Monday, June 22nd:  Day 8.
Our last day of the Rome trip we spent in the Vatican. To begin our visit, we entered its museum and studied a sculpture of Laocoon and his sons being eaten by sea serpents. Its background was copied from the aftermath of Homer's Iliad. Specifically, the moment it depicts is in an episode in which the Trojan priest was sentenced to death by a Greek patron god, Poseidon, for believing (correctly) that the Trojan Horse was a trap. Further in our visit, the Belvedere Torso became obvious. In spite of the fact that it had no head, limbs, or discernible theme, Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo strongly admired it for its detailed and beautiful musculature. Nearby was the School of Athens, painted by Raphael during the Renaissance. It showed the famous philosophers of Ancient Greece, including Aristotle, Plato, and Euclid. Coming upon the museum's finest artwork, we entered the Sistine Chapel, in which Michelangelo vibrantly arrayed all of Christian mythology, from Adam's creation to Judgement Day. Ironically, the Sistine Ceiling is considered his greatest achievement, even though he despised painting, but was forced to create it through fear that the pope's powerful influence would destroy his career. As we left the Vatican Museum, we headed for the city's other site of interest.
  
 St. Peter's Basilica, built in the late 17th century, was meant to establish dominance over the rising popularity of Protestantism with awe-inspiring displays of art, crafted primarily by Bernini. Most prominently, its main occupant was St. Peter himself. He is currently buried under marble steps, surrounded by four pillars, which support a sagging slab, similar to a four-poster bed. A short distance away was a statue of him, which you could touch the feet of. From a broad point of view, one should have expected a grand production of art from the Vatican, but no one could ever have guessed the riveting details that made a three-hour visit an experience of a lifetime. --Josh
     

Sunday, June 21^st:  Day 7.

Today was a different day because for most of it our group spent traveling back to Rome.  In the morning, everyone woke up and left their rooms in order to go and have some breakfast.  It was very delicious.  Most of us had slices of cake, and watermelon.  Then, we left the hotel and drove to the port (of Sorrento) on a bus.  When we arrived there, Mr. Travers and Mr. Fingerhut bought tickets and we sat down by the port waiting for our boat, which would take us to Naples.  Before our boat arrived near the port, Mr. Travers gave us a lecture concerning Naples.  He said that even though we should be careful of thieves, it is “the most ‘Italian’ city.”  Part of the reason is the fact that pizza originated in Naples and therefore they claim to have the best pizza in Italy. 

The boat finally arrived and everyone sat down comfortably on the first floor.  Owen, however, said that he wanted to go explore the second floor (outside), and after a while all the students and adults followed him.  It turned out to be an amazing scene!  The boat was leaving behind a white trail.  I could smell the sea breeze, and everyone else was looking at the waves.  In about forty minutes, when the boat landed, Mr. Travers divided us into two groups to make crossing the streets easier.  We visited a small Pizzeria, but since we only had about an hour until the train left for Rome, it turned out as a short lunch.  The pizza was very good though.  When it was served, you could still see it bubbling. 

Our small group traveled in several subway trains (which were stopping all the time for some reason) and finally reached the train station.  But, unfortunately, we were too late.  Mr. Travers, however, did not want to give up so easily.  (And following Mr. Fingerhut’s suggestion…) He went over to another train and was able to convince a man nearby to let us take this train instead.  The man was very nice so he agreed.

It was cold and rainy in Rome when we arrived, but the adults were still able to take us out to dinner.  They found a restaurant, and the food there was so good (as well as Tiramisu) that almost everyone said, “This was our favorite meal on this trip.”  As much as I like this trip, however, tomorrow is our last full day in Rome, which I’m sure is going to be very memorable.  –Katya  (Italicized parenthetical remarks by Mr. Travers)

Saturday, June 20^th: Day 6.

Today we saw two of the most memorable Italian hotspots:  Pompeii and Sorrento.  We quickly got out of the hotel as we checked out and stored our bags safely.  We didn’t have to wait long at the train station before we departed for Napoli where there’d be a short stop to board a train to Pompeii.  Despite the ride being two and a half hours long, it went by quickly for me since I had Arthur C. Clark’s brilliant 2001 handy.  After a fairly pleasant rest we were finally at Pompeii.  I was enthralled to be there since my family is from the Napoli area.  Our family name Vallefuoco (Val-eh-few-co) translates from Italian to English as “valley of fire,” which we believe refers to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.  Therefore my enthusiasm to see the place extended far and wide.

