The first half of our last day was spent seeing everything that we did not get to see. Most importantly, the Pantheon. It was a lot more beautiful than I had pictured. I pictured plain stone walls, but the walls were actually covered in marble images of many colors. It was cool to see the Roman architecture and the obviously Roman building, and how it was transformed into a Christian church. I enjoyed the history of how it used to be a Roman temple for worshiping their many gods, and how the Christians had turned it into a church.

We visited a museum about the Capuchin monks. They built the bone churches, which were churches decorated with the bones of the dead members. The church was very creepy but very cool at the same time.

The second half of the day was spent in Frascati. This was my favorite part of Italy. I liked the small town atmosphere. Dinner was awesome. The waiter brought out different plates of food and we all passed them around, which was very different than eating in America at a restaurant.

After dinner we took the train back to Rome to rest up for the trip back to the U.S.

Florence was a rough day for everybody. We woke up early and took an hour-long train ride. In the train station we met Rafaela, who was our guide for the day. She told us our schedule for the day, and we were disappointed that we would not get to see the statue of David or have much time for shopping.

We started the day off by walking to the Ponte Vecchio. We learned the history of how the bridge was the only one to not get bombed in World War II. After that we looked at some more churches. We did not get to go into any, but we got to admire the architecture from the outside. There was one huge Gothic church that I particularly liked.

After that, we went to the museum. The tour moved slowly, because our guide spent a lot of time talking, but I found the art history interesting. We got to see the evolution of artwork containing Mary and Jesus, and learn about the symbolism behind the elements of the paintings. We got to see The Birth of Venus and The Allegory of Spring, which were both very beautiful and had very interesting symbolism. Near the end of the museum tour we were getting very overheated and tired.

Our tour guide sent us in the direction of a market. However, after about twenty minutes of walking, we reached the spot, and there was no market. We did get to go to a different market, where I got a wallet for my dad and a glasses case for my mom, both made of famous Florence leather. We ended the day by going to an American diner. It was interesting to see the Italian’s perspective on American food. I had a cappuccino milkshake, which was awesome.

We took the train back to Rome and finally ended our long day.

Today we took a tour of more churches. My favorite was the Gothic era church we visited. I love that style of architecture. One of my favorite parts of visiting the churches is seeing the huge church organs. I am a piano player, and I have always wanted to play one of those.

We were supposed to see the Pantheon today, but it was closed for mass. We have plans to go back and see it on our last day, if we can.

We got to throw the three coins into the Trevi Fountain. One coin is for a return to Rome, one is to find love, and the third is for a secret wish. The fountain was much more beautiful than I had been picturing. It was a lot bigger than I had imagined as well.

We also got to climb the Spanish Steps. I did not know why they were called the Spanish Steps, but I learned that it is because they are located next to the Spanish embassy.

One interesting part of the day was the shopping. When we separated to wander around the Spanish Steps, the three other girls and I went to the Dior, Gucci, and Prada stores. The security was intimidating.

There were about three employees watching you from any given point in the store. At Dior, one or two employees were following us around the entire time.

The feast day of Peter and Paul was that day, so in the evening we went to Castel Sant Angelo to see the fireworks. We finally found the market, which had popped up alongside the river. There were so many people there to see the fireworks, I could barely move in the crowd. I usually do not like fireworks, because I do not see the appeal, but these fireworks were amazing. Michelangelo knew what he was doing.

After the fireworks we went back to the hotel for the night.

Today was our last day of class at the university. We spent the class discussing the role of women in different countries around the world. We looked at the beautiful view out of the classroom windows for the last time, and we headed back to the hotel.

We would not be starting our tour until the evening, so we spent the afternoon shopping. I got the bulk of my gifts for my relatives during this shopping trip.

