Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world that many die wishing they can see. It is a city that is filled with many historical facts, architecture, and religion, which is what, makes this city so admirable by many around the world. As a tourist visiting the enchanting city for the first time, I could not help myself to think about all the must-see tourist attractions. In my mind I pictured Rome to be the one stop shop to all the ancient treasure artifacts that are hidden in Roman history, such as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, and the Vatican City.
To many, Rome is known as the Eternal City because the Romans believed no matter how many empires or buildings would collapse, they were certain that their legacy would live in eternality. Living up to this everlasting view, my foreigner persona made it my so call mission to relive through the oval amphitheater that is located right in the center of the city. Every time I hear someone talk about the Eternal City’s name, I cannot help but picture the gladiator contests, mock sea battles, animal hunts, the reenactments of all the famous battles, chariot races, and classical mythology drama entertainment that took place during the medieval era.
Prior to visiting Rome, I always wished to visit the Altar of the Fatherland where the famous and inferior emperor Julius Caesar stood before us or perhaps envision where the greatest Roman emperor of all time according to the Romans took his very last breath. My religious persona can only dream of getting front row seats to attend Sunday mass at the Vatican, seeing Pope Francis face to face, and receiving his blessing through Holy Communion, or my wishful soul who only dreams of being able to throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain.
From the moment I stepped out of the train station where I was greeted by the extravagant historical city buildings where all the medieval history lays my journey started. The beginning of my journey consisted of walking through the eight lighting candles displayed in front of the Virgin Mary and the Jesus Christ portrait at the Sant’Ignazio church. The middle and most memorable part of my journey was when my dream came true and I was able to turn around, close my eyes, kiss my lucky coin from afar, raise my hand up in the air, and make a wish before my lucky coin slowly reaches and falls inside the Trevi Fountain. The end of my journey consisted of me stumbling, climbing, and quietly reflecting on my Rome experience. While on top of the Spanish Steps, I came to the conclusion that Rome was not build in one day making it my next mission to make another visit to Rome. With the only difference that during this visit I would make it a priority to immerse myself in the Roman culture and to get a true heart felt feeling of what it is like to be a local lost in this beautiful simplistic city.
Hi there, my name is Selyna Bermudez*. I’m a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. My majors are Journalism and Media Studies and Human Services. I’m studying abroad in Viterbo, Italy for the summer with USAC. I chose to study in this specific location because of the small town, family orientated, and education attainment vibe that Viterbo offers. I believe that being a part of this town will allow me the opportunity to explore my writing on a deeper level and continue to strive to become the voice of the voiceless. I’m beyond excited to embark on this amazing travel writing journey!
Ciao, il mio nome è Selyna Bermudez. Sono una studentessa dell’Università del Nevada, Las Vegas. Il mio indirizzo è il giornalismo con studi sui media e sui servizi umani. Questa estate sto studiando in Italia a Viterbo con USAC. Ho scelto una piccola città, per vivere la tranquillità e le bellezze che offre. Essere una parte di essa mi permetterà di esplorare la mia scrittura e dare voce a ciò che vedo. Sono felice di iniziare questo viaggio straordinario di scrittura!
