Rome, Italy

I was very excited to go to Rome for two reasons: first, for amazing food and second, because I’m mostly Italian and was dying to visit the homeland. Rome is rich with history; the city is about two and half thousand years old. Rome’s monuments, art and culture have made Rome one of the top three cities most visited in the European Union.

I took a later flight into Rome with my friend Brian, so we arrived to Termini Station in Rome around 2 a.m. We were astonished to see about one hundred homeless people sleeping outside of the train station. I tried to not let this disheartening scene affect my impression Rome as we took a cab to our hostel. We stayed at Ivanhoe “Party” Hostel, which was a youth hostel that truly catered to the student traveler. We met lots of other students studying abroad, many of which also studied in Spain. We later figured out that we all must have had the same spring break.

The next day, we woke up bright and early to visit the Colosseum, which was a 5-minute walk from our hostel! When I saw the full view of the Colosseum, I had a similar reaction as when I saw the Eiffel Tower. I was in complete awe of this ancient work and iconic symbol of Roman architecture. The Colosseum was built around 70-72 AD in the low valley between Caelian, Esquiline, and Palatine Hills. Over the centuries, parts of the Colosseum were destroyed by the elements, such as fires and earthquakes. The Colosseum was used to host the gladiator shows and animal hunts. There was room for a staggering 50,000 audience members! We learned that animals were brought in from Africa and the Middle East, including panthers, leopards, tigers, bears, elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, and hippopotamuses, to be hunted in these staged battles. The underground passages, called “hypogeum,” were made for the gladiators and animals to wait under the arena.

Next, we spent out entire day at the Vatican, which was much larger than I expected! We booked out tickets online beforehand, which saved us a massive wait in line. The ticket included a pass into the Vatican Museum and the various rooms and exhibits to pass through before the Sistine Chapel. We literally were shuffled among the people through room after room until we reached the Sistine Chapel. There was so many tourists from around the world. When we finally came into the Sistine Chapel, it was much smaller than I had expected. However, the chapel ceiling was exquisite and worth the long wait. Pictures were forbidden, but stupid people were still taking them anyway and then the guards yelled at them. Then, we saw a woman breastfeeding and she seemed surprised when the guards told her to stop…

We stopped in St. Peter’s Square, which I learned was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Bernini said the square was built so “the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace.” Afterwards, I went with Kristen to see the Spanish Steps or Piazza di Spagna. There were SO MANY gypsies around selling their wares that I could hardly stand it. They basically ruined the atmosphere for me. Although, the area around the Spanish Steps is very nice and we had a great lunch! My favorite Roman monument was The Trevi Fountain, which is one of the most famous fountains in the world and the largest Baroque fountain in the city of Rome. Legend has it then when a visitor throws in one coin, they will return to Rome. If they throw in two coins, they will fall in love. Naturally, Kristen and I threw in two coins. That night, we went out in Campo Del Fiori and I met up with three friends from Fordham who are studying in London and then a friend from high school who studies in Seville. It was so much fun to see them!

The next day, we had V.I.P. passes to Palm Sunday Mass with the Pope. The mass was in Latin, but it was easy to follow along. Although we had to stand, it was a beautiful day and we had great views, thanks to the jumbotron. Later, we found the beautiful park, Villa Borghese, where we took a relaxing stroll and ate some delicious gelato. It started to get overcast as we made our way to the Roman forum and other surrounding monuments, but it was still interesting and enjoyable to take a look at the ancient ruins. To our surprise, it was Culture Week in Rome, therefore, we had free admission almost everywhere! Que suerte!