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| At the Trevi Fountain |
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| With our tasty oranges at the market |
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| Italian lovers: Romeo and Juliet at the Vatican |
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| In the Coliseum |
Rome-ward ho! After breakfast in Assisi, we loaded up the charter bus in the direction of Rome, and a three-hour nap later, we were there. Our hotel was in another converted convent, and a flock of sweet nuns greeted us at the door. We hung outside in the beautiful garden area and pet a cat for a little while before heading out for some lunch. At a little cafe restaurant, I split a delicious spinach and mozzarella pizza with my vegetarian friend Stacy. It tasted very much like a pizza from Brick Oven, but of course it was better because it was made in Italy. Hazelnut and Nutella flavored gelato finished up the meal nicely, and it was eaten in a sunny piazza while a man played the accordion beside us. Absolute bliss. With full bellies, we decided to make the trek up to the highest point in Rome. It was actually only a short distance from our hotel, and the view was spectacular. I love seeing cities from a bird’s eye view or from high up probably because there aren't many mountain view opportunities in Texas. The next cool opportunity we had was that Janine, who used to live in Rome, offered to take us around to a couple Roman hot spots. We met first at the Pantheon, and something I didn't notice the last time I was there is that the painted Raphael is actually buried inside there. I was happy to see and appreciate that monument this time. Next on the agenda was the Trevi Fountain, and I'm pleased to tell you that making a wish in it does actually work because my last wish to come back came true. I plan on wishing there every time because I don't ever want to stop coming back to Italy. The famous gelateria right by the fountain got my business that day, and I ate frutti di bosco and coconut gelato as I people and fountain watched. The last leg of the walking tour was to the Spanish steps. I pictured Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday standing there eating gelato while I walked up those same stairs. For dinner we went back to Piazza Navola, and straight to sleep from there. The calculations from our pedometers that day in Rome say we walked nearly 15 miles, and I crashed hard in my bed that night. My little legs didn't have much more to give by that point, so a good night's sleep was just what I needed.
Rome: Day Two
The hotel provided breakfast in Rome was delicious. We woke up to freshly baked croissants, which were eaten with lots of Nutella, and they also served a really good piña colada juice. For coffee drinkers, there was a fully staffed coffee bar, and a nun would make cappuccinos, espressos, or anything to your hearts desire exactly the way you like it. But the absolute best drink was drunk a few minutes later at the market. We walked to a great outdoor market 15 minutes from the hotel and I bought some fresh pomegranate juice. How do I know it was fresh? Well, I watched the man cut two pomegranates in half, juice the four slices in front of me, and then he handed me the cup. That juice was the nectar of the gods, and I think that in heaven we will all drink pomegranate juice and eat gelato. At least, that's what I'd like to do. Then again, maybe it means that Italy is actually heaven because that's what they get to do. I guess we'll see when we get there, eh? At noon, our directors set up a tour of the Vatican for us. We started at St. Peter’s Basilica and headed into the museum. Unfortunately for us, every other tourist in Rome decided to go to the museum too. Feeling a little like cattle, we were herded around to see various Roman artifacts. I did get to see Raphael’s School of Athens painting, and that was worthwhile because I don’t remember seeing it last time (or I probably saw it but didn’t care about it at that time in my life). The Sistine Chapel is still impressive though; so many hours and years of Michelangelo’s life went into that project. He’s a boss. This is totally a first-world problem, but walking around museums is quite physically exhausting. We were bushed and starving when we left the museum, so we stopped at a pizzeria. A friend recommended my pizza to me, and it had artichokes, olives, ham, and egg on it. Sounds weird—tastes great! The next amazing recommendation I got was to go the 110-flavor gelato shop. Oh yes, that’s right. One. Hundred. And. Ten. Flavors. My peanut butter and dark chocolate ensemble didn’t disappoint either. Unfortunately, we took a little too long and had to be somewhere in just a few minutes. I probably looked ridiculous running down the street while licking my ice cream cone; burning calories and consuming them at the same time is a strange feeling. Anyways, we ended up just in time at a museum exhibit called the Secret Archives of the Vatican. This might sound boring, but it was actually one of the best museums I’ve been to all semester. On display were documents that had always been locked up in the Vatican, but in a gesture of openness by the pope, they’re available for view to the public. Because they don’t always portray the popes in the most favorable light, it was cool that these documents were available to see now. Some of the cooler things were letters from Martin Luthor, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, Charles V, and Francis of Assisi to the respective popes of their day. When Henry VIII petitioned for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his letter was up on display there. I’ve never been to a museum like this before, and it was much better than expected. After the museum, the nice people we are, we showed the rest of the group where the 110-flavor gelato place was. Of course, we had to get some more, and the two flavors I got this time were the best in all of Italy. Mango and grapefruit are officially the most amazing flavors I’ve ever had. Ever. The evening was concluded by a spinach calzone and a good night’s sleep. Thanks for a great day, Rome.
