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Milan 2/8-2/10: We had a rocky start in Milan including a two hour incident in which we were lost in the streets just outside our hostel at about 1 am, followed by some language barriers. Apparently Italian is not the same as Spanish. The next day, we were almost too afraid of Italy to get out of our beds, but after a really good breakfast of pastries and delicious cappuccino, we enjoyed a one day tour of Milan including the Duomo and expensive shopping where Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vouitton shared a corner with McDonalds. Although those stores mean nothing to me, the fact that McDonalds was gold and black and the menu was in cursive signaled the true colors of Milan. Our first dinner was amazing, with a singing waiter and fantastic house wine. On to Venice in the morning...Venice 2/10-2/13: Fresh off the train, we heard that our island (Lido) was really far away and mostly used in the summer for its beaches. When we finally got there from the train station (a 45 minute boat ride) we found a floor of a beautiful house dedicated completely to our group of 6. We had 3 bedrooms, a living room, kitchen/dining room, bathroom, and laundry. Plus a locked gated entry with our own keys. The owners were wonderful and showed us around town. In Lido we had the best gelato in an outdoor cafe with white christmas lights lining the streets. We hopped a few water taxis and we went to San Marco for Carnival where we had our faces painted and bought masks, later we went to Murano where they make famous hand blown glass.Rome 2/13-2/16: I thought it couldn't get any better than the beautiful canals in Venice, but even the weather was better in Rome. With only a light jacket, we set out for the archaeological side of Rome with the Colloseum, the Roman Forum and random ruins on our agenda. The Colloseum was like a big playground for us and we had gelato wandering around the rest of the area. We finished it off with a big Valentine's day dinner of pasta and wine and then way too much chocolate. The next day, we had a chance to wake up at 6 am and head down to Vatican City. The line for the Vatican Museum only lasted about an hour, but included a desparate umbrella purchase from a street vender. Once inside, I switched inbetween running through long corridors filled with some random art that I unfortunately paid no attention to... and hyperventilating and being carried through the Stanzas di Rafael. The whole thing was just a long waiting process for me to see Rafael's work and then ultimately, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. My buddy Brent picked me up off the floor a couple of times because I was so awestruck. As if seeing something I had studied for years wasn't enough, we moved on two Saint Peter's Basilica where I was hit in the face by Michelangelo's Pieta. The Mecca of my Art History studies. Nothing could have been better.
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