What to do on a free day in Rome?

The students have been busy creating walking tours for their HUM 325 Rome Stories and Traditions class. So I thought I should to do one as well. Last Thursday most of the students (the flu came for a visit during our fifth week here – so several had to stay on campus) accompanied me on their free day for an optional WW II in Rome walking tour. It is not as easy as one might think! I had eight sites planned and we only were able to visit three (mostly because I do not know my way around the city quite well enough yet). We went to the Hotel Excelsior first. The dome, which provides a view of the city, served as German headquarters when they occupied Rome. We then went to the Jewish Ghetto and walked to see the Synagogue. And last, we visited the Museum of Liberation. After dinner we watched the movie Miracle at St. Anna. The plot includes African American soldiers, members of the Italian Resistance, German occupiers, and a small village in the Tuscany region (and part of a Renaissance-era bridge in Florence). Last week we visited the Florence American Military Cemetery and Monument where the director included mention of the movie. (I will fill you in on our Florence visit soon). And we read about the African American Buffalo soldiers in our HIST 375 Americans in Rome class (as well as letters from Japanese American soldiers who served in Italy). The area from Rome, to our campus near Castel Gandolfo, and to the nearby city of Albano is rich in WW II history. Maybe a future class for our Global Studies program?