Roma: In Un Giorno!

At the Colosseum!

           Rome, Italy.
 One of the most visited, well-known cities in the world. It's reputation dates back farther than most places in the world and its stories are told again and again. 


   In a city that holds more history than all of the United States, you would think that my friends and I would have spent a considerable amount of time there. Well, if we were simply travelers and not students as well, then you would be right. 


   My six friends and I set out for Rome after our whimsical and relaxing couple of days in Florence were over. Because we spent a few days in Maastricht for Carnival, and because we enjoyed taking our time in Florence, we had only one day to see Rome, and we were DETERMINED to make the best of it! 


   We arrived at the train station around 8p.m. on a Thursday night and bought Roma passes, which covers the costs of all of the public transportation systems and multiple museums, so we would be prepared for the following day. Friday, we woke up, left our hostel early and grabbed a quick breakfast, and then set off for the metro to go to our first stop: the Colosseum. 
    
     When we got to the metro, we heard loads of angry rumbles and grumbles in Italian, and saw people all walking away from the metro with frustrated expressions. 


Well, that's not a good sign, I thought. 


    We soon learned that the entire city of Rome conveniently decided to go on transportation strike on the ONE day that we would be there. Perfect. Therefore, we knew would all be getting a good share of exercise that day! 


    We walked 45 minutes to the Colosseum, and when we got there, it was worth it. I don't think I have ever seen an architectural structure that dates back that far in history! It was amazing. After we took some pictures and stared obnoxiously for a while, we signed up for a tour. The little Italian tour guide was great, in fact, she gave us so many facts that I couldn't tell you a single thing she said. (Sorry to disappoint, but it was early, and her accent was pretty thick). 

    But prior to going, I had just finished a book that was written about early Roman history and the Colosseum, so I was really enjoying myself. We took loads of pictures, and then moved on to the Roman Forum. 

At the Roman Forum

    The Roman Forum was the place in ancient Rome where all of the major political decisions were made. It was the heart of Rome, if you will. I liked this area even more than the Colosseum because it seemed so well-preserved. You could really visualize what it must have been like over 2000 years ago, and that was a spectacular experience in itself. 


    At the conclusion of the tour, two and a half hours later, my friends and I made the quick decision to split a taxi and race to Vatican city, hoping we could get inside before it closed at 2 p.m. Because of the transportation strike, everyone was using taxis, and it took us a while to get there, but to our surprise, we got there just in time for the last tour and got a great deal on a group tour to the Vatican and the Sistine chapel! 


    We hadn't had time to eat lunch after our Colosseum tour, so we were pretty drained even from the beginning of the tour. However, our guide was really interesting and had lots of good things to tell us, so we pulled ourselves together and tried to focus as best we could despite empty stomachs. 

Our tour guide, explaining in full the Sistine Chapel history!

   My favorite part of the tour was the information on the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide took about an hour to sit us down and go through each and every painting and how Michelangelo went about painting them and why. I had never heard any of that information so I really enjoyed getting the history before we went in and saw the paintings for ourselves. 


    When we were inside, we were shocked! I couldn't take my eyes off the ceiling! Every, intricate detail was fascinating and beautiful in its own way. Every Biblical depiction was so reverent. My favorite was the depiction of God reaching out to touch Adam's limp finger. I had seen it in pictures and smaller copies, but seeing the real version in person was amazing. 


   I had a serious crick in my neck for the rest of the day, and it was SO worth it!

St. Peter's Basilica

After we finished our three-hour tour of Vatican city, we went straight to see St. Peter's Basilica, which is a late Renaissance church that has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world! It supposedly houses the body of St. Peter, one of Jesus' original twelve disciples. 

Inside the Basilica: breath-taking!

    I loved this church more than any other church I have seen. It's magesty can not be compared to any other church, which is saying a lot after seeing Notredame and Santa Maria's el Duomo. It is one of those places that can only be communicated by seeing it for yourself, and therefore I highly suggest you make the trip to do so once if you can! 


   After we left the church, it was beginning to get dark. My friends and I were absolutely exhausted, and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We jumped in another taxi and headed for Trevi fountain, despite our fatigue. 

Trevi Fountain!

Carissa, throwing her penny in!

   We stopped and admired the world-famous fountain, where it's said that if you throw one coin in, you will return to Rome one day, but if you throw two, you will find love there....I threw in one. 


   After our little sentimental moment, we decided we should find dinner before trying to do anything else. We talked one restuarant into giving us free appetizers for such a large group, and then we enjoyed a nice Italian food dinner just a few minutes away from the sites. 


   After dinner, we walked to our final site: the Spanish steps. We took some pictures, hung out, chilled a bit, and then walked over an hour and a half to our hostel.

The Spanish Steps

So, for a recap: we did--a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, a tour of Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Trevi fountain, and the Spanish steps. And we did it ALL in ONE day! 


It was a long, successful adventure. 


Although I don't recommend you trying to see all of these places in one day, I will say that Rome was unlike any city I have ever seen, and it's definitely worth a visit if you love history and beauty!