Agenda for Day 19, 06-05-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Yes, you read that right: Day 19. Unless you've made other arrangements with Dr. Spinner and me, this is the day that you'll post your final blog entry, the envoi.

As noted on our Writing page, the purpose of the envoi is to give you an opportunity to say some final words as a Roman writer:

An envoi is the conclusion of a written work, which often includes the author's parting words. Your envoi will be your final blog entry, posted 48 hours after the tour is over, where you will look back on your Roman tour and bring your writing of it to a close — for now.

Also, if you have outstanding blog posts, please make sure you have entered them before you post your envoi. Following this, Dr. Spinner and I will re-read everything, confer, and send your grades to the registrar.

For now, I hope this post finds you happy, healthy, and satisfied. Travel well, Romekids.

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 16, 06-02-15 (evening)

Dear Writers of Rome,

The agenda for our final evening in the Eternal City will be as follows.

(1) Gather in the Common Room at 7:00 p.m. sharp with your audio devices ready to be redistributed to those flying back to JFK on. If possible, please repack your device in the original bag(s), with the batteries removed.

(2) Also at this time, we'll review the check-out procedures, which we posted previously.

(3) After these preliminaries, we'll make some closing remarks and ask you to fill out course evaluations. Our peer mentor will collect them and mail them to the Classics/Religion administrative assistant upon landing in the U.S.

(4) At 8:00 we'll head out to our farewell dinner at L'Osteria Centouno. Thanks to the euro being in our favor, your personal allowance at the restaurant (excluding alcohol) will be 50 euros.

(5) Finally, bear in mind that those traveling to New York with Dr. Spinner will depart via shuttle at 6:30 a.m. the following morning.

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 16, 06-02-15 (morning)

Dear Writers of Rome,

As you are aware, tomorrow is the country-wide Festa della Repubblica, which commemorates the nationwide referendum of June 2, 1946 — the date on which Italians voted to abolish their constitutional monarchy and institute a full parliamentary system of government.

It's a national holiday akin Independence Day in the U.S. Nowhere are the celebrations grander than in Rome, the capital. Here's both what you can expect regarding transportation and other services on your last day in Rome, and how we plan to observe some of the festivities.

First, buses and the Metro will operate on the reduced-run festivo schedule; in fact, the Colosseo Metro stop might be closed the entire day to accommodate the ceremonies near the Wedding Cake.

Second, many archaeological sites (such as the Forum) will be closed, as will many other shops — though not all. You'll still be able to visit quite a few museums, churches, and other destinations for your solo excursions; and you'll still be able to shop. The important thing is to do your research before you head out.

In Rome on Republic Day (as we call it in English), there are several events of interest to us as a class:

• 9:15 a.m.: The President of Italy will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (as described in Kristen's site report);
• 10:00: There will be a military parade on the Via dei Fori Imperiali from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum;
• 11:00: Fighter jets will release tri-color smoke and create an aerial Italian flag.
• In the evening, there will be fireworks.

The parade is a fitting culmination to our study of Rome. We have often noted how power and authority are publicly displayed in spectacles. Ancient triumphs and medieval processions were continued in Mussolini's parades on the Via dell'Impero. Their spirit survives into the present day every June 2.

We invite you to join us for any or all of the above. Tomorrow morning Profs. Curley and Spinner will be stationed on the the Capitoline Hill between the new wing of the Capitoline Museum and the Palazzo Senatorio, overlooking the Via dei Fori Imperiali. Look for us there by 9:30 if you want to meet up. Otherwise, feel free to find your own place to sample the spectacle.

Note that attendance is optional, but we hope you'll make the most of this Italian, and uniquely Roman, holiday.

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 15, 06-01-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Here are the most important things to know about our visit to the Vatican Museums on Monday, June 1:

• We will leave at 9:00 sharp from the Common Room. Vatican reservations (ours is at 9:30) are very strict.
• Please have your Skidmore ID (to verify your U.S. student status), your Blue Guide, and your tour equipment.
• Be dressed for church: the Vatican likes appropriate dress in the museum and especially at the Sistine Chapel.

If you are late or do not have the appropriate gear, we will not wait for you. Although we won't be running to the Vatican, we'll need you to stay with the group, since we'll be using the audio devices to fill you in as we walk.

More tomorrow,

DC

Agenda for Day 14, 05-31-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Our agenda for Sunday, May 31, are as follows:

Meet at the Common Room at 9:00. We'll take the Metro to Piramide, and then the regional rail to Ostia Antica.

Once at Ostia, you can explore the remains of Rome's ancient port city mostly on your own. This visit will help you envision what ancient Rome was like, before it was built up over the years. At a prearranged point we'll meet at the theater and from there move on to the ancient synagogue.

While at Ostia you'll do your Writer's Choice assignment (Ekphrasis, Momentary Blindness, Space & Place or Voyeur).

