Entry 2: June 19, 2009

Rome was amazing. I really don’t think I appreciated it until I left and realized how much historic sites we saw. The first night (Monday night) we took a night tour that drove us from sight to sight and let us get out and take pictures and so forth. We really like this because it got us acquainted with Rome and allowed us to see the beautiful places at night.

The next day we got up early and went to the Vatican Museum. I can’t believe the great art I saw -- four miles and 19 rooms of famous works of art including the Sistine Chapel at the end. I was in awe the entire time I was standing there. I felt so blessed to be standing in the presence of some of the greatest artwork in the world. It was all so real and breathtaking and better than I ever expected. Next we climbed the cupola which gave us a remarkable view of the top of St. Peter’s Basilica and Rome itself. Many of the girls get claustrophobic climbing these but I just think it’s a great adventure.

Next we went to the Colosseum. I was just so enthralled with their entertainment and the way people lived during the Roman Empire. The next day we woke up early to see the Pope. It was scorching hot but completely worth it to have the opportunity to go a mass led by the Pope. He knew many different languages and spoke each one so well I was impressed. Later that day the group went to a beach that was about an hour away. On Thursday we went to St. Peter’s Basilica and the crypts (or the tombs of the old popes). The Basilica was amazing. I saw Michelangelo's Pieta and just stood there in shock that I was looking at the real thing. He actually carved that out of marble and it was beautiful. I couldn't fathom the fact that I was there. The art and walls of this entire church were covered in mosaics. I was just amazed at the talent and skill of it all. After this I led us on a walk to see the Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, and pantheon. After this we left Rome and went back to the lovely Sansepolcro.

Entry 1: June 6, 2009
I love Italy and everything about Italy. I have learned so much already from the people and the staff here from Meredith. The family dinners have been one of the many highlights of the trip. I have had two dinners thus far with two different host families. The first family was Francesca, Paulo, and a six year old Phillipio. They lived in an apartment that was their own. It was surprisingly very modern. Not the Italian house I had pictured. The boy, Phillipio was precious and was very smart. He was of course fluent in Italian but had an English tutor come in every week. His mom Francesca spoke English very well and the Dad did not speak much but he understood it. They asked us what we thought of Obama and the economy in the U.S. I showed them the pictures of my family from this past Easter and they were glad to see my family and our house.

My Italian is coming along. I know how to say most of the phrases I need but when Italians come up to me I often have no idea what they are saying because they talk so fast. At the last family dinner last night I had to use much more Italian and I liked it. There were four different generations in this family and at this dinner. I never got a tour of this house we just went straight into the kitchen. However, the house and atmosphere was a typical Italian household and not very modern at all. The grandmother cooked and had made the pasta herself earlier that day. The lady who picked us up was Christina. Her children, Veronica, Paulo (I think was his name) were there. Paulo was married to a Russian woman (who wasn’t there) but he did have his little girl Ariana. Ariana was about one year old and she was the cutest toddler I’ve ever seen. The meal was great; the food here is amazing. We were having to use our phrase book and they used their Italian/English Dictionary to make conversation but it was never awkward. They were very welcoming and it was nice to be forced to use my Italian. In the other home we relied on English because Francesca was excited to use her English. I also showed them my pictures and they also were impressed with our family and house.

After dinner Sally and I went with the daughter Veronica and her friend to see Veronica’s horses. Going out to the countryside was so nice and reminded me so much of home. The farm we went to had horses, ducks, dogs, and a few other animals. It was really nice to see a farm on the other side of the world. The coolest thing out there was the fireflies. I didn’t really ever think if they would have fireflies or not. When it finally turned dark there were SOOO many fireflies. It’s like the ground was sparkling almost. At home they are always some here and some there but here they were everywhere. After the countryside adventure we went to go eat gelato (ice cream) at the 1st gelato place in Sansepolcro it reminded me of Dicks or Parkers in Wilson.

Also, we recently got back from Venice. Oh Venice. From the moment you step out of the train station the atmosphere for the city takes you over. It runs on island time and everything is just working at a relaxing and slow pace. The mode of transportation in Venice is the vaporeta, which is basically a boat taxi or bus that takes you from one stop to another on the grand canal. Once we found our hotel and freshened up we went and ate a nice dinner by the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge. It was so nice and to have a night to relax and enjoy with some of my best friends.

The next day we went to two islands called Verano and Burano. In Verano they blow glass and once we got off the vaporeta we walked right into a glass blowing demonstration. It was so neat. They took glass from the kenel and molded it in to a vase or a horse within minutes. It was the coolest thing to watch. We spent the day exploring Verano then we hopped on the boat for Burano. Burano was the best island I have ever been too. All the houses were pink, lime, orange, yellow, red and any other bright color you could think of. It was beautiful. The next day in Venice we went to the museums. We went to the academia, the Peggy Guggenheim, and St. Mark’s Basilica. All of the museums and churches were great. I learned a lot of information through tours and the different readings along the way. Later that night we dressed up and went to St. Mark’s square and just danced and enjoyed the bands playing in the square. It was quite a nice night. All and all I absolutely loved Venice. I also loved what I learned about myself. I was the leader for our group and the one that got us from place to place. I learned how to read a map very well! We as a group also learned how to make our train reservations and how we should get around in the train stations. It was a big yet great learning experience. Thankfully nothing went wrong. Sadly we all had to get on the train and leave but Rome is right around the corner.