Adios Roma!

Hey Guys,

Today we got to Rome much earlier, thanks to our wake-up call (the front desk literally knocked on our door, pretty funny). We wanted to go to Italian mass, and decided to head to the Basilica di San Ignazo. When it was built, they ran out of money for the dome. The artist was a master of perspective, so he painted the illusion of a dome onto the ceiling. Even though it is completely flat, it’s impossible to tell. The light through the dome’s windows even appears to change as you walk from one end to the other.

We made friends with the church caretaker, especially after Kelsey asked to go to confession. She whipped out her cell phone and called up the priest, so we felt pretty privileged. After Kelsey was all sin-free, we still had some time before mass started. We decided to walk over to the Pantheon. I never imagined I would kill time by walking around the Pantheon! It was different than I pictured. The dome inside was awesome, though. Its diameter equals the height of the building: 142 feet. It was the widest dome in the world until the 19^th century. Rafael is buried there, so we saw his tomb as well.

We returned to St. Ignazo in time for mass. After we sat down, the caretaker came over and asked us in Spanish to do something. We thought she said to move when the service started, because we were in the reserved seats. We were talking about it after she left, when we realized that she actually asked us to read during the mass! She wanted us to do the scripture—in Italian. We quickly found her and declined, narrowly avoiding a very embarrassing situation!

After mass we checked out Augustine’s Arch and la Fontana de Trevi. It’s the largest fountain in Rome. Speaking of fountains, there are drinking fountains everywhere in Rome leftover from ancient times. They are flowing, so you just walk right up and fill your bottle. I was a little skeptical at first, but you know how it goes. When in Rome...

We needed to find the number 64 bus to take us to the Vatican city. We decided to eat before starting our search, so we grabbed paninis and sat by the road. Just like magic, our bus pulled right up to us! We got to St. Peter’s Basilica early enough to miss the security queues, which can get over a mile long I guess. They have to check your bags and make sure you are dressed appropriately—no shorts or bare shoulders allowed.

St. Peter’s Square was cool to see. In the center there is a giant obelisk from 13^th century B.C. Egypt. It is the largest standing obelisk in the world at 131 feet. We also toured the Crypt of the Popes, and saw where John Paul II is buried. It was covered in little strips of paper with prayers scrawled on them. We also walked around the Basilica. Technically it isn’t a cathedral because it isn’t the seat of a bishop, but mass is still held there sometimes. It took forever to walk around, because there was so much to see. We climbed the 320 stairs to the top of the dome. We walked around the inside of it, which is covered in paintings and mosaics. It is 448 feet at the top, making it the tallest dome in the world. We also went outside, which was amazing. There were panaromic views of the entire city, and it was so beautiful we sat up there for a good hour. We needed a rest after all those stairs anyways. We wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, but didn’t realize it is closed on Sundays.

By the time we got back to the metro it was about time to head out for the airport. We got back to our dorm about 1:30 AM, and then started working on homework. Didn’t exactly do a lot of that this weekend! It was an amazing experience though—having the freedom to take off for Rome is something you can never take for granted.

Arriverderci,

Becca