Trip to the Vatican!



 Lilly Prestemon

Today was an incredible day! The group went to the Vatican this morning and got to see all the amazing museums inside the city walls. I think my favorite part of this excursion has to be seeing the Sistine chapel. I’ve always wanted to see the painting called the Creation of Adam, and I finally got to! Unfortunately, they don’t allow pictures inside the chapel but below is a picture from the internet of the Creation of Adam! (It was absolutely incredible to view in person)


It was also really interesting to visit the Vatican after reading about the history of the Roman Empire and the history of the popes. In the reading for today it was discussed how the popes and the Vatican slowly change to accommodate the new beliefs of the time and to best serve the people, and I think that idea of change can be hard to see when visiting the Vatican. The buildings in the Vatican are incredibly ornate and well furnished and overall are simply massive. It’s interesting to think about all those buildings existing when many catholics were living in poverty. The pope and other higher ups of the church got to  live in the truest luxury, but others were not so lucky. It’s a great experience being able to visit this place and see all the incredible art, but it’s hard to reconcile with the clear difference from many people’s everyday lives. 

All that being said the Vatican was beautiful and I recommend going if you ever get the chance. After the Vatican a group of us got lunch and then headed to see the pantheon. We didn’t go inside but the outside was incredible! It looked exactly how I imagined ancient Roman buildings to look. I was in total awe of this building!


We ended our final day in Italy going to a delicious Italian dinner. This was our final dinner as a group and it was the perfect end. We had great conversations and great food, what more could you ask for? We also have Alessio a card we all signed that I think he really enjoyed!


This trip has been amazing, and this final day really helped me to realize just how special this entire class/trip had been. I’m so thankful for all the experiences I have had here in Italy. I couldn’t have asked for more.


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