La Mia Famiglia a Roma

         Thanksgiving is a time for family, relaxation, and of course food (and, you know, stopping and giving thanks too). I was a little apprehensive about spending Thanksgiving in Rome since it's obviously not celebrated here, but I was very excited when I convinced my parents to bring the family for the break (convinced is used very loosely here, it really didn't take much more than me reminding them that my sisters got a few days off from school).
          I think I did more around Rome that week than I had in weeks, since we were trying to fit in all the major attractions in a relatively short period of time. Plus, it didn't help that November rained on our parade. In Rome, November is the "rainy month," so plans are often very contingent on when it rains (it rains everyday, it just depends on what time of the day it ends up raining). And yes, I think I'm funny sometimes.
         My family arrived on Saturday afternoon and had rented an apartment in Trastevere, which is where my school is located. It's known as the "Greenwich Village" of Rome. So, essentially it's trendy and cute with tons to do. The apartment was baller by Rome standards, or at least based on all the ones I've seen so far! The week was exhausting, we fit so much in. I'll just give an overview.


Saturday night: Trevi fountain (after getting us pretty lost, you'd think I'd know my way around by now but my terrible sense of direction struck again) and Spanish steps
Sunday: Porta Portense market in Trastevere which was right outside their apartment. I think my sisters, my mom, and I ended up getting ten scarves, or some other ridiculously high number. Followed by the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, neither of which I had been to before. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that in the "off season," meaning November - February, they closed at 3:30 so we weren't able to go to the Colosseum like we had planned.
Monday: Didn't end up making it to any of my classes! Hit up the Vatican Museum (my mom almost got sick/passed out in the museum, but she held it together for fear of my family's inevitable jokes for the rest of our lives about it if it had happened) followed by St. Peter's Basilica. Vatican Museum is the biggest thing ever, I'm pretty sure I could go there every day between now and when I leave, I still wouldn't see everything!
Tuesday: Santa Maria sopra Minerva church, Pantheon, followed by getting the "best coffee in all of Rome," (it really is some of the best espresso I've ever had) then Santa Maria in Trastever and taking the train to Florence.
Wednesday: Florence: Azizi museum. Huge with tons of Renaissance paintings. I discovered my intense dislike of that style and would have died if I saw another religious painting. Lots of walking around and exploring the city.
Thursday: Another day in Florence, spent looking for boots. Nope, didn't find any :( However, I found lots of purses; I've got some good gifts to bring back!
Friday: Train back to Rome followed by Colosseum (first time I had actually been inside of it!) and San Giovanni in Laterano church

Rebekah and I inside the Colosseum

The gorgeous Duomo in Florence

The week was filled with family fun (some fights thrown in there as well), sightseeing, and lots and lots of eating! Definitely happy that I got to spend Thanksgiving with my family and can't wait to be home for all the great things that come along with Christmas and New Year's!