We spent the evening at the Vatican museum. It was huge. The first few rooms were filled with Roman sculptures. There were even statues of sphinxes from Egypt. Between the Egyptian sculptures and the obelisks all over the city, it is clear that Egypt was a topic of interest in Rome. In addition to the sculptures, there were Christian paintings and tapestries in the museum too. It was interesting to see art from so many different cultures and time periods. It is amazing how so many different cultures are actually encompassed by the Roman culture.

The last stop in the Vatican museum is the Sistine Chapel. The paintings in the chapel are my favorite paintings so far on this trip. I like how stories are depicted on the ceiling such as Adam and Eve, and even lesser known stories like The Drunkenness of Noah. The painting at the front of the church is very interesting too. It shows the earth, Heaven, and Hell. I liked the story about how the critic of Michelangelo was depicted in the bottom corner descending to Hell. When he complained to the Pope, Clement VII, who in the painting was depicted high up in heaven, he told the critic that according to the painting, Hell was out of his jurisdiction, and he could not do anything about it.

The tour ended late, so after more gelato, we went back to our rooms for the night.

In class today we discussed different instances of genocide that are happening around the world.

I had researched the Israel-Palestine conflict, and how it is verging on becoming a genocide of the Arab people.

After class and lunch, we took a bus to meet Agnes, who would be our tour guide for that day. Our tour started right on the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated. From there we walked to the Jewish Ghetto. We learned about the history of the Italian Jews, how they were moved into the ghetto and walled in, and how they are still living there today. The ghetto is scattered with ancient ruins.

After wandering through a little bit of the town, we went to see the Synagogue. It is huge and opulent, and looks a lot like some of the cathedrals and churches we have seen. One difference is that there are balconies on the sides of the synagogue where women sit, so they do not distract the men during worship.

It was interesting to learn about Judaism after the last few days which focused on mostly Catholicism. It was interesting to see how the histories of other religions intertwined with Judaism. One interesting fact I learned was that when the Romans were persecuting Christians, they were not persecuting the Jewish people. This is because the Christians were so eager to convert. The Jews mainly stayed in their group and did not try to convert others. The Romans wanted to keep their religion. They were happy with diversity, but they did not like the Christians trying to dominate everything.

After the tour, we went to dinner. It was my birthday today, and I got a piece of cake with a candle on it from the restaurant. It was interesting that our waiter, who did not know any English, knew the happy birthday song in perfect English.

After dinner we again searched for the market, but did not find it, so we got gelato and went back to our rooms for the night.

DAY 3

On Tuesday morning we walked to the university again. The walk seemed shorter knowing how far the destination was. We spent the class discussing global warming, and about how different countries have different beliefs and solutions to the problem. We tried to reach a compromise between the countries as to what a solution could be.

After lunch and a quick rest at the hotel, we met Mike in the lobby. He took us down the street into Vatican City. We took a tour of the Basilica, and Mike taught us about the interesting history of the church. I have seen many decorative churches in the past, but none even come close to the grandeur of St. Peter’s. After marveling at the inside of the church, we looked at it from a different perspective. We climbed 551 steps to the dome of the Basilica. Everyone was exhausted by the end, but the view from the top of the church was worth it. We could see hundreds of buildings and the hills in the distance. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

After dinner, we went back to the Castel Sant Angelo, but the market was still strangely absent. We found another market, though, and most of us found something to buy. Even more important than the market was the gelato. I tried the coffee, but ended up buying a cone with two flavors: banana and Nutella. They were both amazing. We stood in front of the store and ate them, and a couple of us got more gelato before we left. This time I got chocolate hazelnut, and stracchiata, or chocolate chip. Molto delizioso!

DAY 4

In class today, we talked about drug use and trafficking and different countries’ positions on the issue. We also learned about the functions of embassies and the role of diplomats in regards to international relations. Later, we applied this knowledge when we visited the U.S. embassy to the Holy See. We learned about the history of the United States’ relationship with the Holy See, and we learned a little bit about what this particular embassy focuses on.

