Ellie Nodland – Senior Civil Engineer 

Returning to our normal 9 AM class time today there were some Cappuccino breaks throughout the day’s activities. After the morning class session, we set off to take the metro bus together to the Borghese Gallery. I am sure the locals on their morning commute were surprised to see all 26 of us students, Dr. Besser, and two guides load onto the bus at once – it was a tight squeeze! Arriving at what was once Casino Borghese we were met with the sight of the greatest amount of green grass I think any of us have yet to see in Rome. After checking our bags, we entered the gallery in two groups with English-speaking guides to explain the history and significance of some key pieces of the collection.  

The Borghese Gallery was once a private collection of the prominent Borghese family started by Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, the cardinal nephew of Pope Paul V. When the cardinal past, it was in his will that the collection must be kept together which is why in 1902 the complete collection along with the estate was able to be sold to the Italian Government for public use. My favorite pieces we saw in the gallery today were sculptures done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The display of both movement and emotion in Bernini’s sculpted Rape of Proserpine and Apollo and Daphne were stunning along with their respective Roman mythological stories. 

Rape of Proserpine by Bernini

Apollo and Daphne by Bernini

Following the hour-and-a-half gallery tour (the perfect length for many of us students!) The scheduled daily activities were completed, and we split into groups to grab some food. Around 9 of us joined Dr. Besser for sandwiches (and some more cappuccinos!) at a café within the Borghese park. The café we stopped at happened to be near a small pond on the property were there were paddle boat rentals, and we could not resist. For twenty minutes, in two boats, we paddled and laughed around the pond struggling to navigate the water with the large wooden ores.  

Paddling on the Pond

Outside of the gallery

Looking forward to another fun day of adventures tomorrow!  

Today we returned to Vatican City to explore the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica.

We began the day a bit later than usual with class starting at 12:30 rather than the usual 9:00am since we weren’t able to get into the necropolis until 3:00. So, we had some extra time to sleep in, eat breakfast, and explore some more of the city before we met for lecture and the day’s presentations.

Once we got to the Vatican and through security, we were split off into three separate groups as only groups of twelve are allowed in at a time due to the lack of space and preservation precautions.

As our tour guide led us through the narrow passages we were able to look in on several of the tombs enclosed by glass preserving the ancient remains and relics within. She described to us the history of the necropolis and basilica above. Originally an open-air burial ground of the Romans built on the slope of Vatican hill, it was leveled and the ruins buried by emperor Constantine in order to construct the Old St. Peter’s Basilica. The old basilica has since been replaced by the basilica standing today and the necropolis and mausoleums were uncovered during excavations to find the remains of St. Peter, who was assumed to be buried there.

We then ended the tour at the tomb of St. Peter and were able to see his remains and the wall of graffiti claiming it to be his resting place.

Unfortunately taking photos is not allowed inside the necropolis, so here’s a picture of the exit.

And St. Peter’s Basilica.

Maddie

Max Meves – Senior Mechanical Engineer

Today we got to adventure under St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican Scavi. This is where the famous tomb of St. Peter is located. There was a lot to learn on this tour but unfortunately we were unable to take pictures. However, thanks to Google I have added some photos of what we saw.  Before we got to go into the Scavi we had to get passed the Swiss Guard in their interesting colorful uniforms. The Vatican Scavi only allows 250 visitors a day in groups of 12 to preserve this historical archeological site, so we split into three groups. We also had to wear plastic gloves to keep our germs to ourselves. 

To start the tour our guide explained the history of St. Peter and the basilica. She informed us that St. Peter’s Basilica is built on top of the previous basilica that was built in 300 AD. This is also the location of where St. Peter was executed and where his tomb is located. Below St. Peter’s Basilica is also home to many other mausoleums and tombs, most of which hold wealthy or important people. Before they leveled the ground for the Basilica to be built, this area was on a hill as you can see in the image below. This was cool to see as we entered the Scavi from the right of the image below, we were at the bottom of the slope. As we walked through the Scavi towards St. Peters tomb we walked up an incline that showed how the land was a long time ago. Inside the Scavi we were standing on the original ground when these mausoleums were built. It was cool to see that the original ground was solid, almost like pavement from all of the pressure and compression that it has experienced over thousands of years. This ground was home to streets that ran up and down the original hill.

