November is the busiest month so far for me here in Italy! Paul visiting for 5 days, one day in between, then we left on a school field trip to Rome for 4 days! Our first stop on the way to Rome was the quaint little town of Orvieto, where we visited a church and had lunch.
Orvieto
 |
| a little side-street in Orvieto |
 |
| Orvieto is situated on top of a hill, overlooking this beautiful view! |
Second stop on the way to Rome:
Il Parco dei “mostri” di Bomarzo which means "park of monsters". It is filled with huge statues and sculptures of gigantic animals, huge figures, nymphs, and gods with dramatic proportions and kind of ugly (hence the name of the park).
 |
| ahhhh |
Finally, after an eight hour journey from Florence, we arrived in Rome! We stayed in a really nice hotel, and I roomed with two girls whom I have made really good friends with--Lauren and Brittani. That night we had a 3 course meal of Cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, Saltimbocca alla Romana with green beans and carrots, pasta, and a fruit cake for dessert.
 |
| Jessica and I looking fancy at dinner |
The next day, our program directors didn't hesitate to get us up at 7 in the morning to begin our jam-packed Roman holiday. First place we visited was the Forum, which was the ancient center of Rome. What blew me away was that this was completely covered in dirt up until the 1920's when excavations finally began to uncover this gem. Next we visited the Palatino (Palatine) which is one of the central hills of Rome as well as one of the oldest parts of the city.
 |
| what a view!! |
Next stop, the Colosseo (Colosseum!) All I have to say is Magnificent. To any of you out there who have read Francine Rivers' "Mark of the Lion" Trilogy, this really brought to life her books! Did you know that it was capable of seating 50,000 spectators?! Crazy. One thing that bummed me out though was that after the 6th century, since it was no longer being used, they took a lot of it apart and used it for building materials.
Later, we saw the Pantheon, two Caravaggio paintings in the Church of San Luigi, and visited the Trevi fountain at night. Let me just say that the Trevi Fountain (especially at night) has now become one of my most favorite places in the whole world.
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica aka the Vatican at night! |
The next day, we went to the Vatican Museum. That was AMAZING! Some highlights: the Hall of Maps, the Sistine Chapel, a beautiful painting by Jan Matejko, The Sistine Chapel, and then of course, St. Peter's Basilica (the Vatican!)
 |
| my friend Brittani, no shame looking like a tourist, enduring the rain. haha |
 |
| the Jessica's and I inside the Vatican Museum! |
We also visited the MAXXI Modern Art Museum, an Etruscan Villa, and two Etruscan "cities of the dead"--Cerveteri and Tarquinia--where the Etruscans built entire cities to lay their deceased family members to rest. It was so fascinating.
I couldn't help but say (about 50 times) that this was the best field trip I've ever been on!! What an incredible blessing to be able to be here in Italy and travel and see the things I have seen.
