Greetings from Rome! We are nearing the end of week 1 of our time here in a Rome, and I have to say that this group of students are probably the most energetic and enthusiastic bunch of librarians/archivists I’ve ever encountered. In just under a week, we have had students visit Ostia Antica, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, go to the beach, head to Florence, and engage in controversial and fascinating class discussions about Intellectual Freedom and Visual Communications. Just yesterday, student Emily Tragert used her medieval history knowledge to take a few of us on a walking church tour and provided us with so much information about these tiny churches nestled in between huge buildings in the middle of Rome. I never would have even known about these places if it weren’t for the unique subject knowledge that our students have about Rome, history, and art. Wow, these people ROCK!
To give you some details on my personal favorite adventure so far, I’ll tell you a little bit about our picnic trek to the Appian Way. As the oldest road in Rome, and the most strategically placed road, the Appian Way is now loved by Italians as a great spot to picnic and enjoy the spring weather. Unfortunately, the weather since we arrived has been a little bit disappointing – mostly rainy and cooler. However, Wednesday afternoon was absolutely perfect.
After class, Professor Benoit suggested a historical picnic so we could learn a bit about Roman military history, and enjoy some antipasti and wine in the countryside. Who could refuse such an excellent idea? Brilliant!
After mapping out what we thought would be an excellent way to arrive on Via Appia Antica, 6 students and 1 professor jumped on the metro in pursuit of a perfect day. However, as any good story begins, we really had no idea how to arrive at our ideal destination – and became incredibly lost. Actually, we weren’t really lost because we had a map and knew where we were most of the time, BUT, we couldn’t actually figure out how to get inside of the Appian Way Park. We learned eventually that there is only one way in and one way out, so we spent a good hour or so, carrying all of our groceries for the picnic, walking around the perimeter of the park. Despite being just a bit frustrated by this, we still enjoyed the experience because we had a chance to speak with several helpful locals with the assistance of Professor Benoit’s Italian language proficiency. Hooray!
After an exhausting trek, we finally arrived at an absolutely breathtaking park, and feasted on Italian food and wine until we could feast no longer. We shared stories, learned about Roman history, and made life-long friends. Thanks again to Professor Benoit for leading the group and hosting such a beautiful day with friends. Here are some pictures of our wacky and enlightening day:
Emily & my friend Jacqui from Paris lead the way to find a picnic spot!
Professor Benoit stopping for a water break on the freeway
Lost, but still excited!
Preparing the antipasto!
Cheese & Berries
Katie is getting excited from some tasty food!
The feast begins.
Taking our obligatory food photos.
Perfecto.
Katie & Jordan
Amna, Emily & Sally
Bethany & Jacqui
When in Rome, force your teacher into a straw hut!
The Last Supper recreation – hilarious!
Thanks for following along – more updates later as we tour the Vatican today!
Ciao,
Bethany