On June 29th, we visited Florence for the day. Florence is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, and it’s home to many masterpieces from that time period.

We went to the Roma Termini train station and I noticed that it was like a mall except with trains. There’s a little train for kids at the mall near my house, but that’s not the same thing. There were a lot of stores and fast food places. At the Firenze SMN train station, there was even a Sephora, which is one of my favorite stores.

Riding the train was kind of interesting. I took a nap to catch up on lost sleep, since I sat by myself but I also looked out the window and saw the view when we weren’t going through tunnels. There were a lot of tunnels.

We arrived in Florence and immediately met our tour guide, Sally. We saw the Basilica of Santa Croce. It’s a minor Basilica of the Roman Catholic Church, where people such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and many others were buried. I found that amazing.

Another one of my favorite sites was the Ponte Vecchio, which was a bridge that had stores built on it as well. Most of them were fancy jewelry stores, but it was still pretty cool. Malachi had mentioned that this was in the first level of Assassin’s Creed, and I was thrilled to hear that.

We did some shopping while we were there. I got some jewelry and keychains from this market that we went to. After this, we saw something else really amazing. The Medici Family’s summer home! This was turned into an art museum, and it was gorgeous. It was a true representation of their wealth and power in the Renaissance.

I loved Florence, and would go back in a heartbeat. There’s still so many things to see.

On our last day in Italy, we went to visit the Cripta Capuccini, which is a crypt decorated with the bones of 3,700 monks that have passed away. This crypt is a reminder of our own mortality. It had to have been one of the creepiest sights I’ve ever seen in my life. I wish I had pictures to post for this.
This day was also the Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, and this is actually a public holiday in Rome, so many businesses are closed. St. Peter was one of Jesus’ 12 Apostles and spent most of his life preaching after Jesus’ death. St. Paul was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus shortly after Jesus’ death. He was an influential leader in the church. This holiday is kind of like the 4th of July in the United States, since there are fireworks and festival attractions open.
The fireworks were designed by Michelangelo, which I think was amazing. I was skeptical at first, but if China had fireworks hundreds of years ago, so could Italy. They were in the colors of the Italian flag, green, white, and red. I found that odd, since it’s technically not a holiday to celebrate Italy. They were still beautiful, and the fact that they were paired with classical music is a plus and tied everything together.
I’m really going to miss Italy. Shopping is something that’s going to be a lot harder in the US. I bought a pair of shoes for half the price it would have costed in America. Gelato will also be very hard to come across. I’m going to miss the public transportation, which is weird, yes, but the bus system is so efficient in Rome. I’m going to miss the free water wherever I go, thanks to the ancient aqueduct system. I’m going to miss passing by historic sites that are thousands of years old anywhere I walk. I’m going to miss Devin, especially, the number 1 tour guide in the history of the world, who was there looking out for us all the time. All I am wondering is, “When can I come back?”

June 26th was our last day of class, so we had plenty of free time before our trip to the Vatican Museum later that night. We decided that we would like to go back to St. Peter’s Basilica to look at some of the embalmed bodies that were on display, and also to look at art. Bronwen and I took the stairs down to a lower floor and were surprised to see an ancient tomb where all the popes of the past were kept. We had no idea this existed, and we were pleased to see that some of the pillars that were kept on that floor were about 2,000 years old.

After seeing St. Peter’s Basilica a second time and thoroughly enjoying the trip, I decided to buy some t-shirts for people back home. I absolutely fell in love with the shirt I got for my sister, which happens to be Hello Kitty in front of the Colosseum with the caption “Roma”. I also enjoyed the other shirts.

At about 6:00, we met Jill outside the Vatican Museum, who introduced us to Maggie, a tour guide who worked for the Museum. This was one of the most beautiful places we’ve seen yet. And the biggest by the amount of rooms. It’s actually the 5th most visited art museum in the world, after the Louvre, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery. We saw so many different works of art, even Egyptian ones (remember, whatever the Roman Empire lacked, they stole from another civilization.) One of the most amusing galleries inside the museum was the Gallery of Candelabra, which was an array of nude statues with the male organs knocked off. In the mid-1800’s, one of the Popes didn’t like the statues, so he ordered the most offending parts knocked off. Some of them are still trying to be… *ahem* restored. We also saw the Sistine Chapel, and it was so three-dimensional. The reason that many of the figures depicted in the paintings didn’t have clothes was actually because Michelangelo wasn’t paid for his work on the Chapel and he wanted to tick off the Pope. Spoiler alert: the Pope didn’t mind.

