Ciao Italia!

Well, Tomorrow I fly back to the United States and my time in Italy is coming to a close. It’s been a wonderful journey unlike any other four month period in my life. I’ve gotten to experience places that I never imagined I would, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as I had hoped when I arrived. I really want to thank my parents the most for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. I can thank my sister for telling me to push out of my comfort zone and ultimately inspiring me to come. And I’m thankful for my friends I met here, who made my stay so much more enjoyable, and my friends back home who didn’t abandon me despite being an ocean away. Thank you all so much! I’ll never forget Milan and its wacky, laid-back, friendly culture. Who knows, maybe I will be back one day. But for now, ciao Italia!

Roma - Rome (Part II: Everything Else)

The Vatican was the only museum I went to, so that divided nicely into its own post. Now here are my pictures from Friday evening, Saturday minus a few hours, and Sunday morning. We got around a lot and there was much more to see. All I can stress is that if you come to visit Italy, give yourself time that isn't booked up to just wander. The Italians give themselves time; they don't rush for anybody. Maybe you should try the same if you come here. Maybe like, if you are in Rome, you should try to do as the Romans do. When in Rome. I honestly didn't have that phrase in mind when I started that line of thought... but it really fits.

See my Rome album here.

Roma - Rome (Part I: Citta del Vaticano - Vatican City)

Last weekend I took my final excursion out of Milan to Rome. I went Friday to Sunday and I even had some company from Ale, a Mexican friend I met here. Starting with a simple evening of eating and walking around, we soon hit all the 'must-see' spots of Rome. That was the goal for this trip, and I'm sure the city would be very beautiful if I had time to stop and look around. Still, it was great to see Vatican City (it's own state outside of Italy, and I thought I was done visiting places outside Italy), the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, the Pantheon, and even some Catacombs. For this post I'll talk about Vatican City, which was actually at 3:30pm on Saturday right between everything else. Sorry, didn't get to see the Pope. I was told I had to come back on Wednesday for that.

See the album here.

Cimetro Monumentale - Monumental Cemetery

On Wednesday I went to the Cimetro Monumentale, Monumental Cemetary. It is probably the most important place in Milan I had not gone yet. It's a gigantic cemetary to the Northern edge of Milan. It's not thought of as a tourist attraction, so there are no people trying to sell you things out front (though there are a few flower carts) and the place isn't busy at all. Because I mentioned to Massimo that I had not yet gone, he took us during Italian Design History. I'm glad he did because his inclusion brought it a step above simply viewing statues and mausoleums. But even without his help, this place is gorgeous. I didn't expect it to be so... monumental. I can't remember seeing any headstones, they were all either statues, mausoleums, or both. It was amazing really, and I'd recommend it right after the Duomo on a list of must-see things in Milan.

Check out the album of monuments here.