Bella Italia!

At long last--my blog from Italy!! I was in Italy from Dec 12-Dec 20th, and I went with Marli and Nikki. We left the night after all the fall semester people left, and the trip was a good way to help us not dwell on their departure. So here's a rundown of everything!

December 12, Saturday
We flew to Rome in the afternoon, arriving in Rome around 5pm. It was my first time flying on Ryanair, the infamous cheap European airline. The plane was packed--and we hit turbulence, and the landing was quite bumpy. An interesting first experience to say the least. From the airport, we took a bus to the main Termini train station, where we then walked to our hostel. We stayed at a really nice hostel in Rome--the staff and other guests were all super friendly--and the staff was really helpful when we needed help. After checkin, we went to have some dinner. We all had pasta, and it was DElICIOUS. It was my first taste of Italian food in Italy--and already, I was hooked. During dinner, we planned out what we wanted to do each day. After dinner we decided to walk down to the Colosseum, so we could see it lit up at night. It was really beautiful, and I would recommend seeing it at night and during the day. Then we headed back to the hostel and got some much needed sleep.

December 13, Sunday
We slept in the next morning, and then we went to the Pantheon. Originally the Pantheon was a pagan temple, but it was converted into a Catholic church a long time ago. It was beautiful. It also is the where Raphael is buried. From there we went to Piazza Navona, a beautiful plaza with a large fountain. They also had a Christmas market going on there, so we took some time and walked around looking at all the goods and at the smiling families. After that we went to the Trevi Fountain, where we all threw in a coin, guaranteeing us a wish and a return trip to Rome. Before heading to the Spanish Steps, we stopped at a café and grabbed a panini. It was the best panini I ate during my time in Italy--with mozzarella and tomatoes and arugula...really good stuff. Then we saw the Spanish Steps and strolled in the Villa Borghese Gardens, walked in the Piazza del Popolo, and visited 2 Catholic churches. The first was my favorite church of the entire trip--called San Carlo al Corso. The inside was just amazing, breathtaking--it was beautiful. We also went to Santa Maria Maggiore, which was about 2 minutes from our hostel. Another beautiful church, it is where the sculptor, Bernini, is buried. That night we ate at our hostel--the staff cooked a meal for everyone who wanted it for 5 euro each. There was bruschetta and some smoked salmon with a sauce for appetizers, then pasta with a meat ragu for the main course, then homemade tiramisu for dessert. It was quite good. We stayed up talking to people for a while before going to bed.

December 14, Monday
We woke up early on Monday morning, since we had a date...with the Vatican! We had arranged a tour of the Vatican Museum before our trip, since we didn't want to wait in line. We took the metro from our hostel to the Vatican--strange thing about the subways in Rome...they are really quiet--not many people were talking at all. The Vatican Museum was amazing--there are so many paintings and sculptures and tapestries--I was thankful we had a tour guide to help lead us through everything. We ended our tour outside the Sistine Chapel where there was a small café. We had packed our own lunches to save some money--so we ate our lunch at this café before entering the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was stunning. We stayed in there a long time just drinking it all in. They try to keep it silent in there, and there are no photos permitted. If you even pull out a camera, a guard (in uniform or in disguise) will stop you--if you succeed in taking a picture, he will escort you outside. Our tour guide had told us lots of things to look for in the Sistine Chapel. We also asked one of the guards where they put the chimney during conclave. We got to see the mark it made on the floor--it's a very historic place. Then we went into St. Peter's Basilica, which was huge. I cannot even describe how large it is when you first walk inside. It was very elaborate, and they were cleaning the alter while we were in there, preparing for the Christmas holidays. I'm strolling along in the basilica, when I suddenly I see a familiar face. It was my friend Rachel--who also goes to Luther and we were in choir together. She is spending the year in Nottingham with the Luther program, and she was on vacation too! It was nice to see a familiar face. After leaving the Vatican, we walked to where the Old Vatican was--and then walked back to our hostel, stopping at some shops and at a bar for some hot cocoa and coffee. We had a really great dinner that night too. We went to dinner at a tiny family run restaurant near the Piazza del Popolo. I have no idea what the name of the restaurant was, but the food was great. We were seated next to a group of Italians who gave us some recommendations for our food. Everything was really good.

