Rome is a city that holds a lot of history. Looking back at our trip to Italy, I remember our last day at the University. I have to say, I got really attached to it. We had our final lunch at the cafeteria, and we went back to the hotel to get ready for the day’s activities. We first, saw the actual place where Julius Caesar was assassinated; oddly enough, the city of Rome has now used this site as the dumping ground for all the stray cats that were in the Coliseum. We then went to the Jewish Ghetto. We learned about the people who used to and presently lived there. We learned about why the ghetto had been set up and when. It was really saddening to hear about the anti-Semitism these people continuously went through, not just from WWII times, but MUCH earlier than that (all the way back to the Roman Empire);  all over a person’s ethnicity and religion. We even stood at the spot where the Nazi’s took away the first of the Jewish people from Rome. On a more positive note though, we also saw more ancient Roman architecture; including the building that is believed to had a great influence in the structure of the Coliseum.

After walking through the Ghetto, we went to a Jewish Museum/Synagogues. The guide went through, in more detail, the anti-Semitism that occurred in Rome and Europe. She also went through the lives of a Jewish person in Rome throughout the history of Rome. At the end of the tour, she told us more about Jewish practices, and that’s when she led us to the two different Synagogues that were attached to the Museum. The first one is one she called “an average looking” Synagogue. She pointed out, in both Synagogues, some of the artifacts taken from the old Synagogues of the old Jewish Ghetto. She then took us to another that you had to enter from the outside of the building. This Synagogue was much more extravagant looking; it looked more like something you’d expect a catholic church to look like. She explained to us that this Synagogue was made for the people of the Jewish Ghetto after they were given the right to become Italian citizens again. The Synagogues that these people had had before hand was too small, and falling apart. So, to give the Jewish community something new and their own, they built them this extravagant Synagogue (still fully in use). The sight of this Synagogue was amazing. The walls were laced with symbolism, from the paintings made to represent parts of the Torah, to the piece of furniture put in the corner from the old Synagogue to represent the remembrance of what their people had gone through. It was truly touching.

We started off the morning much later than usual; we began with having a very short class time down in the dining room. We then were off the US Embassy, when we got there, we were given a presentation of the US Embassy of the Holy See (which we found out if different from the Vatican City). Everyone asked an abundance of questions about working for an US Embassy and we took off to the Circus Maximus down the street. Everyone was actually shocked to see that it was now just a huge ditch; in fact, most people didn’t even know we were there until the tour guide actually told us. He explained how the chariot races there were one of the major sources of entertainment for the roman citizen, and showed us a small section of the field that had been excavated.

Afterwards, some of us waited in line to have our picture taken with the Mouth of Truth. Legend has it that when someone puts their hand in its mouth, if someone asks them a question and they lie, the mouth will close down on their hand. It sounded really interesting to me, so I waited in the long line to get my picture with it!

Later on that night, we went back to the Night Market at the Castel Sant’Angelo and waited to watch the fireworks around 9:30. Usually, I’m not all that impressed with fireworks; they seem to always kind of be the same. This fireworks show, however, was absolutely breathtaking. The fireworks were the original design of Michelangelo, and actually developed by the Chinese. I’ve never seen so many different kinds of fireworks; and some where the quietest ones I’ve ever heard as well. The colors were so vibrant, when the gold fireworks went off, it looked like there were golden flecks falling from the skies. I know one thing for sure, it will be really hard for me to ever be impressed with fireworks ever again.

The sixth day was extremely hectic, and lots of walking. We started off with seeing the Victor Emmanuel Monument; we learned that once the building of the monument was finished, they decided to celebrate the accomplishment with having a meal party in the belly of the horse on top of the monument (a pretty awesome way to celebrate if you ask me).

We then were taken of a journey through the backstreets of Rome. At first, it felt like we were being taken to the middle of nowhere. But then, all of a sudden, we turn the corner to find the Trevi Fountain! It was absolutely beautiful! We all threw our coins in and left for the first gelato, the Pantheon.

The Pantheon and the Coliseum are the two monuments that I think of most when I think of Rome; so I was psyched. We learned about the pagan origin of the Pantheon and about the aftermath of Christianity becoming the primary religion in Rome. At one point, they stripped all the marble from the outside (like many of the other buildings in Rome) to reuse on new building. We were told that after a while, the key to the Pantheon was finally given to the Pope. However, instead of stripping the inside of all its valuables (just a few), they turned it into a place to honor all martyrs for the Christian faith. It remains a church-owned monument, but it’s still almost the same to the way it was when it was originally built. The floors are the most original thing in the entire building, with only a few places where precious stones had been taken away for reuse. When we were leaving, a bunch or choirs came to the Pantheon and started singing hymns. It seemed to fit, and not fit at the same time. The Pantheon is definitely a religious place now, but its pagan roots are far from forgotten.

Also during the day, we visited the Piazza Navona and learned about the family that owned that area, and the fountain of Four-Rivers. It was really fascinating to learn the back-story behind Bernini sculpting this amazing fountain and that he was almost not the one to do it. We then looked around at the artists around the square and bought some of the local art pieces. We also went on to visit the Spanish Steps, which I did not climb because of being way too tired, and also the American Catholic Church near the US embassy.

Later on that night, we went back to Piazza Navona at night; it looked like a completely different world there. The square was filled with street performers and more artists than I had ever seen in my entire life. I ended up buying another painting and we then headed back to the hotel after our long and exhausting day.

Our third day began with another day in class. We learned about Judaism World, and Foreign Policy in International Relations (we also continued to work on our drafts for our model UN solution proposals). After class, we ate at the university cafeteria.

We finally had time for rest today. Two hours after we got back from class, we were on our way to the Musei  Vaticani (Vatican Museum). Almost everything you know when you think of famous ancient works of art was there right before us: the Pieta, the Raphael Rooms, the Borgia Apartments, they were all there. There were also some new things that we saw that were wondrous as well. We saw the original statue that Auguste Rodin and Michelangelo are believed to have used as for inspiration (Auguste’s the Thinker and Michelangelo’s human figures), The Belvedere Torso. During the tour, we were told to look up at the ceiling, to anyone who was glancing, the ceiling would look carved; however, we learned this is not the case, the ceiling are actually painted with a shadowing technique to make it look three-dimensional. We also saw the first jacuzzi that is believed to be Nero’s. We ended the long tour in the Sistine Chapel. Words cannot describe the overwhelming feeling you get when you physically step into this larger than life building covered from top to bottom in paintings. The details that went into this building are beyond comparison to anything I’ve ever seen. It’s nearly impossible to lower your head from the ceiling; it’s so much to take in.

We ended the day at a little Pizzeria down the street from our hotel. I still can’t get used to how everything tastes so unbelievably delicious here; thankfully, it’s only day three!