Roma!

It is almost 11:00 PM (4:00 PM Central) of my first day in Italy, and it was absolutely incredible! When I arrived around 9:00 AM, someone from my study abroad program was at the airport to greet me and take me to my hotel in downtown Rome. There were two other students who arrived around the same time as me; a girl from UA (who I'd never met and had no idea was coming) and a guy from West Palm Beach. When we got to the hotel, we met with Francesca (another lady with study abroad) and found out that our rooms wouldn't be ready for a few more hours. And what a blessing it turned out to be! She gave us each a map of Rome, told us what we should visit, explained the extremely easy train system, and sent us on our way. By the end of the day, we had seen over a dozen major sites and had the time of our lives! Here are a few of the almost 200 pictures I took today...

Fountain in the middle of the Piazza della Repubblica, a breathtaking plaza of buildings very near our hotel. One of the many dozens of gorgeous plazas throughout Rome.

Spanish steps with the Trinita dei Monti in the background. If you look closely, there is a guy dressed up like a Spartan standing near the top of the steps. :)

My first slice hunk of real Italian pizza! It had prosciutto, spinach, and fresh parmigiano reggiano - divine! They cut it and then fold it in half before serving it. Oh, and I have no idea what in the world is going on with my upper lip in this picture...

Entrance to the Piazza del Popolo. Believe it or not, there are buildings like this everywhere! I honestly had no idea until today every building in Rome is so ornate. There are ZERO skyscrapers, and every street and alley I've seen has been beautiful.

Fontana del Tritone.

The Trevi Fountain was our final planned stop, and we definitely saved the best for last. Not only was this the most beautiful thing we saw, it was also where I stood while eating my first cup of Italian gelato! See those tiny people on the bottom right? Those are adults. Yup, it's that huge.

I never imagined I would be able to see all of that in one day, but I am so, so thankful that I did. Already, the Lord has provided for me in so many ways, and I know he will continue to do so. Thank you for your prayers and letters, they have been such an encouragement. Please pray for me as I finish exploring Rome tomorrow and make the 12-hour journey by train to Sicily. I promise to update y'all again soon!