colosseum

A three-story temple painstakingly hand-carved in the side of a red rock cliff. Nature’s fireworks, flashing silently and elegantly across the northern night sky. An underground tunnel connecting two landmasses by railroad.

When I first went to Rome, I was 17 years old, and it was the first time I ever had been to Europe. I was a stereotypical teen, it seemed: I had a nice iPhone, I was a pile of angst occasionally, and I loved video gaming and sleeping. It seemed like I would be the last to love travel and the stress that came with it. However, I remember being giddy with excitement to see all the sites and learn a bit of Italian while walking through the ancient city. Before my family of four left the US, I had gotten a pocket-sized dictionary and even started using Duolingo to learn the basics of Italian.