Hercules. In this sculpture he is carved as the ultimate male figure, his entire body is bulging with muscle from his neck to the tops of his feet.
We began our tenth day with a nice breakfast, consisting mostly of giant croissants. While walking down to the bus station from the Vesuvian Institute we saw many locals beginning their day too. One person in particular stood out – he was wearing a bright yellow blazer and decided to aggressively serenade us.
After a short train ride, we were at Pompeii!
Our day began with a lengthy metro ride from Castellammare di Stabia to Herculaneum. We were able to view about a quarter of the town, well preserved by the ashes and pyroclastic substance of Mount Vesuvius since 79 AD. Making our way through the town gave us a pretty vivid idea of what life was like for the Romans from their architectural styles to their artistic preferences and even daily activities.
Although Rome was a sprawling and bustling city of a million people, little of it remains today. Most of the remains, like the Forum and the Colosseum, tell a tale of the elite—emperors, senators, generals—which was only a small percentage of the population. Not much remains to tell us about the normal people, like how they lived.
By: Jenn and Eva
Today was an early start. We got our own breakfast and met up with the large group around 8:30am. We made our way to Augustus’ Mausoleum. We admired the circular design that was built up of Earth and brick. This was the site where the Imperial families (of Augustus) would have been buried.
By Geneva and Nick
Today we found ourselves visiting the Palazzo Massimo and the Baths of Diocletian Museum. We began our day by taking the 75 bus to the end of the line where there was a huge train station where you could catch trains to almost anywhere in Europe. About two blocks away was the Palazzo Massimo national museum.
Viva La Roma! The beginning of our fourth day was a hectic one. We began our day bright and early with lively conversation over a lovely breakfast. We then proceeded to board our bus late, but we still managed to arrive early for our 9:30 tour of the Pyramid of Cestius.
The pyramid of Cestius was a surprising and awe-inspiring monument.
For our third day in Rome, we were left with the task of finding our way around the city. We boarded the buses shortly after finishing breakfast to meet our professors at the top of Capitoline Hill. After climbing up the steep travertine steps, we met various other tour groups in awe of the beautiful statues and monuments that decorated the plaza.
Roman Forum
To begin our day, we descended below modern ground level into the Roman Forum, nearly at the level it would have appeared in antiquity. This height discrepancy has been caused over the years by the rising level of sediment, due to environmental effects such as that of the Tiber River. We examined the central monuments of the Forum, concentrating on the remains of the monuments such as the Porticos of Gaius and Lucius, the Curia, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Temple of Saturn, the Rostra, the Basilica Julia, the Temple of Castor, the Temple of Vesta and Atrium Vestae, and the Arch of Titus.
Today was the first day of our Art and Archaeology Seminar. Several members of the group traveled together from Columbus, Ohio while the rest of the group members came from their home cities. Most of us eventually met in Philadelphia airport and waited around 3 hours for our flight to Rome. Once on board, some members slept while others watched movies.
