Three Days In Rome

Wow, I have been so busy, I haven't had time to write much. Since Dawn my mom's friend is here, we have been doing lots of sightseeing. On Monday, we went back to Saint Peter's Square to see the basilica and walk to the cupola, the highest point of Rome. We walked 500 steps up and down; it was exhausting and yet really fun. This lady had a panic attack near the top and almost fainted, but she was okay.  Once, we got up to the top, we could see all of Rome. Seeing the Basilica for the second time I thought would be really boring, but it turned out it was really fun. Since I had studied many of the statues in there, such as the Pieta, I was able to catch things I hadn't noticed the first time.

On Tuesday, we went to the Colosseum and the Forum. I really enjoyed the Colosseum a lot. I think it might have something to do with the fact that there were some italian girls my age in the group but it was also fascinating. Our tour guide wasn't as good as before but I didn't really listen to her that much anyway. Then we went to the Forum, which was breathtakingly beautiful. I actually got to walk through all of it and it was worth it. The first time I saw it, we were tired because it was our first day in Rome, but this time I looked at the sights more closely. We went to the house of the vestal virgins, and I learned that if they couldn't keep their vows they would be buried alive. I was surprised about that. The Romans were just as brutal as every other traditional religious group it turns out.

On, Wednesday, we decided to make it a walking day. First, we went into the Trevi fountain and my sister and I threw coins into it. Then we went to the Piazza Navona to see the four rivers fountain and look at the artists painting. We kept on walking until we hit the "Isla Vista" of Rome, known as Campo De Fiori, which translates to The Field of Flowers. They have a bar there called "The Drunken Ship." They had a big farmers market where we got fresh fruits, vegetables, and amazing chocolate. We ate at a mozzarella bar where we tasted fresh bufalo mozzarella. The food was amazing. Afterwards, we went to the Fridgedarium where they take their amazing gelato and dip it in chocolate. It was hands down, the best gelato I have had in my life. Later, mom and David went out for their anniversary and Dawn took us back to St. Peter's at night. It was freezing cold and no one was there. When we walked back toward the castle, they were making a film there! Miranda and I might have gotten into one of the shots, but I'm not sure. It has been a great week so far, but Dawn leaves tomorrow. Dawn is catholic, so we are going to see some more churches today.  If you have watched the movie Angels and Demons, you will see what we do on a daily basis (Pantheon, Piazza del poppolo, saint peters church,  Piazza Navona, St angelo's castle).
Ciao Bella,

John