All Roads Lead to Rome

Today we visited the heart of ancient Rome, the Forum and the Colosseum. We learned about Emperor Domitian who was so hated that when he died the Senate declared that all statues and inscriptions of him be destroyed and that the memory of his existence be erased. Everywhere in Rome you see the letters SPQR, which means Senatus Populesque Romanus, or "The Senate is the People". It is written on statues and even on the sewer grates.

The Forum was the center of Roman Life, we went to the remains of the Emperors House at Palatine Hill, and the Curia, where the Roman Senate met. At the Colosseum we learned about common life and the gladiators.

We had "take away" pizza for lunch, and then went back to our favorite gelato store at Piazza Navona, (No Protests Today) where we had gelato in the rain. On the way to Piazza Navona, we stopped at the Church of Saint Ignatius, where we saw the tombs of Saint Roberto Bellarmino, and Saint Luigi Gonzaga. We also got to see a Pope, not the current one, but the tomb of Pope Gregory the XV, also at Saint Ignatius.

We then went back to the hotel to do some school work and to rest up for our night out. We all love Rome and are trying to learn a little bit of Italian.

Ciao