Postcards From Florence

Anna Hsia

Ciao from Florence, Italy!

This past weekend, we traveled to Rome. Our day started early on Friday, Sept. 19, when we took a high-speed train into the city. After a short two-hour ride and settling into our hotel, we had some free time. My friends and I decided to grab lunch at a little panini restaurant and then headed to St. Peter’s Basilica.

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the most famous and important churches in the world. It is often considered the spiritual center of the Roman Catholic Church and is tied to the pope, who often holds major events there. Inside, the church was beautiful! I do not have the words to fully express how magnificent it was.

We spent two hours admiring its beauty before meeting our group for a guided tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.

Inside, the museum was packed and filled with art and statues. The details were incredible, though the heat and lack of air ventilation made the experience a little tiring. I had no idea how large the museum was—it seemed endless. After making our way through the many galleries, we finally reached the Sistine Chapel. Though it was crowded, it left me in awe.

The artwork was overwhelming in the best way possible. The chapel was, of course, crowded—people were standing shoulder to shoulder, some praying while others quietly took it all in. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel, and I enjoyed a relaxing evening with friends.

The next morning, we went on another guided tour, but this time it was for the Roman Forum. The Forum was the central hub for politics, religion and social life in ancient Rome and is filled with temples, several types of buildings and gathering spaces. Some of the structures are still intact, while others remain only in pieces. From there, we headed to the Colosseum, which was not a far walk from the Forum.

Again, it was crowded, and I felt a bit rushed when walking through, but was amazed at how this massive arena is still standing centuries later.

After the Colosseum, we got lunch, where I tried a classic Roman dish called cacio e pepe. It was yummy, and I really enjoyed the fresh cracked pepper.

Once we were full, we set out to see the Trevi Fountain. Unfortunately, the line wrapped all the way around the perimeter, so we decided to skip it and go to the Spanish Steps. The one challenge of seeing all these landmarks is that they are all about a 10–15-minute walk apart, which was rough in the heat.

By the time we reached the Spanish Steps, we were so tired that we just admired them briefly before moving on to the Pantheon. After taking it in, we stopped for gelato before heading back to the hotel. That night, we went out for dinner and drinks before going to bed.

On our final morning, we had some free time, so it was time to wander the streets. We explored small boutiques and enjoyed lunch before heading back to the hotel and catching our train back to Florence.