Rome again

Evan in Rome

150 year celebration of Italy's unification in Piazza della Rotonda in front of  Pantheon.
View from our balcony at hotel where we were upgraded to a penthouse suite at no charge.
How often does something like this occur?

150 year celebration

Inside the Colosseum. They say the exotic plants that grow in the Colloseum now
are thought to be seeded from the feces of the exotic wild animals they used
to bring in there for wild animal fights and gladiator contests. Over 80,000
used to fit in there...they were seated by class and entered through
the vomitorium all at once---our stadiums are modeled after these

view of Palatine Hill from the Colosseum

The last triumphal arch, Arch of Constantine built in A.D. 315 to commemorate Constantine's defeat of Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge --differs from the other and earlier
arches in that it has "spolia" or parts pilfered from other monuments in the city.
(This is why it's great to see history repeating itself....Evan said this sure looks a lot like the Arc de Triomphe that Napoleon built...)

more ruins by Palatine Hill

Pantheon at night

Greenhill Latin class in Capitoline Museum in front of pieces of  Constantine.
He was originally over 30 meters tall!

The famous she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus --from foundation
myth for Rome
(in Capitoline Museum)

Constantine and Evan

Greenhill Latin class looking at a bronze

Constantine's colossal foot

Fertility goddess in Capitoline Museum...note those are extra, ectopic ovaries!

Courtyard in front of Capitoline Museums designed by Michelangelo

Last week  Evan and I spent two days in Rome (played hooky on Wednesday) to meet up with his Greenhill Latin class that was there for part of spring break.  We met them for dinner on Tuesday night and spent part of the day at the Capitoline museums with the Latin teachers from Greenhill and Parish Schools explaining the symbolism and history behind what we were seeing! (they put the tourist guides to shame with their knowledge and enthusiasm!)  Plus, Evan got to see his friends.  Then Evan and I spent awhile inside the Coliseum with audio-guides.  There was an added bonus in that the hotel we stayed at upgraded us at no charge to the Penthouse suite with a terrace overlooking Piazza della Rotonda.  If that wasn’t enough on Thursday there was a huge celebration (the 150 year celebration of unification of Italy…Texas was a state before Italy was a country!) there on the Piazza and in the Pantheon with the President of Italy, a marching band, the whole megilla.  While we were gone, Ryan and my dad and Jackie saw a hot air balloon land right outside our windows on the piazza for the 150 year celebration of the unification of Italy (it became a national holiday on Thursday!). Ryan left Saturday with his class for St. Petersburg, Russia for a week for a model United Nations Conference and some sightseeing.