Forsa Roma!

Ciao miei amici! I've spent the past two days in Rome and it's been absolutely wonderful. I traveled the first day with my Villa & Garden class; we ventured to the Villa Farnesina and the Villa Giulia to get a taste of High Renaissance Villas. The second day was spent rushing through the city to experience as much as possible and this is what we saw.....

We started the day by trying fried rice balls.....which are, surprisingly, amazing!

On our way to the Villa Farnesina, we noticed that the Romans like to chain their bikes up in rather irregular ways.....

The Villa Farnesina was beautiful! The gardens weren't so shabby, either.

Raphael. No description necessary.

Happy campers at the Villa Giulia :)

Saturday began at the Vatican Museum. For the record, I highly advise purchasing a 'skip the line' pass.

At the center of the Museum courtyard was this beautiful 1926 sculpture that spins. 

Laocoon & Sons! This was probably my favorite piece in the museum.

Michelangelo's Pieta was in one of the chapels at St. Peter's Basilica. 

The scale of the church and baldacchino were truly overwhelming.

Swiss guard uniform or halloween costume? You tell me....

The Pantheon was perhaps the most crowded site we visited. No complaints here - it's free to visit and truly amazing!

We threw coins in the Trevi fountain before heading to the Spanish steps!

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa is perhaps the most renowned sculpture by Bernini and is located in the Cornaro Chapel at Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Our last stop was the Colosseum which was, unfortunately, closed at 4:30 PM on a Saturday. Go figure?

We ended the weekend at a local restaurant. Spinach and feta ravioli sure warms the tired soul!