December 15, Tuesday
We got a call on Monday night from our friend John, who had been with us in Valencia. His friend, Drew, had come to visit him in Valencia--and then they were planning on going to Rome and Amsterdam, and had landed in Rome on Monday afternoon, and they wanted to sight-see with us on Tuesday. We met up with John and Drew at the Colosseum. From the Colosseum, we visited Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. We grabbed some pizza for lunch and then went to Scala Santa. Scala Santa (Holy Steps) is the set of stairs from Pontius Pilate's palace. Constantine's mother brought the stairs to Rome in the 4th century, and they are the steps that Jesus is said to have walked on several times the day of His crucifixion. It is a bit of a religious pilgrimage, and you have to climb up the steps (which are covered in wood) on your knees. Look it up on wikipedia for more info. We also went to the church of St. Peter in Chains--which houses the chains of St. Peter. Both were really neat places to visit.

December 16, Wednesday
We checked out of the hostel and took a train to Florence. It was a long train ride, but it was really beautiful watching the scenery change. When we arrived in Florence, we checked into our hotel and walked around a little bit. We had dinner at a restaurant the hotel staff had recommended and then spent the evening in our room with a movie. It was very cold and rainy/snowy outside, and we were just wanting to relax.

December 17, Thursday
We slept in and went to the Duomo. Then we went to the Galleria dell'Accademia, where Michelangelo's David is. Then we went to Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge in Florence. We climbed up a big hill to an overlook of the city, which was breathtaking. Florence was beautiful and very academic. It had a much more relaxed pace of life compared to Rome. In the afternoon we went to a Christmas market near St. Croce church and later window shopped. We had dinner at Ciro & Sons, a restaurant recommended to me by family friends back home. Another delicious Italian meal.

December 18th, Friday
We went to the Palazzo Pitti, which was a Renaissance palace owned by the Medici Family. We visited the Palatina Gallery, Modern Art Gallery, and the Royal Apartments. After lunch, we strolled in the markets and did some shopping.

December 19th, Saturday
We checked out of the hotel and looked at some Christmas markets. Then we had some delicious hot cocoa before heading to the train station to go to Pisa. Overnight, snow had blanketed a lot of Italy (probably 1-2 inches in Florence) and it caused a transportation nightmare. All trains were delayed, and we waited over 2 hours for a train to Pisa. Normally there are 3 trains an hour to Pisa. The train was really full, but we made it to Pisa in the afternoon. We rested at our hotel for a while and explored a little bit of the city.

December 20th, Sunday
We went to the Leaning Tower and stayed there for a few hours. The Leaning Tower is located alongside the Duomo of Pisa--and it is a pretty big area. We sat in the sun and took a multitude of different pictures with the Leaning Tower, each photo getting a little more ridiculous. Then I headed to the airport and returned to Valencia that evening. My flight was delayed over 2 hours for weather--so I arrived back at my flat around 12:15 am....then I left my flat at 6:00 am to head back to the airport to go to Madrid to pick up my family.

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Italy was a great trip. I loved everything about it. We had a very relaxed approach to the trip, which made it easier when we had delays or the weather was bad. We made a food checklist that first night in Rome which included pizza, pasta, panini, tiramisu, and gelato---we ate all of them...more than once. Also a great find in Italy was hot chocolate. In Italy, hot chocolate is thick--almost like brownie batter...but better. We drank it almost every day, comparing each one to the one we had drunk previously. I got a lot of good pics, and I also shared pics with Marli--they should be uploaded by the end of the night. Italy also cultivated my love of churches and cathedrals, because all of them are magnificent in Italy. They are one of my favorite things to visit because I feel like a church is universal.
I know this entry is long and gets shorter at the end, but I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it isn't boring. Italy is a place I would go back to in a heartbeat. I wish I could have spent more time there.