Today, I was gifted with the opportunity to experience the magnificence of St. Peter’s Basilica. The moment I walked in, my emotions were taken over by the shimmering, gold accents which are intricately placed among the arches and walls. Michelangelo included rich shades of red and blue, which popped out and grabbed my attention. Not only did he coordinate the colors to make them stand out to the human eye, but he also made sure all the structures were symmetrical. After Michelangelo created the basilica, Bernini came in and built the Baldacchino, which has a detailed roof with massive, spiraling pillars at the base. The basilica is in the shape of a cross, and the Baldacchino is placed in the center; however, it is not perfectly symmetrical with the rest of the building. When I entered the basilica, I instantly realized how small I am as a human being, but at the same time, it hit me how amazing we truly are. We are all so tiny compared to our earth, yet we carry the mental and physical capabilities to create whatever we want. Michelangelo’s entire life was centered around art and the impact it has on himself and others. St. Peter’s Basilica shows the power of faith in religion and determination in humans. In order for Michelangelo to decorate the inside of the basilica or paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or sculpt the Pietà, he had to believe in a higher power, while believing in his own immortal abilities. Pietà was one of the main aspects of the church that moved me emotionally. When I paid close attention to Mary’s facial expression, it ripped my heart out, because I thought of my own mother grieving the loss of me or one of my brothers. The strength of a mother’s love is like no other. The Pietà statue made me excited to become a mother one day and put my entire heart into loving my future children, but it also scared me. It is frightening to love someone to that extent, with the knowledge that everyone dies at some point. That was the message that spoke to me while I examined the meaningful sculpture. It’s amazing how different of an experience it is to see a building or piece of art in person, as opposed to online or in a picture.

Visiting Rome these past two days has absolutely exceeded all my expectations. I was completely blown away by the incredible sights this city has to offer. It was especially interesting to see so much of ancient Rome still so well preserved in a modern-day world. The last two days, we visited some of the most important sights throughout the city, including the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish steps. My favorites of these, however, were definitely the Coliseum, Vatican/Sistine Chapel, and Pantheon for their rich history and beautiful designs. The Coliseum was one of our first stops, and it took my breath away when I walked off the metro train to see the Coliseum. Of course, I knew what the Coliseum was prior to this trip, but I was not prepared to see such an incredible ancient monument amidst the bustling city. It was surreal. While we unfortunately had to wait roughly an hour to get inside, it was well worth the wait. Although much of the original architecture had been decayed over the hundreds of years of its existence, it was stunning to see how much of it truly had been preserved and maintained over so much time. Our tour guide told us it takes three whole years to just clean the Coliseum—that is clearly some dedication from the city of Rome to preserve its history! Next, we visited the Roman Forum. This was where many of the ancient Romans would meet for various business, religious, or even social matters. There was an incredible view from the hill upon which the forum sat which overlooked much of the beautiful landscape of Rome. On Saturday, our first stop was to the Vatican museums. Like our first two stops on Friday, the Vatican was filled with enriching history and stunning architecture. I honestly do not know what I was expecting to see at the Vatican, but I was absolutely stunned by the intricate work by Michelangelo and all the tireless work he put into creating it. I was moved to tears by some of his most powerful pieces, including the Creation of Adam and the Last Judgment. Saturday concluded with one of my favorite sites, the Pantheon. I loved hearing about the symbolism utilized in its design, most prominently the contrast between circles and squares to represent the need for balance between the heavens and earth. Meanwhile, I also thought it was fascinating to learn that the Romans were able to tell time from the circle of light which radiated from the oculus at the top of the dome to the wall. Before we left the Pantheon, I was so delighted to have the chance to hear a choir sing a beautiful hymn. Overall, Rome left me feeling overwhelmed with such strong joy.

Have you ever stopped yourself in the middle of doing something, kinda like pinching yourself, to make sure what’s happening is real? Well that’s exactly what I did once I stepped onto the streets of Rome. Since the ages of elementary school, I can remember always being fascinated by travel. My great grandmother would travel to Europe every single year to return to her homeland, which is now the regions of Scandinavia. And every other year on her travel, she would make her way to Rome. While looking through the photos she took and playing with the souvenirs she brought home, is when I promised myself I would travel abroad whenever I was given the opportunity. So far, being able to see the Colosseum, Roman Forums, Vatican City, 16th Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain (just to name a few) has been completely fascinating and perspective changing. For me, there was just something different about being able to see such architecturally designed monuments in person rather in photographs or on the internet. It has been so difficult to pick just one favorite, but if I had to, I’d say the colosseum because of how impressed I was the entire time. Well, the raspberry basil gelato was quite impressive, too. Anyways, when we arrived at the colosseum we had to wait in line to enter, because only 3,000 people are allowed in at one time. Being in a crowd that large was quite overwhelming, which put the 70,000 people crowd who entered thousands of years ago into a large perspective. Not to mention those 70,000 people could exit in less than thirty minutes thanks to the open 80 arch design, unlike any arena or stadium we have in use today. Also, we only saw the existing 30% of the colosseum, which left me in awe, because what we saw so was ginormous and detailed that I couldn’t imagine what it would be like seeing the other 70%. I found the use of the colosseum for public entertainment to be shocking, because even the poor were allowed to enter. While on our tour, I learned that a gladiator did not always die in the dual. Ultimately, it was up to the Emperor if the losing gladiator was killed or not, which he would signal with a horizontal thumb (meaning cut his throat). And, the purpose of the short swords was so that the interactions between the gladiators would be closer, which meant more excitement and more entertainment. As sad as I am to leave Rome without seeing everything (which is impossible I know), I am so excited to experience the culture and history of the other Italian regions!

