Day 3

Madeline Perrino
Aug 9, 2017 · 3 min read

Hello Roma….. Today was the first day we spent a whole day with our tour, and we crammed as much as we could. We started the day at 6;45 (Grandma wanted up early…) A nice mix of fruit salad and a donut woke me up. At 8:45, the bus left and we drove through the highlights of the city, which were a lot cleaner than the rest of the city. The conscientious effort by the city to look presentable went a long way, and I was thankful for the cool bus AC and the local tour guide. We drove by some important churches, the President’s residence, and a couple of palaces, including the terrace where Benito Mussolini would make his speeches, which I thought was extremely cool. After this mini tour, we arrived at the Colosseum. The one thing that stood out to me was the sheer size of the building. It looks much smaller in pictures, when in reality it is quite large. Obviously, I enjoyed it because it reminded me of the great movie “The Gladiator”, which our tour guide said was historically accurate. We got to actually go inside the structure as well and see the underground levels where they housed the animals and slaves, which was interesting as well. Another cool thing our tour guide told us was that during the dark ages, citizens would come to the Colosseum and use it as a sort of quarry, which is why in all the pictures you see square parts of marble missing from it. Another thing- gypsies really weren’t an issue for me or Lauren, Nanny, and Grandma. There was actually a lot of security there, including armed guards. These men enforce many special places in the city, and I think they do a good job warding off gypsies and other unwanted guests. After the Colosseum, it was off to the Vatican. Vatican City is the only country that has a wall surrounding all of its borders. We entered the wall through the Vatican Museum entrance. There were so. many. people. here. Mom and Dad have taken me to soooo many museums; some of them many of them unknown and some of them famous; but never have I been in a museum this crowded. It must’ve made the temperature over 100 degrees. It was really incredible. Despite this, I had a great time looking at good views of the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica, painting on the ceilings (see photo gallery), and the incredible 14th century tapestries. These were incredible, and despite the crazy crowds, heat, and long walks, the Vatican was totally worth it. Through the Museum we were able to go to the Sistine Chapel. For those of you nonreligious Folk, this Chapel is extremely important in the Catholic faith because this is where they choose the new Pope and where the current Pope usually resides. Michelangelo painted the whole ceiling and sides of it. He really was an amazing artist. You weren’t allowed to talk or take pictures, but I’m not worried; that something you remember for a long time. Through the Sistine Chapel we entered Saint Peter’s Basilica, the first and most important church. It was beyond anything I’d ever seen. The Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame is fabulous and breathtaking but is nothing compared to this. I can’t compare anything I’ve ever seen to this. It is other-worldly, physically and spiritually. The Pieia, which I really wanted to see, was also there. This made me pretty happy. Beautiful work by the great Michaelangelo; a special piece for Catholics who adore Mary our Mother. Obviously, after the tour, we went to the Vatican gift shop (gotta make that money). And after that, we FINALLY went home, after 5 miles of walking! The Perrino/Ross/Sheridan trip didn’t end there. After a short power nap in out hotel, we went to the Spanish Steps, where Lauren and I obviously took cute pics. To be honest, they were really just steps. Nothing to really be impressed about. But after this, we went to the Trevi fountain which was really dope. All I can say is, the Romans had an incredible standard of living. It is really incredible. After this long day, we went to a restaurant. I got ravioli, which were pretty good, and had some of Nanny’s muscles- which have nothing on her homemade ones by the way. An uber took us home and we went for drinks on the top of the hotel. The view is breathtaking, especially as the sun was setting. You can see all of Rome from up there. Although Rome has its downfalls, you cannot complain about the rich history and tradition there. Ciao until Tomorrow!