In the afternoon we'll head to the Lido di Ostia (Lido Centrale) and head to the beach. As noted, feel free to rent a chair from a private resort or to use the public beach (we'll show you both options).

Allegedly, the last train back to St. John's is 11:30 p.m. We'll try to confirm that during transit. If you miss the train, you'll have to get back via bus or taxi. I wouldn't stay out too late, though: we'll have a 9:00 start the next day at the Vatican Museums.

DC

Agenda for Day 13, 05-30-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Tomorrow, May 30, we head to the Protestant Cemetery, where we'll see the remains of many Grand Tourists. Here's our agenda:

Gather in the Common Room at 8:30. Yes, this is early for a weekend, but we want to give you as much time the rest of the day to enjoy the city and make solo excursions.

We'll travel by Metro to the cemetery. The rules for admission call for polite behavior and respectful dress. They also ask us to break into two groups, but once we get into the older part of the grounds, we can stand together.

After our final site report, we'll make a quick jaunt to the Monte Testaccio itself, and admire from the sidewalk the artificial hill that gives the quarter its name. After that, you're on your own.

DC

Agenda for Day 12, 05-29-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Our agenda for Friday, May 29, is shaping up as follows:

We'll gather in the Common Room at 8:30 and take the Metro to the Circo Massimo stop, transferring at Termini. From there it's a short walk to the Baths of Caracalla, the best preserved ancient baths in Rome. Our principal guide for this excursion will be none other than our beloved Peer Mentor herself.

After the Baths, we'll board the infamous 118 bus and make our way out onto the Appian Way, or Via Appia Antica. We'll have a picnic at the Villa of Maxentius, and then learn about the road itself. Make sure you have, in addition to your must-bring items, some food to eat: facilities on the V.A.A. are both sparse and bleak.

We'll linger in the area, visiting the Tomb of Cecilia Metella (courtesy of our Baths of Caracalla ticket) until 2:00, the appointed hour for our tour of the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. Once the tour is over, we'll head home by bus and Metro.

As if all of this weren't enough, you are invited by our friend Alessandra to attend a reading from her New Anthology of American Poetry: several of the Romekids have volunteered to lend their voices to this event. The reading will take place at 7:00 p.m. at Libreria Caffe N'Importe Quoi, in the former Ghetto. It will be a unique opportunity to observe Roman literary culture in action.

http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html

DC

Agenda for Day 11, 05-28-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Our itinerary on Thursday will be another double-header, but it is the second-to-last one of these. As before, we've build in rest and food breaks, and we promise much serenity to go around.

We'll gather in the Common Room at 8:30 sharp for an immediate departure. Please be on time. We'll grab the 70 or 87 bus to the Largo Argentina and walk from there to the Great Synagogue of Rome. There we'll meet our guide, David, who will give us a tour of the former Ghetto, which will also include a visit to the Museo Ebraico.

Lunch will be a group affair, with a tasting menu at Nonna Betta, one of the best restaurants in the Ghetto. The owner, Umberto, has offered to say a few words about the traditions of Jewish cuisine in Rome.

After lunch and a break, we'll hear a presentation on Tiber Island, then head up the Aventine Hill to hear about the Basilica of Santa Sabina. While on the hill we'll also visit the Giardini degli Aranci (the Orange Garden) and write our Momentary Blindness exercise.

DC

Agenda for Day 10, 05-27-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Our agenda for Wednesday, May 27, looks like this:

We'll meet at 8:45 in the Common Room and walk over to Piazza San Pietro, where crowds will be arriving for the Papal General Audience. Here we'll do our Voyeur writing exercise. Once you're finished, you can stay for the audience (standing room only) or leave on other excursions.

We'll reconvene under the north colonnade in the Piazza at 1:00 p.m. Lines to get into the Basilica San Pietro may be long, so we'll have to be patient. Wear your best church clothes.

Once we've cleared security and are in the Basilica, we'll use our audio equipment to orient us inside the structure, and then let you explore it on your own. Bring your Blue Guides.

Admission to the Basilica is free. At your option you may pull a Florence Nightingale and pay to ascend to the cupola (an elevator will take the faint of heart half way up). The view of Rome from the top is unparalleled. Note that if you leave the Basilica through the official exit before you visit the top, you'll have to get back into the long line and enter the Basilica again in order to ascend.

We'll end our day by hearing about the Piazza itself.

Enjoy your day off; you've earned it.

DC

Agenda for Day 08, 05-25-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Our agenda for Monday involves still more touring of the Campus Martius, but also a trip to the outskirts of the city. Here's the breakdown.

We'll gather in the Common Room at 8:30 and make our way to the Pantheon at 9:00. We'll spend some quality time there, studying it as a Roman icon, and then head for a coffee break at Tazza d'Oro (one of the two best coffee bars in Rome).

