USC Trojan Band Marches on Rome!
The following article was published in the Spirit Notes Fall 2006 Issue, the Official Newsletter of the University of Southern California Trojan Band – Vol. 19 No. 2
The first full day in Italy was devoted to a tour of Venice, starting in the famous Piazza San Marco. The best part was the free time afterward during which we had a couple hours to see some other famous sights including the Ponte di Rialto stretched over the Grand Canal. The next day we traveled through Bologna on our way to Florence, where we visited the University (shown here behind the Neptune Fountain).
Our first performance, on the third day, started in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria. Standing behind the band was a replica of Michangelo’s David in the same place the original had stood for centuries. People gathered in the hazy light, and the concert began in earnest.
We left the town hall behind and made our way south across the Ponte Vecchio and up a hill on the other side of Arno. Overlooking the city center was the Palazzo Pitti, former residence of the Medici family and the beautiful Boboli gardens on the estate. Visitors of the gardens mixed in with the crowd that had followed us. The entertainment continued well into the afternoon, bur eventually it was time to finish the day. Of course, no concert is ever complete without a little “conquest!”
We arrived in Rome just in time for our next big performance at the Piazza Navona. Here we are crossing the Tiber in front of Castel Sant’Angelo. After the gig and an evening on the town, we made our way back with the Vatican’s reflection catching the water.
The next day we started at the Colosseum and continued our tour through Palatine Hill and the heart of Ancient Rome. The tour also included the Trevi Fountain and free time to explore such other great sites as the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
Later on it was time to perform once again. We had a hard time finding a place to set up not in the shadow of one of the thousands of ancient structures that make up the old city.
This was our last performance in Italy, and there could be no better backdrop than the Colosseum. With the afternoon sun sliding across the terracotta pavers and a crowd of people gathering, the band pulled out all the stops for the big finale. Afterward, we gathered for a photo in front of the historic stadium.
