ROME THROUGH THE EYES OF A FISH by Douglas Mann

The pillars of St Peter's

Taking the train to Ostia

Travelling by bus

View from the hotel room in Termini

Like his namesake, Byron was inspired by an old Roman statue to express himself in verse

Angel

Angels have always watched the world pass by.

This one has been watching for over a century now.

She watched as the once proud buildings around her crumbled, their gleaming stones fading to a dull, muted hue.

She watched as her slender arms crumbled to dust, the rain picking flecks off her shining white face, her wings dulled by age.

She watched as the people curiously picked at the bones of this city. Digging. Moving. Making... something new.

Now the marble is covered by fabric, men pulling up poles.

A curious face busily dusts off her feet, muttering something in a strange tongue.

She will wait, perhaps a while longer, she decided.

Byron Duncan

GETTING ABOUT IN ROME

Getting about Rome – Lester Talbot

Whilst in Rome, the one thing that struck me was how the driving style of the Italians differs from the British. As I have just had a British driving test, I was astonished by the reckless driving that the Italians deem to be acceptable. The thought that came into my head each time I crossed the road was that none of these drivers would pass a British driving test. When crossing the road, you have to give the drivers a reason to stop by stepping out onto the road and forcing them to brake. Then, once you have survived the traffic, you then have to negotiate your way around some of the notorious pick-pocketing sites in Rome. More than once, we have to pull one of our friends away from a man who appeared to be following them, with their eyes trained on their brand new Nikon camera. The Termini train station was the primary hunting ground for these people, which is also home to a rather unique form of underground train. Each carriage on the underground is different, mainly because of the interesting artwork that graffiti artists have painted on every square inch of the bodywork. There were some cases when we had to wait for the doors to open before we could tell what station we were at because the windows were almost completely opaque owing to the sheer mass of spray paint that covered them like a second skin.

To sum up, the roads are life threatening, the pavements are full of pick-pockets and the underground trains look like a bad exhibition at the Tate Modern. I can’t wait to go back!

Arrivederci Roma !

Colosseum

St.Peter's -Vatican

As I sit in my office here at home, dark miserable clouds replacing the blue Roman skies, I ponder the five days I enjoyed in Rome with Claremont Sixth Form and five erudite colleagues, representing a spread of specialisms. Here was a city bursting at the seams with cultural riches on nearly every street corner, on a scale witnessed nowhere else on this planet. My admiration and gratitude go out to the Italians who have kept all these things for posterity.

 Rome is certainly a city to visit time and time again, to rediscover the old and absorb the new. That said, there was another aspect of this adventure I am also thankful for. It was a pleasure to witness so many of our students showing an interest.





They allowed themselves to be enveloped by Roman culture, some on a small scale and others much larger. We witnessed the grotesque, from the Colosseum, with a penchant for murder on a grandiose scale, and a Crypt decorated with the skulls and bones of Capuchin monks and children,

Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini

to the beauty of Bernini sculptures and Caravaggio paintings. Rome had everything on offer and at times it could be  overwhelming. Despite the groans of tired feet, which had pounded the Roman causeways, and the aching legs that had cycled around the city, on the whole the Sixth Form remained in high spirits, and I felt our visit to the Vaticanon Tuesday rounded off a hugely successful visit to Rome. Thank you to the Sixth Form and my colleagues for making this adventure such a positively memorable one. Arrivederci Roma !!

From Ostia to Bernini

Ostia is fantastic! Treading in the footsteps (and the cartwheel ruts) of the ancient Romans, we had to investigate every quarter of the great ruined city and take photographs of ourselves enacting the things that would have happened in each place. Some us acted out The Assassins' Creed, leaping from wall to wall, across streets and over buildings, while others sketched and photographed. Mostly we just wandered about and explored the baths, apartment blocks, temples, schools, shops,  theatres, and other buildings that made up this busy port, which was ten times the size of London in its heyday two thousand years ago.   The train journey took about an hour each way, and we all needed a bit of R & R when we got back to base before setting out on the next expedition. That took us back to the Borghese Gardens again, but this time to see the Borghese Gallery, which has to be one of the best little art galleries in the world. Even the most culture-resistant members of the group had to admit that the paintings by Raphael and Caravaggio were pretty impressive, while the scuptures by Bernini and Canova were just breathtaking. Pauline Bonaparte, the Rape of Proserpina, David, and Apollo and Daphne had us gaping in awe. By the time we got out, nobody minded that it had started to rain. Another great action and culture-packed day!

Rome: Day 2

Starting with a trip on the metro, we made it to the Colosseum and had a walk around there, trying to imagine the ancient games with all the animals and gladiators and the crowds baying for blood. The weather was fantastic with a bright blue sky, not a cloud to be seen. After the Colosseum we progressed to the Palatine Hill and the Forum to look at all the ruins in there, and to  learn about the Rostra and the Vestal Virgins and all the ancient temples and basilicas. It was a great opportunity for the photographers to really work their stuff. There were some great shots to be had!

We then took a bus to the Borghese Gardens and some of us had a coffee there while others boated and biked or visited the Museum of Modern Art.  Then we walked through the gardens  to the Piazza del Popolo and the Corso which was jam packed with Saturday shoppers and tourists . We did manage to find the Spanish Steps as well. After walking down the full length of the Corso and up to the Campidoglio we caught a bus back and to the hotel and were then let loose for dinner.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Yes, we made it!

With a nice exciting coach ride into the centre of town we managed to spot a few distinguishing ruins of the old empire littering the joint, which hopefully we'll have more time to check out during our stay.

On our walk to the 'Time Machine' we had a chance for a lovely snack and then for our adventure through time on a Virtual Simulator showing us the best bits of Rome's extensive history.

Another walk from there led us to the Trevi Fountain where we battled the heaving throng of tourists and hawkers for a stunning picture or two of this magnificent structure.

Then it was off to dinner in Trastevere, and once everyone was finally herded into the restaurant (which was quite a novelty in itself with all its hanging washing decor) we tucked into some Bruschetta and Pasta.

Our next challenge was getting back to the hotel on public transport of trams and buses, a success even if by accident :)

PS. cold morning showers...not so cool