Day 4-Italy, Rome

Another incredible day has quickly passed by. Being busy every minute definitely has its advantages (you can experience much of Rome this way), but I understand why Italians proud themselves in a relaxed, slower-paced lifestyle. It was funny because a couple days ago after we asked the same waiter who encouraged us to "mangiare!" to bring out our check, he nodded, then went back to folding napkins. Like I said. Very relaxed pace ;)

Deciding against this lifestyle in a wise effort to get in line early for the Vatican museums, our professors marched our group down the streets of Rome beginning at 8 am sharp. And oh how it was completely worth it. Not only did I see Raphael's School of Athens, but I also experienced Etruscan, Greek, and Roman artifacts such as the Laocoon and Augustus of Prima Porta, one of the most propagandized images of all time. Our final reward was the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo and commissioned by Pope Julius II. It was very impressive, although, much to my delight, not as tall as I was expecting, making each panel's detail quite easy to enjoy :) I found it surprising the no photography allowed rule wasn't particularly enforced, as there were a number of guards everywhere. Oh well. I got some pictures...I mean, what?

After the Vatican, a couple of us enjoyed some Vatican pizza (pretty sure pizza's the fast food of Rome) until it was time to finally experience St.Peter's! Even though I'm not Catholic, I appreciate the grandiose, breathtaking building for the excellent craftsmanship. Absolutely incredible. Michelangelo's Pieta and one of Bernini's statues were both excellent and fulfilled every expectation I had.

After splitting off from our group, some of us decided to experience St. Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, famous for its macabre decoration (human bones). Again, no photography was allowed, but I had to share the goods (forgive the fuzzy picture). Talk about a little creepy, but over 40,000 friars were used to create the "ornamental" decorations found on the ceilings, chandeliers, and walls. Definitely worth a euro to see. And that's all I really want to say about that..

To end on a more entertaining and "lively" note, our metro ride home was awesome. At the stop before ours, a group of (what we presumed to be) drunk young men boarded the metro, crowded around the three of us girls, and burst into a lovely rendition of some Italian song. As we felt the metro winding to a stop much too soon, one guy (shamelessly wearing a tutu and mesh black tank-top) high-fived each of our hands and upon reaching mine, grasped it tighter as I hastily made my exit. It was awesome. Metro's never bring boredom, my friends. And with that, ciao!