Jackson Abbey: Living Latin in Rome with the Paideia Institute

Jackson Abbey: Living Latin in Rome with the Paideia Institute

Among the Forum

The incredible Column of Trajan at Dusk

I came to Rome as the only student from MBA and one of the only students from the Southeast in the Paideia Institute. As a student of this Paideia Institute, the expectation was that each student have a prior knowledge and understanding of not only Latin but also Roman cultures and traditions. The first three days of Living Latin in Rome were spent at the multi-faceted Roman Forum as an introduction to the ancient city. Including the Forum of Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, we got the full spectrum of Roman history. Ranging from the Colosseum to the Temple of Jupiter to the Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum gave us students an introduction into the beauty of the Eternal City. While reading Latin multiple times among the bricks and ruins, Paideia gave me a new understanding of reading Latin aloud as a language, not just a transcription to be translated. Beginning each day at the Casa Per Ferie Santa Lucia, a convent in the center of Rome, class usually lasted for three hours and gave us a precursor to our daily activities. On the first three days, we enjoyed the beautiful spectacle of the Forum, which included a daily tour of a new area of the Forum and even a light tour at night. Led by incredible teachers and instructors, Greg, Emma, Skye, Lj, and Chris, our journeys of the Forum started off our trip on an incredible note. I was incredibly surprised every day we enjoyed both lunch and dinner out in Roman bakeries, osterias, and pizzerias which were all paid for by Paideia.

                               The Colosseum                               Lupa, the mother wolf who nourished Romulus and Remus

Ostia, Sperlonga, and St. Peter's

Hallway of the Vatican Museum

A few of our bus trips included adventures to the ancient Roman port of Ostia, the beaches of Sperlonga, and St.Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Ostia demonstrated the incredible scale of Roman cities, with most of the city still visible and able to visit. It was one of the only places in Rome that was not full of tourists. Truly, Ostia was one of the best places we sat down to read Latin to understand to its full potential from authors like Livy and Sartorius. July 4th, the birthdate of our country, was also the day the Americans and one Australian took to the beaches of Sperlonga. The Mediterranean was one of the most beautiful seas I had seen with its incredible water and white sand beaches. Coming from the Latin spelunca, the location is famous for its incredible cave and the villa of Tiberius. Throughout our trips, we saw incredible areas of Lazio, the region that Rome is in, and I learned truly how beautiful the Italian countryside is. Finally coming to our last Friday in Rome, Vatican City loomed over us like the spiritual place it has always been. Our day began with a special tour of the Vatican City and its many offices and departments. Led by Father Dan, a head of the Latin department of the Vatican, we experienced one of the greatest places on Earth. The Vatican quickly became my favorite monument on the trip, and we were even allowed to spend the afternoon shopping as we had done many times before.

Sperlonga and its incredible beauty from the cave

From the top of the Vatican, St.Peter's square is fully visible

The Final Days: Lake Nemi and the Fons Bandusiae

As the final days of our trip came upon the group, we visited the most beautiful place on our trip, the ancient volcanic lake at Nemi outside of Rome. It was truly the most incredible place we had visited with water as blue as the Azzurri, the name of the Italian national soccer team. Interestingly enough, the Azzurri were playing in the European Championship, and the whole country rallied around their team. At the lake, we enjoyed the most amazing meal of our trip, enjoying a lakeside view sunset dinner that featured four courses. In between these two places, we spent a day at the Villa Borghese and the Borghese gardens. Perhaps the greatest shopping I did on the trip came in and around the Villa as I was able to journey to incredible shops on the Piazza del Popolo. The most fabled day of the trip came on the very last day where the entire Paideia group journeyed to the Villa of Horace for an incredible picnic lunch that featured Italian meats, breads, cheeses, and luscious figs. With the Villa of Horace, the Fons Bandusiae, or the fountain of Bandusia, featured in Horace’s “O Fons Bandusiae” was the stage for our incredible picnic. The fountain was one of the most incredible places I had ever visited. With its immense beauty, splendor, and cold mountain water, it became the highlight of my trip. Surrounded by new friends I had made on the trip, the beauty of the fountain englufed my senses. As we journeyed home, I felt a sentimental gap in my heart. I had made incredible friends from all over the country who I will always remember.

The group photo of the Paideia Institute Pollux group with the Fons Bandusiae in the background

Thanks

On a trip I could never forget, Mrs. Ellery truly made it as great as it could be. She provided the program I was associated with, and she did incredible planning to get me to Rome. I could not thank her enough for her incredible work over the past six months to allow me to skip the immersion program and go straight to Rome. I also want to say thanks to the Wilson family for their incredible donation to fund me and all the other students around the world. I will never forget this incredible experience, and especially, I will never forget the amazing Paideia Institute. Paideia made Latin incredibly interesting and exciting as it could be as a language.