Rome, Italy

Dear Priyanka,

You'll never believe what happened in Italy! I was with my fellow students at the Trevi fountain in Rome, when this tall, dark, and handsome Italian man approached me, mistaking me for his friend Isabella. I met up with him later that day, and it turns out he was a famous pop singer, and my lookalike Isabella was a mega-famous superstar too! Long story short, I ended up performing in place of Isabella at a sold out show in the colosseum, and was on the cover of international magazines, and now I'm basically super famous.

(Okay, fine. This is the plot of The Lizzie McGuire movie, and not at all like my life. I went to the Trevi fountain, and instead of an Italian man made friends with an extra-large gelato. But I'm sure if I'd waited at the fountain a moment longer, it would have happened. For sure).

I had a really good time in Italy, lack-of-international-fame aside. We docked in Civitavecchia, Italy, and from there some friends and I took the train to Rome where we stayed for the next three days. We started the trip with romantic notions of going to Florence (which I really, really wanted to see!) or maybe Pompeii or Pisa. However, after just a few hours in Rome we discovered that there are just so many things to do, see, and eat, that we could not even imagine leaving Rome without hitting all the highlights. Even after three days of sore feet, torn maps, and bloated bellies, I still feel that I can never really see enough of Rome. I could be a tourist there for a month. I could be a traveler there for a year, and still want to see more.

My friends and I stayed in an air-bnb steps away from the Vatican, and from there were able to explore the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. Almost as much as the iconic art, my time in Rome was characterized by the apartment we stayed in. Our air-bnb apartment was a one bedroom meant to sleep six, but for all three days, we had eleven people. I snagged the middle spot of a lumpy pull-out couch mattress between a snorer and a blanket-stealer, but the experience was one of the best I've had in my life. 

Because you are in the art school, Priyanka, I don't think I could possibly describe the beautiful works of art I saw in a way that would do them justice. My takeaway from the Sistine Chapel is a blurry selfie of me, Adam, and God from "The Creation of Adam" (I kid. To see it in personal was spectacular and moving). Sistine Chapel is absolutely breathtaking. 

I also can't even begin to describe how the phrase "molto bene," which I thought could carry me through any situation in Italy, wasn't exactly enough.

I can't wait to hear all about your experience in Florence this spring. In just a few months you'll be in Italy and I'll be at WashU! I'll need daily (okay, weekly) updates on your life please and thanks.

xoxo,

Nicole