When in Rome ....

Buon giorno,

So, things to do when you are in Rome ....



























-- See the Pope

The pope speaks at the Vatican every Wednesday morning at 10:30am, and this past Wednesday was special because it was a national Italian holiday (independence day). I happened to arrive at the vatican at about 10:20 -- just in time to hear the pope speak. Supposedly about 30,000 people were there!










-- Admire the work of Michael Angelo & other famous artists.

The vatican city museum was breath-taking. In addition to the amazing Sistine Chapel, I particularly enjoyed the display of modern religious art. I couldn't take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel, but this is a picture of "The Thinker" by Rodin. Look forward to an additional blog post with pictures of my favorite pieces from the modern religious art section (and a small rant about why modern art is so important).










-- eat pizza

(I think this one's pretty self-explanatory)











-- Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain

If you throw 3 coins over your left shoulder for good luck, or to ensure you return to Rome (maybe both)










-- Shopping!

I'm not much for high fashion, but Rome's certainly the place to go. Vie de Condotti, across from the Spanish steps, has almost every high-fashion name in the business.









-- Eat gelato

You obviously can't tell from this photo, but I had nutella flavored gelato. And clearly the guy next to me thought I was crazy for taking a picture of myself.






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-- Observe a street artist

I was particularly impressed by this guy, who made all of his paintings in less than five minutes and by only using spray paint.











-- Dress in funny clothes

It seemed to be a common theme/a tourist trap for cheesy photos.










-- Eat Chinese Italian food

I know, what you are thinking .. she went to Rome to eat Chinese food? What can I say? I like my veggies -- I couldn't eat more bread, cheese, and tomato at this point. Plus I had to save room for Italian desert. (hey its better than Italian McDonalds!)








-- Stumble upon some colossal ruins

I was trying to find my shuttle to go back to the hostel and literally stumbled across the Colosseum and some other beautiful massive ancient building.






-- meet the locals

They have great food suggestions and are really friendly!


























-- take artsy photos

I got a little carried away :)



The main take away: I you need to get over jet-lag, spend a day in Rome! I had about 7 hours of sleep in 60 hours, but it was all worth it.

More updates about Tunisia soon!

ciao,
Joan