and it begins

So we moved into our apartment yesterday! It is in the Piazza della Pigna, a few blocks from the Pantheon and a 5-minute walk to the Campo. The apartment is gorgeous. Our landlady is really nice too. She only speaks Italian, so getting a tour of the apartment and trying to understand the rules and whatnot was interesting, although I think I picked up most of it since Italian is so similar to Spanish.

The view from my bedroom window


Our living room


The front door

Our street-Via della Pigna


Our neighbor, the Pantheon :)


After settling in to the apartments, we had an orientation at the Rome Center, some time to relax, and then our first big group dinner! We went to a place called Trattoria Moderna.

We all started off with some antipasti. Delicious! There were 6 or 7 different kinds to choose from and I tried one of each. This was probably my favorite part just because they kept bringing new things to try and I really enjoyed the variety.




Then we got to choose our primi, or first course, which is usually some type of pasta or other starch-I had risotto with porcini mushrooms.


Next came secondi, the second course of your choice of meat. I had Saltimbocca alla Romana, which is veal (I tried not to think about how I was eating a baby cow...) with prosciutto and sage, marinated in wine. SO GOOD!


And of course we got dolci, or desert. Most everyone, including myself, got tiramisu.




So then today we had our first day of class! It was Art History, which consists of going to sites, walking around, and listening to presentations by our classmates. It's basically a tour and a class wrapped into one! Today we visited the Roman Forum, the Arch of Titus, and then picniced on the Palatine Hill. There was so much to take in! The Forum has so much history and many different pieces all with their own story. The Arch of Titus depicts the triumph, a sort of parade, that was held when Titus returned victorious from battle. It is meant to commemorate him as well as show the power of the Roman empire. The Palatine Hill is where the emperors lived in elaborate palaces. Only the ruins of the palaces remain, but you can get an idea of how grand they were.



The Curia-where senators and powerful men met to discuss politics.


The Rostri (what is left of it), a place for oratory and speeches-these were open to all people. Great orators like Cicero spoke here.


The remains of one of the multiple basilicas in the Forum, which was used for trials and other legal procedures before basilicas acquired their religious connotations.


A general view of the Forum-none of these pictures do it justice in its entirety.


What is left of the temple of the sacred flame of Vesta, which was tended by the Vestal Virgins. Most of this is reconstructed-only a few pieces of the original remain.


The Arch of Titus.


Just the courtyard of one of the grand residences of an emperor.


The view from the top of the Palatine Hill.


After class we stopped for gelato on the way home, and now I plan to do some reading for the Gifts and Sacrifice class tomorrow. Later we are getting a tour of the best places to shop around the Campo. Should be fun!