I still remember our very first day in Italy.

It was around 6:00 in the morning, many of us had not slept on the plane and we immediately entered an airport that (if possible) seemed hotter than the air outside. But what did we have to complain about? Well, damaged luggage, a delayed flight, and the loss of a day in Italy-but those things disappeared the moment we stepped out of the airport and into Rome.

After picking up our luggage and being picked up by our main guide, Josh, we were dropped off at our new residence for the next 8 days, the Hotel Emmaus.

On the way we experienced Roman driving habits and caught our first glimpses of the Roman countryside complete with distant mountains, fields of sunflowers, graffiti on the highway, and balconies overflowing with flowers. At the hotel we took the few spare hours of the early morning to unpack, grab some food, and catch up on a few hours of sleep.

Our first tour of Italy brought us straight to the Colosseum! Talk about overwhelming. It felt unreal to stand in front of, inside, and on such an incredible testament to the prowess of human kind.

To simultaneously learn of its construction, functions, and features intensified the experience. While overlooking what would have been the arena floor I tried to imagine the place as it once was- not crumbled and speckled with holes-but covered in marble, full of cheering Romans, the arena floor covered in sand, the emperor in all his glory watching from his special seat above the Vestal Virgins, with hundreds of gladiators fighting to be the last one standing, with giant canopies overhead, and exotic animals beneath the arena floor-but I’m sure my imagination fell terribly short. I can’t even begin to imagine how the naval battles went!

After the Colosseo our day was still far from done. Our next stop was the Roman Forum, where our guide led us past the Arch of Constantine to Palatine Hill home of the emperors, to the “circus minimus” where archaeologists suspect that chariot races were held with child combatants, to the Arch of Titus, to the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, and to the Ara di Cesare, where Julius Caesar was cremated. We saw so much in such a seemingly short period I’m worried that I might be leaving something out.

After the Forum we trekked across town to the Basilica di San’Clemente, which was truly a walk through history. The Church has three levels from the 12^th, 9^th, and 4^th centuries respectively, the earliest of which contains apartments, worship centers for the Mithraic cult, and running water pipes. It was interesting to discuss how the Cult of Mithras had so many parallels to Christianity that one center of worship (and worshipers) could easily be converted into a place of worship for the others. Throughout history Christianity has taken advantage of such parallels (or created them where they might have been a stretch) and used them to gain converts.

One the way back we stopped for gelato right across the street from the remains of a gladiator school. Though we had already seen the Colosseum I was still surprised by the fact that this relic from the past exists right in the middle of Rome-open for all to see. Though much of Rome’s historic sites are the same way-history smack in the middle of modernity, sandwiched between apartments and ice cream shops- it was still a striking experience. After almost no sleep and an entire day of touring my roommates and I were more than ready to turn in for the night. We finished unpacking the last of our things and collapsed, feeling at home after only a small taste of Roma.

I like history, psychology, biology, neuroscience, philosophy, and the humanities. I like thinking about religion, and art, and the ways of mankind, and I found myself perfectly suited to this place.

When we went to the Vatican Museum we saw Michelangelo’s Pieta. We saw the Belvedere Torso. We saw tributes to Greek and Roman Mythology.  We saw the Raphael Tapestries, the Borgia Apartments, the School of Athens, and pieces from Chagall, Matisse, and Dali. Countless sculptures, paintings, frescoes, friezes, and bronze pieces graced my eyes in each new room. I saw the chiaroscuro technique in person, and observed the effect of Raphael’s Resurrection of Christ. Though our pace through the Museum was less than ideal, I have never felt so privileged, so enlightened, as I did walking through those halls. You try to take it all in, but everything is calling for your attention. Walking becomes difficult as you gape up at the engravings on the ceiling, snap a picture of the maps of Italy, identify each portrayal in the School of Athens, or spin around for one last look at something in the last room.

Your anticipation grows. You know what you’ll see at the end of the Museum. You’re speeding past more modern artwork just to see it. Flights of stairs, hallways, and artwork after artwork pass by and finally you’re entering it, about to see it. You step into the Sistine Chapel and out of yourself.

