january 19 story and pictures

After a breakfast at the hotel, we start at 9 am for the tram which takes us downtown. We then begin by walking through the Jewish ghetto towards what was the Roman Forum. Then we descend into the Forum, that chronologically and geographically leads us to the Coliseum. It is much warmer here and we are all enjoying the “balmy” mid-forty degree weather that was punctuated by intermittent light rain. We walked for about 3 hours looking and learning, then broke for lunch and regrouped at 4 pm to visit some local artisans using the same printing methods as those in the Renaissance. It was the advent of printing and moveable type that fed both the Renaissance and the Reformation. The ability to quickly share art and ideas influenced artists and thinkers. Seeing this done, much like the restoration labs in Florence, will help us appreciate some of what we will see in the days to come.