Rome: Day Two
The hotel provided breakfast in Rome was delicious. We woke up to freshly baked croissants, which were eaten with lots of Nutella, and they also served a really good piña colada juice. For coffee drinkers, there was a fully staffed coffee bar, and a nun would make cappuccinos, espressos, or anything to your hearts desire exactly the way you like it. But the absolute best drink was drunk a few minutes later at the market. We walked to a great outdoor market 15 minutes from the hotel and I bought some fresh pomegranate juice. How do I know it was fresh? Well, I watched the man cut two pomegranates in half, juice the four slices in front of me, and then he handed me the cup. That juice was the nectar of the gods, and I think that in heaven we will all drink pomegranate juice and eat gelato. At least, that's what I'd like to do. Then again, maybe it means that Italy is actually heaven because that's what they get to do. I guess we'll see when we get there, eh? At noon, our directors set up a tour of the Vatican for us. We started at St. Peter’s Basilica and headed into the museum. Unfortunately for us, every other tourist in Rome decided to go to the museum too. Feeling a little like cattle, we were herded around to see various Roman artifacts. I did get to see Raphael’s School of Athens painting, and that was worthwhile because I don’t remember seeing it last time (or I probably saw it but didn’t care about it at that time in my life). The Sistine Chapel is still impressive though; so many hours and years of Michelangelo’s life went into that project. He’s a boss. This is totally a first-world problem, but walking around museums is quite physically exhausting. We were bushed and starving when we left the museum, so we stopped at a pizzeria. A friend recommended my pizza to me, and it had artichokes, olives, ham, and egg on it. Sounds weird—tastes great! The next amazing recommendation I got was to go the 110-flavor gelato shop. Oh yes, that’s right. One. Hundred. And. Ten. Flavors. My peanut butter and dark chocolate ensemble didn’t disappoint either. Unfortunately, we took a little too long and had to be somewhere in just a few minutes. I probably looked ridiculous running down the street while licking my ice cream cone; burning calories and consuming them at the same time is a strange feeling. Anyways, we ended up just in time at a museum exhibit called the Secret Archives of the Vatican. This might sound boring, but it was actually one of the best museums I’ve been to all semester. On display were documents that had always been locked up in the Vatican, but in a gesture of openness by the pope, they’re available for view to the public. Because they don’t always portray the popes in the most favorable light, it was cool that these documents were available to see now. Some of the cooler things were letters from Martin Luthor, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, Charles V, and Francis of Assisi to the respective popes of their day. When Henry VIII petitioned for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his letter was up on display there. I’ve never been to a museum like this before, and it was much better than expected. After the museum, the nice people we are, we showed the rest of the group where the 110-flavor gelato place was. Of course, we had to get some more, and the two flavors I got this time were the best in all of Italy. Mango and grapefruit are officially the most amazing flavors I’ve ever had. Ever. The evening was concluded by a spinach calzone and a good night’s sleep. Thanks for a great day, Rome.
Rome: Day Three
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| Beautiful flowers at the market |
I hate my bank. They’ve frozen my account at least 5 times over the semester even though we repeatedly tell them that I’m overseas. It was hard not to have any access to money all day, but thankfully, my friends came through and let me borrow from them again. And I ended up spending said money at the flea market that Janine took us to in the morning. I got lots of gifts for people there, and I like spending my money in locally supported places like that rather than at chain stores. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the Bernini sculpture, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, but it’s awesome. I fell in love with it in history class when we studied it, and turns out, it’s in Rome. Nobody else had ever heard about it or wanted to go see it—except for Ron, my professor. He and I agreed to meet at 2:30 in the Piazza Colona, which was a couple miles from where the flea market was. So after the market with my friends, I ventured across Rome all by myself. It was broad daylight, so I wasn’t scared; instead, I felt super independent maneuvering around the Italian streets: just me and my map. Ron and I had some nice professor-student bonding time while we waited for the church to open up. I really love Ron and Janine over here, and maybe because they remind me so much of my own parents. Both couples are movie lovers, professors, have two daughters, etc. There are lots of similarities. Anyways, the statue was absolutely worth the walk over. Bernini deserves a prize for this one; St. Theresa’s clothes look incredibly realistic, and her expression is timeless. I could have stared at it for hours. Next, Ron and I met the rest of the group at the Coliseum. We had a short devo inside before we explored and took pictures. A blessing in disguise happened next; it started pouring rain and soaking us. Sounds crumby, right? Well, it was for about 10 minutes, but we stuck it out, and when it stopped raining a few minutes later ALL the tourists were gone! Everyone fled in the rain, so we had the Coliseum and the Roman Forum almost completely to ourselves. No shuffling past people to get a picture or see something. Great timing. We also went through with Ron, Janine, their daughter, and her boyfriend, and they told us about some of the things we were seeing in the forum like the Temple of the Vestal Virgins. For dinner after, I tried these pasta/potato balls called gnocchi. They were baked in a creamy zucchini and cheese sauce, and they were some of the best things ever. I mean, it’s a combo of three of my favorite foods—pasta, potatoes, and cheese. Doesn’t get much better than that. I also ate an entire pizza with that meal, but I justified it by not getting gelato afterward. Oh man, my body isn’t going to like me after this trip, but I’m still young. I’ll enjoy my high metabolism while I still can!
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