All Roads Lead to Rome!

Wow... time really does fly when you're having fun! 
We're already two weeks into the program and just have one week left to go! But you can bet that we're going to pack as much as we can into this last week and we still have plenty of places to explore. 

Here's a few of the places we've visited so far around La Città Eterna...

We were sweating like gladiators ready for the arena on the very hot day when we visited the amazing and imposing Colosseum. One of the world’s most famous monuments with an incredible, and honestly disturbing history, you can’t really visit Rome without seeing Il Colosseo!! 
 

We went with our art history teachers Simona and Jessica who had so many stories to tell. 
 

For example, did you know that watching gladiator fights was one of the most popular forms of entertainment at the time?

And - fun fact - the exit passage beneath the amphitheatre is called by the Latin name vomitorium  (plural vomitoria) which derives from the Latin verb vomo, vomere, meaning "to spew forth", so called as it allows spectators to quickly leave an amphitheatre or stadium once the entertainment is over.

We only just found the energy afterwards to climb to the top of Colle Palatino (the hill upon which, legend says, Romulus and Remus founded the city in 753 BC) 

There we stopped to enjoy an amazing view of the city, after being revived by a well-deserved drink from one of Rome's many nasoni, the nose-shaped water fountains bringing fresh water straight from the acqueducts to refresh Romans and tourists alike.

Last week we also put on our comfy shoes for a walking tour around some of the city's historic and artistic gems, including Piazza Navona, home to Gian Lorenzo Bernini's impressive Baroque fountains, and his Elephant and Obelisk in Piazza della Minerva.

 

Teatro Marcello, a place which reminded us of a mini Colosseum, 

The Pantheon, one of Rome's most famous religious landmarks

and many of the lavishly decorated churches dotted around the city. 

There's no shortage of wonderful places to go and we never fail to be amazed by the variety of art and architecture this bustling city has to offer.

Ciao for now! Final week - here we come!