Italy, Rome: A Traveler's Tale

 On day one of our trip to Rome, we immediately left the airport and headed over to the Christian Brothers hotel where we would be living during our time in Rome, Casa La Salle. It is known for frequently receiving tourists. Each of us received a single room with a television and an adjoined bathroom. Over my bed hung a famous picture painting of Mary holding baby Jesus. The hotel provided an excellent breakfast every day from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and the staff was always accommodating.

While in Italy I made it my mission to try the carbonara pasta at every restaurant that offered it and my favorite was the Spaghetti alla Carbonara from Joseph's Restaurant. The only words at the time I could use to describe how delicious it tasted. The noodles were nice, soft and creamy thanks to the delicious egg and cheese sauce with notes of black pepper. The bacon also added a nice crunch and a bit of extra saltiness to the dish.

The Trevi fountain was the first major attraction that the class and I saw. It was a couple of hours after we had

landed and the jet lag was beginning to set in for me. As we approached the fountain, there was a large crowd

already swarming around it but they still did not take away from how grand the massive structure was. It is said

that if you throw one coin in, you'll return safely from Rome. For two coins you'll fall in love and for three you'll

marry that same person you've met. I had to throw a coin into the fountain just for the fun.

 

The Colosseum was my favorite attraction. In Italy, it is a law that no building is allowed to surpass the height of the Vatican. However, since the Colosseum is a National landmark that was built before the time of the Vatican, that rule does not apply to it. The Colosseum was also the first place that I felt that some of the other members of the group and I bonded. We had such a good time that some of us even went back on the night of New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks go off and illuminate the sky.

As I walked through the Roman Forum, or as Italians call it “Il Foro Romano” I felt quite shocked that I was walking through what was the heart of Ancient Rome 2000 years ago. While it felt that we were walking for miles exploring the ruins, it was an unreal experience to be able to walk through so much history. One of my favorite structures in the forum is the Temple of Saturn. It is dedicated to the god Saturn and it is one of the oldest temples in Rome. The structure used to house the state treasure, and while now the structure is in ruins, the scale of this work of architecture does not fail to impress me. Honestly, much of my time in Rome was spent questioning how the Romans built these spectacular structures and how dull all of our buildings now look.