You lose sense of time standing there in the crowd, looking up, turning, soaking in the frescoes covering every inch of the walls. Your mouth hangs open, your feet hurt, you get immense vertigo, a stranger is standing uncomfortably close to you (could be pick pocketing you)-but you don’t care. It is impossible to retreat back into yourself. I wanted to sit in the Chapel forever-and it would take forever to fully appreciate it for what it is. If the scale alone isn’t enough to make you cry, the layers upon layers of meaning in every line should be. I could spend months looking at the Last Judgment alone, but the time came and we were shepherded out by the security guards…

I was completely removed from my ego for a good hour prior to leaving the Chapel, and I wish that it had stayed that way. You step into the sunlight and people begin speaking freely again but it doesn’t feel the same. I know I left something of myself in the Sistine Chapel, but I gained something of much greater value in return.

The effect of Raphael’s Resurrection tapestry

Our final day in Rome covered all the areas in which our trip had been lacking. It was slow-paced, provided us with some time to explore on our own, and was completely relaxing after a whole week of sprinting around from tour site to tour site. We slept in, had breakfast, and enjoyed an easy bus ride to Villa Borghese, the private park of the Borgia family. The scenery was beautiful and trees canopied the walkway to the park.

Once there, we rowed around in a boat on an extremely aesthetic pond, searched for the Vale di Cane, and climbed a fallen tree. We took the metro back and enjoyed lunch on our own, then did some minor shopping, ran to the grocery store for some last minute souvenirs for family and around 4:00 we met Josh to leave for Frascati.

The train ride to Frascati was slow and scenic, albeit hot. After taking in the awesome view from the mountainside town, and the cool, fresh air we did some more minor shopping, and explored the picturesque town that is Frascati.

We all met back up in front of a gorgeous church and walked together to the restaurant where we would enjoy our last meal together in Italy. We watched the sun set over Rome, picked out the Dome of St. Peter’s, and enjoyed four courses of some of the best food I can ever hope to experience.

My experience in Frascati was one of the best, but I find myself thinking most fondly on the train ride home. After talking with our chaperone, Mrs. Kelly, and some friends for a while I was drawn to the window by the moon. Once I stuck my head out there was no going back in. The countryside was beautiful, illuminated by the silvery moonlight. I saw fields and vineyards and houses and mansions and aqueducts. I saw families eating dinner on their rooftops and graffiti and the inside of tunnels and the whole time I had an inexplicable feeling of connectedness with Rome. I remember arriving in Rome and only noticing the trees and how completely different they look from Florida trees. That was Rome’s one great identifying feature at the time-trees. I now know better.

After eight days I have been all over Rome, through Florence, and up to Frascati. I have seen some of the most incredible forms of human achievement in existence and walked through a city as part of living history. I can only imagine the layers and layers of undiscovered history underfoot. I have mastered the metro system, grown familiar with the Termini Station and become a capable navigator of Rome. I know enough Italian to get by, and am wary of the trickiness of salespeople. My experience in Rome has come to an end, but its influence will never leave me. Already, my worldview has shifted, and I find it a foreign notion to be heading home to Florida with its lack of unidentifiable trees and metro systems and persistent salespeople.

I’ll return with an unquenchable travel lust, I know, which will almost guarantee my eventual return to Roma. I have so much left to see.

Today we learned about Buddhism- or about as much as one can learn about Buddhism in half an hour… We listened to the story of how Siddhartha Gautama reached enlightenment. We learned about the basic structure and principles of Buddhism, of desire and the self. And finally, we had an excellent conversation about only experiencing the present and being in the moment which sounds very idealistic and airy when spoken aloud or written out on paper, but is a different thing entirely in practice. I like to think that I can accomplish this sometimes, and almost always when I practice it with intention, so I resolved myself to try it today.

After our brief class meeting we visited the Embassy of the U.S. to the Holy See on Aventine Hill and gained a lot of really intriguing information about the embassy, the Holy See, and career options. I found myself soaking in everything our diplomat host had to say, and I was left with the impression that being a diplomat can be really exciting, luxurious, and a great cultural experience as much as it could be stressful, dangerous, and daunting. Though the idea of living abroad, cultural immersion, and taking an active role in global affairs appeals to me a lot, I’m not sure I have it in me to have such an important role in government.

