Taking class at the Colosseum...

We spent Friday learning about the Colosseum and the Roman Forum- at the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. From 10 to 5, we all immersed ourselves in what it would've been like over 2,000 years ago through all of the layered architecture and ruins.

I'm really not even sure that I can go through everything of what I learned (my mind is still boggled in how I took in that many centuries' worth information in one day), and I fear it would probably be a little boring if I hadn't actually been standing there, so I'm gonna try to limit that and post more pictures instead.

House of the Vestal Virgins

The Roman Forum was basically a place for daily life under Julius Caesar and other famous political figures. We even went to the exact spot where he was cremated, where there was a podium with a bunch of flowers. One of the coolest parts in the Roman Forum was the House of the Vestal Virgins. The place where the casa used to be was surrounded by all of the statues of the women who had lived there, and whenever one died, they would just replace the head of the statue with the priestess replacing her. One of their responsibilities was to continuously watch over the sacred fire, worshipping the goddess of the hearth, Vesta. It is believed that the Vestal Virgins began around 700 BC with the king Pompilius, and was disbanded in 394 when it was ordered the sacred fire go out under a new Christian emperor. It was fascinating that a group of women had so much power in ancient Rome. When Julius Caesar was young, he was condemned as an  enemy of the state, and the Vestal Virgins interceded and saved him. Even Caesar owes them. According to ancient laws, if a man marked for death for any crime walked by a Vestal Virgin in the street, he was automatically pardoned. All of the women were high-born, and apparently it was very difficult to be selected. They also had reserved places of honor in pretty much everything, and were invited to every important ceremony in carriages that always had the right of way. They had rights that even most free-born men didn't have. However, if they messed up, like let the sacred fire go out or had sexual relations with someone, they were severely punished. Although spilling the blood of any of the women was illegal, there were still ways they could be sentenced to death. Within the city walls, they would be buried alive with a few days of food and water. Also, it has been believed that they may have been used as scapegoats in times of unrest or trouble. Oddly, women didn't necessarily have to be young or even virgins to be selected to replace a Vestal Virgin. Even some divorcees were known to have been given a spot, though it was very unlikely and looked down upon.

Roman ruins above the Forum

Basically, after the home of the Vestal Virgins, I kind of checked out. It was a beautiful day, but it was freezing out. We spent a total of almost three hours at the Roman Forum, and although the ruins were pretty cool, the thing I found interesting about the rest of the tour was the fact that we were pretty much watching archaeologists unearthing even more artifacts from the past. Even as we were standing there, something really important and key to history could be laying just a few feet under us. Our professor pointed out a specific tent, and said that a project had recently begun there and they were waiting for the results of what they would find in the upcoming months.

When we were dismissed for our lunch break, I was relieved. We walked across the street and past the Colosseum up to some touristy looking (I didn't care, I was too hungry) streets to find a cafe or trattoria to sit down. We were in a big group of girls that certainly screamed "American", so obviously we had all kinds of promos and specials flung our way regarding various pizza and beer deals. We finally chose a place a little further down from the Colosseum, and when the waitress sat us down, I knew right away I was going to have a problem with her. I understand that dealing with American tourists on a daily basis is probably annoying, but if you're going to be rude about it, pick another restaurant to work at. She handed us a special for a 7 euro Margherita pizza and beer. A lot of the girls decided to get that, but I had no interest in having a beer in the middle of the day. Me and Lucie were going to split the pizza and beer, and order a soda and split the cost of that (she would have the beer). I think a lot of the girls were about to do the same thing, until she sternly said to one of my friends, "Ma'am, no splitting the special." Okay. We get it. So instead, me and Lucie decided to split a different pizza on the menu, not get the special, and Luc would order a beer separately. When she got to us (bear in mind that my friends hadn't been rude at all down the line), me and Lucie asked her to split a pizza on the menu. She was so rude, so I was rude back.

"Ma'am, you can't split the special." Not ordering the special, lady. Instead of saying that, I replied nicely and explained that we didn't want the special, we just wanted a regular pizza. Again she said something about the freaking special, and I just stared at her for a second before repeating, "I don't want the special. I want this pizza, on the menu, no beer." Bear in mind that she spoke perfect English- this wasn't a pronunciation problem. She just had it in her mind that I was trying to cheapen the deal or something. She just kept looking at me like a stupid American until I almost gave up. Finally she got the point, Lucie ordered her full-size beer (the girls who had gotten the special got like a teacup of beer), and the food came. In all the commotion, I had forgotten to order water, but then decided not to even ask the waitress because I had a water bottle in my purse. Considering I would've had to pay for the water anyway, I decided it was karma to the waitress for being so annoying. When we got our food, the bottoms of all of our pizzas were burnt and unsatisfying. I was glad I only had to pay 3,50 euros to that restaurant anyway.

Just a little reflection on the Italian people...

That woman was a complete outlier. Out of all of the people I've interacted with on the street, in restaurants, and out at night, I have honestly not met one person who has judged us because we're Americans (at least not to our faces). Compared to horror stories I've heard about the way people react to Americans in other European countries, the Italians have been accepting and friendly. They're very colorful and loud, at least in the big city of Roma, and us American students fit right in.

There was even one incident in which Katherine, Anna and I were on the street, stopped and clearly unsure of what direction the book store was in. This adorable old man stopped and said, "Do you speak Italian?" and all three of us shook our heads, so he started asking us if we needed help in broken English. After at least a minute of him taking the time to decipher what we were saying--we weren't pronouncing the bookstore name right--he pointed us in the right direction up the street. We hadn't even stopped to ask him, yet he had stopped anyway. I love the Italian people, except that waitress.

After lunch, we headed back for the Colosseum part of the tour. It was awesome, and way bigger than I expected. We learned that it was basically built by Jewish slaves that Augustus (I think?) had brought back after he had sacked Jerusalem. It took a ridiculously short amount of time to finish, considering its size. I think the coolest part was seeing all of the places where the animals would come out of their cages. Apparently, during one of the biggest festivals, five thousand beasts including lions, jaguars, bears and all kinds of huge animals were slaughtered over the period of one hundred days. They would bring them up from northern Africa into the Colosseum. Finally, to my devastation, I learned that the Colosseum was definitely not the place where Lizzie McGuire filmed her concert with Paulo. It would have been impossible, and there are definitely not anymore seats left. So heartbreaking to know that as hard as I wish at the Trevi Fountain, I will never become a world famous pop star who gets to sing to thousands in the Colosseum...