We’ve made it to Naples!



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We first visited St. Peter’s Basilica in St. Peter’s Plaza. In the center of the plaza is an obelisk, also known as “The Witness” because it “witnessed” the crucifixion of St. Peter himself. There are multiple fountains inside the plaza that light up at night. Aside from the obelisk and the actual Basilica, there are two semicircular structures that form an embrace around the obelisk, created by our favorite sculptor, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Basilica is also guarded by Swiss guards, whose uniform consists of colorfully striped parachute pants.  Within the Basilica, we saw sculptures of multiple figures, including Bernini’s best friend, Christina, queen of Sweden, who left her throne to convert to Catholicism and was never married. In the basement of St. Peter’s there is a crypt built to hold the remains of former religious figures, which includes former popes. It has been referred to as “The City of the Dead”.  Afterwards we visited Hadrian’s Mausoleum, which was built for ...
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Today (our last full day in Italy) we visited two different sites outside the city of Rome. The first was Hadrian's Villa. Hadrian was emperor from 117-138 CE. Calling this place a villa is like calling a mansion a little shack. It is HUGE. It is the size of a small city and completely self-sustaining. Some of the notable things inside it are a gigantic mysterious pool (Olympic size) and Hadrian’s own private island that he had constructed on his man made lake for his “me time.” The next site we visited was the Villa d’Este. This site was built by the Cardinal Ippolito d’Este in the 16th century and required the redirection of a tributary of the Tiber River to power its many large fountains. One of these spectacular fountains was a self-playing organ that was completely powered and played by water. Overall, the site not only provided many striking views but also a peaceful journey through its numerous paths. More than a full hour was given to explore the entirety of the garden whic...
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Monday: Palatine Hill and the Colosseum Our first day in Rome was a busy one to say the least. We were up and on the road early with our first taste of Italian public transportation, going on both a railroad and a subway train. After our transit we headed to the Palatine Hill, where we viewed some of the ruins of Augustus’s house, while learning a little bit about his persona. We stopped along the way to read and translate the ancient Latin story of Romulus and Remus. Next we headed to the Roman forum to look at more ruins, and a few of us, including Ms. Durham, got to catch up with BC alumni Hannah Berman who happened to be in Rome on vacation. We also read part of Antony’s Funeral Oration written by Shakespeare. The afternoon was also filled with exploration. We visited the Colosseum and talked about what occurred in it and how Roman entertainment compares to modern entertainment. Before dinner we had some free time, where most of us went to grab some delicious gelato and explored th...
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