After our meeting at the embassy we crossed the street for a view of the Circus Maximus, or rather, a large overgrown ditch that is now used to host concerts. The only thing that remains of the Circus Maximus is its size, so large we weren’t exactly how many miles a circuit would be.

A short walk from the large overgrown field took us to the famous mouth of truth, and the lovely smallish Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin. I satisfied my curiosity of the place by peeking through the bars at the Mouth of Truth and looking at the skull of Saint Valentine in the basilica for a few minutes before realizing exactly how stifling it was. As everyone took waited in line to take pictures with their hand in the mouth I grabbed a soda and some Pringles with our guide and we returned just in time for the bus.

When the sun started to set we headed down to the night market around the Castel San’Angelo once again to see the shows of Michelangelo’s fireworks over the Castel. After some haggling and petting other people’s dogs it finally grew dark and I settled down in an un-crowded location behind the Castel. When the show began I took out my camera and began to snap some pictures, but soon I remembered my resolve to just enjoy the experience for what is was. I put my camera away, lay down in some grass on the hill and silently enjoyed the company of my close friends, Michelangelo’s fireworks, and the yelps of a frightened Beagle pup. I’ve never been so calm in the presence of tortured animals and explosives. It was divine.

Our second day in Rome began with our first (or fifth, depending on how you look at it) day of class. We began by learning about some of the lesser-known details of Christianity which was both unexpected and welcome.

In International Relations we separated into our UN groups to work on resolutions and form committees with our classmates.

After class and lunch at the pleasant cafe at the University our day consisted of going to the Grocery store down the street, touring the Castel di San’Angelo, climbing the dome of St. Peter’s, visiting St. Peter’s Basilica itself, and wandering through the night market, all of which made for an exhausting, yet well-rounded day. The history surrounding the Castel San’Angelo was long, exciting, and varied.

We learned about famous prisoners, the Pope and the formation of the Swiss guard, and how the Castle was often the go-to siege tower when Rome was attacked.

We were even able to see a catapult and large round stones that were once the heads of statues but were chopped off to use as projectiles to defend the Castle.

Climbing the Dome of St. Peter’s was three times as rewarding, as it was exhausting. After the trek from the Castle we entered Vatican City (passing from one country into another) walked through the courtyard, rode the elevator, and climbed 300+ stairs to reach the top and obtain one of the most stunning views I will ever have the ability to experience. You can see Rome spread out for miles all around you. Lining the distance in all directions are the blue ridges of great mountains rising above the cityscape.

I saw the street our hotel was on, the Castel San’Angelo, the Colosseum, the audience hall of the Pope, and all of Vatican City.

When our group started to head back down I couldn’t believe it. However I would learn the painful lesson that in Rome there is everything to see and no time to see it, and so eventually we were forced to climb down.

As difficult as it was to leave the Dome, our next stop was even more so. There are many things to describe within St. Peter’s Basilica, there are many ways to describe them, and there are many ways to react to them, but there is truly only one thing common to each experience: you will be overwhelmed. Every surface is beautiful. Every aspect humbles you. Every sight awes you. You are made tiny by the architecture. You are made insignificant by the art. The experience works to pull you into the hands of a greater power, something so inexplicable and omniscient that I could have spent years there gaping up at every mosaic, charting the location of every sunbeam, photographing every carving and still be no closer to comprehending the place.

Walking through the Basilica I imagined myself as one of the security guards, working there day after day for hours on end, trying to detach myself from the overwhelming nature of the place-it didn’t work. The fifteen minutes spent there were nearly enough to convert me.

Leaving the Basilica felt like exiting a dream- like waking up to the sound of your alarm before class. The real world is outside and will never enter that place, the strength of the vision is too strong. After leaving the Basilica, seeing the Swiss Guard, eating dinner, and walking to the night market, I realize how distinct the division between being inside and being outside has become. Sacred and profane.

Whatever experience one has within the Basilica, it isn’t likely to leave them anytime soon. I couldn’t stop thinking about the place all day. Even now, the sheer ingenuity involved in designing such a masterpiece is blowing my mind. The realm of human experience is truly enlightened by this achievement. Though I expected to feel this again and again in Rome, I know this instance in particular will stay with me always. I have never so highly revered the accomplishments of the human race.