On friday we had three classes. Dr. Dionisio Bernal talked about a new method for parameter estimation in model updating, this new approach is focused on obtaining the right target for the parameters and not on how to obtain the target. Dr. Zhang Chunwei talked about real application of active control such as the electromagnetic mass damper (EMD) and the hybrid mass damper (HMD) of the Canton Tower. Dr. Annamaria Pau talked about the dynamic characterization and structural health monitoring of the 30m tall Trajan Column, the Colosseum and the Basilica of Maxentius, which are part of the cultural heritage of Rome.
Later at night it was nice to do a 7k run around the Villa Borghese with my roomate Callum where we could see the temple of Asclepius, and a nice view of the Piazza del Popolo with the Vatican in the background.
Saturday was full of cultural visits. We started with the so much expected Colosseum visit, we had a guided tour inside where we heard all about the history of this iconic place. Later we headed to the Roman Forum where we saw the ruins of a lot of important ancient government buildings while we walked through the Via sacra, the main street in ancient Rome. Afterwards we visited the Capitoline Museum, we could appreciate a lot of sculptures, paintings and busts. It was really nice to see the Colossal statues, the statue of Venus, and the real statue of Marcus Aurelius.
Sunday was a day off where people could go sightseeing, specially the Vatican because the last Sunday of every month is free. Some of us stayed at the hostel to rest and enjoy some more food.
