Hadrian's Villa

Today a group of us went on an optional day trip on a one-hour bus ride to Hadrian's Villa. I had no idea what to expect, and the place was truly amazing. Hadrian, a Roman Emperor, lived there thousands of years before and although the place was no longer completely covered with marble, it was still awesome. The trip reminded me of the Tudors, only in the sense that all there was to do at the Villa was eat, party, and relax. The entire place was filled with pools and saunas/baths.

The Hadrian's Villa (Villa Adriana in Italian) is a large Roman archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy. The villa was constructed as a retreat from Rome for Roman Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century.

Hadrian's villa was a complex of over 30 buildings, covering an area of over 250 acres of which much is still unexcavated. The complex included palaces, a ton of saunas and baths, a theatre, temples, libraries, and guest rooms.

The past few days we've been exploring the neighborhood. We have spent 2 nights watching soccer and rugby in an Irish pub. It defeats the purpose of being as Italian as possible as all the employees speak English, but it's been fun. However, we spent Thursday night exploring our neighborhood of Monte Mario.

Emily and I watching the Liverpool/Tottenham game.

My room mate Kristen and I during the

Munster/Northampton rugby game.

We watched both games at the Abbey Theatre.

Leaving the Abbey Theatre last night,

we took a wrong turn.. and ended up at the Vatican.

Not the way I pictured seeing the Vatican for the first time,

but it was great and exciting,

and a good way to figure

out where we were/needed to be.

The staff at the Rome Center encourages us to

get lost and explore, as it is the best way

to improve your Italian and discover the city.

We live in a safe neighborhood, and are always in groups,

but there is so much to see and do,

exploring has been a great way to familiarize ourselves.

Miss you all, feel free to comment if you have specific questions.

LEX