When In Rome

B-e-a-utiful. That is the best word to describe my orientation in Rome. Between the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, the Vatican City, and Pompei (I know, its not in Rome but we went there on Tuesday) everything was breathtaking. After the 24-hour journey of getting to Italy, and taking a nap Sunday afternoon, I was ready to begin the semester of a lifetime. The first dinner did nothing to disappoint, as the food in Italia is as good as advertised. One aspect of the Italian food that differs greatly from food in America is that the portions here are much smaller, and not meant to have leftovers for the next day. Monday morning, after the first of a few rough nights of sleep, we walked around the ancient-city part of Rome, which would have been much nicer if it wasn’t so gloomy outside. The coliseum was quite a site, and it is crazy to think about the number of people who were killed there. Tuesday the wake up call came at 5:45 AM so that we could get to Pompei at a reasonable hour. Again, the weather created quite a disturbance, as rain and Pompei are not the best mix. After a miserable tour of a beautiful city and a three course lunch (these Italians don’t mess around food wise) we took the long route back to check out the Amalfi coast, but again the rain spoiled what is supposed to be the nicest stretch of land in Italy. Finally on Wednesday the sun decided to make its first appearance of the trip. I am usually not one for art or historic churches, but the Vatican city and Sistine Chappell are in a league of their own. After walking around the house Jesus built, we walked about 500 stairs to the top of St. Peter’s Cathedral, where we could see all of Rome (pictures to come at a later date). This was the most incredible view that II have ever seen in my life, and was the moment that I truly appreciated where I was. Finally, after a long three days and nights in Rome, we boarded the buses Thursday morning for Firenze. Our apartment is located less than a block away from the Ponte Vechhio (the only bridge remaining from pre-WWII when the Germans destroyed most of Florence’s bridges on the way out of the city) and just a 5-minute walk from the Duomo. It is getting late, and the traffic in Italy means waking up early every day, but hey I’m in Florence for the next four months…Holla…

A Prseto,

JK