Ciao, Roma.

Today was our last full day in Rome and many of us took advantage of the free day given to us for shopping, resting, exploring, and enjoying the sights of Rome for the last time this trip. We then meet late this afternoon for a bus ride over to St. Mary Major to celebrate mass together. Following mass we had an amazing farewell dinner together at a local restaurant. We now have a long night ahead of us that includes packing and studying for our last oral examination. We look forward to being back in the states tomorrow night! Upon our return I will give everyone access to the blog so they took can post their comments and pictures from the trip. Ciao, Roma!

The Chapel in Saint Mary Major where we celebrated mass this evening

Monday at the Vatican

We have had such busy days of fun and excitement but have a few last pictures and comments to post before we head back home tomorrow morning. Monday we started the day with a quick class session in the basement of our hotel and then walked over to Saint Peter's square for a guided tour of the Vatican Museum and the Pio-Christian collection of early Christian sarcophagi. This tour lasted all morning and ended with the much anticipated Sistine Chapel. We were then given a quick break to grab some lunch and a quick nap before touring the Scavi underneath St. Peter's, many commented that this was their favorite portion of the trip. We then celebrated mass at San Agostino in a small chapel dedicated to his mother Monica and enjoyed a lovely walk back to the hotel. Overall, it was a very eventful and fun day!

An evening in Roma.

Statue of Saint Cecila, found in the Basilica, after her body was recovered where she is defending the faith with her hand position.

Saint Paul outside the wall from the back of the high altar looking forward

This morning we began our day with a lovely mass with old friends from Loras at St. Paul outside the wall, followed by the Catacombs of San Callisto. Following our return to ground level we hopped back onto the bus for a short drive outside the city of Rome to Ostia Antica where we were able to enjoy the ruins of the port town and a lovely lunch in the sun. Our afternoon consisted of a wonderful reading from Augustine's Confessions which took place in Ostia! We finished the day with a trip to the Basilica of Saint Cecilia which was absolutely beautiful. Many of us even took advantage of the long walk home to enjoy the city lights of Roma. Overall it was a splendid day and we anticipate lots of time in Saint Peter's square tomorrow. Ciao!

Roma!

Ciao everyone! We apologize if you were worried after not hearing from us (especially after the last thing posted was about the erupting volcano outside our windows), but we have safely arrived in Rome and are just finishing up our first full day here. Our hotel is absolutely beautiful, and literally is right next to the Vatican. Last night we had dinner on our own so many of us walked across the street to Saint Peters square to make sure the Pope was still awake.

This morning we started the day with mass at the Basilica of Saint Clement (which was extremely chilly) and a tour of all of the layers and history of the building. We then walked over to the Coliseum and spent a while taking pictures and listening to the rich history of the area. We enjoyed true italian food for lunch and a little shopping before getting back on the bus to head to The Cathedral of Rome. We have been trying to get a lot of group pictures at different places for the blog. Hope all is well in Dubuque, we have a busy day of events ahead of us tomorrow. We have internet access for our stay in Rome so look forward to many more pictures!

Group inside the Coliseum this morning.

The view from our window.

A group shot at a Greek and Roman Theatre with a view overlooking Taormina, Sicily.

The eruption of Mt. Etna following evening mass.

An image of all of us getting ready for mass in San Pancrazio, Taormina, Sicily.

Last Days in Sicily

Greetings all! Today we end our last full day in Sicily in a town called Taormina. After an early wake up and 3 hour drive, we arrived to find we get to stay the night in what looks like a beautiful castle : ) We had the whole afternoon to explore, so some of us enjoyed a fun afternoon of shopping and tasting the pizza of Sicily. We also completed our first Oral exam today, which thankfully we all survived. Tonight we celebrated mass in a beautiful church at the end of the town, and when we walked out we found the volcano, Mt. Etna is erupting! We are getting ready for dinner and night activities now, but just wanted to post a few pics of our day's adventures. Tomorrow we are putting on plays at an old theatre and then taking off for Roma! Blessings to all!