April 29th: FlorenceAfter being up for nearly 27 consecutive hours, we finally arrived in Florence, Italy. The city itself was beautiful, just how I'd pictured it. Soon after arriving, we toured the city with our guide, seeing (among others) the oldest pharmacy in Italy, a handful of different palazzos, and ended with the Palazzo Vecchio. Here, we climbed the 16 or more flights of stairs to the top, finding absolutely astounding views of the city and countryside.
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April 30th: FlorenceA much needed nights sleep led to an early morning, starting with the Gallleria di Accademia. Here, I saw some beautiful works of art, culminating with some of Michelangelo's sculptures and his David. Our next major stop was the Bargello, displaying many thousands of more works of art and portraying part of the life of Dante Alighieri. Our last stop was the Palazzo Piti and the Boboli Gardens. The Palazzo had, again, thousands of paintings, dating back to the time of the Medici Family.
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May 1: FlorenceToday was all about the Duomo, the biggest church in Florence. Within the museum were Ghiberti's doors that hung on St. John's Baptistery, which were a masterpiece in and of themselves. Speaking of, the interior of the Baptistery was beautiful, covered floor to dome in marble. But the Duomo takes the cake, by far. The exterior and interior can't be done justice in words, completely covered in ornate marbles and statues and frescos and mosaics. We climbed 463 steps to the top, getting to see the entire Florentine countryside and really seeing the beauty of Florence and Italy for the first time.
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May 2: FlorenceAfter moving out of the hotel, we started the day among the dead. In other words, I stood 10 feet from the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Ghiberti, Rossini, and many more. The entirety of the tour of Santa Croce was spectacular, seeing so many artifacts and so much beautifully designed architecture. However, my favorite of the day was the Laurentian Library. Designed by Michelangelo, he personally did a lot or all of the carving, resulting in literally identical copies of columns, volutes, and more. Finally, San Lorenzo is the resting place of Donatello and Cosimo the Elder, with Cosimo the Elder's tomb literally being the foundation of the church, showing that he was also the foundation of the Medici Family.
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May 3: RomeHonestly? Today was just...astounding. We started the day off with the Colosseum, where my heart was actually pounding the entire time we were then. We spent an hour or so there, then spent a few hours in Caesar's Forum, seeing the ruins of Circus Maximus, the house of the Vestal Virgins, and countless other buildings. Our last stops were four churches: St. Peter in Chains, Santa Prassede, Santa Maria Maggiore, and Santa Maria degli Angeli. Looking back, this day was by far my favorite, because I was able to experience the Colosseum.
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May 4: RomeToday, we crossed international borders at least 2 times. That is, we got to tour St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican. While we weren't supposed to take pictures of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, I was okay with that. Because I got to fully experience it, without worrying about photos. I stood directly under the Creation of Adam, the most famous fresco in that room. But the entirety of this day was amazingly breathtaking. Besides touring the Vatican, we saw Castle Sant'Angelo and got to see Rome from across the river.
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May 5: RomeGonna be honest, I've never really wished on a handful of coins. But, there's a first for everything! We first visited the Trevi Fountain, where I tossed my three coins. Our next stop was my second favorite building in Rome: the Pantheon. An architectural masterpiece, I was floored by the beauty of the building, and loved just being able to explore it. We also saw Piazza Navona, Sant'Agnese in Agone, and Campo dei Fiori, before visiting a few more churches.
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May 6: RomeWith two full days left, we still had plenty to see. We started the day with our final set of churches: Santa Maria della Vittoria, San Carlo alla Quattro Fontane, San Andrea et Quirinale, and the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. We then traveled through the Borghese gardens to the Borghese Galleries, which were filled with many pristine and beautiful sculptures by Bernini. Our final stop was the Baths of Caracalla, which have a beautiful history and were absolutely astounding to walk through. While walking to the Baths, we were able to see, up close, what little was left of Circus Maximus.
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May 7: RomeOur last day in Rome was a partial free day. So, naturally, half of our group woke up extremely early to climb to the top of the Vatican. The view from up there was...astonishing, honestly. The sun was just starting to come up and we could see for many, many miles, out over the countryside. Our afternoon was a tour of the Quirinal Palace, essentially the Italian White House. However, we couldn't take any pictures while inside, but it was exciting to experience it all the same. Tomorrow, we fly home, with approximately 18 hours of flying or layovers...
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May 8: Homeward Bound
This entire trip was fantastic. I made hundreds of new memories and saw some of the most beautiful architecture ever constructed. I honestly can't thank my parents, the professors, and UC enough for this experience. I'm going to treasure the entire trip forever