Ali and I were supposed to meet in the breakfast room around nine this morning, but we both got a late start. We left the hotel at 10:30 and went to one of the shops nearby that had liquors, candies and other goodies, to do some final souveniring. She had missed breakfast, so we stopped in the pastry shop at the corner to get something to eat and then went back to the hotel to drop off our bags. Joe and Alexa decided to join us and we went to Cavour, a street ...

This morning's tour took us back to the Capitoline Museum. It is one of the best museums I have ever visited. It is designed perfectly for everything on display, including the ancient walls of the Temple of Jupiter, which are below the floor and include the original road. We also saw the sculpture of Marcus Aurelius, which was incredibly impressive. We walked up to the big white building on the hill (which is pretty, but I still can't quite figure out what it's ...

Today was our second last day of classes. We took the speaking portion of the Italian exam this morning and then I studied for my art history exam all afternoon. The exam was at 5:30 and I'm fairly certain that I got every artist, title and date correct. At 6:30, Matt, Joe, Ali and I met to go to a Ludovico Einaudi concert at Ostia Anticha (Ludovico is a pianist). We had two different sets of directions to get there, but we allowed ourselves three hours just in ...

Ali and I went to mass at the Vatican again this morning. We were closer to the front this time, so we could see and hear much better and we had programs to look at. The choir was right across from us and the way the voices echoed in the large dome of St. Peter's gave me goose bumps. After the service, we walked through a building dedicated to Pope John Paul II (it is there because he is going to be sainted) and I learned a lot about his life. Ali and I found ...

My Italian exam this morning went really well. It was only part one, but my studying paid off. After lunch, we had a trip to the Vatican Museum. Ali, Joe and I split up from the rest of the group and rented audio tours, which were definitely worthwhile. The Vatican has one of the greatest collections of art in the world, including Raffaello's School of Athens and the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescos. Another set of works I can't believe I saw in person! After th...