Roma

This past weekend the program that I am abroad with, Academic Programs International (API) took us to Rome.  The trip was amazing, and three days there was not even close to enough.  We took a charter bus three hours south, through beautiful Chianti, to get to Rome.  We had the best weather we could have asked for: 60 and sunny both days!  Right when we got there we took a walking tour to catch some of the highlights of the city. 

We saw the Pantheon, where Raffaelo is buried as well as Queen Margherita, the woman that the margherita pizza is named after.  The red tomatoes, white cheese, and green basil represent the Italian flag.

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We made our way to the Trevi Fountain where we, of course, threw Euros with our right hand over our left shoulder to find marriage.  Approximately 3,000 Euros are collected from the fountain every day and is used to fund different charities.

We saw the Spanish Step which were built by the French in Italy- ironic huh?  Bernini’s fountain, Fontana della Baracaccia, is at the base of the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna.  We also saw another one of Bernini’s fountains- The Fountain of the Four Rivers.  We ate delicious pizza and beer for an early dinner before continuing our exploration of Rome on our own.  We stumbled across ruins at sunset, a beautiful overlook of the city, a little garden, Vittorio Emanuello’s monument, and a long walk home.

Our hotel was so nice and in a perfect location right off of the Ponte Sisto and in between Campo de Fiori and Trastevere, the perfect place for night life.  We went to a bar called the Drunken Ship and then attempted to find a club by the Spanish Steps but they were so beautiful at night we were distracted and climbed them to see the view from the top instead.  

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast in the hotel, we had a guided tour of the Castel Sant’Angelo.  Next, we toured St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City and it was amazing.  Words cannot describe how intricate that building is.  It has the largest interior than any Christian church in the world.  The Basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles.  Some of Michelangelo, among other artists’ works are displayed throughout the basilica, including Michelangelo’s Pieta- Mary holding crucified Jesus.  I saw many popes tombs that are in the crypt below the basilica, including Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII, who’s body is mummified and on display on the main floor.

Hungry and tired from the ridiculous amount of walking we had been doing, we made our way the the Vatican Museum to specifically see the Sistine Chapel, which again, words cannot describe.  The fresco was amazing.  We had a delicious dinner on our walk back from the Vatican.  It felt great to rest my feet and doze off a little before hitting the town again.  We went to a bar in Campo de Fiori again and then made our way to Trastevere to Dee Jay Bar and a Chocolate Bar where we had Bailey’s shots in an edible chocolate shot glass with whipped cream on top.  It was delicious! 

After less than 5 hours of sleep, Casey and I were up again to wander around an Italian flea market.  We saw so many cool, Italian vintage things, from jewelry and sunglasses to pretty much anything you could find at a garage sale.  We met up with our program for a bus tour, which was obviously a complete fail.  No one could keep their eyes open once the bus started moving.  Finally, we ended with the Coliseum andddd running to the bus with calzones in hand when our lunch ran late.  I tried to soak in as much of Rome as possible but it looks like I’m just going to have to go back.  When in Rome… :)