This weekend we left for Rome. We left on Thursday night on the train. I think it was the first time I’ve ever ridden on a train. We arrived at the terminal and it was like a shopping mall. We had drivers come and pick us up to take us to the apartment we were staying in. We called it an apartment, the landlady called it a dorm, but it might have been a hostel because all 10 of us students were in the same section with 4 different rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a small kitchen. By the time we got settled it was 10:00 and we walked across the street to eat dinner. The landlady set it up so that we could all eat there that late. I had spaghetti. It was pretty good but I was very thankful to get to bed that evening. The train ride took about 2 and a half hours and we had a long day of classes before that. The bed was hard as a rock yet it was surprisingly comfortable.



Me at the Pantheon



Friday we got up early and headed over to the Vatican so we could know where to meet up later in the afternoon. Afterwards we went to breakfast. I had a muffin and fruit. We had free time until 2:00 so we walked over to the Pantheon. It took us a while to find it but it was worth the walk. It was beautiful! We went inside and saw the tombs of the first two kings of Italy and of Raphael.

"Laocoon and Sons" in the Vatican Museum

Then we grabbed lunch and met back at the Vatican. Our group had a tour of the Vatican museum which included the famous "School of Athens" by Raphael and the Sistine Chapel. I was so excited to see some of the sculptures. It is absolutely stunning! No words can express the magnificent art there. I was a bit worried about seeing the Sistine Chapel because I thought that it would be an eye sore after the restoration. All of the photographs have been so bright and it does not fit into the original ideal I had set up for Michelangelo. I was very pleased when I walked in to see that was a misconception. Since it was so high up the light didn’t really hit it like it would have in the pictures. I could not take my eyes off the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve. I wish we would have had more time in there. I could not speak for at least 10 minutes after because I was in such awe of it. The only disappointing thing about the Sistine Chapel is that you can't take pictures of it and people were talking--which you're not supposed to do! After ou

Me at the Trevi Fountain

r tour we had dinner. Then all of us did the Rick Steve’s walking tour of Rome to see all of the sights. We walked to the Piazza Navona which is the location of Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers and then back past the Pantheon. Then we walked to the Trevi Fountain which was beautiful. I threw a coin in over my shoulder and made a wish!! Finally, we walked to the Spanish Steps where we thought we would take the metro back to our apartment but it was closed. So we just took a taxi back which was an unplanned adventure…haha. It is estimated that we walked at least 10 miles that day. 

Saturday we got up early again and took taxis to the Villa Borghese museum which I have not heard of before (at least in my recollection). It was in the mansion of a "nephew" of one of the popes. The nephews were actually sons of the popes and it is where we get the world nepotism according to our tour guide Elizabetta the previous day. This particular nephew commissioned art and so a lot of the art he had asked to be made was in the house. There were nice tiled patterns on the floor, fresco on the ceilings, paintings hanging on the walls, and statues everywhere. He was a patron of Bernini so the majority of the sculptures are by him. They were absolutely amazing. I have honestly never seen anything more beautiful in my life. I was glad that I took mythology in high school because I was able to walk through the museum and tell my classmates about the stories behind the statues. The one of the Rape of Persephone was amazing. The details! You could see the indentions of Hades fingers in her thigh and a tear on her cheek. I also appreciated the detail in the sculpture of Apollo and Diana. After the museum we walked back to the Spanish Steps, had a quick lunch, and got extremely lost trying to take the metro back to the Vatican to meet up with another tour guide named Isabella. She took us into St. Peter's Basilica. It was so stunning. I was awe-struck. I can imagine what it would have been like for a Catholic to see it. But Michelangelo’s Pieta was in there as well and I squealed. It was behind glass though because a crazy guy came in and chipped of one of Jesus’s toes and Mary’s nose. So that was a bit disappointing.  Afterwards, our professors took our group out to an Italian restaurant for a 4 course meal. The dinner for everyone else included: bruschetta and meat, then Carbonara pasta, next salad, lamb, and pork chop. However I had bruschetta, tomato pasta and grilled veggies because I don’t eat pork products. Dessert was tiramisu! Delicious!!! It was another great day--of course, throbbing feet again.

Sunday we got to sleep in a little because there was nothing planned until the train back. So we took the metro to go see the Colosseum. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!! We had breakfast at a cafe looking at the Colosseum. We got tickets to go inside too which was pretty cool! Then we walked around the Forum, which are the ruins of the old part of Roma. It was incredible! Then we went back to the apartment, got on the train, and arrived back in Perugia around 9:00. Despite my love for art and the art in Roma I was so happy to be back in Perugia. I missed my little Italian town :)





Whitney, Caitlin, Hannah, Me and Courtney inside the Colosseum







The Rape of Persephone detailed