Today marks our third and final day in Rome. After yesterday’s jam-packed day that included visiting Vatican City and the Coliseum, we were given the day to explore Rome on our own. Some people used this opportunity to shop in Rome’s Spanish Steps area while others visited famous landmarks such as the Trevi Fountain. This is a huge tourist attraction where visitors throw a coin in the fountain wishing for one of the following: to return to Rome, to separate from their significant other, or for a new life. An estimated 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day.
Others experienced the Sunday morning church service at the Vatican! Although the service was in Italian, attendees said it was a great opportunity and were able to see the Pope.
The Piazza Navona was another popular destination. This is a beautiful square filled with cafes, artists, fountains, and tourists. This attraction is home to the Four Rivers Fountain, which was designed by Bernini in 1651. The fountain represented the four continents relevant at the time: Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa.
In one way or another everyone enjoyed Rome’s food today. One popular example is in the form of gelato. There is even one shop that offers over 150 different flavors of it. Rome is also filled with lots of cafes and restaurants that we experienced for the last time this trip.
After our day roaming around Rome the class met in the lobby of the hotel and walked a block down the street to a nice hotel restaurant where we had our dinner. Here we enjoyed a nice pasta with red sauce for our first course, followed by a cooked fish with potatoes and beans. And if that was not enough we ended the meal with a cake for dessert, which fellow Olympic Quester Beau Bachman enjoyed so much he received three helpings.
After the dinner some of the students along with Professor Banks and Professor Joos went to the Olympic Stadium in Rome to watch a Serie A soccer match between Roma and Inter Milan. The atmosphere at the stadium was very exciting and unlike anything we see in the States. For instance the fans on both sides brought large flags and waved them through out the entire game. The fans also had songs, which they sang during the game, including their team song, which was sung in unison just before the start of the match. Another thing that makes European soccer venues different for American sports venues was the amount of flares and smoke bombs that were set off during the game. In the end the hometown team Roma could not pull of the victory ending up in a one to one tie with Inter after a hard fought 90 minutes.
I think I can speak on behalf of the other students that went to the game in saying we were all very happy that there was at least one goal scored in the game (Totti!) After an interesting taxi ride in some very crowded streets we arrived at the hotel to end another eventful day on our trip.