When spring break came around, the parentals came to town. That’s right…my parents hopped on a plane and traveled nearly 11 hours just to visit their perfect child in Italy. Although we ventured to many places in this great country, the trip to Rome is the one I wish to focus on. Roma—the city where dreams are made of (intentional Lizzie Maguire movie reference) and gladiators used to roam (see what I did there). As a history buff, this city was no doubt at the top of my travel list.

Our first stop was Vatican City. Vatican City is technically it’s own country and separate from the Italian nation. Coming on a Sunday to Vatican City was a brilliant idea and a horrific idea. On Sundays, the Pope tries to make an appearance and the Basilica is free, hence, the line was incredibly long. It completely wrapped around the circle in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. We figured it was worth it, so we got in line. It was quite an entertaining wait because of this English couple that stood behind us. They were incredibly impatient and decided to go get some beers to make the time go faster. Although it was a tad bit disrespectful, I guess it worked because they seemed a lot more content after a few. They told crazy stories to the people around them and even became real good friends with a Norwegian couple. I can’t help but admit that I did laugh a few times, and by the third story we were practically at the end of the line.

St. Peter’s Basilica is an amazing building that it’s difficult to put into words. On the outside it honestly looks like a decent dome building, but then you enter through the beautiful doors leading to the Basilica and your thoughts of normalcy change. St. Peter’s Basilica is anything but normal. The inside is covered in gold walls and astonishing paintings and frescos. The first thing I noticed was how far the middle aisle went back. The Basilica is a lot larger than it seems on the outside. We were there for about an hour, and I feel like I still didn’t get to see it all. Underneath the Basilica is the crypt. This is where the tombs of many popes were located. It was a creepy cool feeling, but I really enjoyed it.

The next day we put on our walking shoes. We had a fantastic walking tour set up that took us to the Roman Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. I most definitely had my geekiest moments on this tour. The one I’m most proud of came when we explored the Colosseum. First of all, the Colosseum is an amazing structure. That goes without saying…but I still said it. It was built in only 8 years because the Roman Emperor at the time wanted it completed before he passed. Unfortunately, he died one year before the structure was finished. The Colosseum was the largest arena at that time, and it hosted some of the most phenomenal events in history. Tickets to an event were usually handed out depending on social class, and slaves were usually the ones being put on display for a good show. The theory that gladiators fought until their death is false. Most of the time the gladiators lived. They would fight until they were near death then the fighting would stop, and the Emperor would determine if he lived or died. Now let’s talk about the slaves…the ones who did all the work and received none of the recognition. They were the ones who stacked the stones one after another to build the Colosseum in 8 years. They were the ones who were sent in the arena to fight each other and exotic animals that were triple their size. They were the ones who were underneath the arena floor spinning wheels like hamsters that would open and close floor doors to let out those beastly animals. They were the ones whose sweat and blood is left in the arena. They were the gladiators. So now we get to the geeky part…gladiators. One of my favorite movies ever is The Gladiator. The movie is about a man who used to fight for the Roman army and was ousted by the Emperor’s jealous son. He later was sold as a slave and fought in many gladiator battles. One of the greatest quotes in cinematic history comes from this movie: “Are you not entertained?” So of course I had to shout this in the Colosseum and ask the many tourists who were present if they too were “entertained” (No. Shame. Whatsoever). As dumb as it sounds, that was on my bucket list!

Next, we headed to the Roman Forum. I didn’t really know much about this ancient city center, but I was excited! We walked through so many ancient ruins and learned about the political center that once stood there. The most fascinating thing to me was the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar. The Senators at the time of the Roman Empire felt threatened by Caesar’s power and decided to stab him on the steps of the Senate building. Afterwards, the Senators announced his death in the Roman Forum, and later the people of Rome assembled a temple in the Forum in the name of Julius Caesar. There’s not much left of the temple except for the foundation, but it was incredible to me to see what remained.

We then walked over to Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, the fountain is currently under construction, but that wasn’t going to stop me from throwing in a coin and making a life-changing wish. Luckily, the good citizens of Rome put out a bowl of water in front of the construction area so tourists like me could still make their wish. So I turned my back to the fountain, closed my eyes, made my wish, threw my 20 cent euro coin in and…heard the clink of metal as my coin hit a pole in the construction area instead of the water bowl. I guess this is not what dreams are made of…

Finally, we headed over to the Pantheon. I knew absolutely nothing about the Pantheon, but I heard people say that it was a must see. They were right! The Pantheon is just an incredible building. It’s the only temple from the Empire that is still in near perfect condition and is wonderfully preserved. It was apparently built as dedication to all the Gods of pagan Rome. From the front it looks just like a regular temple with a square foundation, but when you step inside you see that the building is actually a spherical shape with a gorgeous dome at the top. The dome has a huge opening in it, so when it rains it’s like a beautiful rainstorm inside of the Pantheon. This is because at the time of its construction, people had actually forgotten how to construct a dome and thought the only way it would not implode is if there was an opening at the top. The temple is so large making the acoustics a real treat. In one section of the Pantheon, you can literally hear all the conversations of the many tourists in awe of the building.

Rome definitely met my expectations. And although my family drove me crazy (love you mom and dad), my answer was yes! Yes, I was indeed entertained by the sites and sounds that Roma had to offer.

Location: Rome, Italy