Even though every week in Salamanca is a blast, we were all really looking forward to Spring Break. I was originally anticipating my parents being able to visit for longer, so I was severely behind on my Spring Break plans. Nonetheless, for the first half of the break, my roommate and I were able to book (only slightly last minute) our trip to Rome. We ended up leaving Thursday night on a horrific experience with Wizz Airlines. Our flight was delayed 2.5 hours and then we had to wait 1 hour on the tarmac after landing, making it to our hostel at 3 AM.
After our arrival debacle, our time in Rome was absolutely incredible. We stayed at YellowSquare Hostel and loved the experience. It was filled with tons of college students and they had a lot of events and activities that you could participate in or book through the hostel for a fraction of the cost.
On our first day, we took on Ancient Rome, visiting the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Altar of the Fatherland. We had booked the Colosseum in a bundle with the Forum and Palatine Hill beforehand, and were able to skip the line. I would highly recommend checking out Ancient Rome during your visit. It felt like stepping into history. We also saw a bunch of churches along the way.
On our second day, we took on the Vatican. We walked through the Vatican museums leading to the Sistine Chapel, which were absolutely incredible. The Chapel itself was surreal. We then made our way to St. Peter's Basilica. Be prepared to wait in line for both, but the two are absolute “must sees.”
On the third day, we made our way to some of the historical sites scattered throughout the city. We stopped by Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, Via Condotti, The Piazza di Spagna, and Villa Borghese. We loved walking in between all of these spots, weaving in and out of bakeries, shops, and of course, all the gelaterias we could find.
On the fourth day, we had a pasta cooking class we had signed up for through our hostel. We found the class through the activities promoted by our hostel are were able to get a 20% discount. The class took us first to a street market to learn how to find the best produce. Then we reconvened in the kitchen and learned how to make pasta dough and how to fold many different types of pasta including spaghetti, fettuccine, and different types of ravioli and tortellini.
On the fifth day, we took a day trip to Pompeii and Naples. It was surreal stepping into the ruins at Pompeii and seeing them first hand. We got an audio guide, which was absolutely necessary to glimpse into the many stories of the life that existed in this impressive city prior to the eruption. In Napoli, we did a little sightseeing and enjoyed walking through the streets and trying some of the really cheap and delicious street food.
More than activities, each day of our trip was filled with trying all of the different dishes that Italy had to offer, such as many different styles of pasta, pizza, gelato, cannoli and tiramisu. We loved being able to try a bunch of different places and plates during our stay.
On the sixth day, we were forced to say goodbye to the city of Rome. Our trip was absolutely fantastic and I would recommend spending at least three days should you have the opportunity to visit this impressive city.
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Kai da Luz
My name is Kai da Luz and I am a current sophomore at Villanova University who is studying in Salamanca. I love to play volleyball and am a major foodie.
