Anthony Eley ’19 — Ever since I stepped into my first Classics class, in the spring of last year, I have been captivated by the art, archeology, and extensive history of Rome. With this emersion course I have been able to experience all of those aspects of the ancient Roman and how they relate to the development of Christianity. The part of the trip that has had the biggest impact on me is the scale. Not just the scale of the city itself, but the monuments that inhabit the city. During my studies in the art, archeology, and history of Rome, the true size of the monuments and buildings that still inhabit the city never fully sunk in through the power points or pictures about the monuments. But when I approached the 112 foot Column of Trajan, the true scale of everything came into picture. I slowly began to realize that this city of emperors and the center of the greatest empire in the ancient world was truly to scale to its reputation. This city is truly like no other and from the forum, to the Basilica of Saint Peter, it’s enormous buildings and monuments support this notion even more. Walking into a building like the Pantheon, a building that is over 1900 years old, and seeing the grandure and beauty of the building and being astonished at the fact that it was built within the help of power tools or machines completely baffles my mind. Everyday so far has brought to life a piece of art, architecture, or a piece of history that has truly astonished me and I hope that trend continues for the rest of the trip.