We had dinner in the Museum, too, which was exciting. Having dinner in a fancy museum is probably the most sophisticated thing I’ve ever done. The food was okay, at most, but the experience was great!

We walked back through the museum a second time on our way out, so we had the pleasure of seeing the Sistine Chapel a second time.

Up next, we’re visiting the Pantheon and the Purgatory Museum

Until then,

Summer

June 25. That’s the day we visited the Jewish Ghetto. Before that, we had class. In World Religions, we discussed Islam, and in International Relations, we had our Model UN. My country was Japan, and I did a resolution on nuclear energy, which I presented to Turkey, Italy, Brazil, Russia, and Nigeria.

After Bronwen and I got lunch, I realized that I was going to have to cover my knees and shoulders if we were going to the Jewish Quarter. I would wear my trusty kimono, but since a bird dropped a present onto it on the day we climbed St. Peter’s Basilica, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing it. I needed a solution to this problem, and fast. Thankfully, there was a little boutique next to the sandwich shop I got lunch from, so I bought a pair of leggings for €8. They fit well, and they were a suitable match for the dress I was wearing that day. I may go back to Postcard Boutique later on this trip.

Devin took us to the Jewish Quarter shortly after I bought the leggings. We visited two synagogues while we were there. The large one had this beautiful square dome on the ceiling that was painted in rainbow colors to represent the rainbow that God sent after the flood. I’ve never been inside a synagogue before this day, and I think they’re gorgeous.

We also took a tour of the Jewish Museum of Rome. My favorite exhibit was the textiles that were used to cover the Torah when not in use.

After seeing the beautiful museum we took a stop at the Church of St. Lawrence. Something I’ve noticed is that all of these churches are really big so everything you say seems amplified.

We got dinner shortly after this. I ordered spaghetti, which was very delicious and had thick noodles. Some people ordered more eccentric meals, such as cow brains. Malachi, who ordered them, described the taste as like the dark meat of a chicken. I wasn’t willing to prove that.

Next, we’re going to see the Vatican Museum. I can’t wait!

Until then,

Summer

Today, we didn’t have class because we were scheduled to visit the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN. We had breakfast and got on the bus to the headquarters at 9:30. The building we saw was very different from the ones we had toured in Rome previously. Firstly, it wasn’t ancient. This was probably built in the later half of the 20th Century. The rooms were all modern and many countries even got their own room to decorate. Allison, a communications person at the FAO gave a presentation on who they are and what they do. Fun fact: 2015 is the International Year of Soils, which was proposed by a number of countries before being approved. The modern side of the ancient city of Rome was pretty nice, and there was a lot of artwork that came from people all over the world. I definitely approve of the FAO and what they do after this meeting.

After the presentation, Devin took us to a couple of old churches in that part of Rome. We passed by a big wall with a door that had a peephole in it. Each of us took turns looking through the hole, and we found out it was Malta, another tiny country that lies within Italy. I’m assuming that it’s very exclusive, since there was a red carpet inside the door.

The churches we saw were incredibly old. The oldest one was from 400 AD. Not 1400. 400. Some of the churches are still active to this day. We also looked at the garden surrounding the area.

After touring these areas, we got lunch at a place called T-Bone Station I was pretty surprised to go here, because it was an American style restaurant that had no pasta or Italian foods. And I absolutely love Italian food, but I missed having a big juicy hamburger like in the United States. It was also a pleasant surprise to find out that the Italians didn’t just eat pizza and pasta. I got a baked potato with my burger and it was absolutely heavenly.

We bid our goodbyes to Devin and went back to the hotel. He had told us about another interesting church to see, so Mr. Hesting gave us an option. We could either see the church or stay at the hotel and work. I stayed at the hotel to perfect my Model UN resolution. Unfortunately, I was the only one who did so, and I deeply regret not going to visit the church. I stayed in the lobby working for about 2 or 3 hours, and when they got back, everyone except Malachi went and got dinner. Since our lunch was covered, we paid for dinner. I got an eggplant pizza and an apple cake, and it cake to about €13,50.

I couldn’t eat anymore after that, and neither could anyone else. So we just went back to the hotel and slept.

Up next, we’re touring the Jewish Ghetto and Synagogues. I’m excited to see the diversity in religion in Rome.

