Ciao di Roma!
Today the bus left at 6:30 AM on the dot! We had a tight schedule today in order to make our 3:00 PM appointment at the Vatican.
Despite our efforts to stay on schedule, some unexpected traffic delayed us a little bit. While on the bus we drove through the end of Tuscany region, and reached Umbria. A lot of students were sleeping, but some enjoyed gorgeous views of Lake Transimene.
We arrived in Assisi, just a little bit late, so on the way our guide Chiara took us through a background of Saint Francis: his life, his movement, his death, and the significance of Assisi to his life. He led a wealthy, privileged early life before completely giving himself and all of his possessions over to Christ. He reconstructed the church in Assisi and was able to transform the city from the Hill of Hell to the Hill of Paradise.
The church has three parts: the lower basilica (the church of death), the upper basilica (the church of life), and the crypt. One of the friars led us through to point out certain important frescoes and to tell us about his life as a monk in Africa. His humor related well to the students, too!
We walked underneath the lower basilica to the crypt where St. Francis is buried. He died of consumption after suffering from multiple illnesses in the last few years of his short life. The crypt is a place for prayer and reflection. The students were very respectful of all the other visitors; some even stopped to say a prayer and kneel in front of the tomb.
While walking down the hill back to the bus after our tour, we made little stops for souvenirs, water, and snacks. Back on the road we stopped briefly at an AutoGrill, the Italian version of a highway rest stop. We enjoyed paninis, hot pasta, veggies, chocolates, and even American food like hamburgers and fries. Heading back on the bus, we continued our trip to Rome.
Since we have such incredible Latin scholars on the bus, our guide asked for a volunteer to tell the legend of the founding of Rome. Michelle stepped up to the plate and narrated the story to the entire tour group using the microphone of the bus. She told of Rhea Silva and Mars and their twins Romulus and Remus.
We spent the entire afternoon touring the Vatican Museum, viewing the splendor of the Sistine Chapel, and listening to a choir signing in St. Peter's Basilica. Our hotel in Rome is right near Termini, the main bus/train station, so we can get to any area very easily! We had a wonderful but exhausting day. Most of us,
including all three chaperones had gelato BEFORE dinner! What a treat!
Mrs. Flood and I are especially excited about the last leg of our trip. Wednesday will be dedicated completely to Rome and Thursday will be spent in Pompeii: a Latin Scholar's dream schedule! I will post more tomorrow, hopefully with the help of some guest bloggers....
Arrividerci!
-Ms. Sullivan
