The Wykehamist The Rome Trip
Coloured marble is more interesting than you think
On 17th February 2025, the Classics department took a group of pupils to Rome for an‘ educational visit, not a holiday’(– WEG) to see for ourselves the wonders of the ancient world featuring in our textbooks. Of course, everyone’ s favourite thing was the gelati but since their delightful taste could not possibly be to put into words, we present you with some other highlights:
We all met up in the airport on the first day and very soon were enjoying the beautiful views of the white cliffs of Dover as we flew over the Channel. A few hours later, we were struck by the snow-capped peaks of the alps poking through the clouds as we flew over the mountains and across the Mediterranean, before landing safely at Fiumicino Airport. We stayed in a lovely neighbourhood in Trastevere. The trip officially kicked off with a nice variety of Italian cuisine for dinner, although Ernest Yau( G, 2020-) contrived a particular predilection for spaghetti carbonara and ate it for every meal but two.
The next day, our itinerary included the Pantheon, the Mausoleum of Augustus( closed for renovation), the Ara Pacis( not open to groups without pre-booking) and Castel Sant’ Angelo. In the Pantheon, we appreciated the genius of the architecture, and later noted some similarities with the baths at Hadrian’ s Villa in Tivoli. The oculus featured prominently in both structures.
Although we could not enter Augustus’ Mausoleum, we did walk past Pompey’ s theatre complex, where Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March: it was full of stray cats, potentially a testament to the great leader’ s legacy.
After lunch( and gelato, of course!), we crossed the Tiber via the Ponte Sant’ Angelo and visited the gardens of the Mausoleum of Hadrian, where we heard JAT’ s impromptu lecture on the strategic advantages of enfilading fire in a siege. Then, after a brief detour to the Vatican, in order to really feel what it would be like to besiege the city of Rome, we hiked up the Janiculum hill just outside the city, where in antiquity there would have been a watchtower for invading forces. Now, there stands a statue of the liberator of Italy, Giuseppe Garibaldi, along with his wife Anita and her remains. LGS explained the importance of Garibaldi’ s contribution to the modern Italian state as a professional freedom fighter.
Day 3, we visited the main sites including the Imperial Fora, the Forum Romanum, the Colosseum and the Capitoline Museums. In the Roman Forum, we saw two triumphal arches, the first commemorating emperor Titus’ victory over the Jews and his looting of the Second Temple, and the second dedicated to Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta( although Geta, after being killed by his brother, was later erased from the monument by the process of damnatio memoriae) for their victory against the Parthians. Other remains and buildings included the Temple of Saturn, and the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The forum was a significant part of the everyday life of a Roman citizen, and it was a marvellous experience to be walking in the paths that were walked by important figures of the ancient world. We then visited the Imperial Fora, situated near the Forum Romanum. Julius Caesar was the fist to build this particular section of the city, and it still houses many fora, including those of Augustus, Nerva and Trajan.
The Colosseum was truly colossal. The common opinion was that the exterior was more impressive than the interior, especially since the inside was packed with tourists. While this famous landmark was stunning indeed, what was even more exciting for us was Capitoline Museums, where we were presented with famous works of art such as the statue of Marcus Aurelius, Hercules of the Forum Boarium, the Capitoline Antonius and the bust of Marcus Tullius Cicero. Most importantly, WEG’ s passion towards ancient coloured marbles( which could be observed at various points of this trip) was at last fulfilled.
The fourth day started slightly earlier, as we took the underground and then a bus to Tivoli, a town about 20 miles outside of Rome. There we visited the villa of Hadrian, the emperor’ s holiday home built around 120 AD and one of the monumental masterpieces of Roman architecture. We were given the chance to look around this immense structure in small groups of three or four to have a more free and relaxed tour. Especially impressive sites were the baths, the Temple of Venus and the viewpoint. The gardens were decorated with stunning columns, and we were able to
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