Amber Sass - Pompeii, Italy - April 6

In 79AD Mount Vesuvius erupted and incased the whole city of Pompeii. It wasn’t until 1599 that anyone saw it again. Archeologists excavated the whole town and found people and animals perfectly preserved in clay modes. When we found the bodies they didn’t looked surreal. They looked like statues that a sculptor had made. It was creepy in a very cool way. We also walked down to the amphitheater. We walked in to the bottom and had to look up at all the seats. There were people in the seats and it was very intimidating. I couldn’t imagine being there during 70AD and having to walk into a packed arena. The houses were all so interesting and differently set up. One house had a well in the center of it. The way they lived is so different than modern times, it is hard to imagine how they lived in the set ups of some of the houses. Seeing the ruined walls with their original paint colors is as haunting as walking down the semi preserved streets with Mount Vesuvius looming in the distance. I could only imagine the terror and chaos that ensued when it erupted.

TJ Samson - Rome, Italy. April 3-5 - Rosary Blessing

When we visited Vatican City, we ventured to St. Peter’s Basilica. I bought a golden rosary for my grandmother earlier in the day and brought it to the Basilica to get blessed by a deacon. We waited in line for a while and it was finally our turn. We went up to the confessional and met with the deacon on duty. He only spoke Italian and Latin so it was somewhat difficult, but he understood what I wanted. He said a prayer in Latin and blessed the rosary. It was an extremely spiritual and religions experience and I think my grandmother will enjoy the rosary fully.

Michael Dickerson - Rome, Italy. April 3-5 - Vatican City

(Photos by Liz Weeden)

I was raised a Catholic, but I’m a special kind of Catholic. I’m what you call a holiday Catholic. I go to mass on Christmas and Easter. Nevertheless I was extremely excited to go to Vatican City. The Vatican is just oozing with history; the treasures in there cannot be matched. As we drove up to the Vatican Museums we noticed that there were no lines! NO LINES AT ALL!

We perched the vans and then everyone jumped out like we were in the army on a mission. We stormed into the museum and then the day just got better. After we got our tickets I found out that the Vatican, out of the goodness of their heart, was going to give me a wheelchair. HALLELUJAH! It seemed as if the Vatican was trying to make all my dreams come true. I was able to see most of the Vatican while being pushed in a wheelchair; I got to enjoy the beauty in the comfort of my own wheelchair. Each room seemed to have more and more priceless art. As we neared the Sistine Chapel the hallways became thinner, building the suspense. Finally we entered the chapel, and it lived up to all the hype. How Michelangelo managed to paint all that is just amazing. The ceiling showed the books of Genesis. The cool thing about it was that the angels almost looked like they were painted in 3-D. They looked like they were actually jumping out of the ceiling. On the far wall was Michelangelo’s depiction of The Last Judgment - a cool fact about Michelangelo was that he depicted a cardinal that he didn’t like as the devil.

The only thing wrong with the Sistine Chapel were the professional shushers. There were actually guards at the chapel whose only job was to shush. Now I don’t want to be rude, but if your job is to be a shusher then at some point in your life you did something wrong. But hey I guess if you work in the Vatican you almost have to be guaranteed a spot in heaven, or at least on the waiting list.

After leaving the museums Amber, Hannah and I walked over to Saint Peters Basilica. Once we arrived we saw, much to our displeasure that there were lines! How could this happen? But I had one more ace up my sleeve, my fractured foot. After talking to some nice guards, we were able to bypass every person in line. Upon entering the Basilica I just stopped dead in my tracks. It was the most beautiful, grand, amazing church I have ever seen. How anyone could even conceive to build this is beyond my wildest dreams. The high ceilings were able to let in just enough light to let you know that you were in a sacred place of worship.

The Vatican is a once in a lifetime experience. Whether a Christian or not, The Vatican is a worthwhile experience for everyone, especially history and art enthusiasts.

Sarah Santos - Rome, Italy. April 3-5 - Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza di Popolo.

Although Rome was not built in a day, a day was all we had to explore the city. While in the eternal city, there are certain places you just have to visit. First for us was the extremely well known Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). During the day the fountain is very easy to find - just follow the crowds of people and souvenir shops marking the way there. Once we got to the fountain, I was slightly overwhelmed by the crowds in front of it. This had been the most people I had seen in a single, concentrated area since Paris. I preferred seeing the fountain the night before. It had been relatively empty and just amazing. At night, the Trevi Fountain is subtly lit and has a perfect romantic atmosphere. As is custom, we all threw coins in the fountain and made our wishes. Some wished for a swift return to Rome, others for love, and the rest only they themselves knew. Another stop on our whirlwind Roman holiday was the Scalinata di Spagna, more easily recognized as the Spanish Steps. The Steps are a great place to sit and recover, chat with friends, or meet with a loved one. For me, the Steps were a prime location to just sit and watch the hustle and bustle of the streets below in Rome. For a good amount of the time we were there, it wasn’t crowded or packed with tourists, which helped make the experience more authentic. The Spanish Steps had been designed by an Italian, paid for by the French, named for the Spanish, and formerly occupied by the British. It is also the current home of that omnipresent American fast-food chain: McDonald’s. On the Steps themselves, vendors are constantly wandering around selling roses. Then there was the closer of our day, the Piazza di Popolo, or the “people’s square.” At the center of the square, it is impossible to miss the 3200-year-old Obelisk of the Pharaoh Ramses that Augustus brought back with him from Egypt in 10AD. The obelisk is highly impressive and at its base there are steps and surrounding it there are four fountains with lions squirting out water. The square itself was massive and I couldn’t even imagine how it must be packed with rallies. While we sat there, a group of people passed that were dressed as zombies. One of them came up and handed me a flyer with the date of the next rally when we would no longer be in Rome. This square used to get heavily crowded as well when it was used as the location for the burning of the heretics. This square has quite a colorful history to it. The whole day was quite an adventure. I hope that I too will be granted a swift return to Rome as there is still so much left to experience.

