Last adventures: Italia!

The first leg of my Italian adventure brought me to the wonderful city of Venice. I was astounded by how beautiful the city was! The old buildings with flower boxes in every window, the canals... I was surprised by something new every time I turned a corner. My friends and I enjoyed living life at a slower pace as we wandered around the city and browsed in the little shops.

Enjoying the beauty of Venice.

The first of MANY scoops of gelato

Watching the hustle and bustle of the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge

This is St. Mark's Basilica in Piazza San Marco. 

After Venice, I headed off to Florence. The atmosphere there was much more fast paced than Venice. My friends and I saw the famous church (called the Duomo), the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and the Uffizi art gallery. We also went to the Academia art gallery where we got to see Michelangelo's David statue. It was so surreal to see it in person!

Me in front of the Duomo

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

We went to the Bobli Gardens and were able to see a beautiful view of Florence.

Last stop on my Italy trip was Rome! Rome was a very busy city, and it was so exciting to turn a corner and see ancient ruins or a beautiful, old building.

On our first day, we visited the Pantheon. 

Of course, I made a wish and threw a coin into the Trevi fountain!

Day 2 in Rome was spent at the Vatican. There was a large crowd there that day because...

The Pope spoke in front of St. Peter's Basilica! While I was pretty far away, it was still really cool to see him.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica. It was absolutely beautiful! 

I saw this painting (the School of Athens) inside the Vatican Museum. At the end of the museum, I walked into the Sistene Chapel. It was breathtaking! 

Day 3 was the Colosseum and my first sunburn of the semester! 

In addition to the Colosseum, my friends and I toured the Palatine and Roman Forum. It's incredible how many of these old buildings are still standing! 

Inside the Colosseum

I'm so glad that I decided to stay in Europe for 10 extra days to travel in Italy. I had an incredible time there, but I am so excited to be back in the United States. These four months have been so wonderful, and I'd like to thank you for following my travels on this blog!