Our weekend in Rome was jam packed - between the Vatican Museum (including the Sistine Chapel), St. Peter's Basilica, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, the Pantheon and some of the more well known piazzas, not to mention trying to spend time with my family that lives in Rome, I barely had time to sit. Out of everything we got to do and see, however, the highlight of this weekend for me was without a doubt seeing my Zia Gabriella, Zia Maria, Giulia and Giancarlo. I haven't seen them since I was eleven, and although at times we couldn't understand one another, I couldn't be more grateful to have had the opportunity to spend that time with them, especially after gaining a better understanding of Italian and being able to converse a little easier than the last time I was here. One thing is for sure, one weekend in Rome was not enough; my aunt laughed and told me that, in her opinion, I needed a whole month to know Rome even a little bit, after which she suggested I just up and move there because why not.

We also stumbled upon an LGBTQ pride rave just across the street from the Colosseum, made a few friends and danced the night away - surely an unexpected but one of the most memorable things we ended up doing that weekend.