Italy

Summary of the Italian Trip

April 20 through April 27, 2005

Who could have imagined that students from the Frederick Douglass Academy would stand in audience at St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate the inauguration of Pope Benedictus XVI? Surrounded by tens of thousands of people from all over the world, our group of twenty-two students, chaperones, and educators stood within the colonnaded arms of Bernini’s Piazza San Pietro and witnessed this historic event!

Over the course of eight days between April 20^th and April 27^th, 2005, our group traveled from the blacktop of Harlem, U.S.A. to the cobblestoned piazzas of Rome. Upon our arrival the morning of April 21^st we wasted not a moment, and our group made its way on foot from the Roman Colosseum to Palatine Hill, down into the Roman Forum, along the Via dei Fori Imperiali, and up to the Campidoglio to enjoy Michelangelo’s breathtaking plaza. We continued west across the River Tiber into the Trastevere section of Rome for a traditional dinner in a local trattoria.

Each day in Rome was a celebration of history, culture, and art – a perfect complement to the hard work these students have undertaken in their Latin courses this year. Latin is a comprehensive course at the Frederick Douglass Academy, incorporating Latin language and grammar, Graeco-Roman mythology, and Graeco-Roman history and culture. The study of Latin has provided our students a window into the ancient world and an insight into the origins of language itself. Whether considering the ruins of the Roman baths at Caracalla, or imagining the gory spectacles at the Colosseum, ancient history came alive before the eyes of our young travelers. While listening to the first mass of the new Pope Benedictus XVI, delivered in Latin, the young scholars could appreciate the value in preserving and studying this ancient language.

The trip provided many meaningful experiences for our group of twenty-two. As an educator, I delighted in the enthusiasm of our students – watching them run around the lawn of the Circus Maximus or explore the ruins of the city of Pompeii truly warmed my heart and invigorated my devotion to teaching. Our five adult chaperones also felt a tremendous benefit from this adventure. Said one parent, “I have done a lot of traveling in my lifetime, but for me, this trip will have been the most meaningful.”

At the Frederick Douglass Academy, yet another dream comes true.

Below is a summary of sites visited:

The Colosseum

Palatine Hill

The Roman Forum

The Imperial Forum

Capitoline Hill

Domus Aurea

Circus Maximus

Terme di Caracalla (the Roman baths)

Esquiline Hill

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore