From when I was a child I have grown up learning to appreciate and embrace my Italian heritage. I have learned several things from my father, the two most important being: Love the New York Yankees and be a proud Italian. My very Italian grandfather also instilled these beliefs in me so needless to say I grew up with a great deal of Italian influence. I always looked forward to the day that I would travel the world, especially to Italy. Prior to my study abroad travels, I had never been outside of the United States so I was eager to adventure to new countries and continents. While my friends and I were deciding at the beginning of the semester where to travel during study abroad I made sure Rome was a must-see. I had been looking forward to this trip the whole semester and it definitely exceeded all expectations.
Stepping off the RyanAir plane onto the Ciampino Airport tarmac, I ran around all the other travelers and airport staff yelling, "This is my family!". I was ecstatic to finally be in my "motherland" country and I wasn't going to waste any time making the people around me aware of my happiness.
Since Rome is a huge tourist location my friends and I did all of the touristy activities around the city. Certainly you can't visit Rome without seeing the Vatican, Colosseum, the Pantheon and the famous Trevi Fountain. I had always seen the Vatican in pictures and movies (like Angels and Demons), but seeing it in person was unreal. If there were any chance I was allowed to get married in the Vatican I wouldn't waste any time getting on that waiting list. Unfortunately, I don't think the Pope performs many weddings for civilians such as myself. We were part of a tour group which included a tour of St. Peter's Square, the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. The entirety of the tour was incredible and I was vigorously taking pictures of everything and trying to take it all in, which is almost impossible. 
Walking into the Sistine Chapel I almost fainted from excitement. I have spent a great deal of time studying Michelangelo's work, especially the paintings "The Creation of Adam" and "The Last Judgement", which are both in the Sistine Chapel as well as his Renaissance masterpiece "Pietá", a sculpture in the Vatican church. Learning about Michelangelo's works of art in school was fascinating and I learned a great deal about the Italian Renaissance, but being able to witness the originals situated right in front of me was far superior. I spent at least twenty minutes in the Sistine Chapel gawking at the huge portrayal of "The Last Judgement", remembering how I had only before seen this in my art history books. 
That night, my friends and I watched "Angels and Demons" in our hostel since we had just visited many of the sites featured in the movie. It was funny being able to watch the movie and think, "Hey, we were just there today!" during the scenes where Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor battle to save Rome and the Catholic identity in Italy.
We also took a quick visit to Trevi Fountain where we took part in the famous wishing tradition. The three of us stood, backs turned to the fountain, kissed our Euro, made a wish and threw it in behind us. It also made a great spot for us to sit on the fountain and people watch. After, we visited the Spanish Steps which reminded us of our great host country :) On the way to the steps a very inebriated man with two women came up and handed us two red roses. We used these to reenact a tango/flamenco dance on the Spanish Steps and then dedicated the roses to the country of Spain. 
The following day we visited the Colosseum, Pantheon and the ruins of the Forum. The Colosseum was dreamlike. Again, I had only seen photos of this historic site in books and it was even more magnificent than I had imagined. Learning the history of the Colosseum and the events that took place in the arena for hundreds of years was enticing. The whole time I thought about Russell Crowe in "Gladiator", picturing the gruesome and inhumane way the gladiators fought and died. I understand that gladiator fights were a huge part of Roman history and the Roman royalty took great pride in these traditions, but it was still quite gripping learning all of the intimate details of the fights. We had lunch on a hill looking over the Colosseum where we made our first Italian friend, Luca the waiter. He taught us several Italian phrases (and curse words) and he entertained us through the whole meal. Afterwards, I met up with Spencer Hebert who is studying abroad in Rome. It was advantageous having someone with us that night who knew the city and knew all of the good places to go. He took us to get some AMAZING gelato near the Pantheon and then to a great restaurant for dinner. He and I both had Carbonara, which I'll tell you was delicious, and split a liter of the house wine. We met another hilarious waiter, Valerio, who gave us another free liter of wine and hung out with us after he got done with work. One huge difference between Italy and Spain that I picked up was the people and the amount of friendliness. The people of Spain are very nice and friendly, but not nearly as outgoing and colorful as the Italians. This was a positive difference and it definitely made us feel more welcomed and at home.
Being with Spencer we also got to experience some of the Italian nightlife. If there's one thing I can say about the Italians, it's that they party hard. The night lives in Spain and Italy are very similar and I was very grateful to have Spencer there with us, showing us some of the spots that are more unknown to tourists. Spencer and I have been very close since freshmen year so it was wonderful being able to see some of Rome with him. Thank you, Summit, for taking the time to show us around the city and giving us some great experiences!
My weekend in Rome was unforgettable and I wish I could have stayed for another week. I fell in love with the city and the people, and I am greatly looking forward to going back to Italy with my parents in June. I already miss Italy so much; I had some exceptional experiences and created memories that I shan't soon forget. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity and will always think of Italy as my motherland.
I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for granting me the opportunity to study abroad, and for always providing me with the utmost liberties in life. You have literally given me the world. None of these experiences would be possible without you, and I am eternally grateful to you both. I love you so much and I can't wait to come back to Europe with you in the summer!
Quando sei a Roma, fai come i Romani.
There is lot to plan before you leave for the country where you going to study.
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