From there we'll move to Piazza Navona, after a brief stop at San Luigi dei Francesi to see Caravaggio's St. Matthew series, and the Basilica of Sant'Agnese in Agone.

Following a lunch break we'll meet at the statue of Giordano Bruno at 2:00 p.m. (14:00) in the Campo de' Fiori before moving on to Termini Station and the fragments of the Servian Wall. From there it's off to the Porta Maggiore before ending at Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano.

In and around these delights we'll visit our last two Talking Statues of Rome.

We know this will be as long a day as we'll have in Rome. But it's all good stuff. We'll take breaks, and by the end of it, we'll have earned our day of rest.

https://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 07, 05-24-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Tomorrow's Pentecost Mass at the Pantheon begins at 10:30 a.m. It's a popular event, so if you plan to go, you should be there at least by 9:30, and make it clear that you mean to attend the mass (as opposed to simply being a tourist).

The mass will last about an hour and a half, and you'll very likely be standing for most of it. But when the petals drop at noon, you can say you've witnessed a singular Roman experience.

(If you miss it, you won't miss the Pantheon. We'll be back on day 08.)

In the afternoon, we'll convene at the top of the Spanish Steps at 1:00 p.m. (13:00), outside the church of Trinità dei Monti. After hearing about the Piazza di Spagna, we'll continue our tour of the Campus Martius, including the column of Marcus Aurelius, the Horologium of Augustus, the Area Sacra of the Largo Argentina, and (of course) more Talking Statues of Rome.

http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 06, 05-23-15

Dear Roman Writers,

As noted, we're working on shuffling around the agenda of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, while still keeping our free day of next Tuesday intact.

The upshot for Saturday is that we'll be moving the presentations on the Column of M. Aurelius, Piazza di Spagna, and  the Horologium of Augustus to either Sunday or Monday.

The itinerary for Saturday posted on the web is the correct one. Please meet Dr. Spinner at 8:30 a.m. in the Common Room, to arrive at the Villa Borghese in time for our 9:00 entry. The forecast is calling for scattered showers, so please be prepared.

http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html

DC

Agenda for Day 05, 05-22-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Can you believe it's almost been a week since our tour began? We on the instruction team are very happy with how things have been going, and we hope you are, too.

Tomorrow we'll gather in the common room at 8:30 sharp. We'll keep the remarks to a minimum, because to get to the Capitoline Museum, we'll have to take the 70. A great bus — it makes far fewer stops than the 280 — but it can be a little uneven in service.

As noted at the end of today's session, you'll have to check large backpacks and bags in the checkroom. But please be ready to carry, at a minimum:

• your audio equipment
• Blue Guide
• pencil (no pen) and notebook

You may take pictures without flash of the regular exhibits; you'll probably want to bring your phone, if only to help keep track of time.

I'll reinforce this idea at the morning, but we'll have at least one occasion during our visit when we'll reconvene as a group. So it will be important that you NOT exit the museum before that time. More on that tomorrow.

At the museum, we'll hear from Sarah Donovan about the Talking Statues of Rome; we'll also hear more about the statues later that day (and on Saturday and on Sunday).

In the evening we'll hear from our friend in Rome, the poet Alessandra Bava. Meet at the Piazza Farnese at 6:45 p.m. (18:45) for an interview and a poetry reading, followed by a fine dinner at Al Pompiere.

DC

Agenda for Day 04, 05-21-15

Dear Roman Writers,

Not much to say for tomorrow, when we tour the Palatine Hill and the Forum Romanum. Most important are these two items:

(1) Meet in the Common Room at 8:30 a.m. sharp.
(2) Please bring your Blue Guides with you.

The BG will fill in the details of the Palatine Hill, which (as you know) is a warren of structures, mostly from the Imperial period. There's no need for us to turn over every stone, but the Guide can help you understand the things you are interested in.

Again, our Itinerary: http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html.

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 03, 05-20-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

As you have probably heard by now, we're gathering on Wednesday in the Common Room/Lounge not at 8:15 but at 8:35.

Our itinerary tomorrow includes a tour of the Colosseum, followed by a visit to the Basilica San Pietro in Vincoli. After lunch, we'll convene at the Basilica San Clemente for another stellar site report.

Given this itinerary, be prepared to enter two churches.

As always, our itinerary can be found at: http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html.

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 02, 05-19-15

Dear Writers of Rome,

Thank you for a splendid first day. I think I speak for Prof. Spinner when I say that we are very pleased with how things went, and we hope you have a sense of how Reading Rome has given you a context to appreciate the many things the city has to offer.

As noted, tomorrow morning you are on your own to either plan your site reports or make a solo excursion. As you know by now, the list of excursions is both on the Writing page of our website and in the libretto (little book) of site reports.

