When In Rome

So as silly as this is about to sound, I have always had this bucket-list which was to go every where that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen went in their movies. This, combined with my love for Lizzie McGuire as a kid, placed Rome very high on this bucket-list. However, I wasn’t visiting Rome for an internship with some fashion industry or on a high school trip to be mistaken for an Italian pop star, but rather to spend some time with my Italian famiglia.

Now three days in Rome is not enough time to see all that the city has to offer. However, Daniel being the pro-planner that he is, made sure that I left Rome getting the maximum amount of culture possibly. I planned my travel perfectly, and thus by Friday morning I was in Rome, and within an hour I was out and about, shown sight after sight.

The first thing I learned within minutes of walking around is that Rome has tons of squares…each one with a different name and some importance. The first thing I actually knew was the Spanish steps (I blame Mary-Kate and Ashley.) It was crowded and full of people just sitting on the steps and enjoying a moment. After walking down the steps, taking a few turns, we were in another plaza (which I will have to google search to find the name.) And again, with a few turns and twists, we were heading towards the Colosseum and were walking through Ancient Rome.

Now here is were I was lied too, the Colosseum was awesome, but clearly was not made for Italian award shows… Now with that said, I was really a spectacular sight and currently is being restored, via a private company, through a program the Italian government is allowing. We spent some time wandering and I think they could tell I was sleepy from my early flight so we headed back. I enjoyed Andrea’s magic tricks for the rest of the evening before we grabbed dinner.

The next day I had a full agenda. We started with a private tour of the Italian Presidential Garden (which is not open to the public.) It was an amazing area, and if my memory serves me well, the gardens are the size of 6 football fields, and overlook Rome from one of the highest hills. Our next stop was the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Due to All Saints Day/the Pope being in town, the Vatican was crazy!

Yet, like everything else, Daniel used his connections and we walked right into the Vatican Museum and navigated through the crowds to get to the Sistine Chapel. Afterwards we grabbed some gelato and then headed to tour St. Peter’s Basilica. After this we again wandered the streets, touring plaza after plaza. That evening Eva made dinner (which is my favorite) and I headed out with Mattia to hang out.

The next day was my last full day in Rome, and Daniel and I headed outside the city to visit the Catacombs. After having my full culture, Eva took me out shopping stopping by the Trevi Fountain on our way. We again had dinner at home, and went to bed early as I had to get up bright and early to make it back to Freiburg for German class. It was an amazing weekend, and I can’t wait to visit the Melis family again!