Rome, Pompei, & Sorrento

I did all these cities plus one more in a weekend without missing class. Tiring but needed. Thursday night after class we went to Rome. It was night so we couldn't see much but hit the night scene. Many people out and about. Nothing special. Next day we woke up and hit the ground running. It was our mission to see most of the main attractions of Rome and we did pretty well. First was Vatican City since we were about 5 minutes from it. The square is beautiful and the line to go inside the church was too long to wait. Knowing that we went to see the Sistine Chapel. It took us about half an hour to get to it but it was well worth it once we arrived. Knowing Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512 (for FREE) made it that much more intriguing. Seems impossible to me. The museum also included paintings from Raphael and Dali as well as ancient artifacts from Egypt like mummies and statues of royalty. Once this was completed, we passed by the Castel Sant'Angelo on our way to Piazza Navona. On our way to the Pantheon, there was more random coolness that we didn't have a clue into what it was. We took pictures of it though. The Pantheon was interesting except they didn't let us in for mass. I swear I have bad luck in these situations. Knowing this we got a quick bite and head straight for the Trevi Fountain. WOW! I have never seen anything like this. You turn a corner and BAM, awesomeness all in your sight. Took us about 10 minutes to get to the fountain to make a wish because there were so many people just eating gelato and hanging out. Without time to spare, we go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Has to be one of the biggest buildings I have ever seen. Obviously it was closed so we could only marvel its beauty from afar. Guess this was good because it gave us enough time to catch the ruins and Colosseum before the sun went down. We got to the ruins and it was serene to see history with my own eyes. Could say the same about the Colosseum but I couldn't get the movie Gladiator out of my head. HA! Anyways it was an amazing, LONG day of walking and visiting what we learn, watch, and hear about. It was an experience and trip I would never forget.
Next day we wake up early to head to Pompeii. The lost city was extraordinary. Knowing it was lost by a volcano gave it a mysterious feel. We explored the city for about two to three hours and still did not see everything. AND there is still more excavating that needs to be done. We explored with our tour guide who told us how they lived and what different rooms were used for. We left due to him repeating stuff and went to see the teatro and amphitheatre. Also saw a brothel where the women had specializations instead of just doing everything. Craziness even back then. After long hours in Pompei we left for our hotel in Vico Equese. Small town near Sorrento where we would be at in the morning. Nice town and view from the hotel. Had dinner and after caught the end of the Napoli v. Juventus soccer game. Obviously we were rooting for Napoli since we were so close to it. Word of advice: Always go for the home team! The next day we had breakfast and went to Sorrento. Amazingly beautiful town on the coast which is easily comparable to the infamous Amalfi Coast. Walked for more hours and ended up at a wood shop where everything was hand made. Got a nice music box. Around early afternoon we headed back to Florence. Longest, most productive weekend yet.

Photos of Rome at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2542568&id=1915685&l=a481b

Photos of Pompei & Sorrento at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2542831&id=1915685&l=aae57