Visiting the Eternal City

By Mark C. Hale

 After an unsettled night of sleep from 11:00pm until 4:00am, I fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake up until 10:55am, just in time to receive a scheduled call from my Deputy Head of School, Tesfaye, regarding a teacher who said they could not arrive from the US until after school started. Needless to say, I needed to draft a rather awkward letter and that we are now looking for another teacher. 

With the complications of doing teacher searches around the world, hiring for specific positions and specific skills, along inviting teachers to live and work in a third world country boarding school, I expect that this is not unusual, but quite frustrating none the less. I'm just grateful that there are some pretty amazing teachers out there who will take on these types of assignments!

So, after waking up so late and dealing with a school issue, I took another orientation walk around the Kolbe Hotel. As I mentioned, the hotel is located very near the Palatine Hill area and I thought I might drop into the Capitoline Museum for a quick look before meeting my business partner, who was taking the train from Foligno, at 1:30. Whereas yesterday there was no line for the museum, today the wait was over 2 hours! Of course, yesterday was a holiday, so perhaps the best time to visit Rome is when the Romans are on holiday! Yes, some shops will be closed, but there are very few people and it's easy to see whatever you want. Lesson noted!

After a late lunch, I headed to Piazza Trilussa in the Trastevere area for a four hour Roman Food Tour. Trastevere is from the Latin trans Tiberim, across the water, or in this case, across the Tiber. The area is known for its multicultural history

and was once the garden home of Julius Caesar. It also hosts one of the oldest Christian Churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere. Stories about the plaza in front of the church include the burning at the stake of several Popes, before Christianity was an official religion. It is also said that many current Popes have held masses in the church.

Our tour began with a warm welcome from Francesca, our energetic and knowledgeable young Roman guide. She provided an overwhelming amount of information about the area, the food, the wine, the cheeses, the meats, the pastas, and gelatos we tasted as we walked through the area. If you are ever in Rome, I highly recommend the tour!

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