Day 8: First Day in Rome

Michael enjoying his breakfast.

Today was our first day waking up in our new hotel in Rome! We enjoyed sleeping in a little (wake-up call was at 8am) and eating breakfast together before heading off to explore the city.

Our first stop was visiting the archaeological site of Ostia Antica (Ancient Ostia), which was once the harbor city of ancient Rome. We took public transportation for the first time to get there, making sure to keep all our belongings close in front of us because we learned that the busy streets of Rome means there are many pickpockets. Luckily, no one got anything stolen (and our fanny packs were definitely a fashion statement). Although we've already visited many ancient ruins, it never ceases to amaze me how we are walking on the same ground as Romans did centuries ago. Walking through the city, we saw the ancient tombs, private baths, mosaic tile floors, and kitchen/dining rooms of the Romans. After resting in the sun for a bit, we had lunch at a cafe and then headed off for our next adventure.

The theater at Ostia Antica

 

Striking a pose in the ruins!

Our second stop was exploring the expansive Baths of Caracalla, which was open for all Romans to go into. I couldn't believe how tall the walls were! It was amazing to see the beautiful architecture and all of the different types of baths, like the cold frigidarium and the hot calidarium. We even made a cool connection to an abbreviation we learned about in our Latin class: S.P.A, which stands for "salus per aqua," meaning "health through water." 

Another view of the baths

Archway in the Baths of Caracalla

After visiting the baths, we took a scenic, long walk to the Pantheon, where we got to see the Mouth of Truth. Legend is that if you've lied, the mouth will bite your hand but if you are truthful it won't bite you. We didn't have time to test out if the myth was true, but it was cool to see a glimpse of the famous marble mask. Although the walk was very peaceful, unfortunately we ran into some turbulence when Michael miscalculated his jumping height and ran into a pole... After a few laughs and recovering from the incident, we explored the "Jewish Ghetto," saw the Theater of Marcellus, and stopped and bought some art from a local watercolor painter on our way to the Pantheon. 

Man selling paintings

Mouth of Truth

Theater of Marcellus

We spent the rest of our time before dinner exploring the Pantheon/waiting in line and shopping. The line was much longer than anticipated, but seeing the Pantheon was definitely worth the wait.

Ceiling of the Pantheon

Outside of the Pantheon

Finally, we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. The food was incredible, like always, even though everyone was struggling to finish all of the courses. After eating, we took a bus back to the hotel. However, our ride was cut short when Joah had to go to the bathroom really badly, so we got off the bus early and walked the rest of the way to the hotel. At least this way we got to walk off the big meal, and Joah got his new nickname of "Bathroom Boy." 

When we got back to the hotel, we played a game of cards like we always do and then went off to bed. Overall, an amazing first day in Rome!!