We got into Rome on the afternoon of the 6th, arriving at our hotel - Texas Seven Hills, where they "got paintin's on the ceilin'." We spent the rest of the evening walking all over Rome - we caught a glimse of the Roman Forum, a museum designed by Richard Meier to house an altar, and the Spanish Steps. After we ate dinner, several of us walked past the Trevi Fountain and poked into San Carlito del Quattro Fontaine on our way back to the hotel. To get ready for our visit to the Colosseum, we all squished into one hotel room and watched 'Gladiator' on one of the laptops.

The next day, we went out to see the Colosseum in the early light, and take a quick turn around the interior. Afterward, we had several hours to walk through the Forum and its vast array of ruins. We ate lunch before meeting back up with the group at the Pantheon. We spent several minutes inside, exiting just as hoardes of orange cowboy-hatted tourists invaded. We then headed out by bus to see a trio of concert halls designed by architect Richard Rojers, where the next night, we attended a jazz concert.

Today, the group went out to Eur, a business district comissioned by Mussolini in the 1940s for a world Exposition. One of the museums in the district houses a collection of ancient Roman artifacts, as well as a model of the ancient city at the height of its glory. We then wandered the district to do some sketching and take photos, and headed back into the city proper for the day.