Getting to know the city!

So it's about 5 am here, but for some ghastly reason I woke up at 4 and haven't been able to sleep so I figured I would fill you in on yesterday. We woke up bright and early yesterday morning as breakfast is at 8 daily. I tried my first taste of nutella after being persuaded that it is nearly a gift from the gods. Delish... but I'll stick to cereal as anything that good can't be good for you! After breakfast we met for an hour and a half of orientation. The "director"/ "administrator" of the program filled us in on all of what we shouldn't be doing and not doing. He heavily enforced how no alcohol or drugs were to be allowed on the floors of our dorms, but there is a fridge where we can store wine in downstairs... haha. The intensity of this program was also emphasized... telling us that this would not merely be a program where we study photography and bar hopping, as many other study abroad programs are ;). After this we went for about a two hour walk around our neighborhood so we could get to know the area. It was really great... We went to the largest park in Rome- the Pamphili and saw an aqueduct bridge there and then made are way over to Girabaldi square. At noon they fired a cannon which was surprisingly loud. I guess they do that daily to let everyone know it's noon. From that point we could see all of Rome... so beautiful. That is the picture you see. Then we started to head back. In the afternoon we all took the bus to San Clemente... it's a basilica dedicated to to Saint Clement who was the fourth pope. He died in 101 AD and was pope in the 90s. It was pretty fascinating... I had been wanting to go there since studying it this past semester. It really epitomizes how Rome is just continually rebuilt. Though you walk into the modern 12th century basilica, you can venture beneath it to see where the old 4th century basilica was before it was sacked and then even farther were a Mithraem is- a worship center for the pagan god Mithras. Before it was made into this cult "temple" it was a Christian house church in the 1st century. So it is really a marvelous building. Sadly no photography was allowed. San Clemente is located right near the Colloseum so seeing that again was fun, but we won't be going until like the 6th week. After that we came back and I had Italian class... completely in Italian until the last five minutes of class when we went over the syllabus. I don't think I will continue with it. The Ancient City course which we are required to take counts for about 8 hours and then I am taking latin and art history (which I simply can't not take while being here) so I was advised to drop one course. I figure we will be learning Italian while we are here anyway. That was followed by a lovely dinner in the gardens where I had the best tiramisu ever... I figure it was ok to eat considering all of the walking we are doing ;). That pretty much sums up yesterday. I will probably try to get a little more sleep before breakfast as our days are quite long. Talk to you all soon. Ciao!
-XOXO