The first day in Italy for us was somewhat extreme. After getting off an 8 hour flight we rushed out of the airport to get to the hotel and eat dinner. Once finished we walked to The Vatican and toured St.Peters Basilica, attending mass and walking to the very top floor. Then we came back to hotel area to eat some fine Italian cuisine.

For World Religions class the significance of the Basilica is obvious. It Is basically Catholic headquarters and one of the most important buildings in the world. It also demonstrates the power that Christina had, as well as the scale of their influence. It is important not only as a monument but as political entity.

As I just said The Vatican is a political entity. It’s government is called The Holy Sea and Pope Francis is currently considered it’s leader. This is a big deal bacause The Holy Sea has a huge sphere of influence (especially on Catholics) and can change the tide of international affairs. It is also ironic that the smallest state in the world holds one of the world’s most influential leaders. So that pretty much sums up why The Vatican is important to IR but there was lots of other things I saw that where interesting when it comes to International Relations. We saw things like flexible borders between Italy and The Vatican, and a security contract between the Swiss and The Holy Sea that is ancctually ancient.