Here is one of the two cute cats that haunts our classroom. Her name is Luna ("moon") and she's a sucker for free attention or just something soft to sit on.

This is the monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II, the dude who "reunified" Italy in 1870 (he recaptured Rome after other people had pretty much done the rest of Italy). The building is largely regarded by Italians as an example of excess and guadiness. But they all feel compelled to talk about it to strangers. It is often called the "typewriter building" on account of its looking something like that.

At the top of the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna, there is the Trinity on the Mount church, a rather beautiful and old church that is tragically ignored by the hordes of people busy taking pictures of the Spanish Steps.

The steps themselves are quite nice, and make a great place to study or just sit down and relax. Don't drink any wine there, though, or the cops'll come and yell at you. (In America, they'd probably just shoot you).

In Springtime, they put lots of lovely plants and flowers on the Spanish Steps. A bit less place to sit, but very pretty.

The Pantheon is a remarkably old building (first built around ~50AD), and unique in not having been cannibalized for rocks by the Catholic Church. It is so beautiful and architectually impressive that it has been preserved over the years. Raphaello, famous Renaissance cultural figure, is buried here.

Even downtown, there are beautiful little homes and the like. This is A house in the "Jewish Ghetto". It is worth noting that if it weren't for the single building with a Star of David on it, it might be difficult to know you were in the Jewish Ghetto in the first place ...

On our first Friday, we went on a field trip to the old Roman Imperial Forum. There's a lot of really old Roman stuff including this triumphal arch on the left.

This isn't terribly old, but sure is neat looking.

The Temple of Saturn was ... um ... a temple to the god ... um ... Saturn. It's very old. There's not much left of it.

More old Roman stuff (tm).

This was a basilica that was built in the old forum after the empire converted to Christianity. It is absolutely huge, although also not doing too well.

A look back at the Campodoglio, which is the hill that houses Rome's City Hall and a huge museum.

A view back at the first triumphal arch and the Monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II.

This is a rather neat building that I've never bothered to learn much about!

More shots of the old basilica in the forum.

Old buildings up on the Palatine hill, where some of the more important palaces are located.

More of the basilica.

Another nifty shot of the whole forum back towards the Campodoglio and typewriter building.

The old Roman forum, most famous of Roman buildings. A reasonable amount of this building has been used to build other more modern buildings in Rome.

Shot from the busy streets of Rome.

Nighttime in Piazza Navona.

Action nighttime shot in Piazza Navona!

Surprisingly cool nighttime shot of the typewriter building.