Coming on this trip to Rome has been quite an experience. A great and wonderful experience that has brought me much joy, much fulfillment, much knowledge, and much respect for both Italian history and the people here. In two short days, we have done a great many things. We visited the Coliseum, which is my personal favorite as well as is the Pantheon and the Sistine Chapel, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps, along with other great buildings. The Coliseum is my personal favorite, for many reasons. One being because of it’s architecture and how it was built, but also because it holds great history in it’s doors. In Ancient Rome, gladiators would put on battles, they would fight with both other humans and animals and hold mock sea battles. The Coliseum was built to bring all people together, no matter their social class. In it’s prime it held about 70,000 Roman citizens. A new fact I learned, was that the gladiators weren’t necessarily all poor people and that gladiators didn’t die as much as society claims they do. The emperor was the one to decide who was to die. Gladiators also weren’t such terrible people either, as history leads us to believe. I also learned that that only 30% of the Coliseum is still remaining, 70% has been lost from both time and it being used as a mineral quarry after the decline of Rome. Another breathtaking monument, is that of the Pantheon which has been around for about 2,000 years and dates to the Pagan times. The Pantheon was built as a temple to the Roman gods. The building of the dome in the Pantheon was unknown for a good 100 years. The sky light or hole in the ceiling represents the gods and heaven. The multiple square pieces below and around this sky light signify materialistic possessions and earth. Together they represent the balance between the heavens and earth, and how without living with both would mean the decline of the world and humanity. I find the Sistine Chapel to be highly breathtaking, I am also one to admit that Michelangelo is a personal favorite artist of mine. I didn’t realize until today that he was 32 when he painted the ceiling and 60 when he painted “The Final Judgement. I didn’t know until today, that he painted the ceiling standing up and not lying down on his back as to popular belief and that the paintings on the side walls weren’t done by him but by other people. Coming to Italy, has opened my eyes to the Italian culture. I have gained a much higher respect and appreciation for Italian culture. Ancient Rome and Italian culture has always been something I have enjoyed learning about, it’s always been a real passion for me. I’m so happy to have come on this trip….my throwing of coins in the fountain back 7 years ago has most certainly paid off. Nothing could be...

Roma has been absolutely amazing so far; every day has felt weeks long, but in the best kind of way.  I find myself returning to our hotel exhausted yet continually thrilled and wanting to turn right back around.  The people, the culture, the food, the architecture, the sights– I could keep going on and possibly never stop.  Walking to get gelato and casually being told that the nondescript wall to my left is from the original wall around Roma, stepping out of the dark of the metro station to see the Colosseum rising before me, up the hill to the Roman Forum to be able to look down at the ruins, forever craning my neck around and around to see the Sistine Chapel in all its glory, squinting through the sudden darkness of St. Peter’s Basilica and having my breath taken away, the first hot sip of a (very necessary) cappuccino, wandering through the streets and suddenly coming upon the Trevi Fountain– Roma just gives and gives.  There has not been a single thing that I have not been able to fully enjoy; even getting lost or any other missteps can be forgiven because they have proven to be worth it in the end.  I could spend the next two weeks here and not be fully satisfied that I’ve experienced enough.  My favorite part (beyond being able to sit for a moment in St. Peter’s Basilica) would probably have been when a group of us were heading for the Trevi Fountain: wandering through the streets with some sense of purpose but constantly stopping and pointing out other things that interested us (gelato shops, dogs, vespas, flowering vines growing up buildings, nasoni) then walking through one final line of people to see the Trevi Fountain underneath us.  The sound of the water flowing echoed through the Trevi square, undercutting the people laughing and calling to each other.  Everything just seemed so much brighter and up close the water was clear and crisp, punctuated only by the careful plunk of coins being thrown into the fountain.  It seemed like we just stumbled upon this treasure, like it did not actually belong to the square it presides within.  It was amazing.  And so (partially) in the (supposed) words of Julius Caesar to the Roman Senate: veni, vidi, amavi.  I came, I saw, I loved.

As a young kid my family never traveled very far outside of our home town. So, traveling to another country was something that I never got to experience. For my first out of the country trip, I am delighted to say that I am glad we get to travel to different cities and learn about topics in each one. Today we traveled to the pantheon, it was built in 118 A.D., so it is almost two-thousand years old. It was built and dedicated for the god of pagan Rome. The inside has a rounded bottom and a top with a dome. On the dome it has squares along the bottom edge until it reaches the top. The mixture of squares with the circles represents renaissance. Or the order within the Roman Empire. At the very top of the dome is a open circle, which isn’t covered by glass. In the middle of the floor is a drain for the rain water to go down, so it doesn’t flood the inside of the Pantheon. There are one in the middle with four other drains accompanying it so it isn’t too much.