Today was a really nice day. It was around 55 or so out today so we decided to get out and see the sites. Laura, Jordan, and I decided to go to this ancient town called Ostia Antica about 30 minutes by train towards the coast of Italy. Ostia Antica was the port city of Rome. First used to defend the city from invaders and then for commercial purposes, Ostia Antica played an important role in Ancient Rome. After the fall of Rome and the change in direction of the Tiber River, Ostia Antica was abandoned but well preserved due [View Full Entry]

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Today I had two classes that span two hours each. The first class is Architecture and the second class is Ancient Rome: History and Myth. For Architecture we went to Castel Sant' Angelo which once used to be the burial ground for Hadrian emperor of Rome and later converted to a Castle to protect Rome from the barbarians to the North. In Medieval times and present day it is a fortress for the pope in times of war and is connected through a tunnel to the Vatican. For Ancient Rome: History and Myth we walked around part of the Roman Forum, [View Full Entry]

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So. I haven't written in a while. I haven't done anything too special in the last couple days and I didn't want to bore any of you with the start or classes because we all know school sucks. (Warning: Going to bore you a little so my story seems more enjoyable.) So the last couple days consisted of first day of classes other then Italian. I'm taking an Architecture, Archeology, Ancient Rome: History and Myth, and a religion course about the Roman Catholic Church called Mystics, Philosophers, Saints, and Sinners. So far I love all of my classes other then my [View Full Entry]

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Again I woke up early, this time to go to the post office myself. Getting to the post office a little before everyone else I ended up third in line and was in and out within 15 minutes unlike Laura's painful 3 hrs. After the post office I returned to the IES center where I met Laura and we made our way to a small cafe to grab a bite to eat. I got this small sandwich and we split this huge cookie that was filled with a fruit glaze. Yum. If you know where to go food here is pretty [View Full Entry]

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So today was a pretty uneventful day. I woke up early with Laura and took the bus with her to the Post Office where she had to fill out a form for housing through Rome. I have to do the same thing but my appointment isn't till tomorrow. It took about 3 hrs for Laura to finally get into the office. In the meantime I wondered the narrow alleys of Rome discovering little shops unknown to the busy people on the main streets that lay just a couple of feet away. After Laura finally got in, we left the post office [View Full Entry]

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Today was my first day of actual class. All I had was intensive Italian from 3:30 to 6 with Laura so Laura and I went shopping at Via del Corso again because the sales end tomorrow and they wont have any for another six months. On the way to Via del Corso we stopped and got a couple notebooks. While walking we saw an archeological dig on ancient ruins in Piazza Argentina. The Italians call this place the cat jungle. The ruins are sunken below street level so it kinda makes this cage just like you would see at a [View Full Entry]

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Ciao Tutti! So today was my first slow day. I had no commitments so I slept in a little. When I woke up I posted that small blog about my apartment. Later that day my roommate Jordan, Laura, and I went to Via del Corso a street by the Spanish Steps which is filled with shops. Instead of taking a bus we walked all the way from our apartment approximately 1 1/2 miles. We walk through this beautiful park filled with a carnival with a merry go round and a overview of the city. The view is absolutely spectacular. I wish [View Full Entry]

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So quick post about my apartment. Apartment is nice. Not the biggest thing in the world but it gets the job done (bigger then PSU one). We have 3 bedrooms. One for the Italian student and 2 bedrooms that fit 2 people each. Two full bathrooms. The bigger one showed in pictures. A little getting adjusted but it feels like a second home already and much better then freshman dorms. I also included a view from my bedroom window. Let me know what you think. [View Full Entry]

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So we woke up early in Assisi and spent about an hour on the bus before up in Perugia. We started the tour off by walking through this so called via (street). It was a fortress used by the pope AGAINST the people of Perugia. As the story goes the church wanted to tax the people of Italy and the people of Perugia wanted none of it. They stood up against the church. After the pope sent an army to conquer the city, the pope built a fortress at the top to fire cannons down among the people if they did [View Full Entry]

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Hello from Assisi. This morning we woke up early at around 7:45, boarded a train, and traveled 3 hrs by bus to a small town north east of Rome called Assisi. The town was much quieter then 2 years ago when I went during the summer of 2006 when it was tourist season. This time the pictures were easier to snap without getting random people and everything seemed more tranquil. Our tour guide was excellent and we learned a great deal about the history of Saint Francis of Assisi who gave up his noble life to live with the poor and [View Full Entry]

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