Group photo in front of Trevi fountain

Simply put, Rome has captured and captivated me more than any other place I have ever been to, seen a picture of, or ever dreamed of going to. As soon as our flight touched down and I first stepped out into the brilliant mosaic of scattered lights and darkness that was the Roman dusk, I knew this was a place I would like. What didn’t know was that this was a place I would fall in love with.

Rome is a city of firsts. Imagine the first breathe of Italian air. The first cappuccino you drink in the first authentic Italian café you see. The first encounter with a restaurant worker who insists that the other restaurants around are full of Pinocchios whose collective nose continues to grow with every sentence. But not him, oh no, not him.

Imagine the first glimpse of the awe-inspiring, beautiful, no-picture-could-ever-capture-its-true-nature Coliseum. Ditto for the Roman forum, the Pantheon, St. Peter’s Square, The Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, hanging opulently over the heads of mesmerized tourists within the immaculate Sistine Chapel, their necks permanently thrown back, mouths agape; Raphael’s School of Athens- similar effect. The first pizza, pasta, gelato, gypsy encounter (in that order), sidewalk purse salesmen (who magically disappeared whenever the policia appeared). Imagine all this in rapid succession like lighting off a string of firecrackers. Oh, and the most chic McDonald’s I’ve ever laid eyes on– never thought I’d be taking pictures of a McDonald’s when I left for Europe.

Inefficient stairs in Vatican City

In between all of the iconic, must-see attractions the city has to offer, though I have the strong suspicion that I didn’t even scratch the surface of what the city truly has to offer in terms of historically significant sites, after all of those, there are the stories unique to our trip and our trip alone. One involving a, in my opinion, too long for comfort conversation  at four in the morning with some Italian soldiers carrying what I was sure was enough firepower to gun down any suspicious character passing through, or else anyone who engaged in a too long for comfort conversation with them. Another involving a group of Navy Seals who not only proved the metaphorical implication of the phrase “loose lips sink ships”, but also may have proved the physical implications as well, after buying the entire bar 2-3 rounds each, and confirming conspiracy theories I never thought a member of the armed forces would believe. Yet another involving a native of Spain who kindly invited all of us to visit him in Sicily after my friend miraculously learned to speak Spanish without showing any prior knowledge of the language. These stories, I am certain will be the ones that last. And, when added together with the fact that we had these adventures while seeing some of the most famous historical and artistic landmarks on the Earth, made my Roman adventure not only one of the greatest weekends since I have been in Europe, but perhaps the greatest weekend of my life. That being said, I’m sure there were things about the city I didn’t particularly like, but, at this moment, they all seem to have escaped my memory.

Roman Forum

St. Peter's Square

Send article as PDF to