What a great last day to the trip!

I am so sad that it’s all over because it was the most wonderful place I have ever been to and I got to spend it with a great group of people!

We got to sleep in a little today and then at 10 am we kick-started our day with a nice time at the Villa Borghese Gardens which is the second largest park in Rome! It was a beautiful place to walk around with the close friends I made and reflect on the time we had together in Italy.

But even better than the walk in the park was the visit we made to Frascati!

It’s a beautiful city located south-east of Rome in the Alban Hills which gives you a wonderful view of the Roman city lights at night. This was the night I had the meal I will never forget!

When Ms. Kelly and Mr. Hamacher told me the food would be great, I definitely didn’t believe it until I tasted it! We enjoyed three of the most amazing appetizers I have ever had and I couldn’t even tell you what they were! Then we had pasta with red sauce, pork chops topped with mushrooms, and margherita pizza.

I was so stuffed with the most amazing food ever when dinner ended! Tonight was the icing on the cake to a trip I will never forget!

Another tiring day, but I couldn’t have asked to see anything more amazing! Our first stop was the Victor Emmanuel monument.

Personally, I think it is a beautiful structure but apparently the Romans dislike it because of its gaudy style! Oh, and that equestrian statue in the front is large enough for 21 men to sit at a table and have dinner in!

There were so many great things we saw today it’s just too much to talk about! The Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Fountain of Four Rivers Victor Emmanuel, and the Trevi Fountain all in one day is a lot to take in! The Pantheon is definitely one of the most amazing structures which is still today home to the largest “unreinforced concrete dome” which is pretty amazing since it was built in 126 AD!

Each day just keeps getting better as we continue to see the oldest, most amazing structures ever built! It’s so sad to think that we only have two full days left in the Eternal City!

Today was different than the other days so far. We had a much shorter class than usual and much more free time which was very nice! Our lesson in Buddhism today was a nice eye-opener to stop questioning what we were doing next and to just enjoy what we were experiencing at the moment.

We had a relaxing start to the day at the Embassy of the United States for the Holy See were we talked to the diplomat in charge of public affairs. From the embassy we had a beautiful view of the Roman Forum that we didn’t get to see on our first day. We also took a short walk across the street to see the Circus Maximus where ancient Roman chariot races used to be held!

Then after dinner we ended the day at the market at the Castel Sant’Angelo and a beautiful firework show to celebrate the Roman Holiday!

Today was one of the days I was definitely looking most forward to.

The opportunity to see one of the greatest works done by one of the greatest artists that ever lived was amazing! When I stepped foot into the Sistine Chapel it was everything I hoped it would be!

Though there are multiple other “Sistine Chapel’s” in Rome, I’m sure none of them come close to the magnificence of this one; and I’m not one to judge without knowing. Although, the Sistine Chapel would’ve been much more enjoyable if everyone inside it wasn’t talking!

I didn’t take any pictures of the Sistine Chapel out of respect for the rules, but I did get pictures while walking through the Vatican Museum, which was beautiful as well!

The Castel Sant’Angelo was built between 135 and 139 AD, it was originally a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian and his family. As the years passed by it was used as a fortress and castle for popes.

We then made a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica and climbed to the top of the dome. To an untrained eye such as mine, you would believe it is the largest and most beautiful dome in the world. It’s absolutely incredible!

Ahhh, the first day in Rome and we get to see one of the greatest things ever built! A true sports fan should really appreciate this place; it was basically the first sports stadium ever built!

When you see the Colosseum in a textbook you think it looks like an incredible structure, but nothing compares to when you see it in real life. It was originally built as a house for entertainment holding gladiatorial contests,animal hunts, and battle re-enactments, and was able to hold up to 50,000 spectators. Today, after nearly 2,000 years of damage,the Colosseum can’t be used as much other than one of the greatest tourist attractions.