For my last blog post of the semester, I will talk about my travels to Rome, Italy. Rome was the last destination of my Italian excursion, and it was definitely the most historically interesting. In such a large city, we had to cram everything we wanted to do within three days. In my opinion, Florence resembled Chicago while Rome was the New York City of Italy. To me, I loved Rome because of the historical and modern aspects of the city.

Front view of the Castel Sant’Angelo

When we first arrived, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel and made our way to the bus. Our first stop happened to be Castel Sant’Angelo. This circular fortress was originally constructed as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian; however, throughout the years, the mausoleum eventually turned into a castle. Today, the castle resides as a museum. After the castle, we made our way to Piazza Venezia. I was astonished by this magnificent building, and how elaborate the detailing throughout the building. We climbed to the top and could view most of Rome.

Aerial view of the Piazza Venezia.

Inside excavations of the Colosseum.

On our second day, we had a tour at the Colosseum and Forum. The Colosseum was so hectic with tour groups and people selling cheap souvenirs. We eventually made our way into the Colosseum and saw where the gladiator games originated. The architecture was truly amazing considering the time period it was built in. Our tour guide mentioned that they believe there was even a retractable roof that covered the entire arena. After walking through the Colosseum, we made our way to the Roman Forum. This consisted of ancient ruins from Roman government buildings. It was considered the center of the city and had a marketplace for citizens as well.

Roman Forum which has a dirt pathway through the ruins.

On our third day, we woke up at 6 a.m. in order to make it to the Vatican without a ridiculous amount of people. Out of all the churches

The altar within St. Peter’s Basilica.

we have visited throughout Italy, nothing compared to St. Peter’s Basilica. The intricate details of the ceiling, walls, and floor added to its immaculate beauty. The most beautiful part of the basilica was the enormous altar located in the middle. While we walked around the interior, we also wanted to climb to the very top of the basilica as well. We first climbed to the interior portion of the dome, then to the top of the exterior. We climbed over 550 stairs to a breathtaking view.

View from the top of the Basilica dome (better than the picture I took)

After the Vatican, we had a private tour which showed us the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. Out of all of our destinations, the Trevi Fountain was the most exquisite monument. Right after our tour, we also went to a restaurant where we made our own fettuccine pasta. Italian chefs showed us the proper way to make pasta and added a goat cheese sauce on top. This pasta was by far the best dinner in all of Italy. It was so cool to learn from professional chefs who were happy to teach us the basics.

Me in front of the Trevi Fountain.

Pittsburgh bar in Rome

Lastly, there happens to be a Pittsburgh bar within Rome as well. We went there two out of three nights and meet people who graduated from my high school years before me. It was amazing to see Steelers apparel and even Penn State apparel all the way in Italy. All in all, my trip to Rome was unforgettable. I loved all of the random historical monuments around the city and I appreciated the historical significance throughout Rome. I would 100% return to Rome if I get the opportunity!