This past weekend SAI Milan traveled to Rome! Upon arriving,  we met up with the students from SAI Sorrento. Friday night was a relaxing evening which was welcomed after traveling. We went to La Carbonara for dinner, a traditional Romanian restaurant.  In the south of Italy, they’re known for fried vegetables. Not being a huge fan of veggies myself, I was skeptical, but these were amazing! (although anything fried has to be pretty good).

Saturday we woke up very early to visit the Coliseum. There we met our tour guide Fabio. Fabio was fabulous. I am not one for being super touristy, having the headset in my ear or selfie stick in hand the whole time, but Fabio made it fun. Rome is rich in history and to appreciate the city, you must learn the history.  After the Coliseum we headed over to the Roman Forum, the ruins of accent government buildings.

After learning so much about the Roman government, we were ready for lunch! After lunch, it was time to enter the Vatican City. Vatican City is considered the smallest country in the world. Fun Fact: you don’t need a passport to visit!  We saw the Vatican Museum, which consisted of Renaissance art, as well as the Sistine Chapel. Then we got to see St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen. After the tour, we sadly had to say bye to Fabio.

After learning so much about Roman history, we were all exhausted! We got the night to relax and go to dinner. My SAI friends and I went to the Trevi Fountain before dinner. We went just as the sun was setting, perfect timing!

On Sunday ,we took a bike tour of Appia Antica, ancient Rome. Riding a bike through cobblestone streets is not as easy as it sounds, but it was worth it. Going on a bike tour is a great way to see a city, and this was no exception. We then headed over to the Catacombs of St. Calixtus. This tour was filled with underground tunnels, where the Crypt of the Popes were once contained.

The weekend was filled with beautiful sites, good food and fun activities. Rome is picture perfect. Everywhere you turn there’s a historical building, with breathtaking architecture.  If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it!

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Molly is a current student at University of Missouri studying at Nuova Academia di Belle Arti in Italy during the Spring 2016 term.