I can still remember the single day I spent in Rome back in high school. It was on an Education First tour that took a small group of kids from my school, mixed with three other schools, on a tour around Paris and seven areas in Italy in a week. By the time we got to Rome I was tired from a week of constant traveling and little sleep, and was hungry from a lack of breakfast. I was resisting falling asleep on the bus that was the majority of our trip, when we came to a stop and filed out for a quick walk to see the Colosseum. I saw an arch nearby, and took pictures of it, with no idea what it was. I know now, after this class, that it was the arch of Constantine. Climbing up the Colosseum and walking around inside of it was amazing. Without really knowing what anything was, I wanted to soak up and see as much as I could. Looking out from one of the Colosseum’s arches, I saw the remains of a temple in the distance. It was the remains of the temple of Venus and Roma, but I had no idea then. Leaving the Colosseum we took a bus ride over to the Trevi fountain. I didn’t know where I was in Rome, or what was going on, but I tried to take pictures of everything I passed. The Trevi Fountain was beautiful, and the water very blue. We threw in coins and I took pictures with my friends (in which we look like we’re all about to fall asleep). I never would have imagined doing a presentation on the Trevi two years later, nor would I have expected all the stories written in the architecture and the past. From the Trevi we walked quickly to the Piazza Navona, where the school groups were allowed to split up and given about an hour of free time. We walked around the piazza once, and stopped at the fountain of the four rivers and our tour guide explained that each man represented a river of the world. I thought it was fascinating, but did not have the time to linger. We got gelato (as I did in every place in Italy we went to), and then briskly walked to the Spanish steps. It was too quick to see anything on the way, and when we got there, it looked like a mountain of people. With twenty minutes to spare, my teacher took a couple of us to see the catacombs, running all the way. Out of breath, (and after almost getting hit by a car), we filed down into the catacombs as silently as we could (though the site does help you in this task, being somewhat breathtakingly morose and beautiful at the same time). Afterwards we ran back to the meeting place (I have no idea where exactly, but there was an obelisk), and scrambled on to the tour bus to head to the Vatican. We run through the Vatican museum to see the Sistine Chapel, and then entered St. Peter’s, rushing through it in ten minutes. The place was so large, I almost got lost. I wanted so badly to see more of it. Walking quickly out through St. Peter’s square, I barely have time to look at anything before we were back on the bus for a group dinner on the outskirts of Rome before returning to the hotel.
I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I wanted to go back one day and understand what I was doing. When the chance came up to go on a travel seminar at Skidmore, I jumped at it. I wanted to understand the history behind what I saw, I wanted to understand the culture and the politics that created these buildings and monuments. I wanted a real sense of what Rome was, and is. I saw so many wonderful things, but I had no idea what they were. From this class, I’ve learned that each monument and each building has an important place in the history and culture of Rome. To me, while I was there, Rome was nothing but a tourist destination. After this course, and after all of the readings we’ve done, I’ve been able to see all the different opinions people have on Rome. No one has the same experience.
All I knew about Rome before this course were the basics: Rome was once a great empire. The Roman Empire moved to Constantinople with Constantine, and became Christian. I knew a little about Julius Caesar, and a little bit about Augustus. I knew that Romulus and Remus are said to have founded Rome and been protected by a wolf (as it was one of the things that the tour guide told me). I didn’t know anything about the architecture, or how the architecture of Rome was always tied to its politics. Augustus wanted to make the city fit for an empire. His organization and building programs were set not only to enhance the Empire, but enhance his position as a benevolent dictator. Over a century later, Mussolini did the same thing, unearthing the ruins of the past to display the continuity of Rome as a strong, beautiful empire. I knew nothing of Rome after the Roman Empire except for Italy’s inclusion in the World Wars. Learning about the Jewish experience in Rome was fascinating. Nothing in Italy, I have learned, is black and white. Rather, everything about it is shades of gray, layered from past to present, all at once.
I know that when I return to Rome, this time for two weeks, I will know where I am. I have a map of the city in my head; I know the hills and the basic layout. I will be able to recognize the buildings and monuments I see, and even know the history. I will understand what lies behind the city I see, both in the eyes of the people and the eyes of history. When I return to Rome, I will be able to understand it just a little bit more, understand the culture and the history just a little bit more, than I did before.
Flashing ahead two weeks, I am standing in the foyer of St. John’s, where we are staying. The entire class has gathered, and Dan and Jackie are talking, preparing us for our first walk. I want gelato. I want to go outside. I want to go to sleep. I want to eat pizza and pasta and go to a fancy restaurant that I wish I had the money for. I want to go see the Roman forum and the Trevi fountain and go up someplace high so I can see the city from an Arial view. I and want to see all the cats roaming around, even though I know I’ll end up taking too many pictures and forget to look at the monuments surrounding them. And I feel like my mind is moving much faster than my body at this point, which is feeling very sluggish and a little time-confused. Katy, who is next to me, is sleepy too, having gotten much less rest on the plane than I did (since I get sick on them and make myself sleep to avoid it). I realize that Dan and Jackie have stopped talking and now we’re moving, but I’m not sure what was said except for the destination, the Campo de Fiori. I’m far too excited (and tired) to pay attention.
Outside it is hot, and I’m upset that I have to wear clothes that cover my shoulders and knees (since I’d rather be in a summer dress). The heat makes me want gelato even more, and as we walk I scope the streets for a place to get some later. Katy looks at me, and can guess what it is I am looking for, and points to one a little down the road. I tell her we’ll have to go later. As we walk along I take a look at every building we pass, wondering if Rome near the Vatican is going to be different than Rome near the ancient city. My feet feel funny against the pavement, light and airy, even though my body feels heavy. Eventually we come to pass the Castel Sant’Angelo, which used to be the mausoleum of Hadrian. I remember seeing it last time I was in Rome, though at the time I had absolutely no idea what it was. I wonder what happened to Hadrian’s body. To me the structure looks somewhat like a ship, about to enter the Tiber, but the structure is actually rather round rather than ship-like. We stop briefly so that Dan and Jackie can point it out. When we had split up the structures to research for the midterm, Katy had gotten the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Looking at it now makes me think of that night we spent in our dorm room, talking about the structures we had to prepare a study sheet for. It is much nicer to see in person, I decide, and not on a computer screen.
We cross over the Tiber, and the green water freaks me out a little bit. Still, I’m looking forward to entering the area of ancient Rome. I continue to look at all the buildings we pass. The streets are crowded with what I assume are mostly tourists, making there way from one monument to the next. I hear bits and pieces of conversations that are only sometimes in a language I can recognize. The heat mixed with the plane-induced confusion make the walk extremely tiresome, and by the time the Campo Di Fiori comes into sight I am somewhat delirious. The Campo Di Fiori has cafes and shops and markets with fresh fruit and I want it all. The hustle and bustle of the place causes me to realize that I am really here, really in Rome. We wander around the place and Dan and Jackie give us a little speech and then a moment to explore. Katy and I excitedly hurry and buy some gelato before settling into a slower, observing pace. I want to buy all sorts of foods, but I don’t have the money to do it so I just look at everything longingly. The gelato is wonderfully sweet and cold and I’m hoping the sugar will kick in and I’ll have more energy to continue. I am deliriously excited to see more of Rome.
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