Our last full day in Rome was started with an early morning. We all rose and headed out for a long walk, and we discovered that our instructors had set up a scavenger hunt for us. Our teams roamed around Rome snapping photos of various things on the list. We had to get a picture with a priest! Later that night, the group headed up to visit the battlements and the secret passages that lead to the Vatican. They were created to protect the pope from attacks. We all had a blast touring the dark alleyways and climbing across the battlements. 
On our last morning in Rome, we all solemnly ate our breakfast. Rome was beautiful with all of the ancient architecture and ruins that were scattered around the city. We were all very sad to leave, but at the same time, we were shaking with excitement when we thought of the future cities that were approaching us. On our way to Florence, we stopped at the catacombs. We had a tour of the underground graveyard for Christians. We learned that the catacombs were very sacred to Christian worshipers because they were often the only place where their beliefs were accepted for a period of time. 
Once we arrived in Florence, we cooked a homemade meal of pasta and fresh salad, and then went to bed early after a long day. Our first days in Florence were filled with fun. We visited the Medici Chapel and took a day trip to Siena where we saw the Duomo. 
We are all very excited to see what the rest of our time in Florence holds for us!