Day 9: On an Evening in Roma!
Our day started in the clouds! We left our hostel in Croatia bright and early to get to the airport. The Split airport was very small and only had sandwiches or pringles available for snacks… unless you wanted Croatian specialties, such as Truffle oil chips or fig ravioli-shaped cookies. After a small delay and a short plane ride, we arrived in Rome! To get to the city, we took about a 30-minute train ride to Termini. Our hostel, Alessandro Palace, was only a quick walk from the train station.
Once we got to our hostel, we had free time to rest and refresh. Many of us went over to the restaurant across the street to get a snack and enjoyed some pizza!
After, we all met up for a walking tour of Rome and a chance to see the main sights - the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. On our walk, we passed by the Tiber River. It was almost sunset, and we had a beautiful view of the sun peeking through the greenery and illuminating the buildings. Sunset is the perfect time to see the painted colors of the buildings.
The Spanish Steps, along with buildings at "golden hour," when their colors are illuminated by the sunset
The sunset over the Tiber River, as seen through the greenery
Halfway through our tour, we stopped at Piazza Navona, one of the most famous “piazzas” in Rome. We learned that a piazza is an open square, or plaza, where people gather to hang out and enjoy time together. Our group gathered to enjoy dinner at a perfect people-watching spot. We all had our first bites of Italian cuisine… and loved every minute of it!
Kait's Spaghetti al Pomodoro and a chocolate and ricotta dessert - her first Italian meal!
Piazza Navona filled with people as dinnertime approaches
We continued our walking tour after dinner, and despite the late hour, the city was buzzing! The Trevi Fountain was packed. After seeing its breath-taking glory, we aren’t surprised.
The Trevi Fountain all lit up in the night
The outside of the Pantheon - a former Roman temple to all of the gods, and now a Christian Church
Our trip research had shown that the Pantheon was open all night on Sundays, but it was sadly closed when we arrived. We marveled at its beauty from the outside, but rescheduled time to go inside. Known as the best preserved ancient Roman building, it was a must-do for our group! We then began our trek back to the hostel and arrived close to midnight, ready to rest for our exciting day ahead.
Day 10 - The Colosseum
The 10th day of the trip was truly a landmark day, with our first destination being that of the famous Roman Colosseum. In order to beat the crowds, we had an early rise after a brief meeting at breakfast. After having coffee and pancakes in Italy, which was an experience to remember in of itself, we went straight off to the metro station that would take us directly to the historic site.
Outside the Colosseum!
This picture was a risky shot, as many of the organizations did not want you to have any symbols when taking pictures. However, in this one, we have two. Our flag, and our silly ‘wings up’ gesture to show our eagle pride. We had attempted to find why no symbols were allowed, but couldn’t find any full information. Generally, you could assume they don’t want to take the risk of someone posing with a negative symbol.
The inside of the Colosseum
Another stunning view of this "colossal" ancient building
It was remarkable knowing that you could see this landmark history from a wide range of areas, including an absolutely perfect view from the top of the Roman Forum that made for great pictures on a separate day. Regardless, after exploring these old massive ruins, we moved on to another important site; Saint Clement Basilica.
The inside of the modern church in Saint Clement Basilica, which stands above two ancient churches from the 4th and 1st centuries
Who knew a small church in the middle of the city could be as captivating as the Colosseum was. The main floor already spoke volumes of the various cultures of Rome, as well as the gold leaf that decorated the ceiling every corner showed Rome’s wealth during the more ancient era. Its basement was like going down a time capsule, that had another time capsule underneath it. Ancient ruin upon ancient ruin, so perfectly preserved you felt disrespectful treading on the careful designs of the marble flooring.
The rest of the day involved free time to explore Rome. This meant seeing more sites, eating more new foods, and enjoying the wonderful city of Rome. Kait, Rachel, Amalie, and Briallen stopped at a restaurant by the Colosseum to enjoy a Roman delicacy - Cacio e Pepe! This simple dish of cheese and black pepper became a quick favorite of theirs.
Ending the day the best way possible in Rome - with gelato!
Once we got to our hostel, we had free time to rest and refresh. Many of us went over to the restaurant across the street to get a snack and enjoyed some pizza!
After, we all met up for a walking tour of Rome and a chance to see the main sights - the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. On our walk, we passed by the Tiber River. It was almost sunset, and we had a beautiful view of the sun peeking through the greenery and illuminating the buildings. Sunset is the perfect time to see the painted colors of the buildings.
|
| The Spanish Steps, along with buildings at "golden hour," when their colors are illuminated by the sunset |
|
| The sunset over the Tiber River, as seen through the greenery
Halfway through our tour, we stopped at Piazza Navona, one of the most famous “piazzas” in Rome. We learned that a piazza is an open square, or plaza, where people gather to hang out and enjoy time together. Our group gathered to enjoy dinner at a perfect people-watching spot. We all had our first bites of Italian cuisine… and loved every minute of it!
|
|
| Kait's Spaghetti al Pomodoro and a chocolate and ricotta dessert - her first Italian meal! |
|
| Piazza Navona filled with people as dinnertime approaches |
We continued our walking tour after dinner, and despite the late hour, the city was buzzing! The Trevi Fountain was packed. After seeing its breath-taking glory, we aren’t surprised.
 |
| The Trevi Fountain all lit up in the night |
 |
| The outside of the Pantheon - a former Roman temple to all of the gods, and now a Christian Church |
Our trip research had shown that the Pantheon was open all night on Sundays, but it was sadly closed when we arrived. We marveled at its beauty from the outside, but rescheduled time to go inside. Known as the best preserved ancient Roman building, it was a must-do for our group! We then began our trek back to the hostel and arrived close to midnight, ready to rest for our exciting day ahead.
Day 10 - The Colosseum
The 10th day of the trip was truly a landmark day, with our first destination being that of the famous Roman Colosseum. In order to beat the crowds, we had an early rise after a brief meeting at breakfast. After having coffee and pancakes in Italy, which was an experience to remember in of itself, we went straight off to the metro station that would take us directly to the historic site.
|
| Outside the Colosseum! |
This picture was a risky shot, as many of the organizations did not want you to have any symbols when taking pictures. However, in this one, we have two. Our flag, and our silly ‘wings up’ gesture to show our eagle pride. We had attempted to find why no symbols were allowed, but couldn’t find any full information. Generally, you could assume they don’t want to take the risk of someone posing with a negative symbol.
 | ||
The inside of the Colosseum
|
It was remarkable knowing that you could see this landmark history from a wide range of areas, including an absolutely perfect view from the top of the Roman Forum that made for great pictures on a separate day. Regardless, after exploring these old massive ruins, we moved on to another important site; Saint Clement Basilica.
|
| The inside of the modern church in Saint Clement Basilica, which stands above two ancient churches from the 4th and 1st centuries |
Who knew a small church in the middle of the city could be as captivating as the Colosseum was. The main floor already spoke volumes of the various cultures of Rome, as well as the gold leaf that decorated the ceiling every corner showed Rome’s wealth during the more ancient era. Its basement was like going down a time capsule, that had another time capsule underneath it. Ancient ruin upon ancient ruin, so perfectly preserved you felt disrespectful treading on the careful designs of the marble flooring.
The rest of the day involved free time to explore Rome. This meant seeing more sites, eating more new foods, and enjoying the wonderful city of Rome. Kait, Rachel, Amalie, and Briallen stopped at a restaurant by the Colosseum to enjoy a Roman delicacy - Cacio e Pepe! This simple dish of cheese and black pepper became a quick favorite of theirs.
 |
| Ending the day the best way possible in Rome - with gelato! |
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