Friday in Rome

What did I want to do when I first arrived in Rome? I wanted to eat real, Italian food.
Since our plane was scheduled to depart at 6:20 am, we woke up at 4:30 am to meet our taxi for the airport.

We finally arrived in Rome around 8:00 am on Friday; we had a full day ahead of us!

By the time we found our hostels, unloaded our backpacks, and found our tour destination for 1 pm,
we were hungry! Below is Evan, Nichole and I with our first, real Italian pizzas!

My first bite.   

While in Rome, I was able to experience Italian cappuccinos, pizzas, ice cream, lasagna, pasta, and ravioli. Below is a picture of me with a delicious plate of (fresh from the kitchen) lasagna! So good.

     

Eating before our tour through the Roman Forum and Colosseum Saturday. 

 Below are pictures of our tour. We saw the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. 

The Vatican

Statues of Michelangelo (left) and Raphael (right). 

I recognized Laocoon and His Sons from my college history class. 

The story goes that Laocoon was a priest. 

He was famous for warning the Trojans of the wooden, Trojan Horse. 

This horse was presented to the city by the Greeks. 

The Trojans disregarded Laocoon's advice so, Laocoon threw his spear at the horse in anger. 

Poseidon (who was supporting the Greeks) sent his sea-serpents to strangle Laocoon and his two sons. 

Below is the famous painting of Plato and Aristotle.

Below is the famous sculpture of Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's. 

The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary in grief as she holds Christ in her arms. 

In front of St. Peter's Basilica

The pope was nowhere to be found. 

After touring the Vatican Museum for 3 hours, we grabbed ice cream at a place recommended by a local. I savored every bit of my chocolate and cookie ice cream! 

After eating dinner and walking around the streets, we saw the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.