Until then,

Summer

I awoke at 8:00 AM and headed down to the lobby for breakfast with Chloe and Margaret. I had a croissant covered in powdered sugar and a roll, since I’m a sucker for any type of bread product.

After everyone finished up, we took a bit of a hike to the Pontifical Universitas Urbaniana, where we would have your class for the day. Our scenery was a bit different this time, since we were walking through a subway station. Dr. Stark talked about the origins of Judaism and Zoroastrianism, and Mr. Hesting lectured about some of the topics we covered in our online discussions and it basically led to, “domestic policy = foreign policy”. Class was over at 12:00 PM and Mr. Hesting told us about a window outsie the restrooms that had one of the best views of Rome you could capture on a single camera. We all took our pictures and then took a quick walk to the University’s cafeteria, just to orient ourselves with where it is. We ended up just going back to the hotel and not eating anything there, but seeing the fresh food they offer is pretty sweet.

After finishing a nap, I went to go get a sandwich from the nice Internet cafe down the road from our hotel. The process of ordering was sort of strange and complicated for us Americans. First, we came to the counter and ordered what we wanted (in Italian). I had a little trouble figuring out how to pronounce some words, but the girl at the counter kind of got the idea of what I wanted when I had said enough. Then, we went to another counter and paid, which is a pretty good idea, since you don’t want the person who is making your food holding your dirty money (because money is always kind of dirty). Then we went back to the other counter and picked up our sandwiches. Mine was pretty good, and it was the first time I had ever had dried tomatoes, which I was not expecting, since it didn’t say that on the menu. I will definitely be going back there.

When we got back to the hotel, I took yet another nap. Shortly after, it was time to tour the Forum and the Colosseum with Molly, our guide.

The first building we saw after getting off the bus was the “wedding cake”. People in Rome call this building the “wedding cake” because it’s made with extremely white stones that don’t exactly match the color of the rest of the city. It’s beautiful, but considered ugly by those who compare it to the rest of the city.

We bought tickets to visit the Forum and the Colosseum, and Molly told us a lot of interesting facts about both of the amazing places. For instance, the Forum had to be excavated from a grassy area where cows grazed, since the Tiber River flooded more than a few times and brought over soil where the grass grew. Another interesting fact was that in the Colosseum, seawater could be used to fill up the arena, just so gladiators could battle on boats there. Also, the entire stadium was made so that 70,000 people at a time could evacuate the premises in the event of an emergency.

After our tour, Molly led us to the restaurant where we would eat dinner. We were all handed menus, but they were taken back quickly, as Molly and the restaurant staff decided they would pick our food for us. Needless to say, everything they had chosen was delicious. There was this bowl of eggplants that were chopped up and kind of mushy, but it was addicting. Bruschetta with tomatoes also tasted pretty good. We were also given a plate of meats and cheeses. I’ve been shying away from meat recently except hamburgers and chicken, but the cheeses were delectable, especially the buffalo-milk ricotta cheese (but where did they find the buffalo?).

We were stuffed after dinner, but we were still able to get gelato at OldBridge. There was a big line for it, so we had a feeling it would be good. While eating, we did some people watching and noticed how perfect most of the Italian people looked. Like they just wake up on the right side of the bed every morning. Mr. Hesting proposed further research into who had the best gelato out of the two places we tried, Lemongrass or OldBridge, and everyone agreed that they would participate in research (read: eat more gelato).

I still have yet to buy any souvenirs since I haven’t figured out which shirts and postcards to buy. I’m hoping I could try to haggle the prices so I get a deal I want.

Tomorrow, we are climbing to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica!

Until then,

Summer

Today was the day. The day that Mr. Hesting had warned us that we would be climbing the several hundred steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. I already got winded walking up the stairs to the second floor of my school. Why would I want to exert myself that much?

Before this, of course, we had class. We walked through the subway station and passed by people from many different countries. Some of the languages I heard upon passing by these people were Italian (of course), English, Spanish, Korean, French, Hindi, German, and much more that I didn’t really hear.

We got to Pontifical Universitas Urbaniana and stared out the window for a few minutes at the beautiful view of St. Peter’s Basilica and and the rest of Rome. I tried not to think about climbing up the 500-something stairs of the church later that day.

In Dr. Stark’s class, we compared each of the three Abrahamic religions to each other and described what challenges they had to face in the modern era. My group (Bronwen and Malachi) chose Islam and Judaism, while the remaining people chose Christianity. In Mr. Hesting’s class, we were taught about the three different types of feminism, which  is riveting to me, because I identify as a feminist.

