IMAGES
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DAY
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WHAT WE DID ON THIS DAY
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IMAGES
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Day 1
11 Feb
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Departured USA for Italy from
Hattiesburg, MS or other gateway; overnight flight to Amsterdam.
RIGHT: Hannah and Katie after their first flight
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Day 2
12 Feb
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After a late morning arrival in Amsterdam, we
made a quick transfer to an early afternoon flight to Rome. After
obtaining our rental vans, we drove the short distance to Lido Ostia
for food, a little exploration, and much needed sleep.
AT LEFT :
Liza sees a familiar face in Lido Ostia
RIGHT: Joe,
Elise, and Sarah check out Italian ice cream at a shop in Lido Ostia
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Day 3
13 Feb
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We made an early visit to Ostia, a port of
Rome with impressive remains. A mid-day drive south took us past Monte
Cassino to the Naples area and
Herculaneum, sister city to Pompeii, where we visited the excavations.
Overnight was at Pompeii.
AT LEFT: The
STEP group photographing 1st century buildings at Ostia
AT RIGHT: Joe,
Elise, and Josh demonstrate ancient toilet use at Ostia
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Day 4
14 Feb
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Because of rain, we decided to
drive along the Amalfi Coast, after a visit to the remains of Oplontis,
the villa of Emperor Nero's wife, preserved by the volcano that claimed
Pompeii. After the Amalfi coast, we continued to Paestum, an early
Greek
colony
with some of the best-preserved of all Greek temples. After an
adventure finding supper, we returned to Pompeii for overnight.
AT LEFT: the STEP group in front of Greek temples at Paestum
AT RIGHT:
Sarah (she would say she was freezing) with another Greek temple at
Paestum
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Day 5
15 Feb
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Most of the day was spent
at Pompeii, the famous city covered by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in
AD 79. Much of the city has been excavated and one can spend hours
there. Afterwards, we looked at the amphitheater of Puteoli, visited
the active volcanic steam vents of the Solfatara, then ascended the big
volcano Mt. Vesuvius overlooking Naples until a snow storm stopped our
upward progress. A wacky visit to an abandonned hotel on the side of
the volcano rounded out a great day, followed by a night drive to Rome
for overnight.
AT LEFT; ABOVE: Emily, Jon, and Joe inspect a small mosaic at Pompeii;
BELOW: Gladiators in the Pompeii amphitheater
AT RIGHT; ABOVE: Sarah in the forum of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius beyond
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BELOW: Sarah and Elise in the snow on Mt. Vesuvius
above the Bay of Naples
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Day 6
16 Feb
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A full day in Rome: the
Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, The Capitoline, Imperial
Fora, Nero's Golden House, St. Peter in Chains, and the Spanish
Steps!
AT LEFT: Elise,
Sarah, Emily, and Karen in the Colosseum with Constantine's Arch below
AT RIGHT: On the Roman subway system after a visit to the Spanish
Steps; Elise, Janet, Hannah, Emily, Jon, Katie, and Karen
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Day 7
17 Feb
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Most of this day was spent in and
around the Vatican and St. Peter's. We visited St. Peter's, followe by
a private tour of the excavations of a 1st century cemetery below St.
Peter's, where the apostle may have been originally buried; the vast
Vatican museum was visited and the Cistine Chapel (for some). Then, by
local bus we moved to the Campo Fiori, Piazza Navona, and the
Pantheon. An evening visit to the Trevi Fountain with dinner nearby
capped the day. Overnight in Rome.
AT LEFT; ABOVE: STEP group in front of St. Peter's in Vatican City;
BELOW: Sarah and Elise in the bustling Piazza Navona
AT RIGHT; ABOVE: Janet and Hannah at the Pantheon, built by the Emperor
Hadrian in the 2nd century;
BELOW: Janet, Joe, Sarah, Hannah, Jon, and Katie at
the Trevi Fountain
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Day 8
18 Feb
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On this day we toured the
environs of Rome, starting with the Etruscan cemetery site of
Cerveteri, followed by Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, and an afternoon
descent to the catacombs of St. Sebastian, and a sunset trip down the
ancient Appian Way. This was followed by an exciting trip by subway to
do laundry in the seedy area near the train station! Overnight at Rome.
AT LEFT; ABOVE: STEP group in an Etruscan tomb at Cerveteri;
BELOW: Charlie, Kyle, Sarah, Jon, Janet, and Dr.
Caldwell peek out of tombs at Cerveteri
AT RIGHT, ABOVE: Liza with another friend at Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli;
BELOW: Sarah, Elise, and Katie do laundry!
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Day 9
19 Feb
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A free day in Rome for shopping, seeing other
stuff, eating, strolling, etc.
AT LEFT: The "Pyramid" tomb built
against Rome's ancient wall
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RIGHT: Browning and Sarah in front of Hadrian's Tomb, now called Castel
San Angelo
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Day 10
20 Feb
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Transfer to airport for return flight to the
USA
AT LEFT: Our
Northwest DC-10 ready to leave from Amsterdam
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