Tom DiBlasi - Rome, Italy. April 3-5 - Coliseum and Roman Forum

(photos by Liz Weeden)

On April 4 we went to see the Roman Forum and Coliseum. After all, you cannot go to Italy without seeing these two unique sites. The Roman Forum is currently left in ruins. However, it used to be the site of the ancient Roman government buildings. It was the center of Roman public life for centuries. Elections, public speeches, gladiator matches, and criminal trials all took place here. There were also statues and monuments to honor men of that time. The Coliseum is the largest coliseum ever built in Roman history and is considered one of the greatest works of art and engineering in Roman history. It was built between 72 AD and 80AD under Emperor Vespasian. The Coliseum is able to hold 50,000 people and was used for many things. Gladiator contests, mock sea battles, executions, and animal hunts were some of the things held there. It stopped being used for entertainment in the early medieval era. The poorer people were able to get into the Coliseum for free, because the rich had paid for them. While we were there, some of us reenacted the gladiator battles of the past. It was truly amazing to think about all of the history that was in the Roman Forum and how hard it must have been to build the Coliseum in Ancient Rome.

Sarah Clark - Florence, Italy. March 31-April 2 - Ponte Vecchio

Florence is a city filled with awe-inspiring architecture, scrumptious gelato and handmade leather goods. Because we stayed in Florence for three days, we had the opportunity to go on not one, but two different guided walking tours of the city. On these tours, we saw so much of Florence that by the end of our stay, we knew our way around the city. One of the stops on the walking tour was the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Ponte Vecchio, which literally translates to "Old Bridge," is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River. Along the bridge are tons of little stores, mainly jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir shops. The segmental bridge has an interesting history. It was built and rebuilt multiple times. It first appeared in document in 996. It was destroyed in a flood in 1117 and rebuilt but then swept away again in 1333. The bridge that stands today was completed in 1345. Even though we only got to spend a few minutes on the bridge, it was a cool place to experience and a fun place to shop for souvenirs.

Sarah Santos - Florence, Italy. March 31-April 2 - Duomo

Once you are in the historical center of Florence, the famous dome of the Duomo can be seen from several different streets and there are signs everywhere directing you toward it. I didn’t have to wander very far from our hostel to get my initial glimpse of this great symbol of Firenze (Florence in Italian). The first thing I noticed as I got nearer was the colors; the Duomo was decorated in green, red, and white. I had never seen a colorful church before. Also, I quickly discovered that the Duomo consists of three buildings: the baptistery, bell tower, and cathedral. Renaissance sculptor and engineer Brunelleschi’s dome is atop the cathedral--Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The cathedral, dome, and bell tower are absolutely beautiful in a way that is very different from the other Gothic buildings I’ve seen thus far. Some people even say that the dome looks like speckled ice cream because of all the colors. The next day, I learned from the tour guide that the three colors are to represent the Roman Catholic Church’s virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The guide also spent a lot of time telling us the history of the dome. It is the largest self-supporting brick dome in the world. What makes it especially impressive was the engineering of the dome. The cathedral’s construction had begun in the late 13th century but was not structurally completed until 1436. The construction took this long because until Brunelleschi, it seemed impossible to build a dome of its size without the use of scaffolding or buttresses. This particular dome was both the first and last to be built in this style. Brunelleschi was able to construct it by building a smaller dome to support the larger outer dome. Michelangelo’s David was originally supposed to stand on top, but they couldn’t manage to move it from the square in front up to the dome. From the very top of the dome are reportedly the best views of the entire city. Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure because I went on a Saturday and it closed early since the cathedral needed to be prepared for Sunday mass. The cathedral itself is also the final resting place for several prominent Florentines including Brunelleschi and Michelangelo. As if this all wasn’t beauty enough for a morning, the baptistery has three doors. The most notable of these doors is the East Door that Michelangelo named the “Gates of Paradise”. On the door, in gold, are depicted scenes of the David and Goliath story. To the Florentines, this story is very important to them as it emphasizes the importance of the mind. The next time I am in Florence, the Duomo will again be on my list and I can’t wait to check and see if the top of the dome really does has the best views of the city.