When entering a new city it is quite typical to feel lost. When wandering the streets it’s exciting to get lost and find your way home but it is also somewhat stressful. After mastering my walk to class I figured I needed to move onto bigger and better things. I sat down with my map (which I must say has been my bible for the past week) and tried to understand the basic geography of the overwhelming city I am living in.
I decided it was time to take this city on and I decided to visit to Victor Emmanuel Monument. I was advised by a friend who studied in Rome a year ago to visit this site and I will encourage anyone after me to do the same. After an hour or so of walking (and getting lost), I gazed up at this beautiful building, which is often referred to as the birthday cake, in awe. It was breath taking. However, nothing beats the view from the top. We hiked up flights of stairs after flights of stairs and took a short elevator to the top for 7 Euros. I must say, it was the best 7 Euros I have spent since my arrival in Italy. From the top you can see the top of the Vatican, the colosseum, the Roman forum, the river, neighborhoods as far as Prati, Trastevere and everything in between.
This was by far the most beautiful site I have seen thus far. Since then I have walked up and down and all around the city and could not feel more oriented. It put perspective on Rome and gave me comfort to know the layout. It also makes me appreciate how lucky I am to see this all. I know this might sound cliché but it was so incredibly breath taking to see this all at my fingertips.