Ciao Bella!

Well I just back from a 9 day journey through Italy! It was beautiful, informative, and completely overwhelming to say the least. So here goes nothing…

Saturday night, we took our first overnight train! It was an experience. There were four people to a room with two bunk beds in each. It was not the best sleep of my life but was better than nothing, and we woke up in Rome and hit the ground running!

My first day there, I toured the Baths of Caracalla, the Forum, and the Colosseum which were all breathtaking. While walking around these places I always tried to picture them full of people and life back in ancient Rome. Even though baths are not around anymore, we still have stadiums and downtown city life much like the Romans did. Clearly they were on to something. After pizza for lunch by the pantheon, oh yeah THE PANTHEON, I had my first taste of real Italian gelato. Even other cities in Europe do not come close to imitating gelato from Italy. It's the real deal. For dinner, our very beloved Italian guide, Daniel, took us to dinner…a four course Italian dinner. We had mushrooms and rice for our pre-appetizer, pasta as an appetizer, baked chicken and potatoes for the main dish, and homemade dessert. Mouth watering yet? I now understand completely why Italy is so famous for its food. After dinner we had a little free time in a piazza before headed back to the hotel. What happened there is probably going to be one of the biggest highlights of the trip. While turning the corner, we all hear the Black Eyed Pea's "I Gotta Feelin'" start to play. For some reason, our first reaction was not to sing along or sort of bob our heads to the song but to run as fast as we could to where it was coming from. Again, I have no idea why. When we got there, we found ourselves in the middle of a "Jesus Rave" as we call it. The local Catholic church had basically put on a dance party for the square! On the stage there was a dj, a few dancers line dancing, and a banner that read "Jesus is the center of our lives." During that 20 minutes, all 27 of us completely let loose. Not only was it amazing feeling to get lost in the moment, but to be doing it together as a group and with other groups from about a dozen different countries.

Seven a.m. on Monday morning came bright and early. After breakfast, we headed to Vatican City! Here we toured the Vatican Museum, St. Peter's, and the Sistine Chapel, three big ones to have to take in in one day. Because we see so many artworks on this trip, it is easy to kind of pass by them and forget about the time put in and craftsmanship behind each and every piece. That definitely happened to me, but every now and then I would catch myself and try to think about the work that went into making something so beautiful. If there is one thing I learned in Italy it is that I am completely MINDBOGGLED at how one person would even go about creating such a masterpiece. Take, for example, the Sistine Chapel. There are literally not words to describe it. No pictures or descriptions do it justice until you see the real thing. I am still blown away and cannot wrap my brain around someone taking the time to create it. St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the entire world, was the same way. It was very ornate and almost gaudy, but still unbelievable. I got to see Michelangelo's famous Pieta here which was of course remarkable. After lunch and gelato again, we visited the Catacombs of San Callisto, ancient burial chambers for Christians in hiding. It was a bit creepy but also makes you appreciate how hard people fought for Christianity. For dinner, we decided to eat at the smallest restaurant we could find, and it turned out to be a great decision in the end. You can never go wrong with Italian bruchetta and pasta for dinner.

Tuesday was slightly more relaxing with a visit to a couple museums, some shopping, and gelato (again I know) by the Trevi fountain. At the Galleria Borghese, I discovered my favorite sculptor, Bernini. One of my favorite piece's is his David. Look it up and check out the movement and expression on his face. Apollo e Daphne and Ratto di Proserpina are two more of my favorites. I also got see many of Carvaggio's paintings. Even though I am not a fan of his work, they were still great to see in person. At the Trevi fountain, there is a tradition of how to throw coins in. You must use you right hand and throw them over your left shoulder with your back facing the water. The legend goes that one coin means you will return to Rome, and two means you will get married. I threw two in in hopes that I will return to Rome after getting married…sounds like a good plan to me.

Wednesday I went to Pompeii. On the way we took the wrong train and got "lost" in Salerno, my favorite city so far. It is a small town on the Mediterranean Sea that is surrounded by mountains. Absolutely PICTURE PERFECT. We eventually got to Pompeii and toured it for a while. It is HUGE. I had no idea exactly how big it was but I did not expect what I saw. They really have uncovered an entire city, not a village or even town but a city. It was a long day but worth it in the end. Daniel took us to another fabulous dinner at a place run by nuns from all over the world. We had a great meal and they bid us farewell with a performance of Ave Maria.

Thursday was a very busy day. We travelled to Florence by train and knocked out five places as soon as we got there. The first place we went was the Academia where we saw Michelangelo's David! It was better than I pictured in person. Again, there aren't words to describe it. We then did quick run throughs of Capelle Medici and a couple churches. That afternoon we walked up on the Duomo. Wow is all I have to say. Another masterpiece. After all the touring, we relaxed with shopping. That always works for me. The market in Florence is enormous. If you love leather, it is the place for you. I love markets because of the unusual things there and getting to bargain for good prices. I have gotten pretty good at that. The bridge in Florence, the Ponte Veccio, is a fun place to stroll through. It is world famous for its jewelry, and there is no doubt in my mind as to why. I felt like a fish attracted to shiny objects. Daniel took us to another great dinner that night. Pasta and pork chops were the main dishes.

Friday was filled with more museums. I hate to say it, but by this time we were a little burnt out. Il Bargello is a museum that used to be a prison. The biggest thing we saw there was Donatello's David, or Gayvid as we call it. Google it, and you will understand why. The Uffizi is another remarkable gallery to tour. I only wish I had been more awake to enjoy it. After the museums, we again did some more shopping before a small group of us headed out to Pisa on our own. The leaning tower of Pisa is…unexpected. Whatever you are picturing in your mind right now, it is quite the opposite. I imagined this quaint green field with rolling hills in the background and the church and tower sitting in the middle. Unfortunately it is located pretty much smack dab in the middle of the city. It was dark, cold, rainy, and we didn't get home until about midnight that night, but at least we got some cool pictures.

Satuday we travelled to Siena where we were given a tour a saw a couple churches. Siena is a very cute town that is typical of small town Europe. The city is divided in to 17 districts each with its own flag and symbol. For example, our guide was from the seashell district. The most exciting thing Siena does is a horse race twice a year. Campo square is turned into a race track and the entire city comes out to support the horse randomly chosen for their district. The race only lasts one minute and thirteen seconds, but the preparations takes days and weeks. After returning to Florence, we had our final dinner with Daniel. He took us to his friends Gigi's restaurant. Gigi is a huge Italian man who is CRAZY. It was so much fun. We even got to watch the Italy vs. Ireland soccer game. Daniel, Gigi, and all the cooks and waiters were screaming a cheering throughout the entire dinner at the game. It was a great way to end the trip.

Sunday, and exhausted group of 33 people returned home to Vienna. Our train took us through the beautiful countryside of Austria, Austrian Alps included. We were all grateful to be back at our second home.

I will never forget Italy.