As we continued to walk through, it was like were were in an Indiana Jones movie walking through small ancient corridors with trap doors that would slide open and close at any moment. These glass doors were used to control the atmosphere inside the Scavi. It was warm and very humid. We walked passed many tombs and mausoleums as we made our way towards St. Peters tomb. It was cool to see the old foundations of the ancient brick buildings and how they are still supporting loads from St. Peters Basilica above. It was very intriguing to learn that there are most likely many more mausoleums and tombs in the area under the Basilica but they can not uncover any more because the land is supporting the load of the Basilica. At one point we were standing next to a wall that was surrounding the tomb of St. Peter but was also the foundation of one of the massive columns that stands next to the Popes alter as seen in the left of the picture above. Just passed this wall was an opening where we could see part of a tomb. This area was once an open forum that was home to hundreds of tombs that were buried around the tomb of St. Peter. The picture below shows the small hallways of the Scavi.

Throughout our tour leading up to St. Peters tomb, our tour guide told us the story of the tomb and how it was discovered. When the tomb was discovered they found it empty. They did not inform the people that they found the tomb because they were unsure if it was St. Peter’s. They also found a solid marble wall built next to the tomb of St. Peter to protect it from pillagers. They found that this wall was secretly hollow so they opened it up and found human remains inside. They eventually had the remains analyzed and found that they were most likely the remains of St. Peter. What was really interesting about this experience was how they approached this scientifically. Even though the Vatican is the capital of Catholicism, they deliberately made this open to visitors of all religions and used science to analyze these archeological sites. 

The picture below shows below the Papal alter where only the pope is allowed to go and is also where St. Peters Remains are. On our tour we were able to see St. Peters remains by going behind the wall seen in the picture below. 

After rolling out of bed a little later than usual, 19 of us met at Piazza del Risorgimento to begin our journey to the coast on our day off. For most of us, this was our first time using the subway in Rome, and we were lucky to have captain Kyle along to guide us through the chaos. After a couple different trains we arrived at our first destination called Ostia Antica: an archeaological park near the coast. This place had a lot of cool views and ruins similar to Pompeii. It also had a lot of history, but I don’t think any of us knew anything about that so feel free to look it up if you’re reading this. It was really nice to be able to move at our own pace on this day off and explore where our curious minds took us at this destination. I even had an opportunity to play eye spy from the top of a ruin! See if you can spot all 18 of the students that joined me on this adventure.

Eventually, 14 of us made our way back to the train station while the others stayed at the park to continue exploring. We played spoons (using sticks) while we waited for our train to arrive at 4:26 PM. Luckily, the other five students got to the train station at 4:25 PM and made it just in time. Alex only lost three euros as he panicked to jump on the train. Finally, we arrived at the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea (at the edge of Rome where our Rome metro passes would take us). We were relieved to make it just before sunset and enjoyed the evening on the beach.

On our way back to the train station, we grabbed some gelato, and Herggy enjoyed his 23rd cup in only nine days! We took the subway home, and everyone made it back safe. I’m looking forward to the adventures we will go on tonight!

– Jack M

After concluding our tour of the Roman Forum, we made our way over to the south side to climb Palatine Hill. Our tour guide, Cristian, noted that we were exploring some of the most ancient areas in all of Rome and had plenty of stories to tell. The name Palatine Hill was etymologically derived from the word “palace” and is famous for being the location Romulus and Remus were initially found – at least according to Cristian. Pictured below is our view from atop the hill:

Once we reached the top, we were welcomed by an all-encompassing view of the Circus Maximus. This was an enormous valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills that had the Colosseum just barley in view. The Circus was once home to Rome’s finest Ludi, which were public games that were connected to Roman religious festivals. Ludi consisted of a wide selection of different events, including horse and chariot racing, plays, recitals, and even gladiator fights. Today, the venue hosts artists such as Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones for tens of thousands of people and also serves as a public park. Check out our view from the bottom:

Our class kept busy both in and out of the class today by learning all about beam analysis and getting legally checked into the country by the Italian Polizia. We’ve been striving to rack up more steps with each passing day, clocking in at roughly twelve miles today. It was incredible to see the scale of these ruins in person and the amazing view of Rome we had at the top. Ciao!

