Ian Scholer: Rome

Latin

Although Latin is not a spoken, we did plenty of reading while on campus. The afternoons were devoted to preparing for the evening tutorial sessions, in which we went through the passage in a group of four with a tutor. We started with Suetonius’ account of Caesar’s murder and Livy’s account of Cicero’s. We then moved on to Tacitus’ opening to his Annals on how the participate happened, before reading Pliny’s letters to Tacitus concerning the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius just in time to visit Pompeii, completing our prose readings. Our poetry readings, comprised entirely of Vergil, started with Book IV of The Aeneid and ended with The Georgics, stories about life in agriculture. Various quizzes were sprinkled throughout the three weeks, but the final exam was the most challenging part of the course. To prepare, we spent a whole day reviewing all the passages we had read throughout the three weeks, enough Latin to secure three college credits. I liked the freer approach to translating, as we were even encouraged not to write anything down until the final exam, an approach that I think helped me understand the Latin more thoroughly.

Our beautiful campus

The City

Rome is perhaps one of the most historic cities in the world, and almost every morning we were able to see the remnants of ancient Rome. At different points, we walked up the Palentine and Capitoline Hill and had terrific views of the city. The most memorable experience came when we visited the Forum and saw the epicenter of the Republic and Empire. Of all the ancient ruins we saw, the ones in the forum were the most spectacular were the ones in the forum. The arches of Titus and Septimius Severus are still standing as they did at the time of the Empire and the Curia is still standing as well. Another important city of ruins was Ostia, and old port city surprisingly well preserved. We visited many medieval basilicas, often with ruins of Roman temples underneath, the most impresssive of which was the Basilica of St. Clemente, which had an extensive underground  system of Roman ruins.Although we did not go in, the Colosseum was also an incredible sight. One Sunday morning, we were even treated with a Latin mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. On the last day, we went into the city after the final exam to see the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.On top of seeing firsthand these amazing historical sights, we also saw many artifacts from the time in museums, including the Museo Nazionale Tarquiniense and the Museo Capitolina

The Forum

Bay of Naples Trip

Our five day excursion started with a jolt, driving straight to Mt. Vesuvius and climbing to the top, at which point we were presented with a bird’s eye view of the beautiful Bay of Naples. That evening we were able to explore the old but modernized town of Sorrento on our own. The next morning we took a ferry to the famous island of Capri and were able to take a scenic lap around the island by boat, giving us great views of all the cliff faces and rock formations for which the island is known. On the third day we visited the famed ruins of Pompeii, getting a great idea what life in the R
oman Empire must have been like. Day 4 saw us visiting the cave of Sybil in Cumae, the cave in which Aeneas is said to have heard Sybil’s prophecy in Book VI of The Aeneid, and then swimming in the warm waters of The Mediterranean Sea. On the final day, we visited the quaint town of Arpinio, birthplace of Cicero and Marius before driving back to campus that afternoon. 


Michael and I at Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

And then in Capri

Food

I have always liked Italian food, and the food on this trip was indescribable, but I’ll try. Every day, for lunch and dinner, the campus chef, Nino, and his crew would cook us delicious, authentic Italian pasta, along with some meat and vegetables. All the meals on campus were excellent, especially when enjoyed with friends. In the city, we were often able to enjoy gelato and Italian lemon soda. The best meal came in Capri, a plate of what was translated as “big pasta with seafood”, a dish from a local restaurant overlooking the coast of Capri. Meals were some of the most enjoyable parts of the trip, with delicious food and lots of laughs.

A meal of pasta and fish in Capri

Friends

The determining factor of any experience is the people with whom it is shared, and I could not have asked for a better group of people. Thanks to them, I have lifelong memories of how much fun this whole program was. I got very little sleep because even after my many nightly games of ping-pong I still talked to my roommates for another hour or two before finally going to bed. I know that I will remember all of them fondly, and I only hope that I will keep in touch with them as time goes on.

In the cafeteria with friends and our top notch chef Nino

At this point I would like to thank all of the people who made this possible, especially the Wilson family. Without their generous donation to the school for the language grants, none of this enriching experience would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my Latin III teacher, Mrs. Anne Christeson, for preparing me so well for all the Latin reading we did over the course of the program. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Gaither and Sr. Paolicchi whose work organinzing the whole program for us was invaluable.