Written by: Emma Overton and Sophia Hurst (Students)
We started off at the port of Civitavecchia skeptical about our first field excursion: Rome on your own. Neither of us had been to this reputable metropolis and were intimidated by its common assessment of “you cannot do Rome in a day.” With this assumption looming over us we decided to attempt the impossible. Our brilliant tour guide Sirah assisted us greatly with helpful tips and information on our short and sweet bus ride through the countryside. Our menacing maps made downtown Rome seem large and only navigable by metro or taxi. Our plan was to take the Metro line A to the Spanish Steps, then back on the Metro to the infamous Coliseum, walk our way back up to Spanish steps while stopping at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the big beautiful white building to see the steps at night. We both were now veteran travelers of the metro in Barcelona, but we were disappointed with the lack of clearly marked signs or tourist-friendly maps. After some stressful wandering, we discovered “Al Treni” means “to the trains” and we were able to push through the crowds to find our way to the Coliseum. The line didn’t seem too daunting, so we paid the 12 Euros and navigated our way through the ancient ruins by following a German tour group.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that we didn’t even need to take the metro until we needed to meet back at the Vatican to catch the bus home. All of the largest sights to see were conveniently located and well labeled with street signs. After visiting the Pantheon, we ate at a cute restaurant and made our way to the impressive monument, Trevi Fountain. After many thank you's and goodbye’s we finally pulled ourselves away and threw our coins into the beautiful fountain. 
We strolled back up to the Spanish steps and took the short Metro ride back to the Vatican where the sun set on St. Peter’s square and the exquisite church was illuminated against the gorgeous sky. Here, we ran into fellow Semester at Sea-ers and enjoyed the end of our perfect day with friends. In the end, we found that with our determination, we were able to accomplish the impossible: we fell in love with Rome in one day.
