When in Rome

Yesterday I returned to Siena after taking a 5 day excursion to the wonderful city of Roma. We left wednesday morning by bus and after checking into our hotel, we spent the afternoon following our art history teacher around the city on a walking tour of the major sites. We hit the Colliseum, Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and several other of the ruins around that area. We walked through the Pantheon, got gelato and ended in a beautiful, typical piazza. There were outdoor cafes that lined the sidewalks surrounded by colorful, shutter-adorned bulidings. The center of the piazza held two major fountains with intricate carvings of people and animals. One was even the fountain featured in the movie Angels and Demons. We sat in the square killing time before dinner and perused the steet paintings, street performers and musicians. It was magical and several times it would hit me that I was ACTUALLY in Rome, this wasnt a dream. We had a group dinner at a small trattoria with a pasta course, meat dish and of course was finished with Tiramisu. The evening was our first exploration of the nightlife and after getting quite lost on the metro we ended up in Campo di Fiori where there are several bars and several students. It was fun mingling with all the others and seeing the nightlife and soon we were off to a danceclub near by. Rome is the city that does not sleep so - to do as the saying - when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
The next day we awoke and took a morning tour of some museums and churches and ended the tour at the giant monument celebrating the reunification of Italy. We were able to climb to the top of the monument and were rewarded with a 360 degree sky view of the entire city of Rome. It was a beautiful sunny day and Rome seemed to stretch on for miles.
The afternoon was free time and we savored our gelato near the Pantheon then trapesed around the city, shopping and exploring. The nighttime brought some rain and we only ventured a short ways to a small restaurant with a live piano player. We sipped wine and pretended to have more money than we actually did.
Friday we toured the Vatican and St. Peter's Basillica. It was culture week in all of Italy meaning all national museums were free. This meant massive crowds at the Vatican but it was still amazing and the Sistine Chapel was unbelievable. I could have stood there for hours admiring the work. That afternoon we checked into our hostel for the next two nights and took a short siesta because our legs needed rest after all the walking we had been doing. it felt as if I had just run a marathon. I guess all the gelato and pizza is now justified.
Friday night we explored an ice bar where you must adorn large capes and gloves before entering the -5 degree celsius bar. Everything is made of ice, the seats, walls and cups. It was a fun experience but we couldnt stay there for long. After, to warm up we sat in a restaurant nearby and drank wine until the place finally closed at one.
Saturday I ventured 30 minutes outside of Rome to a small town called Tivoli. We visited Villa d'este, a beautiful Villa with famous water gardens up on a hill. The fountains and gardens were absolutely amaizng, even in the slight drizzle. It still amazes me all the quaint small towns you can find right outside the cities.
We returned from that excrusion early evening and while most people went out to try a pub crawl, my friend Taryn and I toured the Spanish Steps, the biggest McDonalds in the world and sat at the Trevi fountain for a long while. We got dinner on a side street under a canopy of ivy and candlelight. It was amazing and people watching was excellent. We finished the night with gelato and another look at the fountain.
Sunday we ventured over to the Vatican to be blessed by the Pope along with hundreds of others. We could hardly see him as he was up in a tiny window but it was still a fun experience. After we took the metro to the Colliseum and walked all around the inside. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking through the streets of Rome and soaking up all of it. As we took the bus back to Siena I was thankful to be returning "home" and to be away from all the crowds but I hope to return to Rome soon as I have fallen in love with the culture, history, people, food and atmosphere that is there. It is a city that spans generations and has so much to offer. I am throughly impressed and this has only inspired me to explore new cities in the coming weekends.
As you can see, life here is wonderful. I am getting more and more adjusted everyday and am now beginning to see how fast time is flying by. There is so much to see and do and so little time.

Ciao for now!