Roman Holiday

Our final school trip was to beautiful Roma. The itinerary included the Coliseum, the Vatican (Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica), the Roman Forum, and other sites along the way.

St. Peter's Basilica

We started our first day at the Vatican. The Basilica itself it unprecedented, it’s so large and grand it is impossible to see everything inside. Then we made our way through pieces of the Vatican Museum towards the Sistine Chapel. Once we arrived I was overwhelmed with the beautiful works of Michelangelo. Staring up at the ceiling I finally got to see the amazing pieces some people only get to see in their textbooks. We spent a while just walking around and taking it all in. Afterwards we were lead over to the Pantheon, which was the inspiration for all dome’s to come. It is incredible to think that the dome is free standing, even today it is unexplained how it was constructed.

 

Dome inside of the Pantheon

At night, Aaron and I grabbed some dinner and then did some sight seeing. We walked all the way around the lit up Coliseum, passed Trajan’s column, and went by the Trevi fountain (which was disappointingly under construction). After our feet our tired of walking we went to the hotel and prepared for the busy day ahead.

The Coliseum at night

Saturday, we started with a tour of the Coliseum. Finally seeing the inside of the massive structure was unbelievable. Imagining how many people (50,000) sat in this stadium, being freely entertained with exotic animals and gladiators is unfathomable. Looking out from the Coliseum we had a perfect view of the Arch of Constantine and the Roman Forum (more ruins). After we wandered around and took our fair share of pictures, we made our way to the Roman Forum. A few of us wanted to see the Pope in St. Peter’s Square at noon, so we hurried our way through the ruins and caught a cab to the Vatican. We pushed our way through the crowds for a good view to the Pope’s apartment (where he comes out on Sunday’s to bless the crowd and the world). It was a really cool experience to be there and be a part of the mass of people filling the square.

Inside of the Coliseum

The Pope blessing the crowd

Before we knew it, we had to head back to Florence. Rome was much more beautiful than I was expecting. I thought it would be tourist infested, dirty, and only have the stereotypical sites to offer. Rome really is a beautiful city where I see myself returning sometime soon.