I had classes all day today but it made for yet another wonderful day in Rome. In Roman History today we met on Capitoline Hill. The hill is home to the epi-center of Archaic Rome and is representative of over four centuries of development and transition within the city. It was amazing to sit amongst the ruins and hear about how the ancient city came to be what it is today. Every now and again I can't help but reach out and touch all of the history around me. It has been here long before I was and it will remain long after I am gone.
We looked at huts and graves. Remains left behind by those that each had their own hand in history. It makes me think about life and how short it is in the grand scheme of things. Each of these people lived their lives in pursuit of happiness but I wonder what they found to be significant. Was it the work they were doing and the jobs they aspired to attain? Was it their families? Or was it, in the case of many of those that I know today, the pursuit of love and general happiness? We study the things that the Etruscans (as they were known between the 8th-3rd century BC) left behind but what does this really tell us about the people they were and what they believed to be important. Whatever those things were, one thing is for sure: they believed in honoring their loved ones when they passed away.
The experience was amazing and their is no other way to describe it. It was one of those days that makes you feel honored to be a part of the long history of the area.
On a lighter note, Noelle and I revisited the Trevi Fountain (as promised) and each tossed in two coins as per legend (see last post). We shall see. Here are some photos from the day:
On that note, I feel extremely blessed to be here and have the opportunity to experience everything I am seeing firsthand. It's late and I'm exhausted (and excited to see what tomorrow holds as my Italian class is taking a field trip to the market). Buona Notte!
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