Our Second Student-Led Tour Day!

Monday, March 9th

I cannot believe this is already the beginning of our third week here in Rome!! It is unreal how fast the time has gone. Today we had class like usual from a Monday morning but afterwards we had the second group tour! This week, the second group (Geri and Dan) led us around Piazza Navona, Piazza della Rotonda and brought us to the Jewish Ghetto for lunch.

We got to learn a lot about the Pantheon, which was truly incredible to see, as well as the obelisk in front of the Pantheon, and the Fontana del Pantheon. When we got to the Piazza Navona we spent some time looking around and learned about Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or The Fountain of the Four Rivers. This fountain contains a large Egyptian obelisk, the base of which is surrounded by four Bernini sculptures. Each of the four sculptures represents one of the four major rivers of the four continents through which the authority of the Pope had spread. These rivers are the Nile for Africa, the Danube for Europe, the Ganges for Asia, and the Rio de la Plata for America.

At the end of our tour, they brought us to grab some lunch and to get gelato at a little shop that is known for having photos of all of the famous people who have come to eat gelato there posted on the walls. A very cool find in a hidden alley off of Via di Santa Maria dell’Anima.

Enjoying our gelato!!

This was definitely an interesting place to visit, however I was a little disappointed in how touristy the area was… I feel like it almost takes away from the history of the place. Overall it was very beautiful and I can mark another “must-see” off my Rome Bucket list because I got to see the Pantheon!