Buongiorno from Rome!  What an incredible first few days we’ve had, which all began with going to the beautiful Piazza del Popolo for pizza and views of the city! For dinner we enjoyed an authentic Italian restaurant, while wearing togas and listening to a duo who were playing guitar and singing opera. We were also excited to surprise Alex with a birthday cake topped with a bright sparkler, and all sang happy birthday!

The next day we went to the famous Colosseum, where we learned all about the gladiator battles and took great pictures! Then we headed to Vatican City where we thought we had spotted a celebrity; none other than The Pope! Sadly, it was just an impersonator…better luck next time! Fun fact: Did you know that Vatican City is considered its own country? So technically, on our journey we will be visiting 3 countries, not just 2! After, we admired the beautiful Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.f

Our group ate a delicious dinner at Piazza Navona, before making our way to the famous Trevi Fountain. Our very own Dylan and Gabby did an incredible job volunteering to help navigate us there. At the fountain, some of our trip members reenacted scenes from the teenage classic “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” by singing songs and throwing coins into the water while making a wish. We then went to the oldest ice cream shop in Rome to get the best gelato ever!

Yesterday we celebrated Canada Day with a few of our Canadian members who were decked out in Canada Day shirts, hats and flags! They happily shared some of their swag and stickers with the the rest of the group before we explored the breathtaking Spanish Steps area! Later that day, we went to Trastevere and took a great group picture on a bridge overlooking the Tiber River, which runs through Rome. After that, we checked out a cool market before eating dinner and more gelato-because when in Rome is there really such thing as too much gelato?! We concluded the night by playing fun games and enjoying the street performers. Our group especially enjoyed a breakdancing performance, where our very own Alex participated in a friendly competition of “the worm”, way to go!

We’re headed to Perugia today and stoked for more adventures there! Stay tuned for more exciting updates…

The Westcoast Blogger

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