by Zeynep Yildirim

8.30 am, start of a very hot, history loaded day. Before we met with Darius Arya, a roman archeologist, a grasshopper decided to rest on Lee’s back getting everyone excited.
In order to have some people in our photos, a group photo was a must. The tour started with the Trajan Column and continued with the Imperial Forum and the Palatine. Darius gave us a lot of information about the structures, the history, emperors and the archeologists’ decisions to show the ruins the way it portrays those times the best. It was really interesting to imagine what was there from what we see, and think about those times and the people. Briefly, we talked about scale, elevation, typography, carvings, use of material, water systems in different centuries under the rule of different emperors, all of which created the characteristics of the Roman Empire.
1 pm, after walking for 4 hours and getting a tan with awful tan lines, we ended our tour looking over the city from the Palatine Hill thanking Darius for a great tour with a lot of information and insights we wouldn’t be able to get from anyone else.