Roma & The Vatican

This past weekend I went on my second school trip to Roma and the Vatican. We left at 6 am on March 3rd (Saturday) on a bus, this trip the group was an entire bus smaller than the Venice trip which was nice, not as chaotic. The ride was 3 hours long and once we arrived in Rome around 10 am we were dropped off at the Coliseum. It was..wait for it...beautiful. This entire experience has been very surreal, for lack of a better word. I am visiting places, even living in a city, rich with thousands of years of history. I am standing where Romans once stood, some of the world's greatest artists, philosophers, heros, politicians and 'villains'. I obviously appreciate it now, but this trip will truly hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.

Obviously reppin the sorority inside the Coliseum

Back to the Coliseum, so we arrived at the Coliseum and there was a protest happening for construction labor unions, so that was really interesting to watch. We walked inside the Coliseum for about 30 mins, then we went to the Palace of the Emperor (well the ruins of it) right across from the Coliseum up on a hill, so we got some spectacular views of the city.

View from Ruins of Roman Palace, Coliseum in the background

From there, we went back onto the bus and headed over to the Vatican City. Now there really is no difference between saying "the Vatican" or "the Vatican City", they both encompass the same things...some girl asked the difference. Anyways, we had lunch on our own outside of the city walls and then we met up with our tour guides that took us on a 3 hour tour through the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and other various parts we were allowed to enter. The Vatican was probably my favorite place we went to all weekend. St. Peter's church literally took my breath away. I walked in and stopped in shock/awe. I know I have said other churches are gorgeous, beautiful, etc. but this...this was something else. Most churches I have been into have been gorgeous, but very simple and 'plain'. St. Peter's on the other hand was very elaborate, lots of gold, statues, and detailing from floor to ceiling. When we went in to the church it was around 4, so the afternoon sun was pouring in from the west, obviously I was then told that they build the church purposefully facing the east so that the sun would shine through the dome in the back and onto the alter.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Another fun fact, the main doors to the church are only opened every 25 years on the Jubilee (2025 is the next time that they will be opened). Also, the crest of the Catholic church bears two keys, the keys of St. Peter, one is gold and the other is silver. The gold opens the gates to heaven and the other to Earth...our tour guide seemed a little confused as to why one would want to go back, but at least you have the option. Anyways, the crest can be seen all over Rome on various churches and fountains. Fun game to play "spot the crest"..no?

Our tour ended in St. Peter's Square in front of the Church. We learned about the Swiss Guards who are in charge of protecting the Pope. They are all Swiss men between the ages of 18-30 years old. During their service they cannot drink, be married/have sex and they also much be attractive...not complaining but I have no idea why. I also sent Camille a postcard from the Vatican...I think she will like it :] hehe.

After the Vatican we went to our hotel and got our rooming assignments. Alex and I forgot about the meeting for the trip so we didn't get put together and I ended up rooming with a girl named Colette from New Jersey who is a Fashion major. She was really nice and I invited her to join Alex and I for the rest of the evening. We met up with one of my sorority sister's Kiernan who is studying in Rome and she took us to Scholar's Pub. They played great American music and had amazing food...drinks as well. Definitely enjoyed my evening in Rome. Even if we felt like we were traveling into the depths of hell when trying to figure out their metro system.

---Sunday March 4th---

Today was a jam packed day! First we went to Piazza Navona where we saw three gorgeous fountains. The main one depicted four rivers from the four corners of the Earth. Sorry, the only river I remember him saying was the Nile, the others..one was in Africa, another South America and the last...I do not know. The fountain was incredible, I really find it astonishing how perfect sculptors are when it comes to during a slab of stone into a masterpiece. From there, we walked to the Pantheon, which again, I was simply blown away by the fact that they could build such amazing buildings, without cranes and other pieces of 'modern technology'. Talent does not rely on technology, thats for sure.

Really awesome fountain

After the Pantheon, we walked to the Trevi Fountain. I gasped when I first saw it. Gigantic, majestic, white and perfect. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to the Trevi and throw in two coins: the first meaning I will return to Rome, the second meaning I will find true love and I am so happy to say that I was able to throw in my two cents. Camille told me to jump in the fountain but seeing as how I did not want to get arrested, my hand was all I was willing to risk. I could have sat at the fountain all day long, it was so beautiful and serene. I also did not realize how large it was and that it was made off of the facade of a preexisting building. Also, legend has it that a virgin is whom discovered the source of water that the fountain is connected to and she is depicted in the fountain in the top corner. The main element of the fountain being Neptune, as it is attributed to him. He is in the center with two tridents guiding the seahorses that pull his chariot (a seashell). The movement throughout the fountain is flawless and I would not mind having it in my house to stare at all day long.

pantheon

Our next stop was the Spanish Steps, also another place I could stay all day and people watch. The steps and surrounding area were lovely but the men hustling roses were not so beautiful. They would literally give you the flower as if it were a gift or shove it in your hand and then as for money for it. I told a girl to just throw it on the ground, lets just say the man shouted some not so nice things but serves him right to assume we are dumb and going to pay for something we clearly don't want. From the Spanish Steps we went to, what the Romans call, "the wedding cake". It is really a building that was built to honor the first King of Italy who helped in it's unification but Romans do not like it for it is very fascist looking and also is not rooted to the hearts of the citizens but really a political statement. However, after WWI it became the resting place of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and is now more of a memorial, which Romans seem to appreciate a little more since it represents something much more important.

Trevi Fountain

Finally, after a long morning we left to have a traditional four course Roman lunch which lasted..2.5 hours. I don't think I could have touched my toes afterwards I was so full of pasta, eggplant and tiramisu. Then we went to the catacombs, which were cool but we didn't see any bones or anything, just dirt and empty graves but they go on for 10 miles and are 100ft deep. We only went down to the second level and were in there for maybe 25 mins.

Rome was amazing. Aside from being rich with history, it was also a very lively city and a much different pace than Florence. I really hope that I can go back before I leave, possibly when my mom comes!

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Today is International Women's Day! An older British man asked us in Italian why we had yellow flowers (which we given to us at lunch) and that is why! Yay for being a woman and for him thinking we were italian and understanding what he asked!! Now it is time to celebrate with super happy hour for the ladies.

Ciao!