By Fredrick Wu, Johns Hopkins University
Fredrick Wu
Hello Tyler Center Blog! I’m Fredrick and am currently a student at Johns Hopkins University and am very excited to share what I have been up to this summer with my Tyler Center Fellowship experience.
In my last blog post, I talked a bit about my project and some of the experiences I had planned. This blog post will compile some of my most favorite moments in the Mediterranean and what I discovered.
At the end of July, my dad dropped me off at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport as I got ready to board my 9 hour non-stop flight to Milan, Italy. As I waited at my gate, I was filled with excitement. Two weeks of experiencing first-hand as much about Italy and learning as much about Ancient Rome as I can.
First, Milan gave me a taste of North Italy, where at one point it was the capital of the Roman Empire as the ancient city of Mediolanum. Then, as I worked my way south I encountered the main cities of Florence, Venice, and arrived at the Capital City of Rome. In Rome, I enjoyed classic Italian Pizza, while visiting museum upon museum upon museum. This included the Capitoline Museums, the Vatican Museums, the Castel Sant’Angelo, the Forum Romanum, and the museums at the Baths of Diocletian and the Palazzo Maximo. Apart from seeing giant, colossal statues, I kept a focus on Roman cuisine and diet in the Ancient Roman world and discovered the diet that Romans ate consisted of a lot of local grains and was exclusive to “old world” food that excludes many staple ingredients of modern Italian cuisine such as Tomatoes.
Then, I spent several days in the Naples area. There, I checked out the National Archaeological Museum, a massive palace filled with hundreds of historic artifacts, statues, and frescoes from Pompeii and other neighboring cities. Then, I visited the ancient Pompeii site. It was a hot, blazing day but I managed to see many of the top attractions including the Villa of the Mysteries, the forum and the amphitheater.
This experience has taught me a lot. Researching abroad was not a purely academic experience, but also an experience for me to travel alone. From making sure to wake up early to get to the airport on time, to tracking train connections and local train boards, these skills will definitely last with me for a while.
Collection of Ancient Roman Food perserved
Communication was another issue that I had to navigate. In my time in Italy, there were several instances where a local store owner would not speak English and I would have to point out things and use the translator app on my phone to communicate as my Italian is not fluent enough. However, I found the locals super friendly and willing to help whenever I had any problems. My Maps app became my best friend as I navigated the complex walking and public transit systems in cities like Rome and Naples. All of this led to a fantastic experience in the Mediterranean and I want to visit again as soon as I have the chance to.