Being there aroused a mix of feelings.  It was very windy but warm at the same time, so you felt energized by the temptation to explore, but also exhausted by the mix of temperatures.  We saw very interesting things (notably several Roman mansions, a bakery, a fast-food joint, a bar, an amphitheater, and countless mosaics and wall-paintings!) and had ourselves a grand time.  Mr. Travers was very excited and looked around several corners not placed on the map. 

We eventually had to make our way for the train station to Sorrento--a beautiful tourist town near the beach.  We checked in to a luxury hostel and settled in cozily… a bit too cozily.  We were supposed to leave for dinner at 20:00 (8pm), but the four of us in my room (as well as Mr. Travers and the rest of us) napped until 21:40 (9:40pm).  We ended up leaving for dinner very late but getting delicious food.  Not only was there great food, there was a great group of street musicians who played for us personally after Owen tipped them.  We had a few laughs, great food, some aqua frizzante (carbonated water) and returned home. 

So overall, I saw the origin of my family name and visited a breathtaking beach town; sounds like a pretty good day to me.  –Brent   (Italicized remarks by Mr. Travers)

Friday, June 19^th:  Day 5 

Today, we started by walking  to the Villa Borghese.  There were no metro stations, and few buses close to our destination.  While we waited to enter, we bought some souvenirs.  They would not let us bring cameras or our bags, but they allowed the binders.  The first sculpture we went to was the David by Bernini.  He was 26 when he sculpted it.  The boy, David, is twisting his body while preparing to sling a rock.  Next, we saw another Bernini sculpture, Apollo and Daphne, where Daphne turns into a tree.  The bark grows up her legs, her toes turn to roots, her arms to branches, and her hair to leaves.  We then saw the Rape of Persephone, also by Bernini.  Persephone is being carried away by Hades, to the Underworld and she can’t escape.  He laughs at her attempts.  Last we saw Aeneas, again by Bernini.  A middle-aged man is carrying his father with his son behind him as they escape from the burning city of Troy.  The man’s father is holding an important family statuette. 

A little bit later we had a small picnic lunch at the park nearby, with fruits, meats, cheese, and bread.  During our lunch, a strange dog came up to us and sniffed around.  A lady came and we helped get it back to her.  Afterwards, we played catch with a Frisbee and a tennis ball.  Then, after that Mrs. Fingerhut yelled, “Water fight!!”  Everyone scrambled to a fountain for water.  A few people got drenched including myself.  By the end of this fight, the battlefield was soaked in water.  We walked back to the hotel and dried off in the heat.

At 3:00, we all assembled in the lobby with our laundry.  We walked to a nearby laundromat and started washing.  While we waited for the laundry, we went to a toy store and got something.  We returned just as washing was done, but the clothes needed to dry, so we played king’s corner while waiting.  At the end of the day, Mr. and Mrs. Fingerhut went out to dinner for their anniversary, and Mr. Travers took us to see “Marley and Me” in English.  Then he took us to McDonald’s.  I found this day fun, and the rest of the trip should be great.  --Nathan

Thursday, June 18th:  Day 4

We continued our study of Ancient Roman culture, this time focussing on the nobility a bit more.  In doing this, sculptures from the time of the Empire were our primary source of information;  most of them being Greek copies and idealized emperors.  (We went to the National Museum in the Palazzo Massimo and the Capitoline.)  As we regarded copied Greek sculptures, such as the Dying Gaul (in front of which Brent recited to us Byron's "Dying Gladiator"!)  and the Discus Thrower (which Mr. Travers did not want to leave!), it was made apparent that the Romans did not have the significant creative minds the Greeks had, and thus imitated them to improve their image.  Another example of their vanity stems from the sculptures of their emperors, who were made to look old in the face (and therefore wise) but handsome in physical build.  A most notable example of imperial vanity is the Colossus of Constantine, who is handsome, muscular, and stern with an air of command (and colossal!).

Sadly, the era of greatness began to end, as could be seen with decadent rulers and degrading art.  As time passed, the busts of the emperors portrayed them as murky-eyed and pathetic, or paranoid and suspicious.  These emotions were contemporaneous with the corrupted, crumbling empire at the time.  Included with the later kings was low-quality art, as could be seen on several coffins which bore bas-relief statues resembling simplistic "comic-book art."  