Jack Hergott

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

Tony Hartmann – Senior Civil Engineer

For today’s class, we finally conducted the highly anticipated tour of the Roman Colosseum, or the ‘Amphitheatrum Flavium’, as it was originally named. To prepare for the visit, we spent the morning class period learning about the fundamental structural behavior of arches and arcades, as well as conducting a presentation on the colosseum’s history and reviewing a modern structural analysis of the structure.

Upon arriving at the Colosseum, we were greeted by our tour guide who spent the day sharing a passionate wealth of knowledge on the construction, history, function, and justification for creating such an impressive structure for its time. The tour began by leading us through the main concourse of the stadium, carrying with it a feeling of fascinating similarity compared to my recent visit at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Next, we were led out onto a platform that was level with the old ‘field’ inside the colosseum, made to resemble the feeling of standing inside the colosseum as if you were performing for the crowd. From here, we got an excellent look at the rooms and complexities built beneath the main floor of the colosseum where slaves, animals, and other competitors were held prior to competitions.

Image of the interior of the colosseum with a great view of the structures underneath the main entertaining floor.

Once we reached the second floor, we started to analyze the materials of the structure more carefully. Our guide pointed out to us that there were several reasons for the colosseum only having one side of the outer wall still standing. One of these reasons was that there was a considerable difference in the materials used in the concrete that was used to build one side versus the other – obviously, the stronger concrete mixture was used on the side that remains standing today.

Image of the original outer wall that still stands.

Image of the now revealed interior wall, due to the collapse of the outer wall.

After taking continuing the tour around the top of the colosseum, on our way out of the stadium, we were told stories of the different types of entertainment that would take place here. Interestingly, one of these is speculated to be documented naval battles that would be performed for the audience, where they would flood the floor of the stadium and bring boats inside to act out the given battle. However, there is controversy as to when, how, and even if this display could have been pulled off to a significant scale. Once we left the stadium and the tour had ended, we briefly stopped by the barracks in which the top gladiators would live and train for their future fights. Overall, this was a day full of monumental historical value and lessons taught in engineering and structures that I will never forget!

Image of the foundation of the ancient gladiator barracks and training grounds.

Nicole Harris- Senior Mechanical Engineer

Today our class visited the Vatican Museum, which included paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and lots of awe. My favorite part of this day was looking at the cars/ wagons the pope used to ride in. These vehicles ranged from carriages to Mercedes Benz! Not to mention all of them were extravagant and you could tell someone important rode in them. The engineering that just went into the mechanics of the carriages must have been very detailed in order to ensure that not only the pope was safe, but the vehicle could be moved efficiently and safely. I also really liked all the artwork at the beginning, there were so many paintings of so many different sizes I wasn’t sure where to look first, and this also continued throughout the museum. Every single painting told the viewer a story and it was fun to try to interpret what the artist was conveying to its audience and how that was important in those times. Some of these paintings were larger than life and took up an entire wall! Some had to be in special cases to have them preserved with temperature and light control. Most of these paintings had a style to them that I had a brief knowledge of because I took art history. The way they painted to include dimension, size and general picture was incredibly intricate and amazing. Another highlight of this day was the hallway of maps. On both walls there were maps of countries all up and down. I thought this was especially cool because they didn’t have half the technology we have today and still came up with extremely accurate and detailed maps. Near the end of the museum there were 2 full size maps with what the people back then thought the world looked like which was also crazy because only half of North America had been outlined and most edges were straight. A very cool day looking at everything and learning about this history and engineering!

Old Pope Car

Tapestry Depicting the Last Supper