9/16 - 9/27

(I'm currently trying to put my pictures on FB in order so that you can read while you follow along in my photo album.)

Last I left off, I was telling you about the Cupola (Dome) of St. Peter's Basilica that I was climbing. Those were also the last set of pictures that I had on FB. I uploaded about 400 new pictures this week from the last 2 weeks of my life in Italy. Here's what I've been up to in the last 2 weeks:

9/16 - Sunday

I had the lazy Sunday Syndrome...badly. I slept in & woke up before 11am (yes, that is what I call sleeping in here). I got up, took a shower, and got ready to head to campus. I tried to get some work done, but I just couldn't focus at all. In the late afternoon, I went to mass with some friends to a church in Rome called Scale Santo, or the Church of the Holy Stairs. Now you might be asking yourself, Sooo what's up with these stairs? This church, according to legend, contains a flight of stairs which Jesus used while meeting with Pontius Pilate before he was crucified. St. Helena actually brought them to Rome, I believe. So yes, there is a special history to these stairs. You can use these stairs, but you can only climb them on your knees.

If you want to read more about the Scale Santo, check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scala_Sancta
http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/holystairs.htm
After mass, we all went to dinner at a local restaurant.

9/17 - Monday

For my Liturgy class, we met at Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the most important churches in Rome. It was absolutely gorgeous, as you can tell by my photos. We also went to the church of Santa Pudenziana & another church that I couldn't find on google maps (and can't remember the name of). The churches were all beautiful, so be sure to checkout the pictures on my FB.

9/18 - Tuesday

There are pictures on FB of a ton of groundwork. These are temples, where we went for Roman History class. Go through them, today was a little uneventful besides walking around the temple areas for class.

9/19 - Wednesday

My first paper for my Liturgy class is due Friday by midnight. I finished it beforehand, I just want other people to read it & see what they think. But I ended up writing this paper on the church of the Holy Stairs that I went to for Sunday mass. I had to write a detailed paper on the section of the church I was in for Sunday mass. I had to write about how the paintings related to the liturgy. The ceiling had a crack in it & Mary's eyes couldn't be seen in the painting on the ceiling. It was random but unique. I also have to study for the Italian written exam on Friday. The Italian oral exam is tomorrow & I have to study for that too. There's a given situation: the 22 year old daughter, who just graduated from college with her degree in architecture, wants to go to Australia with her rock band Australian boyfriend. The father has to give an answer. Each student is given 1 of 2 characters - they are either the father or daughter in this particular situation. I was given the 22 year old daughter. We (as a pair because I get paired with someone else) have to talk as fluently as possible for 5-10 minutes.

9/20 - Thursday

The Italian oral exam ended up going really well. My friend Sarah and I did well. I went twice because there were an odd number of people in my class, but it was really easy.

9/21 - Friday

The day of the Italian written exam. I was really nervous, but I think I did alright. I don't get my final grades until next week, but I'm done with my first Italian class. I get next week off for Italian classes & the week after, I start my next advanced Italian class.

I think it's really funny that my Italian school hosted a wine tasting for their students 2 hours before the written final today. I did sign up to go, but I got there 30 minutes late with a friend & ended up leaving because it was so crowded. We just decided to go for a snack/gelato somewhere nearby.

Knowing full well that I had to be up at 8am the next morning for Tuscany, I decided to go out for the Spirituality evening event. The program hosts a Spirituality evening every Friday night or so just to add a religious event to the week. It adds something different. Tonight it was a talk by 3 nuns living in Rome. Afterward, we went to a little restaurant for dinner. Then my friends and I decided to grab some drinks after the dinner (on our own, not with the nuns - that would be a little weird).

We went to the home of these nuns, who talked to us about the "Year of Faith" and the events going on in Italy throughout the year. 2 of the 3 nuns work for the Vatican. 1 of the nuns founded the website for the Vatican! After the lecture, we went for dinner to a restaurant nearby. Then my friends and I went to Campo Dei Fiori for drinks after. But after one quick drink, we all went back to our respectful rooms (apartment for me) and slept because we had to be up early Saturday morning for Toscana!

9/22 - Saturday

We got up early, as planned, and left on a very long bus trip for Tuscany! Today we went to Siena, which I think was the most gorgeous of all the towns we went to over the weekend. First we went to the Museo Civico and the Palazzo Pubblico in the Piazza del Campo. Then I got lunch with my friends and had some kind of cooked pork (Siena is known for their meats). After that, we went to the Duomo and the house of Catherine of Siena. Then we went to the hotel we were staying at both Saturday & Sunday nights - Hotel Minerva. I went out with friends to the center of the city for drinks, making sure I tried some Grapa (a whiskey kind of after-dinner drink).
9/23 - Sunday

We got up early, had breakfast at the hotel, and left to go to Arezzo. We walked through Arezzo, with time for an Italian mass (which was really different). We visited the frescoes of Piero della Francesca in the church of St. Francis (www.pierodellafrancesca.it). Then we left for Castel del Trebbio, which was BEAUTIFUL! We had a large dinner with a wine tasting! We had the grand tour and wine tasting of the Castel del Trebbio with dinner (www.vinoturismo.it). Then we went back to the hotel.

9/24 - Monday

We checked out of the hotel & left for Pienza & Orvieto. I bought cheese in Pienza because they are known for their pecorino cheese! It was such a great weekend!

9/25 - Tuesday

For Roman History class, we went to the Tomb of the Scipios, one of the most interesting families in Italian History. We each got a ticket that allowed us to explore the tombs for an hour. We each got a hard hat & hair net to put on before the hard hat. That was the only class I had today. Then I went with friends to Piazza di Spagna and explored a local supermarket, which I realized is way cheaper than the snacks I've been buying from the vending machines at school. So maybe I'll buy stuff from there when I'm feeling better.

9/26 - Wednesday

I feel really sick today. Sunday I had a scratchy throat, but I'm just a mess now. The stupid weather keeps changing. Luckily I have time to relax because I didn't have class today, but I did have to go to school to work on a project with my partner. But whatever.

9/27 - Thursday

I've seriously had enough of the world today. Between life & being sick, I'm just fed up with everything & I've had enough. I'm way too pissed off today. It's just one of those stupid days...