To finish the “school week,” our class visited several Ancient Roman sites, including the Roman Forum, a large, open area where many ancient temples, markets, and places of worship used to stand. After a morning briefing on the Roman Forum in class and a quick lunch stop for pizza, we headed toward the site of the Forum. I am excited to report I was able to interact with the cashier at the pizzeria in solely Italian! It has been an adventure trying to learn a new language on the fly.

To navigate the expansive Roman Forum pictured above, our tour guide from the Colosseum, Cristian, accompanied us again. His knowledge of the site and sense of humor helped the group learn as much as possible about the Forum. When I was not stumbling over the uneven pavers that make up the roads in Italy, I was looking around at a variety of ruins that give a tiny snapshot of life in Ancient Rome. We saw several temples today, including the Temples of Saturn and Apollo, as well as a Constantine-era Church (4th century CE) and the remains of a marketplace where food and goods were sold. Temple remains are pictured below.

As I write this at 6:00 PM local time, I have walked nearly nine miles today. The class has stayed busy seeing the sights of Rome and by the evening we are all ready for bed after a quick bite of pizza, pasta, and/or gelato. For those wondering, the food in Italy is as good as it sounds! I look forward to hearing what my classmates have to say about the second half of this trip and to reconnect with those at home. Until then, Ciao!

 

Kyle Larson