However, one Roman relic, the Pantheon, has remained in almost perfect condition since it was made in Ancient times.  While we were inside, we were impressed by the immensity of the dome that was made with only physics and manual labor.  It was the largest for the time and all the way until the Renaissance, when the painter Raphael was buried there.  This day was most eventful, even excluding the delicious meals (Including the best Gioloto in the World!  Hmmm... water-melon with chocolate seeds!) and recreation.    --Josh  (Parenthetical additions by Mr. Travers)

Wednesday, June 17th:  Day 3

Today was one of the grandest of them all on this trip.  I readied for the day and had a great breakfast with my favorite drink, Succo de la Sanguinello Arancia (red-orange juice), milk and some croissants.  After I grabbed my camera, we left for the Colosseum.  When we arrived in the structure I was very impressed by how vast it was.  It was massive and expertly designed with its long arched hallways.  The floor of the arena was removed so that you could see the “under-stage”.  We all spent about  1 hour exploring “La Magnifico Coloseo” (The Magnificent Colosseum) before we felt we could leave.

Our next stop was at San Pietro in Vincoli:  a Catholic church which held an impressive sculpture, Moses, by Michelangelo.  It was very impressive for how realistic it was.  He was physically impressive, and he looked like he was having an inner struggle.  Moses had just received the Ten Commandments from God and presented them to his people who did not pay attention to him.  Owen brought up that the sculpture’s theme connected to Michelangelo’s life at the time.  The Pope, Julius II, was controlling every aspect of his career, so he felt frustrated that what he believed in was being ignored, just like Moses and the 10 commandments.  Afterwards we returned home for “Siesta”.

There Josh, Mr. Travers, and I had an intellectual talk about the ending of  Watchmen that spread to world history (Athens and Sparta, etc...) and literature (Ninety-three and Antigone).  It was all great fun, and we eventually fell asleep.  We awoke and left for the Spanish Steps by 18:30 (6:30pm).

The Spanish Steps were a popular hangout for poets a very long time ago.  Right beside the Spanish Steps is the death place of John Keats and the former home of Lord Byron (which, unfortunately, was replaced by a clothing store).  There was also a nice church a the top of the steps.  It was not only beautifully decorated, but it also had a well done Pieta.  As we left, we found a really good restaurant nearby and had a delicious dinner.  I had a tortelini e fetacini and drank Lemon Soda, natural and carbonated water.  When we left, Mr. Travers began looking for a Gelato place when I simply asked a street vendor, "Mi scusi, Dove Gelati?" (Excuse me, where's gelato?).  He found us a place where we had gelato and then we concluded our evening and headed home.    --Brent

Tuesday, June 16th: Sense of Direction

Today, we practiced one of the most fundamental skills any traveller should have:  a sense of direction.  As a start, we explored the Forum so as to gain an impression of Ancient Rome.  First, we noticed the Colosseum, the main essence of Rome's popular culture.  To achieve an example of it, Titus' and Constantine's arches provided us with images of great generals returning with trophies of their successful conquests, stating that they held themselves in great esteem.  Continuing our investigations, we discoverd the Roman Senate House in which a sculpture of Titus had him imitating a pose from a sculpture of Augustus Ceasar.  This information revealed that their esteem arose not only from conquest, but from family legacy.  Afterwards, we glimpsed the pyre of Julius Ceasar, another prominent general, which still bears flowers.  All of these relics uncover ancient Rome's culture, but the geography of modern Rome was a more pressing matter concerning our trip.
 
In order to obtain a bird's eye view of the city, we travelled to the top of the Vittoria Emmanuel monument, nicknamed "the Wedding Cake" for its unuasually white and gaudy appearance.  From there, we used our maps to locateother sights of interest from our position.  Some of which were the Pantheon, St. Peter's Bassilica, The Forum, and the Capitoline Museum.  Essentially, it was a helpful experience, and it should have been, seeing as it cost the eight of us €32.50 to be up there.
 
To end our sight-seeing, we visited the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Novana, sculpted by Bernini during the post-Renaissance era.  The four figures which encompassed it wee supposed to signify a major river from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.  Included in the fountain were animals from approximately the same area as the river, so the work was obviously meant to detail the highlights of the world.  Unfortunately, Bernini's information must not have been very accurate, for the American River was La Plata, in the tropical land of Uruguay, matched with the desert-dwelling Armadillo of North America.  

The subconscous awareness of the layout of Ancient Rome, modern Rome, and the world (in spite of Bernini's unique geography) will prove valuable in the days ahead.    --Josh