When in Rome!

For my last weekend abroad, I decided to go to the most cliche place in all of Europe... Roma! I had been once before when I was 13, but I was so excited to go back again. This weekend we got 4 days off which was perfect because there is so much to see in Rome. We ended up staying at a new hostel called Mr. Rome. It was by far the best place I have stayed at in all of Europe! The owner is amazing, accommodating and friendly. And the hostel is more like a bed and breakfast. The bedroom was beautiful with a fireplace, high ceilings, and complimentary breakfast. Also, the location is only ten minutes from the Colosseum.

Roman Forum

The first day we decided to pack as many of Rome’s tourist spots as we could! First, we went to the Roman Forum and took a guided tour. The tour was extremely informative because I would have had no idea what I was looking at without being told. In the Roman Forum there were ruins, palaces, and temples. The forum used to be a marsh but then became a market place for the imperial capital.

Colosseum

After the Forum, we went across the street to the Colosseum. The sun was shining perfectly and even with all the people everywhere, it was beautiful. The arena used to have gladiators fight to the death or against animals like lions! The arena used to hold 73,000 spectators. If you need to know anymore about the Colosseum, the movie “The Gladiator” will teach you a lot. While I was taking fake gladiator pictures, a choir began to sing in the middle of the Colosseum. Their voices were beautiful and carried all the way through the amphitheater.

Trevi Fountain

Our third stop on our tourist adventure was the extremely cheesy Trevi Fountain. The area was filled with every person visiting Rome. The tradition is to toss the coin with your right hand into the fountain, so you will return to Rome one day. I had done this when I was 13 and ended up back in Rome so I knew this had to be true! The fountain was beautiful and we were able to take “candid” coin toss pictures right in the center of the fountain.

Pantheon

After a quick gelato break, we ventured on to the Pantheon. I had no idea what the Pantheon was, to be honest I thought it had something to do with the government. It has been called on of Rome’s best preserved monuments. The building is actually a temple for all the Gods. It is perfectly circular and had beautiful paintings throughout. I’m glad I now understand what the Pantheon actually is.

Spanish Steps

Our last stop on our first tourist packed day was the Piazza di Spagna or the Spanish steps. As I looked from the bottom of stairs and looked at the horizon, I knew I had about ten minutes to run to the top to see the sunset over Rome. With that in mind, I sprinted past all the tourists and gypsies to make it to the top of the stairs. The view of Rome from the top of the stairs with the sunset over the city was just beautiful. It took my breath away and I was so happy to end my day in a beautiful place.

On the second day in Rome we decided to spend our whole day in Vatican City. Our first stop of course was Saint Peter’s square and Saint Peter’s Basilica. There were hundreds of people in the square. I loved seeing all the saints that surround the square and the massive Basilica in the center of the square. After waiting in line for only 20 minutes, we were in the most beautiful church in all of Europe. There were so many people in the church taking in all the art, mosaics, and stained glass windows. My favorite part was the silent prayer room. In there you cannot take any pictures, although it was the most beautiful room in the church. It was extremely peaceful and it gave me time to reflect on how lucky I have been these last four months and all the incredible places I have been.

Saint Peter's Square

After we were done in the Basilica we climbed 591 steps into the dome on top of the Basilica. The top of the dome gave us a birds eye view of the alter and the outside of the Basilica including Saint Peter’s Square.

The last stop on our full day Vatican adventure is the Vatican Museum. Obviously the best part of the museum was the Sistine Chapel. It was so beautiful and grander than I had remembered. My neck hurt so badly by the end of admiring the ceiling because I had been looking up so long. My favorite part of the ceiling is obviously the most cliché part which is God reaching out to man, touching his finger. It is actually a very small part of the whole work but we have it hanging in my house at home.

Overall, Rome was everything I could have imagined and more. The sights were amazing, the weather was perfect, and I couldn’t have picked a better place to end my semester abroad.