Tuesday May 22nd

View of the storms rolling in from the top of the Spanish Steps

Much to the group’s surprise, Tuesday was actually a fairly slow day. The group actually did not even meet up until 4:30 in the afternoon. The reason for our late meeting was the constant downpour of rain throughout the day. I want to see as many sights as the next person while I’m abroad, but I would just assume not be soaked from head to toe while we see the sights. So needless to say, I was alright with having some free time on Tuesday to relax. Unfortunately the weather has been pretty abysmal so far in Rome, mostly cloudy days with rain sprinkled in, but for the most part we have pushed through the rain and kept on schedule.

Once our group met late in the afternoon, we departed to visit the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps are actually the widest staircase in Europe, connecting the Trinitia Dei Monti church at the top to a piazza at the bottom. We stayed long enough to climb the massive steps and take a few pictures and moved to our next destination quickly as it was still raining slightly.

Trevi Fountain

Pushing on through the rain, our next stop was Trevi Fountain. Trevi Fountain was commissioned by Pope Clement XII, completed in 1762, and stands today as one of the most famous fountains in the world. While I wasn’t enjoying walking through the rain, I was actually very happy that it was raining when we reached Trevi Fountain. Because the fountain is so popular and well-known there are constantly tourists visiting the fountain. Fortunately for our group, the rain kept away a sizeable amount of tourists so we were able to see the fountain up-close.

Piazza Navona

Our next stop was Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona is a large public square surrounded by Baroque-style buildings as well as housing two large fountains in the actual square. Similar to the Trevi Fountain, this normally popular gathering place was for the most part empty as the rain was beginning to slow for the first time that day. 

We ended our day on the bridge crossing the Tibre River. Our teachers knew of some great places to eat just across the river, so they let us loose for the evening with one caveat; we must look at 5 different menus before we decided on a place to eat dinner. 5 group members and I decided on an Italian restaurant off the beaten path but with a great-looking menu. I assure you, this restaurant did not disappoint. We began the meal with a couple of bottles of wine, followed by prosciutto and cheese plate. While I stayed as far away as possible from the pungent cheeses, I enjoyed the prosciutto on some fresh-baked bread. We followed the first course with a course of fried mozzarella. Although the first plate of cheeses did not look appealing to me, the fried mozzarella was incredible. For our main course, I ordered veal ravioli with a meaty marinara sauce. This entrée was fabulous as well, although I wish the portion had been a bit larger. Overall, this was by far the best meal I have eaten so far this trip. I left the restaurant feeling like I had really experienced an authentic Italian meal.

We ended the night by stopping by the same bar we visited a few nights prior to grab a quick beer before heading home for the evening. While the day started slow and gloomy with all the rainfall, our group made the best of the situation and ended up having a great day.