Arrival in Rome

Students on our split site Canterbury and Rome MA programmes in History of Art, Ancient History and Archaeology and Roman History have now arrived in Rome to continue their one year MA studies in the Eternal City. Students arrived in Rome on the weekend of the 13th January to settle into their new homes and begin to navigate the city armed with all the necessities from Kent to help them settle in – status letters,  getting started guides and so on, before starting their orientation week with University of Kent staff and professors.

Many started their first day with the typical Italian breakfast of Cafée e Cornetto – from a café opposite the university – just 2 euro!

Our arrivals week started at the study centre of the American university of Rome which is where our students will be taught and make use of the study facilities on offer. Students attended a welcome briefing with Academic Director, Professor Tom Henry and Academic Administrator Sophie Punt who spoke to them more about their modules in Rome, study visits, events happening whilst they are there as well as student support, security, IT amongst other things to ensure they could settle in.

Students in the AUR garden

During this week the first seminars for the core modules took place so students met their professors and started to immerse themselves in the city whilst learning in-situ about the subject matter. Firstly students were taken on a guided tour visiting Churches containing work by Raphael in Rome with Art Historian and Academic Director of the Rome School of Classical and Renaissance Studies; Tom Henry. We visited 5 churches in total including Santa Maria della Pace and Santa Maria del Popolo. History of Art students were able to comment and explain to our Ancient Historians and Archaeologists why a certain piece was painted in a particular way and the influences on show. Students were guided around the different churches and the winding streets of Rome pointing our various places of interest and realising that navigating the city was not as hard as they first thought.

With Professor Tom Henry explaining the artwork by Raphael

The next day students were guided around the Capitoline Museums by one of their Ancient History lecturers Christopher Burden-Strevens before meandering around the Campidoglio and down to the Roman Forum. The Capitoline Museum houses the original bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius on horseback, statue of Constantine and the bust of Commodus as Hercules among many other treasures. Students were encouraged to choose one piece of interest whilst exploring the museum to discuss in the seminar that afternoon. A tough task to undertake as there are so many treasures hidden in the Capitoline museums.

Student wearing her Kent hoody walking towards the Campidoglio ready for the next seminar in situ

That evening students were invited to attend a lecture at the British School of Rome by Professor Elena Isayev ‘Between hospitality and asylum – a historical perspective on displaced agency’. There are often events and conferences that our students are free to attend around Rome and we encourage them to make the most of them including those at the British School of Rome as well as those at the American Academy of Rome.

The courtyard of AAR leading onto the various rooms used for exhibitions, the daily tea and the research resource rooms.

The next Morning students were taken on a tour of the American Academy in Rome, just around the corner from the University this Research and Arts institution houses study spaces and an extensive library that we arrange our students to have access to whilst in Rome. Students discovered how to use the library and saw the gardens and learnt about the rich history of this centre.

Students finished off the week by going out for dinner together and for drinks with the Academic Director to talk about their plans for whilst they are in Rome, discuss their schedules and the visits they wanted to take part in. Past students have been to Pompeii, Florence and Ostia – where will this years students go? With travel in Italy being considerably cheaper than in the UK students are prepared to make the most of their time with us! We look forward to sharing their journey with them.

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