I couldn't think of a better way to spend the Ides of March, the day Caesar was killed, than to go to the Roman Forum and visit Caesar's grave. Apparently everyone else was thinking the same thing, because there were over 400 people at the forum today! I got there around noon and decided to walk around the entire forum. I had been there before with my class, but it was nice to walk on my own and take pictures of things I missed the first time around. After walking around, I decided to sit down on some ruins and read Julius Caesar. Perfect way to spend the day! As I was reading Julius Caesar, there was a lady, what the Italians would call "pazzo" circling Caesar's grave. I had heard about this "crazy"; however, I never thought I would get to experience her. Typically, when I hear English in Rome, my ears perk up. However, this lady was just yelling nonsense. She was circling the place ranting and yelling, "This place! These people and all the cockroaches! All these cockroaches; everywhere!" She was pazzo. I told my Professor about the story and she instantly responded, "Ahh does she have short dark hair? I know her! She is crazy! She hangs around my neighborhood and torments everyone." What a small world that she knew the exact pazzo I was describing!
After the forum I visited Julius Caesar's statue which was decorated with flowers, saw the Column of Trajan and the Trajan Market, visited the Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps, and then ended the afternoon at my favorite sandwich shop in Spanga where I successfully order in Italian.
That night there was a celebratory production being held at the forum; however, my roommates had an architecture pinup, so I went to support them instead. The coolest part about going to their studio space was that their studio is connected to the remains of Pompey Theater, the place in which Caesar was murdered. All in all this was an Ides of March I will never forget and I cannot wait to tell my students about the experience when I teach a lesson on Julius Caesar.
"Et tu, Brute?"
~Julius Caesar
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