Saturday me as well as a bunch of friends went on a day trip to Tivoli, which is about 20 miles outside of Rome. JCU organized the trip and it was free for students in my study abroad program! Our first stop was Hadrian's Villa, which was a summer retreat from Rome for the emperor in A.D. 118-134. Since it's so old, the villa is just ruins now but walls, statues, fountains and swimming pools are still standing. We had a tour guide and she was able to tell us what things once were and give us insight as to what life was like during that time. Next on our stop, we got dropped off in the center of Tivoli for a lunch break. After lunch we walked to Villa d'Este, which was commissioned by Renaissance noble and cardinal Ippolito d'Este in 1550. Inside there are amazing fresco's , that unfortunately we could not take pictures of because it would damage the color. Outside the villa are gardens and tons of fountains. The only drawback to the day was that it rained alllll day and it was very cold. Most of us were soaked even with umbrella's and could not fully enjoy the tour and scenery.
Hadrian's Villa
Villa d'Este
Today, Christina, Jessie, Andrew and I went to the Vatican. We took the tram from our apartment building to the river and walked the rest of the way, about 15 minutes. Piazza San Pietro is absolutely beautiful; the buildings that line the street as you approach are rustic and painted in yellows and light orange. As you walk in the piazza, you see St. Peter's Basillica. Inside, everything is made of either marble, bronze or gold. It's absolutely breathtaking and so detailed you have to come back again to really see it all. We stayed for mass, not with the pope himself though unfortunately. We didn't get to see the Sistine Chapel or the museums because we came too late in the day and they were closed; we're going to have to make another trip to Vatican city to see the rest!
St. Peter's Basillica
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