Italy 2025 - Day 3: Latin Class and the Campus Martius - Filiz and Leela

Filiz and Leela:

We started the day off at 8:45 by taking a short walk to Torquato Tasso high school, where we sat in on a Latin class; in class, we read and translated excerpts from Tacitus and Sallust that discussed the lives and personalities of historical Roman figures. A translator walked us through the teacher’s lecture as he discussed the paradoxical portraits of Sempronia and Petronius, offering time for questions at the end. It was particularly interesting to see how the students read Latin passages aloud, as their pronunciations mimicked Italian inflections more closely than ours.

The group visits Liceo Torquato Tasso to sit in on a Latin class.

We stopped by the Gardens of Sallust after a brief tour of the school, breaking for a three-hour lunch period. During lunch, we were able to explore local restaurants, try new gelato flavors, walk around, and get some rest.


The group reads the Latin inscription of the Tomb of Quintus Sulpicius Maximus.

The group visits the Ara Pacis.

After lunch, we explored the Pantheon and the surrounding architectural pieces. Seeing the Pantheon was truly incredible; it felt unreal.

Anya and Carthan present their report on the Pantheon to the group.

We learned about the structural integrity of the Pantheon and specifically the ingenious design used for the ceiling. The dome is made up of hollow squares that become smaller as the dome gets taller. The Romans designed it this way because this makes the dome lighter in the center, which prevents it from collapsing. The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved pieces of ancient architecture: we’re seeing it exactly as the ancient Romans did.

The group admires the oculus of the Pantheon.

Later, we walked to a nearby pizzeria, which had every variation of pizza one could wish for. We ended the night with yet another gelato trip, which has become a daily necessity.

Gelato!

Comments

  1. Berlin: Monuments & Memory CorrespondentsMarch 25, 2025 at 4:47 PM

    What a robust day in Roma! I can only guess how much gelato will be consumed by the end of this travel program.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Patricia LevinMarch 26, 2025 at 8:26 AM

    Felice di vedere quei volti sorridenti e quelle menti curiose in azione! Continuate a nutrire mente e pancie... preferibilmente con gelato! 🍦😊

    ReplyDelete

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