After class, Malachi and I went to go get gelato from a place nearby the hotel. This place wasn’t very crowded, so needless to say, the gelato wasn’t as good as the other gelato just a few blocks away. I’ve realized that my friends and I have become gelato snobs who will only settle for the very best. Not that we want to change or anything…

After the gelato, it was time to climb to the top of the Basilica with Devin, our tour guide. We had to bring our passports, since we were technically entering into another country, Vatican City. The first few steps up the building were easy, and I thought we would have an easy time from there on out. It was quite the workout. When we reached the dome part of the Basilica and looked at all the mosaics (that’s right, mosaics. None of the beautiful pictures inside the Basilica were painted. All is mosaic.), I thought we had reached the top. This was not the case. We were going to climb to the very top of the dome, the OUTDOOR part. But then… Daylight hit me. A blast of cool air flew into my face. We had made it. We were finally on top! The view from the top was beautiful, and we could see the Papal Apartments, and also the place that Pope Francis actually stays, since he likes to consider himself equal to everyone else. I would have liked to take better pictures, but unfortunately, they have this awful bird cage type thing over the parts where people can go, so no one drops their phone or their selfie stick off the top of the church.

Now we had to climb back down, and I heard someone say they felt like they were shrinking with every step down. I was really jealous of the people on the elevator. We reached the last floor, and we got a tour of the Basilica from our other tour guide, Jill. What I found most interesting is that they had bodies of old popes on display, which unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see. The person who mentioned that she felt like shrinking with every step down was right. The Basilica made me and everyone else feel very tiny. This was a contrast from feeling big, like a giant, on top of the church, able to view everything below you. I think it was symbolic of something, but I just don’t know what.

Devin gave us a tour of the Castle Sant Angelo. It really wasn’t a castle, however, it was intended to be a tomb for the person who built it, but it was kind of converted into a castle in its later. We walked up these stairs that looked like they should be above the ground. We saw a lot of cool paintings that were either bought or stolen from other regions at the time the castle was built.

After this, Devin walked us to this pizza place, La Montecarlo, but almost none of us actually got pizza. I ordered gnocchi with marinara and parmesan, which if you were wondering, gnocchi is potato balls that are eaten with sauce like pasta. It was very filling. I ate it all and also some of the fried Italian delicacies that were ordered on our behalf.

Tomorrow, we aren’t doing a class and instead touring the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN. I will talk about that in the next blog.

Until then,

Summer

My Mom and my sister Kyra drove me to Tampa International Airport at 9 AM on June 20th before watching me scan my passport and get my boarding passes for my flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport and then to ROME!!

The flight to New York took longer than expected, since it was delayed about three times before we finally got to JFK, and by that time we had already missed our flight to Rome. This gave my group and I a good opportunity to explore New York, technically at least. We discussed our plans for what we would do when we get off in Italy over McDonald’s fries and some mysterious meat dumplings from the Chinese restaurant in the food court. I have never been to New York before, so even though I didn’t get to see the skyline or the many other things that scream, “Empire State”, I cherished every moment I spent in JFK.

We boarded our Alitalia flight to Rome at 10:15 PM, and that lasted about 8 hours. I could only manage to sleep for about a half hour after eating, so then I watched The Lego Movie, an episode of Shake it Up, Sherlock Holmes, and listened to the free alt rock they had available before we touched down in Fiumicino International Airport at 12:05 PM, Italian time.

Shortly after collecting our luggage, we met Jill, one of our tour guides. She led us to the bus that took us to our hotel, and after checking our rooms, we took a quick walking tour of Rome, and I was amazed by the statues outside the Vatican. We got fresh gelato at Lemongrass Gelato (I got the tiramisu flavor), did some minor grocery shopping at a supermarket, and filled up water bottles with the delicious water coming from the aqueduct system that has been in place for hundreds of years.

We went to dinner at La Vittoria, with Josh and Devin, our other tour guides. The lasagna was amazing, and I learned a lot about culture, especially for ordering at restaurants. Tax and tip are already figured into all prices on a menu, which means less time calculating numbers and more time eating!

Our first lesson in Rome starts tomorrow, and we’re going to do a whole bunch of other cool things, too, starting tomorrow. I will describe the places I visit in the next blog that will be posted tomorrow.

Until then,

Summer