Spoleto Study Abroad 2014: Roma

A Roman Holiday

On Saturday we traveled to Rome. Despite the fact that the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were under reconstruction, and the line at the Colosseum was over two hours long, we had an amazing time exploring the city and taking in the sites. Among the sites that we visited were the Basilica of San Clemente, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column, the Piazza Farnese, the Piazza Navona, and the Altare della Patria (aka the Wedding Cake building).

The Basilica of San Clemente was the perfect starting point for our tour because it tied together the history of ancient Rome with the Renaissance. The 12th century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th century church, which was built next to/on top of a 3rd century Mithraic Temple. The students were able to contextualize the various structures because they participated in a lesson on ancient Rome in their Arts and Architecture class on Friday and their Arts and Ideas classes focused on the early Renaissance in the second part of the week. In Arts and Architecture they discovered the sites, smells, and sounds of a Roman bath, the Coliseum, the house of a wealthy Roman, and the subura (low-rent district) around the year 75 CE. Below is an image from San Clemente.

Students capture the golden ceiling and beautiful murals above the alter in the upper basilica.

Our next stop was the Colosseum. After waiting in line for half an hour we decided that another 1.5 hour wait was too much. Instead, we got some great shots of the exterior, some candids with costumed soldiers, and some images of the nearby Forum.

Walking from the bus toward the Colosseum.

Posing with a soldier outside the Colosseum.

After a lunch in the Piazza Farnese, we made our way to the Pantheon. This building was built in the second century and dedicated to all the gods. It was converted to a Catholic church in the seventh century. Apart from the amazing decorations and statues inside lie the tombs of the Renaissance great, Raphael, and the first king of Italy, Victor Immanuel. See below for pictures.

Exterior of the Pantheon and a fountain with an Egyptian obelisk.

Exterior of the Pantheon.

Panoramic view of the interior of the Pantheon.

The dome of the Pantheon. The hole in the ceiling allows for sunlight to enter the space. There are drainage holes in the floor to remove water when it rains.