Lately I’ve been reminiscing about my 2014 spring break trip to Italy. Maybe it’s because I’m taking a Roman art class or I might just be craving some authentic gelato. Regardless it should happen again. Real soon. My trip to Italy with my art history class was one of my favorite memories of my four years here at Marywood. I saw some amazing art, ate amazing food, and was able to explore Italy with some of my best friends. If you ever have the chance to visit or study abroad, I highly recommend it!

During our trip we visited cities such as Palermo, Sorrento, Rome, and Naples. I don’t even know where to begin or which city to chose as my absolute favorite. Each day was a new adventure filled with the Italian culture, learning new words to say in Italian, and gelato. (Seriously I had gelato almost every day. No shame.) One of the days we visited Pompeii. You know, Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, ash covering the city, that story! It was so interesting walking around the city. I felt as if the city was frozen in time; heartbreaking that so many people died there, but I was so amazed at how well the culture was preserved.

Roman Forum

Of course our Italian adventure would not be complete without a stop in the city of Rome. Ah Roma, the eternal city. I secretly hoped I would meet a famous Italian pop star (The Lizzie McGuire Movie anyone?!), but unfortunately no such luck. Regardless I had a blast exploring Rome and had even more gelato!  While in Rome we saw the Roman Forum, the Trajan Column, and made a wish at the Trevi Fountain. What was amazing about my opportunity to travel to Italy was that I had a background in Roman art from class; I could visit all the sites and know a little bit about each place. For me, this trip brought Roman art history to life. If I ever have the chance to visit again, I’ll be on a plane in an hour (okay maybe two hours, I have over-packing issues) waiting for another scoop of gelato!