So I should just start off by saying the Vatican museums are amazing. We first went through a long room filled with statues. And then like a million more rooms with statues, but these were covered in paintings as well, not only on the walls, but the ceilings too (I actually think the ceilings were more grand). Also the floors were often made of intricate tiles. Basically I felt like I was inside one giant amazing lavishly detailed multimedia piece of art.
The Belvedere Torso
Like this ceiling is insane.
Incredible.
Just wow.
And then there was the Sistine Chapel. How did Michelangelo spend four years on his back painting a ceiling? A huge ceiling, to say the least. It was surreal to see something so old (it was painted between 1508 and 1512!), and also so famous. I am so lucky to have been able to see such an exquisite piece of art. Standing there, in that great chapel, filled with people shoulder to shoulder, I felt very calm looking at the awe-inspiring images. I didn't know where to look, everything was so beautiful, I kept turning my head from one spot to another like a puppy!
So technically you are not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel because they sold the rights to photograph it to the company that funded its extensive restoration. And while you can find very high quality photos of it online, I wanted to have my own. So I may have sneaked a photo.
That may or may not be my head on the left.
After we were finished at the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel, we had a quick lunch and went to St. Peter's Basilica. We didn't have tickets for a tour there, and the line was crazy long, so we just took some pictures from the outside. I'm not Catholic, but it was really cool to see the place where the Pope gives mass. In general, it was an amazing experience to go to the capital of Catholicism in the world, even if I am not of the Catholic faith.
Me in front of St. Peter's Basilica. Just above my head to the right is where the Pope gives mass.
We got gelato one more time (you can never have too much gelato) and we made our way to the airport. Technically speaking, I was in three countries that day: Italy, Vatican City, and France (we flew to Marseille that night), which is pretty cool I think.
Being in Italy was amazing and an experience I will never forget. The food was great, the art was great, the scenery was so freaking beautiful. There were trying times, but it was all so worth it. I feel so lucky that I was able to go abroad this semester, because otherwise I never would've been able to travel this much at such a young age. I felt so connected to Italy. I loved the brightly colored houses, the flow of the Italian language, the tiny winding streets (and canals!).
It's hard to put in words how I felt in Italy. Like with Ireland, it was a privilege to be able to travel to one of the countries my ancestors are from (even though I didn't get to go to Naples, the city where the Italian part of my family is from). I think it's important to see where I came from, especially as a third generation American, when remembering your ancestors and their lives in their home countries can sometimes be overshadowed by the culture and technology of modern America.
I may write more about this in the future, but during my time in Italy and France I had some good talks with the people I was traveling with, and we realized that even though in America I say I am Irish, I am Italian, I am German, Scottish, English, I would not say that here. In Ireland I can't tell people I'm Irish. I say my grandmother was Irish, and so I have Irish in me, but I am not from Ireland. Just like I am not from Italy. My ancestors were. In America, I am Irish, Italian, German, Scottish, and English, but everywhere else in the world I am American. And that's true; I realized I am, very much so, American. And while that may have negative connotations to some people, I am okay (and proud) to be an American. I am honored to be of Irish, Italian, German, Scottish, and English descent, but I am also proud of my family's hard work since coming to America, and I'm so fortunate for this trip for helping me to see that better.
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