We'll meet at 1:00 p.m. (13:00) sharp outside the Colosseum Metro stop. Remember that the stop is on the Blue Line (Line B); so you need to take the Red Line (Line A) at Lepanto and transfer at Termini. Be sure, when you transfer, that you're heading in the right direction: to get to the Colosseum, follow the signs for Laurentina (the southern end of the line).

Also be sure to have your must-bring gear, including your audio equipment. And be dressed appropriately for the Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli. And if anyone runs across that extra set of batteries, let us know.

http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/itinerary.html

DC/gs

Agenda for Day 01, 05-18-15

Dear Roman Writers,

What follows is, so far as it is possible to determine, our agenda for day one. This post covers what will happen when we deplane, when we arrive at St. John's, and beyond.

Please take the time to read this post (which is part of your pre-departure review checklist), since not everyone is arriving on the same flight, and since it will not always be possible to speak with you individually or as a group during transit.

(NOTE: Not every post for every day of our tour will be this detailed: that's why we have an Itinerary posted on our website.)

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

AT LEONARDO DA VINCI AIRPORT

You might have heard that the International terminal at Rome's airport suffered a fire over a week ago. What this means for us is that the process of going through customs and getting our baggage will require some patience. Dr. Spinner tells me that lines were long and tempers short when he went through last Monday. It might be that the Italian authorities now have better workarounds in place. Regardless, our arrival will probably be the most variable part of our day.

Normally, one deplanes and takes the Skytrain to customs, and then to the baggage claim area. While there will be bathrooms along the way, wait until we're at baggage to heed the call of nature and freshen up. Help us keep our momentum through the airport by staying with the group.

Once through baggage we'll hopefully find our bus driver waiting for us; we'll board and head to Prati and St. John's. Along the way, you might contemplate what Rome is from the standpoint of size. You'll recall from our discussion of the modern city how the Regulatory Plans kept expanding outward from the historic center. This kind of concentric urbanization is what you can expect to see on the bus ride.

Those of you not arriving on the group flight are responsible for getting to St. John's on your own.

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

AT ST. JOHN'S

In a perfect world, we'll arrive at the St. John's Rome campus before noon, where Dr. Spinner will be waiting for us, looking relaxed and refreshed.

Here, too, there will be some variability. We know that the staff of St. John's wants to give us a brief orientation. We also know that in order to access the wireless internet, laptops have to be registered by St. John's IT personnel — a process that will require us to physically loan them our equipment so they can install the wireless protocols. If we get to the Rome Campus early enough, this will hopefully be done by the end of the workday. If not, we'll have to wait until Tuesday to have wireless.

At some point we'll be given our St. John's IDs, which we'll need when we return to campus from our excursions, and our passwords for the computer lab, where the computers are hardwired for internet access. And you'll want to get to your rooms, freshen up, explore the area, get money, and eat a little something.

All in all, there will likely be some down time between our arrival on Campus and when we convene in the late afternoon for our first excursion. It is strongly recommended that you avoid sleeping, if you can help it. The later you go to bed this first night, the more your internal clock will have a chance to reset itself.

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

OUR FIRST EXCURSION AND DINNER

For now it looks as though we'll convene in the St. John's Common Room at 2:30 (or 14:30 in European time). Prior to meeting up, be sure you have all the must-bring items on your excursion list (as noted on our Syllabus under "Class Participation."). If we haven't yet had a chance to distribute our tour equipment, bus passes, and booklets, we'll do so at this meeting. The instruction team will make some preliminary remarks, and then we'll be out the door.

Our destination will be the Janiculum Hill, by way of Trastevere, which we'll reach via bus. On this first ride, you'll validate your bus pass (which process we'll explain beforehand). Once we reach the summit of the hill and have had a chance to look out over the city, we'll hear our first report from our Peer Mentor on the Fontanone (Big Fountain) of the Acqua Paola.

Following the report and a little time to orient ourselves both on the Janiculum and within the larger cityscape, we'll descend again into Trastevere and have our welcome dinner at Dar Poeta, a wonderful and authentic Roman pizzeria. Our reservation is set for 6:30 (18:30), so we might spend some time in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere beforehand — it all depends.

*                    *                    *                    *                    *

BACK TO ST. JOHN'S

One of Professor Curley's favorite things to do, especially on the first night, is meander along Rome's dusky streets and reacquaint himself with some old friends: the Campo de' Fiori, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and many more. If you want to join him on the long walk back to St. John's for any or all of this experience, you are more than welcome. If you'd rather head back to St. John's directly we'll point you in the right direction and/or make sure you get on the right bus. If you'd rather do your own thing entirely, no problem.

Before we part ways, we'll have said something about Day 02. For now just remember that the following morning is reserved for solo excursions and site-report planning. We recommend that you rise as early as you can and make the most of it.

DC/gs