by Keara S. & Elena D. Even though we could never get tired of living in Florence, our teachers surprised us with a three-day trip to Rome as a vacation from our daily routines in Florence. Rome is an amazing city, and it is completely different from Florence. Although it is one of the oldest cities in the world, Rome has a modern quality and feels bigger and more New York City-esque than any place in Firenze. One of our friends pointed out that Rome is the perfect mix of Florence and New York; you’re walking around, surrounded by modern buildings, and then you turn a corner and you are faced with a beautiful building dating back to the Renaissance. Ancient Roman ruins literally line some of the streets. Rome was built in layers, and each time period is clearly represented in the architecture, which makes it a really cool place to explore. 
During our stay, we (of course) had to hit up all the major museums. Exploring the halls of the Villa Borghese and the Apostolic Palace (home to the Sistine Chapel) was incredible because many of our teachers studied Art History and were able to teach us the stories behind the artwork. Keara especially loved the Pieta in Saint Peter’s Church (actually, we loved everything in Saint Peter’s Church; it was amazing). Elena’s favorite piece was in the Villa Borghese, a sculpture by Bernini called Apollo and Daphne. She’s still trying to figure out how Bernini managed to turn stone into emotions. 