Roma

This past weekend was a three day weekend for all of us, and so we decided to visit the eternal city--Roma.  On Friday morning, June 21st, I took the 10:35 train from Bologna to Rome.  I arrived a little before one and took a taxi to the cheap bed and breakfast/hostel I booked just hours before.  At first I couldn't even find the place and was asking EVERYONE.  Finally after a couple phone calls I discovered it was on the third floor of building 17 and you needed two different keys just to get in (so I immediately felt safer).  After I got settled in I began reviewing a map of Rome and set off in the direction of Via Cavour, the street where my dear friend Brittany Roe's hotel was located.  About halfway I stumbled upon the Santa Maria Maggiore church.  I noticed all the tourists outside the building so I decided to venture in, and luckily I already had a cardigan with me to cover my shoulders so I didn't have to wear an embarrassing used shawl.  

As soon as I stepped in I was in awe.  It seems every church I've been to in Italy is more beautiful than the last.  Of course there were mosaics and gold encrusted ceilings, but my favorite part was the Borgias family crest set in the middle of the ceiling.  The Borgias had two members of their family serve as Pope, and the second generation Papal family is notorious for being the original crime family.  Their climb to power was a bloody one; the daughter Lucrezia is known for poisoning her families enemies, her brother Cesare is known for killing his own brother and leading the Papal army, and their father is known for being the puppet master of the family.

Later that night after I met up with Brittany I went out to eat with her and some new friends from Jonesboro.  For an appetizer I tried mozzarella served with cherry tomatoes, and it was delicious! I've never liked tomatoes, but with a little balsamic vinegar and mozzarella balls they are delicious.  For dinner I had gnocchi, potato filled pasta, once again because it is easily my favorite dish thus far.

Afterwards we walked down to the Colosseum to see it all lit up at night, which was absolutely breathtaking.  Then we all went to have some delicious gelato and I chose to have a mix of cantaloupe and peach, by far my best combination yet.

The next morning, after grabbing breakfast at a local bar, my film group and I headed to the Colosseum to take a tour. We then took the subway to Vatican City, grabbed lunch at a pizzeria, and then waited in line for about two hours to get inside the church.  Once inside I felt like an ant in the Grand Canyon; it was much more grand than I expected.  There were various rooms, nooks, chapels, and glorious religious statues around every corner.  We walked around for at least an hour and still didn't see everything.

 

Afterwards we took the subway to the Trevi Fountain.  Once we arrived a local led us to the tourist surrounded fountain.  Once again I was surprised; it was much more grand than I expected.  After pushing through rows of tourists I was able to take picture and toss a coin into the shallow blue water.  Afterwards we all sat down to dinner nearby at the Hostaria Trevi, and once again I had gnocchi.