City Five: Rome, Italy A Crash Course In Ancient History The first thing I noticed in Rome was the vibrant and clear blue sky. Out of the three cities I visited in Italy, Rome was my favorite. The history right in front of my eyes was overwhelming. We took a three-hour walking tour around the Roman ruins. We visited the Coliseum and the supposed burial location of Julius Caesar. It was incredible to realize that I was walking the same sacred paths that the ancient Roman emperors had. The ancient history courses I’d taken in high school came flooding back as I listened about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

"On March 17th, two brave, attractive, and daring students, Shawna and Amy, embarked on 18 days of nonstop backpacking across Europe. Both players were involved in the New York University study abroad program in London, England, and decided to spend spring break taking advantage of how ridiculously cheap it is to travel in Europe. They set out on an amazing quest to find one thing: Men in Kilts (not to be confused with Men in Tights, as in "Robin Hood Men in Tights," a comedy favorite of both travelers). Shawna writes about the history, the food, the catcalls, and the revelries the two ladies found on their journey through six cities: Dublin, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Athens. Read on to find out if they were successful in their quest to find kilted men…

I was most moved by the Sistine Chapel. After hearing about Michelangelo’s masterpiece from my art-educated father growing up, I finally witnessed the brilliance firsthand. The halls leading up to the Sistine Chapel were overwhelming: gold leaf painted murals dictated the history of Christianity. I was breathless. Hundreds of people stood as I did, their heads tilted back and their eyes focused on the famous frescoes in silent awe.

A woman can not go anywhere in Italy without fear of Italian men. One episode from Rome sticks out clearly in my mind. To enter the Vatican Museum, we had to go through security terminals. As my travel companion, Amy, walked through her security terminal, the Roman guard looked her up and down, made a fake “beeping” noise, and said, “I wish!” We found it both amusing and disturbing that we couldn’t go anywhere without feeling wary of rude catcalls.

We ended our two-night stay in Rome with a remarkable meal that complemented the trip well. At Trattoria der Pallano, the chef has been serving the same set lunch and dinner for the past 30 years. The sign on the restaurant’s façade reads “Qui se magna quello che passa la casa,” or “here you will eat what we want to feed you.” What they served was superb and reasonably priced. For 20 euros, we had wine, appetizers, pasta, veal, amazing homemade potato chips, and delicious peach pie. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful Roman experience.