Poppi, in my opinion, is the prettiest place, landscape wise, that we have visited. I have really been enjoying the beauty of the nature that surrounds this town. More than that, however, I really enjoyed visiting The Castle of Romena, where Dante was inspired to write his Divine Comedy. The castle was owned by the Guido family in the 13th century and Dante came to stay here during his exile from Florence.   The Prison Tower of The Castle of Romena has been said to be one of Dante’s inspirations for the Divine Comedy because it was separated into three different sections. The lowest level was reserved for the condemned prisoners who committed the worst crimes. The middle level was used to jail those who committed intermediate crimes. The highest level was used to house those who committed petty crimes. Not only have these three levels been said to have inspired Dante to write his Divine Comedy in three works, Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, but also may be one of the reasons that Dante made sure that the punishments depicted in Inferno fit each sinner’s crimes. The worse their crime was, the deeper into hell an individual was sent and the more gruesome their fate became.    Overall, I found Poppi to be an incredibly beautiful place. I feel extremely lucky to have visited the castle that Dante himself spent time at and to get a deeper glimpse into what inspired his amazing poetry. I have also enjoyed how peaceful this area is. 

     When I first came to Florence, I had no idea that this is where I would conquer one of my greatest fears. I have been afraid of heights, in more ways than one, for as long as I can remember. Not only do I have a fear of climbing to physically high places because I’m afraid to fall, I also have a fear of taking a risk and metaphorically falling from my own expectations. As a result, I am someone who often chooses to play it safe in every aspect of my life and coming on this trip to Italy has defied everything that I know to be true about myself. As I ascended Florence’s Duomo, I felt my anxieties rising and rising with every step I took. Halfway up, I stepped out onto the thin edge of Brunelleschi’s dome and looked up at the depictions of hell around me. Even though I was protected by high walls of glass, I was still terrified that one misstep would send me to my death. I stood, frozen, peering into the eyes of a horrid demon savagely eating a man and my thoughts turned to Dante and his comments about cowards. The indecisive ones, the ones who fail to make decisions and choose sides, lie forgotten in the outer rings of hell. They find no mercy from God and they find no favor with Satan. I turned my head again to see a tortured soul sitting in a rock, his body covered in grotesque wounds, with his hands folded and his head pointed upwards in prayer. I stared at him, thinking about how he picked his side far too late and that he would have to pay for it for an eternity. I told myself that would not be me. Today, I would make the decision to be brave and I would keep going. I took a deep breath and continued on to the top. Once I emerged from what seemed like an eternity of staircases, I was rewarded with an incredible view of Florence and all of my previous fears melted away. I even found the strength to come away from the center and lean against the railing for photos. It is in this moment that I decided it was time to stop being afraid of falling. Over a week ago, I left my the bounds of my comfort zone behind, took a risk, and flew across the ocean. Yesterday, I realized that no matter how high I climb, I am the one who has the power to make sure I do not fall.

     My first day in Rome was jarring to say the least. When we stepped off the plane, I was suffering from major jet lag and hunger that was making me feel nauseous and apprehensive about the day ahead. However, once we all got together later that evening and saw The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, and The Pantheon, all of my previous anxieties faded and transformed into feelings of absolute joy and awe. The Pantheon, more than any other building that we say on the first day, really took my breathe away. The immense size of the building alone amazed me and then to know that still, to this day, no one knows what the dome is made of just makes it even more mysterious and incredible. Reading Calvino’s essay, “Lightness,” also enriched my understanding of this building  because I was able to find examples of lightness and weight within its structure.  On the second day, we visited the Colosseum and I was once again wowed by the incredible architecture. Although it was damaged by an earthquake and also by the fact that people decided to “recycle” the marble and mine for lead in the columns, the building still demands respect. The Roman Forum gave off a similar type of aura. I find it so incredible that, even after so many years of wear and tear, buildings can preserve their beauty and power.        Today, we visited the Vatican, the Sistine and Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica and I am convinced that I will never see a more beautiful place in my entire life. One of the things that I found most interesting about our visit was that Michelangelo painted the roof of the Sistine Chapel with images of the Bible in reverse chronological order. This is meant to represent that we have to go on a journey in order to become closer to God in our every day lives, and not just to recount events in the Bible. I found this interesting because, like Michelangelo, Dante also wrote The Inferno, not as a bible story, but instead as a way to help people escape the hell of their every day lives.