Roma!

Today was a long, hot day in Rome that was full of history! This morning, we toured the colosseum which was built by Flavius in 44 C.E. and was built to hold 55,000 spectators for the gladiator fights. I am so glad the students got to see the colosseum as it is a personal favorite of mine! After the colosseum, we went to the forum which was the center of town during the Roman Empire. 

We had a quick lunch before heading to Vatican city. The Vatican is actually the smallest country in Europe! We went through the museum which houses many sculptures from Ancient Rome and more recent pieces including Napoleons bathtub (made of red marble)! After the museum, we went into the Sistine chapel. You are not allowed to take any pictures in the chapel but nothing could possibly capture the beauty of the ceiling and the main wall painted by Michelangelo. We learned that Michelangelo was a sculptor and he felt he was too good to be a painter but the pope made him paint the Sistine chapel. He painted it over the course of 7 years while lying on his back on a scaffolding, and he almost went blind because of all the paint that dripped in his eyes. Then, we went into St. Peter's Basilica; the biggest church in the world. It is hard to believe how huge the Church is and how ornate it is decorated. There are writings at the top of the basilica and each letter stands 7 feet tall! But it looks so tiny from our vantage point!

We had free time after the Vatican tour and then we went to dinner which was pizza and gelato! All of the kids were excited! It was a long, busy and hot day and I think everyone is exhausted! The Vatican was especially crowded today which made it more difficult to pass through and hotter since we were surrounded by people. 

Tomorrow, we leave Rome to spend a night in sorrento! I know we are all excited about our last two days to see Pompeii and Capri! 

Some pictures

Whole group selfie from the last night with our tour director Peter (front, right in green) and our bus driver, Valerio (middle)

We're in Atlanta!

Our flight was 10 hours long but we finally made it to Atlanta! Everyone loves the smell of greasy food, the southern accents, and the "welcome home," greetings. We will see ya'll soon in RDU! 

Pompeii and Capri

Our last two days abroad were amazing. I'm sorry I didn't post earlier. I was so exhausted by the time we made it back to the hotel that I had to go to bed.

We left Rome on Thursday morning to head to Pompeii. The city if Pompeii was covered in ash by a volcano which preserved the city almost perfectly. When walking through the streets of Pompeii you could almost pictures the Romans there with their horses and chariots. I think all of the students were impressed by the ruins. After Pompeii, we continued to sorrento which is a beautiful city on a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The views were absolutely incredible.

Here's our picture with the ruins and My. Vesuvius behind us:

On Friday, we caught a ferry to the island of Capri. I think this was the highlight of the trip and everyone really loved it! We took a guided tour at the top of the island and then a boat tour around the island before having free time. Most of the students went to the beach to swim while several others went shopping... To get their custom made sandals! Many came up to me and begged to stay in Capri! 

After a wonderful day, we headed back to Rome to prepare for the journey home!