Quando a Roma!

This past weekend all of us api students traveled to Rome!  Trips like this are the best because api does all the organizing and planning so all we have to do is show up, relax, and enjoy the trip!

We left Florence Friday morning and arrived in Rome around 11am.  We immediately began our typical tourist site-seeing accompanied by our own private tour guide.  We walked through the city's historical center and visited the famous Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza di Spagna, and Piazza Navona.

On the Spanish Steps 

Treve Fountain!

This coin myth better be true!

The famous legend is that if you throw a coin over your left shoulder you will return to Rome.  However, throughout the years other myths have been added to the "legend."  If you throw 2 coins you will get a fiance, 3 coins you will get married, and 4 coins...you get divorced.  Let's pray the Treve Fountain is good to me and brings me my husband!

We spent the morning and early afternoon visiting these sites with our group and tour guide.  Unfortunately we got stuck with api's worst group of girls!  Some of them were still hungover from the night before, they talked while the tour guide was talking, and when they were paying attention they would ask the dumbest questions!  Since I was actually interested in what the tour guide had to say I butted up right next to her during the entire tour that way I could hear everything she said and I could tone out the dumb girls skipping behind me.  

Outside the Pantheon

Piazza Navona

After we checked in at the hotel, we freshened up and were back out on the streets of Rome to roam around!  Mina, Josie and I visited the famous Roman Ruins, two historical churches, and saved the best for last...Gelato!  We went to the oldest gelato shop in all of Rome and got Ciccolato with Tiramisu flavored gelato...YUM. The shop was PACKED with tourist all bunched up in front of the counter.  You literally had to fight your way through to the front and pray the gelato boy would grab your receipt first so he could make yours.  It raised my stress level quite a bit, but once I got my gelato I was a happy gal!

Well worth the chaotic process

For dinner we went to La Carbonara and naturally got the carbonara which was delicious!  They had fantastic house wine too!  Afterwards we joined some of our friends at Mr. Browns, an older pub across the river.  We ended the night early so we could rest up for day 2.

Saturday morning we met our tour guide at the historic Castel Saint' Angelo.  We got these cool headsets to wear so we could hear our tour guide as she spoke through a mic. Luckily it matched my outfit.

Ready for the tour with my headset!

The tour was a bit boring, but when you reached the top you got an amazing view of Rome which made for a great picture shot!

Josie, Mina and I

Greg and I

Beautiful View

We then headed to St. Peter's Basilica which was my favorite part of the entire trip!  St. Peter's square and church is absolutely beautiful.  We spent over an hour inside the church learning about different sculptures and art within the church.

Outside in St. Peter's Square waiting to get in the church

Marble piece by the famous Michelangelo

Front of St. Peters

The structure behind us is equivalent to a 10 story building in height! 

Famous door that is only opened every 25 years by the pope

Next on the list was to visit the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed in the chapel, but it as by far the best art I've ever seen.  Michelangelo was truly a genius.  To paint on a ceiling and get that perspective is purely incredible.  We stared at the ceiling for a good 30 minutes, just admiring the art.

After the museum we came back to the hotel and literally crashed.  We napped for a few hours then got ready for our dinner at Ditirambo.  Great food and phenomenal dessert!

We spent our last night in Rome at the Ice Bar.  It was literally an "ice" bar, with a temperature of -5 degrees you wore parkas inside and drank frozen drinks from an ice cup.  It was a fun experience, but quite the cold one!

My roommates Gabby, Erica, and Mina

Sunday morning we loaded up the buses and headed to the historic Colosseum.  I'm not sure if I was just tired and cranky, but this tour was probably the biggest disappointment.  The actual structure has been restored so much over time that it's lost its original feel.  It was cool to take pictures in, but it was super crowded with tourists which made it difficult to get good shots.  One of the dumb girls in our group asked the tour guide "how does the gladiator win?"  Isn't it common sense that the champion gladiator was the one who lived and the loser was the one was killed by the winner...duhh!  

We're headed to Venice and Venice Islands this coming weekend!  I just need to get through this boring schoolwork until then.  Missing everyone at home! Ciao Tutti!