Hello! My name is Anthony Buchanan and I’m a junior mechanical engineering student from Crystal, Minnesota. We spent day 5 of our adventure visiting a few major archeological sites. We started out at 8:15am by taking the bus to the Domus Romane, an old Roman estate whose ruins were built upon during the Renaissance. The entrance to this archeological site was situated next to Trajan’s Column which was built around 115_AD to celebrate Rome’s victory over what’s now Romania.

After descending to the site, we were able to see what remains of the Domus Romane through a glass floor. The bulk of the tour consisted of a pre-recorded narrative accompanied by images projected onto the ruins to suggest what they might have originally looked like. We were able to see the baths, including the frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (mild room), and Caldarium (hot room), as well as the remains of a few rooms throughout the estate, a Roman street, and an adjoining house. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the site.

After the tour, we walked through the Jewish ghetto, where we saw several examples of building and building materials that were repurposed throughout their lives.

A short walk from the ghetto took us to the Pons Fabricius, the oldest bridge in Rome. This bridge, built in 62_BC, spans the Tiber River and is a great example of the ancient Romans’ use of arches.

Our final site of the day was Castel Sant’Angelo. This historic building was originally built next to the Tiber River as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and his family and was later converted into a temporary home for the Pope in times of unrest. Today however, it’s simply a museum.