Roma - Prima settimana

This week has been a perfect example of the 'jump in and sink or swim' philosophy. So far, I'm swimming in the sea of beauty and culture that is Rome. I'm constantly surprised by how comfortable this completely foreign city feels. If it weren't for the language barrier, I would feel right at home. But, I'm letting that obstacle enable me to learn as much as possible, striving to hold short conversations purely in Italian by the end of the trip. Although we've seen more beautiful and astounding things in the past seven days than I've seen in the past year of my life, a few things resonated the most and are driving an ongoing investigation throughout my time in Rome. Firstly, bridges. I've always had a fascination with them, but there is something about them here, maybe the mere amount of them, that makes me excited. My goal is to document as many of the bridges as possible, both over water and above the streets (a more formal definition of 'bridge' for this exploration is still in the works). My first study began yesterday with my first venture down to the water level of the Tiber documenting Ponte Sublicio, Ponte Palantino, and the remains of Ponte Emilio. Secondly, explicit layers of the city. More information on deck.