This. Is. Roma.

Even before I arrived in the Fiumicino airport I had a taste of Italian culture. One of the stewardesses on my plane (who resembled a worn Sophia Loren) introduced me to the manners of her culture be throwing an astonishing tantrum and treating the other airline personnel and the passengers with equal surliness and Latin drama.

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The first view of Rome was not nearly as disappointing, however. We arrived at 6:50 AM Roman time, and the city--laid out in twinkling golden lights--was surrounded by a thick bank of curling clouds under a pink and white sunrise. As we descended further, I could make out one of the famous seven hills on which Rome is built.

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I had to wait until today for my first proper view of the city. We woke up at 5:30 AM to attend mass at Saint Peter's Basilica. So many things could be said about that church, I might begin by saying it had many more 'rooms' than I expected--it consists of a huge, shadowy main hall from which branch off many 'chaplets'. Many things in St. Peter's are on a grand scale: beautiful giants carved in marble, the vast dome high above, Christ's words painted high on the walls so loud they seem to be shouted in thunder. But all this gargantuan splendor cannot dwarf the Pieta, which reclines small and flawless behind its bullet-proof glass.

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After the Basilica, I crossed the Tiber and visited the Pantheon, which proved anticlimactic after St. Peter's. The only significant about the Pantheon is its dome; the paintings inside suffer from poor lighting, and it's amazing how one's enjoyment of something can be spoiled by artic temperatures inside and an odd smell.

I progressed to the Forum, laid out in ruined splendor in the afternoon sunlight. It was quite beuatiful but somewhat crowded and I resolved to return sometime in the early morning before I leave Rome, in order to experience the place unspoilt by fellow tourists. (I should not neglect to mention that I visited the place site where Julius Caesar was killed. This was a strange place...half-ruined except for a stage and steps that remain intact. Although one can hardly imagine the famous murder occurring in this sleepy, humble place overrun by grass and contented cats.)
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This sight concluded my first day in Rome, except for an unimpressive lunch. I have heard that Italian cuisine is world-famous, but this has not been the case: it is utterly impossible to dine in this city without eating complex corbohydrates, their pizza is paper thin and running in grease, and the concept of a salad--perfected in the United States--has apparently not gained popularity here. Not to say that everything I have eaten has been sub-par: I have already discovered the best croissants I have ever tasted and they serve pineapple juice at breakfast.

Classes begin tomorrow!