Today was the first full day of our Italy High School Study Abroad Program. Just because it is the first, that doesn’t mean it started all too well. Jet lag hit me really hard, and I ended up sleeping two hours late, and almost missed class if it weren’t for Mr. Hesting waking us up. After that, I started to slowly wake up and come to my senses in class. Today, we explored the Colosseum. And while I may have found to Colosseum to be a work of art, I was incredibly surprised to discover that many people who lived thousands of years ago thought it was unsightly. Especially because at that time, the Colosseum was layered in some parts with shiny, lustrous metal, that was later removed and smelted for goods because of the fall of the Romans. I still enjoyed seeing the ancient monument. The Colosseum stands for winners and celebration in Rome, which is incredibly important.

The view of the Colosseum is nothing in comparison to the interior of Saint Peter’s Square. How a piece of art like that could have been constructed, I have no idea. The interior contains several sculptures of famous beings from the Bible, and the ceiling is, at its lowest, probably around thirty feet tall, and at some points taller than fifty feet. The sacred building is thousands of years old, yet it is still in pristine condition. We went to Saint Peter’s to witness a Catholic church mass. Now, I am not affiliated with any religion, so this is the first mass I have ever attended. The mass was in Italian, so I didn’t understand it, but there was a lot of priests talking, the audience standing, then sitting, then standing again, and so on. A few of the attendees were praying at some points, and there was some singing. I’m not sure if I was missing the actual mass by staring at and being enthralled in the scenery instead. I believe we are going back there later this week, with an in-depth tour. I cannot wait.