Italy Day 3 + 4: Sightseeing in Rome
January 6-7, 2018Our first weekend abroad consisted of sightseeing around Rome! We visited the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Roman Forum, Castel Sant' Angelo, Altar of the Fatherland, Piazza Campidoglio, Piazza Navona, several Catholic basilicas, lots of fun designer shops and so many other places! I'm sure I'm forgetting somewhere -- but the weekend was a 23,000+ step journey.
It's hard to pick which site was my favorite to visit or see because each has such an important cultural/historical/religious purpose. Seeing the Colosseum and the Roman Forum in person was neat, having heard about their importance growing up in middle school social studies courses. One of my biggest highlights was the Pantheon, a former Roman temple which is now a church. I lit a candle in honor of my former twin sisters and my dreams for the coming year. All of the churches are so beautiful here and you get chills each one you walk into. While very similar, each has a different context yet the same purpose - and I found that enlightening into my faith.If I had to choose to take something back to the U.S. with me from the trip so far, I would take four things:(1) San Benedetto limone natural tea(2) Marinara pizza - Italy pizza with tomato sauce, basil, garlic and/or oregano(3) One basilica(4) ALL Italy fashion!Marinara pizza is SO good, y'all. I know it sounds weird because it doesn't have any cheese, but I don't know how I'm going to eat pizza in the States after this trip. Go to Italy, eat marinara pizza...you won't regret it. The basilicas are really, really pretty and each one left me speechless. I'd love to bring one home and go to church in it every week!I absolutely ADORE Italian fashion and if I could make it a normalcy in the States to dress in all black with fancy coats and boots every day, I would. Everything was so chic and sophisticated. I would bring back items from all the little boutiques and designer stores (looking at you, Prada) that we saw on the streets.
From the United States, I wish I had unlimited water refills at restaurants, my sunglasses, my tennis shoes and shampoo/conditioner that is under 3.4 ounces. Water costs money each additional time you want a refill during meals and I definitely took that for granted back home. My shampoo and conditioner unfortunately got swiped from TSA because I packed it in the wrong bag...but because of that, Holly and I got to check out the local supermarket and interpret Italian which was a fun adventure. I also would've really enjoyed going on this adventure with Joey and my family, so hopefully in the future that can become a reality!Ultimately, sightseeing for the weekend allowed me to explore the city and try different Italian cuisines from local cafés and restaurants. I have really grown attached to Rome and will certainly miss it when I return to the States.Ciao for now!