When in Rome!

For the long weekend, I headed to Rome for three packed days of sightseeing and adventures.  We started early Friday morning, heading to four of the main basilicas of Rome.  A friend of Sam’s who is working as a study abroad coordinator in Rome led us throughout the city.  It was so nice to have someone who knew where they were going!  All the Basilicas were magnificent.  You grow up hearing about the Vatican and beautiful sights such as St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel.  It was a very humbling experience to see all these places and all the history that is there.  The beauty and size of these places are incredible, and their age and impact on history is hard to grasp.  We ended the day with a delicious Italian meal.  The food, wine, and company were all fantastic.  On Saturday, a few of us took a train to Florence for the day.  The city was much more crowded than we had anticipated!  We waited in line for almost two hours to see Michelangelo’s statue of David.  Although the wait was long, it was really neat to get to see the statue in person.  It was much bigger than I had expected.  Also in the museum were several of Michelangelo’s unfinished sculptures.  It was interesting to see how he carved out the image he was trying to create.  Then we walked around and tried to take in the city.  Florence is busy and full of tourist, but there is a different atmosphere than that in Rome.  We walked down the river and ate gelato, listening to the music and looking at all the street vendors.  Then we headed back to Rome for the evening.  Once back in Rome, we headed to the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain.  Both of these sights are beautiful at night, and I loved walking around that part of the city.  On Sunday, we all went to tour the inside of the Coliseum.  It was really neat to walk around and try to envision what the Coliseum has been like in the past.  We then went and toured the Forums.  The Forums are a group of ancient Roman ruins.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around how long these ruins have been there.  Our last stop of the day was the Pantheon.  Once again, I was amazed by the art and sculptures found inside the ancient Roman temple.  We ended our last day in Rome with another great Italian meal, and another trip to the Trevi Fountain.  We all tossed a coin and made a wish, taking in our last night in the city.  The next morning, we headed to the airport bright and early for one last stop before heading home!