Final Day in Rome

Our final day of the trip was spent visiting the coliseum, Roman Forum, Trevvi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Once again, I can say this was one of my favorite days on the trip because of the numerous famous locations we were able to visit within one day. I feel like I saw mostly all of Rome within this one day because of our constant walking and just taking in the incredible city of Rome.

During this day, a small group of us also made some special visits to the first Christian church, Basilica Di San Clemente, Commune Di Roma, and the park right across the coliseum.

Nonetheless, this day was the best way to end our entire trip because of the great places we visited and enjoyed. Overall, I can confidently say that this trip was the most educational and fun experiences I have ever had. We were all able to first-hand experience the wonderful European culture, community and famous monuments, sculptures and paintings.

This trip will always remain in my memories, including all the places I enjoyed, friends I made, and fun I had!

EIght Day in Rome

Our first day in Rome started bright and early, because we had so much to see and do, within so little time! During the day we visited a baptistery, the fountain of the frogs, Piazza Novella, the Pantheon, Musei Vaticani and eventually St.Peters. Not only was this day filled with amazing sightseeing, it was also very educational, inspirational and tiring. However, I can easily say this was one of my favorite days within our entire trip because of the monumental sights we were able to visit and learn about.

Moreover, one of the most memorable experiences was being able to visit the Sistine Chapel at the Musei Vaticani. I enjoyed learning about the different paintings painted by Michelangelo and how amazingly and respectfully these paintings have been painted and preserved. Another memorable sight was the church of St. Peters. I was able to see some of the greatest interior architectures, sculpture of St. Mary holding Jesus, and paintings. St. Peters, felt like you were in another world filled with rich religious stories.

Seventh Day to Rome..Assisi!

The next morning felt like we were going on a long road-trip to Rome, Italy. We all packed-up, loaded our luggages and headed for the road. However, before going to Rome, we made a stop to a clay pottery factory and later, Assisi. The road to the clay pottery factory took about an hour, however that hour was filled with us driving passed many astonishing landscapes, which looked like a scene from a movie. It made me realize how Italy is surrounded by great masses of open land, which have been preserved and beautifully kept by the people of the country.

During our visit to the clay pottery factory near Assisi, we were showed how the factory practically hand-sculpts many different types of pots, vases and plates within their business. The task of making these clay products were divided into several steps; first, it was missing the clay fluids, second, it was molding the clay, third, painting the clay products, and eventually selling their hand-made creations. The part that truly shocked me was how several ladies were actually hand painting the products with such perfection, calmness and beauty.

After our visit to the clay factory, we headed towards the city of Assisi. Now, this city looked truly like a movie scene. I love how they also preserved this city because it really felt like I was experiencing the lifestyle of the people living here thousands of years ago. During our time at Assisi, we took a hike to the fortress, visited the tiny shops and restaurants and took a tour of the St. Francis 3-layered church. I loved having the opportunity to visit such a unique city, filled with such vast amount of history.

After our city tour of Assisi, we went back onto the bus and had a 2-hour bus ride to Rome. Even though Rome greeted us with rain, I was still excited to be in the city I have been dreaming to visit for years.

Sixth Day in Florence

Our next day in Florence, started with a visit to the famous Uffizi museum, where we were able to see numerous religious focused paintings and statues. Even though we saw many of the same religious themed focused paintings, it was still amazing to see such detailed and beautiful works of art. These paintings and statues also represented the beliefs and culture of Italy, several thousand years ago.

After our museum visit, it was finally shopping time! I felt like I was waiting for this day to come since we arrived to Europe. Therefore, a group of us headed out and began our bargain-filled shopping. Luckily, during our shopping exursion, we came across a parade that was happening near our hotel. There were men throwing flags, individuals holding eagles, and lots of music and dancing. It was great to experience a fun event occurring within the city.

When evening came around, we decided to visit Piazzo Michalengelo, recommended by Dr. Cremer and Professor Davis. Once we arrived to our location, we were greeted by a breath-taking sight in Florence, the sunset. Not only were we able to witness the beautiful sunset, it also felt like we were standing above the entire city of Florence. It looked like heavenly city, which I never wanted to leave from. Unfortunately, since we had a early morning the next day, Gina, Daniela and I headed out to a small restaurant to eat dinner and call it a early night.

Fifth Day in Florence

After a 12-hour train ride to Florence, we were finally here! We immediately sat in our bus and headed towards our hotel. During our bus ride to the hotel, I was amazed at the beauty, authenticity and simplicity of Florence. The city really seemed to look like a picture from a book because of its unique structure and style. Furthermore, as soon as we arrived to the hotel, we checked-in and went straight to have breakfast at a small restaurant in Florence.

After our breakfast, we began a walking tour of the city. The first incredible building we saw was the Duomo. Stefania explained to us that it took 150 years to build this astonishing and gigantic cathedral, which holds so much of Florence’s historical stories and memories. After walking passed the cathedral, some museums and the Piazza Di Santa Croce, we arrived to a leather factory. The owners showed us how they do custom embroidery on leather products, what type of leather they sell and how they manage their business. I enjoyed visiting the leather business in Florence because I was able to see how these owners interacted with their customers, negotiated costs and actually sold their products. They used a technique of bargaining with their customers and henceforth, made a large amount of sales.

After, we headed towards the Academia in order to visit the famous David statue. The statue of David was just how I expected it to be; handsome, manly and perfectly sculpted. Next, we went to another famous church in Florence, where we were introduced to one of the most interested tour guides I met on our entire tour. His passion and knowledge of his cities historical past was truly inspirational and attention grabbing. He taught us the reason why wealthy individuals purchased their own chambers in many churches and about the specific paintings painted within the churches walls. One specific chamber we were introduced to the Medicini family servant named Francis. The tour guide explained to us that this individual had purchased this chamber in order to show the people of his city the level of his wealth and to always be recognized by future generations. Soon after, we left the church and went to the main center of the city, where we were assigned to evaluate different historical and god-like statues found in the courtyard. All of the statues there had their own stories, meanings, representations and value. They each told the past stories of the Romans.

When evening came around, we were escorted to our restaurant, Rubaconte, to enjoy a nice dinner with our entire group. After dinner, a group of us decided to experience the night-life in Florence. Therefore, we went to a club named Space-Electronics, recommended by Stefania. After a great evening of dancing and having fun, we finally went to the hotel and immediately fell asleep.