Sculpture is not a medium that has interested me in the past. Maybe it’s because we’ve been looking at Roman sculpture in history books since grade school but something about seeing them in person really added a new level of interest and intrigue for me. Here’s my favorite sculpture from the entire trip so far:
Today we were able to visit the Colosseum on our very first day in Rome. our guide was extremely helpful in providing historical information about every aspect of the structure and was able to get us inside very quickly. According to the guide and to my surprise I learned that Gladiators were not slaves forced into combat but were treated like professional athletes, many even went to school to become a Gladiator, and some were even protected in battle as an investment.
Tonight I needed a solitary moment to detach from the group and have time with my own thoughts. I put on my favorite album and began to aimlessly walk throughout the city. I revisited everywhere we’ve been and also explored new places that we haven’t. I took a risk and got lost, but I gained were new sights, a sense of adventure, a sense of excitement, and near panic. Tonight provided a much needed independent life experience. It’s almost 2 am local time and I’m finally getting into bed to leave for Roma in a few hours. Tonight I was truly humbled. Ciao Firenze.
Tonight one of my favorite people and professors, Pouya Afshar, gave us all a surprise visit at dinner tonight. Pouya who was originally supposed to be on the trip joined us for a great night of drinks, dinner, and conversstion.
Everything has been moving so fast that it’s hard to keep track of the days let alone the blog posts. I thought I had already posted this but realized that I haven’t. Here I am halfway up the Duomo Bell Tower with the Duomo behind me to my left. It was a steep and narrow climb to the top but the 360 degree views of the entire city was well worth it. 10/10 would climb again.
Even though we have seen a lot of traditional historic art and formal design there is still plenty of graffiti and street art to see along the way. Here is some of my favorite street art from the last few days by three different artists I’ve seen throughout the city.
SHARKO! / Blub / K.