After visiting the embassy, we wandered around the area. This is where we saw some of the most interesting sights yet. In addition to an adorable pink church, we saw the mouth of truth (which is supposed to bite off your hand if you lie to it), the skull of St. Valentine, and the smallest country in the world. A common misconception is that Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. In actuality, Rome contains an even smaller independent country: The Knights of Malta. The country has a wall around it, and the only way to see in is through a keyhole. Looking through the keyhole shows a line of hedge arches. Through the center of the arches is a perfectly framed view of the dome of St. Peter’s. The sight is indescribably breathtaking.

After wandering around, we headed back to the hotel. We had more amazing food for dinner. After dinner, we again tried the market, but it was still missing.

The gelato flavors of the day were mango, kiwi, and coconut. The perfect combination.

DAY 1

We flew in on Sunday. The flight was painfully long, and I didn’t get any sleep, but I wasn’t very tired. After we got off the plane, we went through passport control before we got our luggage. I saw priests and nuns before we even left the airport, which shows how influential Catholicism is in Rome and the surrounding areas.

We met Josh in the airport, and he led us to the bus that would be taking us to the hotel. On the bus ride over, I saw a lot of graffiti. A surprising amount of tags were English words, which shows how much influence the English-speaking world has on the rest of the world.

After putting our bags in the hotel, we walked around. We went into St. Peter’s square and got to see Papa Francesco give his Sunday address to the people in the square. The square was full of people who had come to hear him speak. I was not aware of how easy it was to actually see the Pope in person. We walked around and saw Castel Sant Angelo, which is where the Popes used to use to hide when the Vatican was under siege, and the Bridge of Angels. After that, we finally checked in to the hotel. We all got a short rest before going to lunch.

In the late afternoon we went to mass. I did not know we were going to the Vatican for mass until we got in line in the square. The Basilica is so huge and so opulent. The beautiful pictures we all took do not even begin to capture the beauty of the church.

We went to dinner at La Vittoria, the restaurant right next to our hotel. Many of the customer service people we have seen are not very friendly, such as the cashier at the supermarket, who seemed annoyed at our very existence. However, the waiters at the restaurant were very friendly and brought us out surprise lemon cake for dessert.

I was very tired by the end of the day, and I was glad when we finally checked in for the night.

DAY 2

Monday morning, we woke up and walked to the Pontificia University for class. We talked about the basics of the International Relations class, and then discussed our religious views, and what we thought of destiny, free will, and many other spiritual and religious topics. We had lunch in the beautiful university cafeteria before going back to the hotel for an afternoon rest.

After our rest, we met Josh, who took us on a trip through the metro. We established our “code word” which is used to convey the message of “We are getting off the metro at the next station.” Our word is “Nero” after the Roman emperor who killed his wife and subsequently married a man who looked like the wife.

Outside of the metro, we met our tour guide for the day, Rachel. Our first stop with Rachel was the Coliseum. It was cool to be standing inside the ruins and to see models of what it was supposed to look like during the height of the Roman Empire. The trap door system used to transport the animals was very interesting, and the fact that a huge part of the Coliseum was underground and involved lifts and pulleys. None of the spectators saw this part of the Coliseum.

On the streets of Rome there are many people looking for money. Some play accordion and other instruments and others just sit and pray or beg for money. On the way from the Coliseum to the Roman Forum I saw two people who looked like Tibetan monks. They were both meditating on the sidewalk, one of them holding a wooden pole which the other one was balancing on. It was interesting seeing this little bit of Buddhist tradition in the middle of a hugely Catholic city.

The Forum was very beautiful. There were so many colorful flowers and trees. One interesting part of being in this area was seeing a summer home that had been built for Mussolini. This building looked very strange sitting surrounded by ancient ruins.

We rode back to the hotel and had a small rest. After that we had dinner, followed by a trek to the market at Castel Sant Angelo. Unfortunately, not many people were selling things, so we went back to the hotel for the night.