When in Rome...

EB: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well I finally got to use that phrase in the right context as this past week we were able to travel to Rome! Our adventure began at the Colosseum. It was amazing seeing such a huge structure still standing after so many years.  From there we went to eat our Italian staples of pizza and gelato, while a group of us made our way toward the Leonardo Da Vinci museum. It was such an interesting experience to see all of these ideas and inventions drawn out so long ago for many modern devices.  The next day we met with our tour guide to walk through the main points of Rome. Beginning with the Forum, we saw St. Ignazio’s church, Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the Trevi Fountain *which was under construction…..how lame*, and the Pantheon. It was all so beautiful but my absolute favorite had to be St. Ignazio’s church. The artwork on the ceiling in there was absolutely breathtaking- honestly the most beautiful decorations I have seen in any church.  Not to mention, the way the artist made the dome look real from the entrance of the church was ingenious.

It was Vatican day the next day!  We woke up early and made our way toward the Vatican City. Frist, we explored the garden, which were very expansive. My favorite parts of this tour had to be the first two fountains we saw *beautiful works of art with turtles-what more can you want* and the English garden with all of the arches and beautiful flower surround them.  From there, we were able to walk through the Vatican museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and climb the tower. I saw the Sistine Chapel- so I can cross that one off of the bucket list! Everything we saw was amazing and awe-inspiring. Simply looking at the walls and ceilings would amaze me, much less looking at all of the actual works of art in the museum. Later that day, we ate dinner as a big group while watching the world cup. Later that night, I bought a cheap flying toy from one of the street vendors. It was one of the best purchases I have made the whole trip…even if it did take me forever to learn how to use it...

  

Friday we were given a free day so I, accidentally, used that day to catch up on some sleep. After getting the gang up and ready we met as a group downstairs and went to a beautiful botanical garden. They had everything there! From rose gardens to Asian gardens to desert climate plants, we were able to explore the full spectrum of the garden. It was a lot of fun, especially with our professor and other horticulture majors to explain what everything was and why it was like that. I even found a new favorite flower, Morning Glory. It was a beautiful flower and it was really interesting to learn more than just its name. After the gardens a smaller group of us went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and were able to see the whole of Rome from its roof. Afterwards, I met with some friends and we went and ate on the Spanish steps: a perfect ending to a perfect day. I loved every minute of the Rome trip and I am so thankful I was given the opportunity to go and explore that wonderful city.