ROMA!

This weekend, in 60 jam-packed hours, I went to Rome and I cannot even begin to describe how fantastic it was! It was amazing to see how the legacy of the Roman empire and the influence of the Catholic church are present throughout the entire city. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, so bear with me!

The trip began at 7am thursday morning, as we boarded a bus the Villa Chartered out. The ride was about 4 hours long, and when we arrived we checked into the hotel and headed off to our first tour. That afternoon we saw the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Colosseum. The Roman Forum, now in ruins, was the center of their civilization. What I found most interesting about this was how the Romans built their empire on top of itself. The newest parts of the city are 60 feet higher than the oldest ones. As far as the forum, the level in which we see the ruins today is from the 1st century, but earlier remains are still below the ground level. From the Forum and Palatine Hill, we made our way to the Colosseum. The Colosseum is a large elliptical shaped amphitheater at the heart of the city, and was used for gladiator games as well as large public gatherings. This amazing piece of architecture was once also made with marble and other precious stone, but it is mostly stripped due to stone robbers.

The last led tours of the day were the church of San Clemente and The Pantheon. San Clemente Church is a basilica dedicated to Saint Clement, and built upon an old pagan temple for the god Mitras. We were able to see the basilica, as well as the lower levels of the old pagan temple. This was another cool example of how the city is built on top of itself. Our last attraction of the day was the Pantheon, which is another grand church in the city. After that we grabbed dinner in a little restaurant in the Campo di Fiore, and then went to a nearby bar for a drink.

We spent friday all of friday morning in Vatican City exploring the museum, the Sistine Chapel, and of course St. Peter's Basilica. My favorite part of Vatican City had to be St. Peter's Basilica. It is the largest church in the world, and there is only one phrase to describe it "sensory overload!" The church is filled with beautiful pink marble, paintings, statues, an intricately carved pulpit, and so much more. I wish I could explain to you the beauty of this place, but words just can't do it justice. After we finished the Vatican, it was time for lunch. We wandered around, found a restaurant, and then headed to see the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. After that, we did a bit more wandering and then headed back to the hotel to change for dinner. A group of us decided to go to an apertivo. Basically you pay between 6 and 8 euro for a drink and then a little buffet of appetizers. This is a very popular thing for young Italians, who usually treat this as a pre-dinner event, but we of course, ate more food than you are supposed to and made it our dinner. After dinner we decided to walk around and see some of the sites at night. We went to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps. They were gorgeously lit; it was definitely a site to see.

Saturday, we woke up and went to the Villa La Farnesina, which is a villa filled in the Trastevere area of Rome. There are many frescoes in the building by famous artists, like Raphael and others. After that we explored the surrounding area and had lunch. That afternoon we went to the Villa Borghese, once the house of the prominent Borghese family, and now a large museum. There were more amazing frescoes, statues, etc. From there we loaded the bus to head back to Florence.

Whew! So we definitely hit the main sites, but there is still so much more to see in Rome and I would love to go back! I took millions of pictures, but here are some of my favorites!