This summer, a group of Penn State students journeyed to Italy to walk the same streets once roamed by emperors, senators and gladiators. As part of the "Study Tour of Roman History and Archaeology," led by Erin Hanses, assistant teaching professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, and Thaddeus Olson, associate teaching professor of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, the students spent more than two weeks immersed in the ancient world while making memories in Rome. The course was one of 12 faculty-led programs offered through the College of the Liberal Arts this summer.

For Isabella Fontanes, the trip was a dream realized, she said. A Schreyer Scholar and Paterno Fellow from Atglen, Pennsylvania, Fontanes is double-majoring in anthropological science and classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, with a minor in planetary science and astronomy.