After the two plane switches, a night spent in Atlanta, and a long, awaited 9-hour plane ride, we finally made it to Rome!  We were given three hours to catch up on sleep or unpack, and at noon, we would be on our first tour!

The first stop we made on our tour was the Colosseum! It was absolutely amazing touching the walls of the Colosseum and see the arena where gladiators and animals all fought for their lives. It was weird knowing that I was standing on the very same steps that people were gathering all around for entertainment!

From the Colosseum, we began our trek on the Palatine Hill. This was where I heard the famous story of Romulus and Remus, while sitting and admiring the view from the Palatine Hill.

After the Roman Forum, we visited our first church in Rome, St. Clemen’s Church. It didn’t at all look like it was a church, but after walking down each story further back into the history of the church, it started actually feeling like a church that held so much history. I felt like I was going back in time seeing each artifact the church held inside.

After stopping by the metro station for some gelato and having dinner at a nearby restaurant, we all ended our first night in Rome, and I fell asleep gazing out at the most beautiful sight of the St. Peter’s Dome.