Chapter Ten

Roma! An exciting city filled with so many places to see and so many things to do. Our first night in Rome was uneventful as we landed later in the evening, but it was Easter weekend so we actually saw some of the festivities that take place there at a nearby church.

The next morning we started our day off at the Spanish steps! The 174 step staircase was made famous from the movie Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. It was super crowded but we managed to get a few good pictures of the steps. The next stop we made was the famous Trevi fountain. Interestingly it gets its name from being at the intersection of three roads (tre vie). The fountain itself was gorgeous and we took the time to take some pictures and of course toss a coin over our shoulders into the fountain. Just around the corner was another famous building the Pantheon. It used to be a temple, but now operates as a church.

For most of the trip we saw big landmarks, however we wanted to also stop in and see some more local attractions. We detoured into a church that was on the way to our next location. In the middle of Piazza Sant' Ignazio is the beautiful church. The ceiling of the Chiesa Di Sant' Ignazio Di Loyola was one of the most beautifully decorated buildings I have seen! The ceiling was so gorgeous I hurt my neck looking up all the time. Luckily they had a mirror tilted up towards the ceiling to help us take in the beauty without too much strain.

After the church we headed towards Piazza Venezia. Piazza Venezia is a large square, located at the foot of Capitoline Hill. The Palazzo Venezia is located right behind it and the balcony was actually where Mussolini would deliver speeches. Since then it has become a museum called Museo de Palazzo Venezia.

Our last and final stop of the day was of course the Colosseum! The most recognizable symbol, and top landmark in Rome was stunningly beautiful, despite the very rainy day. It was constructed between 508- 544BC and is still standing today! The colosseum was used for many things including bull fights, gladiator fights, chariot

races, official events and various forms of public entertainment. The Colosseum has even endured through a few earthquakes and the Great Fire of Rome in 64AD. It was beautiful to walk around and take in this great monument of history, one I had been dreaming about seeing ever since first reading about it. It was a great way to end a long and tiring day!

Our second day in Rome started exactly where we left off. Right next to the Colosseum was Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Luckily the ticket we bought for the Colosseum allowed us entry to both of

these spectacular places. We started with the Roman Forum, walking around the ancient ruins and soaking up the history. Palatine Hill was our next stop and oh boy it was leg day! I don't remember how many stairs we climbed but the view at the top was absolutely worth it. To preserve the monuments most of the stairs were the original ones that hadn't been updated too much. They were actually quite steep and slippery when wet. The view from the top was beautiful and absolutely worth climbing all those stairs.

A long walk later and across the river we found ourselves in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican! We got to see the balcony where the Pope makes his speeches and it was actually alot smaller than we expected. We unfortunately couldn't spend too long in the Vatican as we had a train to catch to our next stop Florence!