One Month!

Today I have been in Rome for one whole month! Time flies, man. To celebrate our little mini anniversary, I took myself on a date with my city by climbing the dome of St. Peter's Basilica to get the best possible view of Rome.

I could be a total nerd and bore you with facts about the Basilica. Its ability to seat 15,000 people or the fact that my favorite murdering dynasty of Pope's, the Borghese built it...Or I could name-drop the magnificent Renaissance men who designed it --among them being Bernini(my boyfriend), Carlo Maderno, Bramante, & Michelangelo. I could really go on forever talking about the history of this building and the one that came before it. And the necropolis beneath it. And...I'm stopping.

Climbing the cupola of the basilica might be the most exhilarating thing I've done in Rome. Ever. If you know me at all, you know that this is a big deal for me to say.

Before you begin the (kind of nauseating) climb inside the dome, you get to step inside of it. It caught me by surprise and I found myself out of breath eye-level with the Michelangelo's mosaics that I had stared up at from hundreds of feet below. I don't think I had ever seen mosaic's by Michelangelo prior to this. Painting, sculpture, fresco, architecture, yes.

Michelangelo's Mosaics

And then you look down into the nave of St. Peter's. And its mind-blowing. The incredible expanse of this building cannot be portrayed in photos. Its just massive. Seeing it from above is another story all together. The monstrous Baldacchino looks like a teeny little party hat and people down below appear smaller than ants.

There was a service going on during my time lurking in the rafters so I got some beautiful views accompanied by hymns (i think) coming from a Latin choir & an old-timey pipe organ.

I'm only including this because its a view
from below the Baldacchino looking up into the dome

 





So once I got over the shock of standing inches from Michelangelo mosaics with no one around to stop me from touching them...I climbed the narrow, hot, dizzying, nauseating, staircase up to the top of the dome. I don't recommend climbing without eating breakfast. I was light-headed for most of my two-hours at the top. That could have been the 448 feet below me.

Despite the light-headedness, it was a really amazing two hours. I hung out with this view and a lovely breeze. I skyped with a friend or two from the top to share this incredible moment with them and left feeling rejuvenated. I could see the Mediterranean, seven miles away. I could see the Tiber River winding through the golden city. I could see all of the Vatican gardens and museums. It was a very surreal collection of moments.

Note: The shadow of the Dome sitting over the Sistine Chapel

 

My brother told me...

....everyone is going to delete me off of snapchat soon. I wouldn't even blame you. My snaps are either pointless (10 second video of my feet walking on cobblestones. Sorry.) or DAMN THATS THE COLOSSEUM! HOW DID SHE GET ON THE TOP LEVEL?! Sorry, peanut butter and jealous.

Anyway. I'm not really sure how to blog so humor me here.

I spent my Sunday with a cool dutch girl named Miriam. She didn't seem to react like everyone else at home when I told her that I simply wanted to come to Rome because I was bored. There wasn't the typical "what the f----" reaction to the whole boredom thing. That sounds kind of dumb reading it back, but I'm all about happy. EXTREME happy. I spent too many years being miserable to settle for content. I've realized that this need for happy isn't a great thing in the long run, but c'est la vie. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Anyway, Miriam was a lot of fun and a great resource for me to have here in the city. She lives with two girls who are also foreigners to Italy and they acknowledge how a good support system is essential. I'm lucky to have met her! She showed me how to use public transportation and some thrift shops. Vital stuff.

After we said goodbye I stumbled upon Piazza Barberini, which was right around the corner from Palazzo Barberini. I couldn't resist walking up the sun-soaked avenue to take in some Carlo Maderno architecture. He's the same guy who designed Saint Peters, guys! Nerd.

I ended up roaming around (rome-ing around har har!) and stumbling upon my favorite church and the church that Chris did his presentation on two years ago. I don't really remember any of the presentation, sorry Chris. I do remember that it was designed by Bernini though.

I found the Trevi fountain by accident too and remembered why I love getting lost in this city. You always find something incredibly awe-inspiring. Unfortunately the restorations going on at the Trevi don't discourage the massive swarms of tourists with selfie sticks. (got whacked in the face with FOUR too many selfie sticks yesterday, by the way) The Trevi is still lovely though, even without water. I'll come back when its restored and full of water to throw my coin though.

Fontana di Trevi. And Tourists.

Fontana de Piazza Barberini. Bees mean Barberini, kids.

San Carlo Quattro Fontane, my fave.

One

So a few days ago I got on a plane to Italy. I don't really know anyone here anymore and I don't have a savings account. Maybe I'm crazy. I'll just call it adventurous for now ;)

I fell in love with this city two years ago, surrounded by wonderful people who have ended up my very best friends. We spent literally 12+ hours a day together and with a single exception we never really got sick of each other. I think study abroad was so phenomenal for me 90% because of these beautiful souls.
The summer that I spent here two years ago was the best of my life and I've been itching and scheming to come back somehow. Now that I'm finally here, I realize more than ever how important those friendships are to me. This city still sparkles, but without my Romies its got a little less life. I will make friends to annoy with my incessant art facts, but in the meantime, I miss you guys...

Sarah, JD, Conrad, Gaby, Sassy, Tor, Loretta, Norbsy, Jorge, Lirio, Melissa, Pascale, Alexandra, Pasha, Fratty(sorry Chris)...(PSSSSSSt..visit)

I love you guys!