It's a miracle! ( that the climb didn't kill me, LOL!!)

Do not try to adjust your screen, and this is not just another example of my bad photography skills, the walls actually do tilt and curve and the passage is very narrow.



that 320 steps... felt more like 32,000 steps
I was way way up at the top, you can't even see it here.

the view was amazing!! ( I need so new adjectives, LOL!!)
Man were these stairs rough and scary, no room for error and no way to quit once you start, you just gotta go all the way.
more tilted walls
Inside the vatican, I even sat in on a few minutes of mass.



I was on the level right under the ball.
I was so proud of myself for making it up there, but I don't think I would do it again, the journey really is insane.

The Roman Forum

If I haven't explained this already the way my classes work is every class meets 2 times a week, one time in the classroom one time onsite aka field trips. This is fantastic of course because you learn so much more from being able to see works of art in person. The trick is you have to find your own way to the designated meeting point which could be a monument, a museum, a church or an address anywhere in Rome. So not only do I learn about art, I also get to learn about Rome's public transportation system. (I'll leave that topic to another blog). Today's field trip was to the Roman Forum. It cost 12euro to walk around in there and according to the ticket guy there are no discounts, we really tried but he was firm on the price. Of course it was totally worth it. Every site I go to I just love and hope to be able to find the time to return again as a brief (3-4hours) tour just is not enough for someone like me who could spend all day just studying one statue.

The tiny town of Tuscania not to be confused with Tuscany

I was really looking forward to my day off from school. Just living in Rome is exhausting, add school to the mix and I'm ready to just about drop dead at the end ( sometimes in the middle) of the day. So when I found out that we had an all day mandatory field trip to the little Town of Tuscania, I just about cried. I know, I know, I should have been thrilled but seriously I have never been this tired and sore in my life and just really wanted a day of rest. In the end and as usual here in Italy I just loved it! Tuscania was beautiful, what a lovely trip!
Final picture is of my sketchbook Professor and our host in this most wonderfully frescoed church.