Journey to Roma.

I have been to Rome twice before, but this time was different.  I saw a different side of Rome than I had before.

Before, Rome was a city full of frantic tourists, locals selling bothersome noisemakers, and buses demanding claustrophobic attacks.  Yes, it had the historic coliseum, people in love, and illustrious pasta, but it was not the city I now love.  Rome's substance was uncovered for me through my professor knowledge and by allowing myself to get lost in its streets.

Because these days were packed, I’ll pick a few of the things that changed my mind about Rome...

-The Trevi fountain at 2 am, absent of tourists.  The lighting and friends made it perfect.

-The market with locals buying their meals for that day.  Everything fresh, everything unlike American grocery stores.   

-The mysterious churches that you would never think to go in, but when you do you find hidden gems of art and architecture that deserve to be noticed.

-The magic of the river with trees as your rooftop.

-The surplus of piazzas, each encompassing their own performance.  I saw an opera concert, a painting expo, a dance number, and a magic show all in one night.

-Carravagios paintings that refuse to conform to the artwork of the time.  They are rich with messages, and are created not for the rich, but for the poor and needy.   It was a breath of fresh air seeing these.

I wish I had a pedometer on me because I think I would win a contest (if there is one) for the most steps in a week’s time, but it was all worth it.  Rome, you are now one of my favorite cities.  I’ll be back soon :)

This week I will be doing a 6 by 5 ft drawing of one of my favorite place in Orvieto and is a bit daunting.  It is for my final for drawing class and I have yet to start so knowing me, I won't be updating before thats done.  Until then, know that you all are missed here in Italy!

“Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.”

Some Pictures from Rome...

St. Peter's.

On the Bridge of Angels.

The Vatican.

We matched.

 Looking down at the clouds from Orvieto.




Alright.  I’m officially a blog slacker so here’s my attempt at summing up the past few weeks…

There’s a lot to say but to save you from boredom I’m just going to pick the top 3 things that have changed since I last posted.

-I finished my Art History class and started my drawing class.  Yesterday was the first day and it started off with cake, coffee, and drawing out in town.  It should be a good month.

- A group of four of us traveled to Cinque Terre for the weekend.  Cinque Terre is a series of 5 towns right along the coast, about 5 hours from Orvieto.  We took the train there and spent the weekend hiking between towns and enjoying the beaches. Some of the things that stand out from this trip are: staying the night in a pink farm with the cutest little Italian couple, hiking in my sperries/socks for 6 hours due to my lack of ability to pack my gym shoes, and experiencing my first hostel stay.  If you haven’t heard of Cinque Terre you should google it because I can guarantee that you will want to go there before you die.  I’m tempted to say its one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

-My aunt and cousin came to visit this past week for their spring break ☺ They left yesterday and the reality of the homework I neglected has hit hard.  But it was worth it because it was great to see them and exciting to show them around my new home away from home.  We decided to go away this past weekend to Rome where we toured all the “must see’s” like the pantheon, coliseum, trevi fountain, and Spanish steps.  We also added some of our own “must see’s” like H&M, the outdoor market, the gelato man, and the world’s most chic McDonalds.

The weathers getting nicer, strangers are becoming good friends, and Orvieto is feeling much more like home.  I leave again for Rome this Thursday, this time for drawing class.  I’ll try to be better at blogging, but until then I hope all is well!


 "I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope. I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen for me." -Henri Nouwin

The farm we stayed at.

Horse at the farm.

On our hike that went much longer than planned.

At one of the towns in Cinque Terre

The town at Sunset.

I don't like cats, but I thought this was cute.

Aunt Sal and Allison visiting :)