Greetings All!
Since I spent all my money on food and souvenirs, I could not afford the cost of the internet while in Rome and therefore could not blog there. However, I am now back to Culver-Stockton and from this point forward will summarize the happenings of our trip to Rome.
After arriving in Rome after a long and somewhat interesting train ride from Paris we visited the Colosseum and Roman Forum, which are both equally incredible. Both are ruins of millennia ago and take up far more real estate than I ever imagined. We first started with a guided tour through the Colosseum learning the past significance of this huge arena. The fact that stands out in my mind is that it only took 10 years for the Romans to build the Colosseum. The Notre Dame in Paris took over 150 years to complete and that was over a millenium later. We also learned that when Mussolini was in power he had many ruins surrounding the Colosseum and Roman Forum destroyed so that he had a view of the Colosseum from his window, which I find a great shame.
The morning of our second day in Rome was spent at Il Tempo (The Time) newspaper in Rome. While at first I was not looking forward to this visit, I soon became extremely interested in the workings of the paper, how it is surviving in a growing digial media age, and the political views of the paper.
In the afternoon we were allowed free time to explore the area around Il Tempo. From the office we were able to walk to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. The Pantheon, another historical (competed in 27 b.c.) building, was orinigal built as a dedication to the gods in ancient Rome and now serves as a church. While the outside is not extraordinary, the inside is quite beautiful.
The third and (sadly) final day in Rome was spent mainly at Vatican City. While there we took a guided tour throught the Vatican Museum and learned about the different painters, sculpturers and tapestry makers and their different techniques, as well as enjoyed their religious works. After the museum we made our way into the Sistine Chapel and delighted in the famous paintings of Michelangelo. Then we went on to St. Peter's Basilica and made our way through the famous and beautiful church.
We spent the rest of the third day explore the rest of Vatican City and then went up to the highest point in Rome, Travstevere, where the view was truly glorious. The evening was spent observing some very colorful people, an experience I could have done without, and finished with a final meal together near the Fountain of the Four Rivers and an early night in.
Rome was truly a beautiful and both historically and socially extremely interesting. I can only hope I get the chance to go again!
Sarah Frazier
Business Capitals of Europe (London, Paris, Rome)
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