I’ve only been here for one day and I already want to come back.

I’ve never done international travel alone, so I was nervous and excited. Sam’s dad graciously agreed to drive me to the airport, and even lent me a fancy locking knapsack for the trip.

The flight itself was a parade of hiccups. First, I lost my cane basically instantly upon arriving to the airport. I haven’t yet been able to find a replacement, but like, there has to be a folding cane SOMEWHERE in Rome, right? (Though even without it, I’m doing well so far. The iron pills make such a huge difference, and when I’m tired, I just sit for a while.)

I managed to sleep fitfully on the flight, but I nearly forgot my phone on the plane. Then when I landed, I realized the hotel had been emailing me because I accidentally booked the room one day early, and they nearly canceled my reservation, but I was able to call them in a panic and get it fixed. They were soooo nice about it. On the phone, the concierge was like, “Don’t worry, we want you here! Please come over and you’ll have a room with us!”

Then after calling them, my global data plan got so borked on my phone that the phone company basically had to factory reset it to make it work again. Then I briefly panicked trying to figure out how to use Italian ATMs, but that may have just been tiredness…but since all of those things, it’s actually been pretty smooth sailing!!!

I checked in at the hostel to settle in and recharge my phone. When I arrived the concierge beamed and said, “We spoke on the phone! You made it!” This hostel is so nice.

The one roommate I’ve met is a nice young man from Leeds, England. We bonded over it being both of our first international trips alone, though I think our age difference makes it a bit hard to find common ground. We did talk about bands though.

Then I made a beeline for the #1 thing I wanted to see in Rome, in the neighborhood of Repubblica. But I kept getting distracted by the absolutely stunning architecture of all kinds all around me. It was even in the subway station!

And then I found that the thing I wanted to see was closed for lunch until 4PM, so I had to wait four hours.

Everything around kept talking about the Baths of Diocletian, so I decided to take a look while I waited for my #1 thing to open. And WOW, it was SO COOL. The entire thing was about the different religions of Rome. They had so many statues and religious implements. Some religions were so esoteric they didn’t even have any data on what god was being worshipped! I’ve never heard of that before. And it was really interesting to see how Christianity, Judaism, Egyptian, Iranian, and Greco-Roman religions all existed together.

But my favorite part was the baths themselves. I can’t overstate how huge these baths were. They were the largest in the Roman empire. And they built them in only 8 years!

There was some kind of contemporary art exhibit going on. They also had these gorgeous carvings all around, and a HUGE mosaic on the floor.

After that, I got lunch. I found a vegan place, I never expected to find one in Rome! I got Arancini and Bruschetta. I’m amazed by how beautifully everyone speaks English. I expected people to only speak Italian, and I was ready to do a lot of pantomiming, but their English is probably better than mine.

Traffic in Italy makes NYC traffic look tame. Watching tourists and locals alike jump across the street while cars bore down on them at full speed without a hint of slowing sure was an experience. They use a different timing and sense for when to jaywalk compared to New York, and I have to pick it up. They also don’t apparently believe in road crossing lights. Pedestrians just go whenever there’s an opening.

Then I got to see my #1 favorite thing that I wanted to see in Italy: The Ecstacy of St. Theresa by Bernini, in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria!

Holy COW look at this BEAUTIFUL CHURCH. Everywhere you looked there was ornamentation. Every bit was dazzling. I was obsessed with how they used the natural grain of the stone to create patterns. All the mosaics, all the details.

I spent 30 minutes looking at the Ecstacy of St. Theresa. I lit a votive candle and felt so moved. Ever since I studied this sculpture in (I think) 9th grade, I’ve always wanted to see it.

There’s so much I love about The Ecstacy of St. Theresa. The way the rough stone below looks like the inside of a cave, or clouds. The skylight above to provide a natural spotlight. The composition and how your eye is drawn by the piece. The folds of cloth. The natural body language. As you stare at it IRL, it almost feels like it’s moving, which is one of the hallmarks of Bernini’s style. Man. I love this sculpture so much.

Then I couldn’t help myself, I peeked into another church – the Church of Saint Bernard alleTerme. I was all alone, and it was beautiful. This was my favorite statue. I liked how it stared down at you.

Then I traveled south to see the Bocca Della Verita (the mouth of truth), which I only discovered due to a vocaloid song and which I’ve wanted to see ever since. While there, I discovered the church it sits outside of, which is the Circus Maximus Mithraeum
Mitreo del Circo Massimo and Hadrian’s Crypt. The church was this amazing mash up of different religions and eras of history.

I saw a lot of tourists just take photos and leave without taking in the space. I felt like not a lot of Catholics were present in these Catholic churches. I felt so moved by the spirit of God when I was in them. I stayed at each one for a long time, taking in all the details. Humans are so amazing.

My last stop was the neighborhood of Trastevere for dinner. The place was teeming with locals and had an amazing vibe, and it was so cool to cross the famous Tiber river. Trastevere looked messy, but it’s famous for its food. I went when it was daylight and I felt safe and had a lot of fun.

I had carbonara for the first time:

And gelato too! Sooooo good. I’m so excited to eat more and more.

Lastly, I needed a belt, and what could be better than high quality Italian leather? The smell inside this shop was amazing, and the service was so kind and attentive. They custom fit the length of the belt just for me!

And then I came home! I had a whirlwind first day. I can’t get enough of the way the past and the present seem to be in constant conversation, everywhere you look.

tomorrow: the colosseum and ancient Rome!