Castel Gandolfo, Assisi, & Cinque Terra

So we all know that the Pope lives in Rome, but did you also know that he takes about a 2 month vacation in a summer residence in the quaint town of Castel Gandolfo?  As soon as we found this out, we worked on getting in to the special audience he has once a week here. After asking for directions at least 5 times, having the police pretty much refuse to help us, AND dealing with my mom's credit card getting stuck in the parking meter machine, we FINALLY made it Hotel Castel Gandolfo - a small hotel with the most amazing owners... Frederico & his wife run the hotel and have a cute little baby who sits with them at the front desk. His father is visiting them & is such a sweet man! Frederico was nice enough to help my mom by talking to the parking attendant, paying for parking, and then moving her car to another spot... they are the best! We had a yummy dinner overlooking the lake & then it was time for bed!

In the morning, we joined a HUGE crowd of people waiting to see the Pope. When it was time to go inside, it was literally a stampede!!!! I held onto my grandma for dear life as I pushed through the crowds of people all trying to get in. It was insane, but we made it through & it was absolutely amazing to see the Pope right in front of me. (Nurse Lee & I stepped in again to help a girl who was starting to feel faint)

After this, it was time to leave our wonderful hotel... but little did we know that we would be back very, very soon. ....

When we got back to Rome, my mom realized that her passport was missing!! After panic mode, she called the hotel and gift ship in Gandolfo, but no one had seen it. I thought it might have been in the hotel copy machine and guess what.. it was! I guess we would be heading back to our favorite hotel in the morning. So we went back & were able to enjoy a less crowded Gandolfo so that was nice!!


Yesterday we went to Assisi & went into St. Francis of Assisi's Basilica. It was less ornate than St. Peter's but still very beautiful. Then we had a crazy drive through traffic, confusion, darkness, and to top it off RAIN, but we finally made it to La Spezia (I was beginning to think it didn't really exist because we never saw signs for it). So today we took the ferry to Porto Venere & walked around, went in the shops, & had a delicious lunch (I had penne with salmon.... so good!) My mom & I went to 2 of the Cinque Terra pieces of land & it was really cool to see their old-fashioned and simple lifestyle.

Roman Holiday

When we first arrived in Rome, I was SO overwhelmed with excitement, anticipation, & exhaustion (after about 14 hours of flying and not much sleep). After getting very lost, we finally found our hotel & it was time for our vacation to begin!

The next day, we went to the Vatican which was absolutely incredible.  We walked through the entire museum & saw so many amazing things - from ancient Egyptian mummies to the School of Athens (one of my favorite paintings) to the Sistine Chapel. We then took a break outside to enjoy some gelato. Unfortunately, I got a nice surprise from a bird up above who decided to leave its mark on my leg and purse. ... After cleaning up, it was time for our Scavi tour to the Necropolis underneath the Vatican - we saw so many amazing, historical pieces down there - including St. Peter's bones! A woman on our tour almost fainted.. but Nurse Lee (my mama) was there to save the day!

 (no photos were allowed in the Sistine Chapel & I was reprimanded for this.. but I think it was worth it)

We also went on a "Monument" tour.... a three hour tour to the famous spots in Rome. The Trevi fountain is so beautiful & I think it might just be my favorite place in the entire world. Along the way, we passed by the Italian president's home, Senate, & parliament buildings, so that was cool to see - did you know that the building where the president lives is the largest building in Rome?? It has over 1000 rooms! We also went to the Pantheon & it was interesting to learn about how it was converted into a church. The tomb of Rafael can be found there as well as Queen Margherita's tomb (Margherita pizza was named after her). This our took us INSIDE St. Peter's Basilica & I was blown away by its immense size & beauty.. I couldn't believe I was standing directly in front of the Pieta! I'm so lucky!

1. Is that the Colosseum? Yes
2. Did you see this on your tour? No
3. When did you go see it? Well, we sort of stumbled upon the Colosseum after coming back into Rome from an outside town.  Our hotel was west of the Vatican, but we somehow ended up at the far southeastern portion of our map of Rome. Everyone we asked for driving help gave us a funny look because they couldn't believe we ended up all the way over there! I think we added a least an extra hour of driving that day due to being completely lost, but once we figured out where we were, we were close enough to the Colosseum to stop by for a quick photo from the car window!!!

(a word of advice - don't drive in Italy if you can avoid it!!! It's really not worth the hassle)

Believe it or not, but by some miracle all of the clutter you see above (and more) was able to fit into 2 suitcases, 1 carry-on, & a personal item.  All I can say is thank goodness for 'space saver' bags... they are a life-saver!

Today was my last day at home for 4 months & I honestly think it was the longest day ever! My mom & I started the day at the spa... massage + sauna + steam room = the perfect way to spend the morning of an extremely hectic day. After that, we made a final trip to Target & of course, had to stop at Yogurtland (all of you who know my eating habits probably aren't surprised by this at all).  Then, we were home & it was time to get cracking, but there were many, many bumps on the road to packing success  - from ONE missing shoe to boarding passes that STILL won't print to luggage straps that don't fit around my massive suitcase... today was crazy! Nothing made my day more special than having my wonderful friend, Brittany Conway, stop by in the middle of my packing nightmare - Thanks, B Con!  It was crazy to have a family dinner for the "last time" - we talked all about skyping me in for Thanksgiving dinner - too bad it will be appromximately 3:00 AM in Florence when my family sits down for dinner.

Now, I'm going to enjoy a good (4 hour) night's rest, before it's time to get ready & head to the airport - I didn't even sleep on my bed the last two night's because of the mess sitting on top of it. But that's all packed up now & I absolutely can not wait until my next good night's sleep in ROME!!!

T-minus 10 Days!

It's finally starting to seem real... in just 10 days, I will be on a flight to one of the most beautiful cities in the world! I've never been to Europe but I've heard enough to stories to now have a pretty balanced mix of nerves & excitement. I feel so blessed to have the experience to live, learn, study, & grow in such an amazing city filled with amazing culture, people, art, and of course... food. Since I first came to USD & heard about the study abroad options, I knew Florence was the place for me. I've been dreaming of it ever since, trying my best to learn the language, & thinking about all of the incredible things I'm going to see. I'm up for the challenges of foreign train stations, haggling with vendors, getting lost in a strange city, and speaking different languages in hopes that the locals don't laugh at me.

There will be so many places to go & so little time, but I know that without a doubt, I am about to embark on the most incredible experience of my life!