When in Rome, do as the Romans do

Our second day in Rome began just as the first. We went to breakfast, using our free ticket from the bed and breakfast, at Mauri’s. We each had a croissant and a cappuccino. Afterwards, we headed for the Vatican Museum. We had no idea what to expect, but as we walked closer we saw the line. It looked as if it would never end, but we soon found the back. Most of the people in line were tourists, as we were, and only wanted to see the famous Sistine Chapel. The chapel is only one of the magnificent attractions to see once inside. We stood there for a total of two hours and a half. It was dreadful, but we really wanted to get in so we waited. Close by the entrance I had begun to grow impatient, but realized we had come too far to turn around. Once inside, the wait was still not over. We had to divide into lines to buy our tickets, which all could have been avoided if we simply would have reserved them online. Unfortunately, we did not.
After going through the security check we were free. Inside we saw beautiful fountains, sculptures, and frescoes. The last stop of the museum was the Sistine Chapel. It was beautiful; every inch of the wall was covered in art. The room was very crowded and hard to maneuver through, but we made it. In the process we lost Kelsey, so Jess and I figured we would wait for her outside. The exit of the Vatican was a long one. There were many hallways and gift shops as we passed, which were only a means to make money. In my opinion finding the exit took longer than seeing the museum itself. After about 10 minutes we successfully exited the museum. We decided to sit on the steps directly across the street, so we would be able to see Kelsey when she exited. It took Kelsey a long time to come outside; I figured she had the same trouble as we did. While waiting Jess and I ate the snacks we had packed for lunch and “people-watched”.
After nearly 15 minutes, Kelsey finally appeared. Once we were reunited we went to see the famous Spanish steps. We took the metro to Piazza di Spagna, a great example of Roman Baroque Style. During the Renaissance period, it attracted numerous tourists and artists. The same can be said today because of the Spanish steps. The steps were created by Francesco De Sanctis in the 18th century. They link the piazza to the Trinita Church. The fan-shaped steps were filled with tourists; you could barely see the steps. There were children and many teenagers playing near the Barcaccia Fountain. The fountain is located at the foot of the stairs and shaped like a boat; decorate in the coat of arms of Pope VII Barberini. Although the piazza was rather packed, we managed to take a few good pictures and leave.
Earlier that morning, we had had an unexpected change of plans. It turned out that our bed and breakfast was overbooked. As a result, we had to leave a day earlier. It did not bother us too much because we were extremely tired. It seemed as if we had seen all the main sites that Rome had to offer, minus St. Peter’s Basilica. It can just be our main excuse to come back and see more. Due to this change, we were able to get back to Sansepolcro on Saturday night. We were able to save money and sleep at the Palazzo comfortably.
On Sunday, we went outside to enjoy the fair. We walked around for at least two hours shopping and tasted different foods. For lunch we ate piadinas, which is a typical sandwich of the fair. I also tasted the caramelized strawberries; they were delicious. In the market I brought a pair of shoes for myself and I brought three toy cars for my nephew. He has been telling everyone back home that I am going to bring him back Italian cars, so I wanted to keep my promise. After the fair, I went back to the Palazzo to do some much-needed work.
Assisi
For our required excursion, the group took a trip to Assisi. It is in the province of Perugia and located in the Umbria region of Italy. It is the home of the legendary Saint Francis. He was born in 1182 and died in 1226. He was a very powerful and religious figure during the late Middle Ages, who developed an order for friars in 1208. His followers were called Franciscans. The world honors him as the patron saint of the animals and ecology, hence the reason that he is sometimes placed in people’s gardens. Inside the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, one can find an outline of Saint Francis’ life. The church, indeed the whole town, is an enormous tourist site and contains his tomb.
We had the privilege of visiting the basilica. It was incredible, it look just as it did in pictures. The view was beautiful and very different from others I have seen. The basilica is built on a hill on the west side of Assisi, which explains why it has so many steps. It combines two churches into one: the Upper and Lower church. Both parts are decorated in amazing frescoes by a number of prominent artists of the time. The Upper level of the church was painted by the famous artist, Giotto. The range of artists who worked on the interior of both portions combined to make the church a very unique example of Italian art.
My favorite fresco of Saint Francis was called The Confession of the Woman of Benevento. This was the 27th fresco, located on the left side of the church near the alter. It told the story of how Saint Francis blessed and raised a woman from the dead, after she had confessed the only sin she had not previously confessed in her former life. Her confession was witnessed by clerics as she died a second time in peace. The picture shows the devil fleeing from the scene in confusion as the blessing is taking place. I found this fresco very interesting and realistic. I really enjoyed the idea of the devil fleeing away as a shadow, as the angel appears. It was good to know the background information and the sequence before looking so I could understand. On a whole, the group spent close to 45 minutes in the church.
Following the church, everyone broke up into groups and ate lunch. It just so happened that everyone ended up eating lunch in the same place. It was this small restaurant not too far from the church that was very cheap. The pasta that I ordered was not too good, I only ate it because I was starving and did not want to go hungry on the hike later. I am sure that Margrita could have made the pasta much better. By the time we all finished eating, it was time to meet up again for our hike. We were all hesitating to go, because the weather was not looking too good. There was a high chance of rain and the clouds began to get darker as we walked closer.
We were set to meet up at Porta Cappucini and when we reached the top it began to thunder. Dr. Webb thought it would be in our best interest if we did not go walking because we might get caught in the rain. Instead we took the bus to another place. We went to San Giustino, a small town fairly close to Sansepolcro. This was said to be one of Saint Francis’s favorite spots. It was built for him in 1212, a little before his death. We were able to go inside a tiny hill-side church and see the life of friars. There were two priests who were still living in the church in the 21st century. From the location, we were able to see a breath-taking landscape. We could see a little of Sansepolcro and Citta di Castello. While we were there, it began to rain and we left. We reached the Palazzo a little before 5 pm and had the rest of the evening to ourselves.