Roma

SO the past two weekends have been jam-packed.

The weekend before last I went on Saturday with my High Renaissance class to the Medici villas (basically palaces with huge, elaborate gardens). The Medici were in apparently totally into hidden water jets to soak their guests. Also they had water-powered automatons. They were planning to use them to take over the world.

Then we went to Vinci and saw Mr. Leonardo's childhood home, and some reconstructions of his CRAAAZY flying machines. Also dozens of inventions that actually worked. But I like to focus on the negative.

Then this last weekend I went with SACI to Roma and Tivoli.

On Friday, the day we left, I found out that the Italian government fell. Thats right. Collapsed. Basically I am living in a lawless state overrun by cannibals and plagued by feudal warlords. It's alright, though.

So basically, Rome is the shit. We spent 12 hours a day like speed walking to hundreds of churches, but by the time we were done, I had seen aka been inside of the Vatican museums, St Peters Baslica (the longest church in the world), the Colosseum and Roman Forum, Hadrian's Villa, and countless other chapels with things like original caravaggios and Berninis.

When we went into St Peters (the location of Michelangelo's Pieta), they started mass, and we got escorted out because of Prof was whispering to use about the art. She then proceeded to have a yelling match in Italian with the guards, who were threatening to call the police. Eventually, we were allowed to go back in under complete silence.... except the professor.

Also I saw the plasticine-preserved body of a dead Pope.

Also there are more pictures are on facebook.