325: Week 2 Blog 23-8-10

     As one of the many travelers to Rome, it is easy to see how people quickly become captured by all the stories told by the city. It is as if everywhere I turn I am provided with a new and complicated history lesson. That in itself is such an exciting idea. At the same time, it can be a lot to take in. During the rapid week and a half that I have spent experiencing Rome, I have felt many of the strong emotions that Rome provokes within people, and I truly understand why H.V. Morton describes Rome’s history to be both exhilarating and oppressive.

     Rome is truly one of the most interesting and inspiring places I have ever been. No matter how many pictures I take, I simply cannot capture what my eyes see every day. Even on the train ride we take every morning, I continue to find myself discovering something new. Each corner that we encounter reeks of history, and it is as if everything tells a story. For me, this surely is the exhilarating feelings of a traveler that H.V. Morton suggests. When I consider the word exhilarating, I think of things that make me happy in a way that is thrilling and takes my breath away. This history I have discovered in Rome so far does these things in many ways. The rich and complex history of Rome is emphasized by the many buildings left today. To me, this just proves in more than one way that the history of Rome is able to withstand time. Accurately, Rome is an exhilarating place for a traveler, often in ways that are unexplainable. Luigi Barzini spends page after page in his book, The Italians, trying to point out a reason for Italy in general to be so attractive to travelers, and in my reading so far he has not been able to put a reason behind it. Barzini says, “People still come as they came for centuries because they are attracted by a certain quality in Italian life. Whether they know what it is or not, it somehow quickens their blood.” I believe this unconscious quickening of blood that Barzini describes is exactly what makes the history of Rome so exhilarating. I am excited that this thrilling adventure has just begun.

Sunset on our campus

     H.V. Morton also described the history of Rome as an oppressive thing for travelers to experience. At first this idea seems a little strange because it is so contradictory to the history being exhilarating. However, through our in depth discussions in class and our detailed tours of several monumental places, I have begun to realize how demanding the history of Rome is. It is long, complicated, and often times confusing to get a grasp on. Frankly, it is plain exhausting, both physically and mentally. We walk for miles a day in order to see the ancient buildings of Rome’s past with our own eyes, and all the while I find myself struggling to recall the long detailed history of the city. This task is almost overbearing. Additionally, it is somewhat depressing to me when I realize how much of the ancient ruins we see are truly ruins. The buildings are not by any means in the condition of when they were constructed, and many cannot even be used today. In a way, that sort of brings me down to think about all the destruction that takes place over time. When it comes down to it, the history of Rome leads me to think about the future of where I live and come from, and places a sort of burden on how to protect my own history.

     It is easy to describe Rome as the beautiful, ancient, and surely exhilarating place that it is. As a traveler, these are the things you dream about before coming and experience upon arriving. However, it quickly becomes evident, at least from my experience, that the history is a lot to take in, whether you spend days or weeks studying it. The farther we dig, the deeper we go, and the history of Rome is deeper then I can at this point comprehend. And while this tends to be an oppressive idea, I remain excited about the history that I have yet to discover.