Day 2

Our day started with a walking tour of downtown Rome.  My favorite part of this tour was when we stumbled upon this open-air market.  An entire piazza was filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats, cheeses, craft items, spices, and dried fruits.  I of course bought some apples and I put together a snack of some dried mango, cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries.  There were numerous other dried items that I had no idea existed in dried form including carrots.  I was hoping to see a dried red pepper, but that was one of the few missing foods.  Later, we met up with the entire group and toured some ancient churches.  All of a sudden we turned a corner, and there before me was the Pantheon!  This building has been the source of countless art history papers. I could not believe I was actually seeing it and going inside it.  For those who don’t know, this building is a major architectural feat and a very interesting building to visit.  Sunlight pours through the hole at the top of the dome into the dim interior. 

            I had the most delicious lunch today.  We went to a pizza vendor where she cuts off a portion of pizza, weighs it, then cuts in half and assembles it like a sandwich for you to eat.  I choose a mushroom pizza.  All the pizza I have seen in Rome has very thin crispy crust which I really like.  After lunch, I enjoyed my very first gelato (or technically sorbet) of Italy.  It was this deep plum berry flavor.  It was perfection.  I think it is all I need in life.  In the afternoon, we continued our walking tour by climbing up this steep hill and then climbing endless steps to come to an area that reveals the most amazing view of all of Rome.  Everything could be seen from this height.  I could not get enough of all the different colors of roof tops.  After this, most people went back to the hotel, but I still wanted to wander.  I joined two other girls and we roamed (haha pun) really deep into the city.  We made it the beautiful Spanish steps, where I ended up getting my second gelato of the day.  This time it was fragola (strawberry) and again completely delicious.  We made it back just in time for dinner.  After dinner, we had a meeting where the professors presented each of their courses and we could decide what classes we wanted to take.  I had initially signed up for advanced painting, book/paper making, art history, and Italian.  I was set on the first three classes, but I decided instead of taking Italian to take the art education class because it allowed me to actually teach the Italian children in Cortona.  I could not pass that up, so I went for it.