University of Dallas Fall Rome Semester 2006
Two of my friends fail to pose for a third friend’s photo on one of the many hills outside of Rome.
View across the volcanic crater lake from Castel Gandolfo, the Pope’s summer residence.
This photo was taken around 4 in the morning on Rome’s Notte Bianca (White Night) celebration. Needless to say, the metro ride home was not comfortable.
Though it takes a time, a few Cotral busses, and lots of patience to get to Nemi, located on a volcanic crater lake of the same name miles outside of Rome, the town’s laid back atmosphere and delicious food make it completely worth it.
The Roman Forum has so much history and significance to it. It blows my mind how Rome is really built from the ground up—the Christian church is 2 stories above the Senate house that it is only feet away from, 2 stories above Rome’s original polytheistic temples. Apparently, most of the forum’s ground was covered up with layers of dirt and maneur—cows roamed it during the middle ages.
Another shot from the under passage of the Capitoline Museum. My friends take advantage of one of the best views of the Forum.
The head from the colossal statue of the late Roman Emperor Constantine, found in the Musei Capitolini.
I was clearly having a hard time concentrating on Plato’s PHAEDO while lounging on one of Villa Borghese’s comfortable green lawns. That’s how this picture came about.
The Aventine Hill is my favorite spot in Rome, and if you spy through a keyhole at the end of it, you see this incredible view of Saint Pete’s.
Even when you’re in Rome, sometime you have to get away. Apparently, that was Emperor Tiberius’ idea when he built his own getaway in Sperlonga, a seaside town south of the city.
A painful, bedless night in Sorrento yields an oddly enjoyable memory for myself and 15 friends. The city’s hostels were full, where else could we go?
Capri. Refreshing. Flower? Sure. AND there’s a bee in the photo. Don’t tell me that’s not cool.
Anyway, my friends and I found a place to stay for the night on the less expensive, less touristy side of the Island of Capri. This flower was in the gardens of our hotel, Villa Eva.
When you’re in Rome, you can’t not go to the Coliseum. If you’re lucky, a gypsy will be illegally selling fake-brand sunglasses. My friend Maggie bought some and looked at the Coliseum willingly. I took out my camera.
Lake Como is one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen, especially at sunrise.
This is looking through an anchor contraption towards the city of Como. The basilica dome is the Como Duomo.
There were two paths up the mountain. One looked well-trod, the other looked overgrown. I really have no idea why we took the latter, but it made for an interesting day and a difficult hike up. A lot of dogs barked at us, and luckily they were chained up.
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. The Pope gave UD a shout-out, which I consider the coolest shout-out I’ll ever be associated with.
Vatican City doesn’t look too shabby. I thought the artwork in the Vatican would be amazing, but it turns out that just looking out the museum’s windows is candy for the eyes.
One night we decided to make pizza as authentically as possible, in the forno on campus. Surprisingly, we did good job of it. Either that or I don’t know what good pizza is.
Fall fell on Rome pretty late—late November, that is. The trees lining the Tiber turned yellow.
The sun sets over Tiber Island, which falls at the historically significant bend, near where Romulus and Remus were cared for by the she-wolf, La Lupa.
One of my favorite moments in Florence was at a Beereria tasting many of Italy’s and Europe’s best beers. The favorite: Dragoon Pale Ale.
Honestly, they climb on you even when you don’t want them to.
The Venice mist fades into the square’s environment, covering up the lion holding scripture atop a column, a symbol of Saint Mark.
Though many consider Venice to be a city of Romance, night showed us a different side to the city. Eerie, huh?
The sky changes in Assisi every 10 minutes, causing you to find different perspectives on nearly everything the quaint town possesses. My friend and I perched on a hill opposite the Rocca Maggiore (far right), the large rock fortress atop Assisi’s highest hill, and the sun dodged in and out of the clouds. We attempted to read, but ended up soaking in the awesome scene that nature presented us.
