There is so, so much to see in Rome. We packed a lot into our schedule, yet I still left feeling as if I had just scratched the surface. I guess that just means I'll have to return, something I don't mind at all. Here's a glimpse into our last few days in Rome!
After walking by the Colosseum for a couple days on our way to visit other sights, we finally made our way inside. We took our time walking around the different levels, reading the different historical signs. It is such an amazing structure, I had to take several moments to just stand back and look at it, soaking in all of the history and the effort and brains that went into building it.
Being the cat lady that I am, I will admit that one of my favorite moments at the Colosseum was spotting this cat that looks just like the one at home I was dearly missing! As desperately as Shannon and I tried to pet this cat though, it was determined to ignore us. So, after five minutes of trying, we gave up as it sauntered away. Such attitude, it just made me miss my kitty more.
After touring through the Colosseum we made our way across the city to the Spanish Steps and Trinita del Monti. Unfortunately, the outside of the church was under construction so I don't have any good pictures of it on the outside. Total bummer.
That night we decided to have gelato for dinner because we had had a late lunch and because we didn't need an excuse, we just really loved gelato. We walked around the neighborhood by our hostel, which was actually pretty cool and hip, and over by the Colosseum, which is spectacular at night.
The next day was half the groups' last day in Rome since they were flying to London that evening, while the rest of us were returning to Paris the day after. A few of us walked over the St. Peter's Square, where we saw a huge military ceremony, before walking up to a lovely park on a hill that had an awesome panoramic view of the city, Passeggiata del Gianicolo.
Those of us left went to dinner near the Trevi Fountain for our final Italian feast. We realized how lucky we were to have visited the fountain a few days earlier because they were fencing it off that night for construction as we passed by it. On our way back to the hostel, we couldn't not stop for gelato, so I brought them to a delicious place I had found earlier in the day.
On our final day in Rome, Silvia and Nicole were gracious enough to go along with me on a cooky journey to find Mater Admirabilis. Mater Admirabilis is a painting of the Virgin Mary that is located in the convent connected to the Trinita del Monti. The church once belonged to the order of nuns that founded a network of all-girls Catholic schools across the world. I went to one of these schools for high school and this painting holds a special place in the traditions of the school, and, therefore a special place in my heart. It was one of my goals to find this painting when in Rome but I was struggling because there were no clear directions as to where it was located. After checking the church a couple times, I figured out it was in the convent behind the church, but couldn't find a way inside. After a few broken conversations with people near the convent entrance we figured out where it was and I was finally able to see Mater Admirabilis in person!!
After the successful discovery of Mater Admirabilis we walked around the park behind Trinita del Monti and then took in another lovely panoramic view of the city. We were each sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful city when we felt we still had so much to explore.
We stopped for one last gelato on our way out of Rome, the best one I'd had yet! Sadly, Silvia's fell to the ground soon after we left the shop so we had a moment of silence for it before moving on. I could really go for some gelato right now...
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