Roma

Buon Giorno! After a 9 hour flight and some crazy jet leg, I arrived in Roma, Italia. On Sunday (the first day), my parents and I went to the Museo di Roma (Museum of Rome) and the Villa Berghese – a beautiful (and huge) park that was once a great estate. We also walked to the Spanish Steps, the hot-spot in the evenings, and especially on Sunday late afternoon. The place is crowded and the streets which normally carry the madhouse traffic are instead flooded with pedestrians strolling along.

It didn't take long in Italy to discover our

favorite thing: Gelato (Italian ice cream)

In the morning of our second day in Rome, we took a walking tour of “Classic Rome” which included Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, as well as many statues, fountains, and obliques. The afternoon included a trip to the Vatican City which is the home to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel - this was DEFINITELY my favorite day in Rome.

The Pantheon was my second favorite sight. It was once a great pagan temple to all gods and was covered into a Christian church which is what it has remained.

It is a dome-like structure with no windows at all. All light comes through the ceiling where there is a hole (no glass). Also through this circle comes rain (there are small holes in the floor to drain). What is amazing is this building would crumble because every piece rests against the circle.

All through Rome are obliques which were taken from Egypt after it was conquered by the Romans. Around the time that Rome was taken over by the "barbarian Christians," anything pagan would be destroyed. The only way for something to remain is to have it "Christianized." Pagan temples became churches, and pagan statues like this oblique would have a cross placed on top.

The first time we came to Trevi fountain, the water was completely drained at it was being cleaned. The fountain is actually cleaned DAILY.

In ancient times, before a Roman soldier would leave for war, he would come to Fontana di Trevi and throw a coin over his left shoulder with his right hand as a wish to return to Rome. Clearly the tradition has lived on because Rome collects 300,000 euro a year in coins that have been thrown into Trevi fountain.

The third day can only be described as the Caesar Shuffle: the Colosseo (Coliseum), the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.

Outside the Colosseo

Inside the Colosseo

Our last day in Rome was actually not in Rome at all. We took a tour down to Naples and Pompeii (a city that was destroyed from a volcano and has been excavated).
We left Rome for Venice and to be honest I am very sad to leave Rome – I loved in more than I thought I would.

Arrivederci Roma!