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I fell in love with Rome almost instantly. It is “organized chaos” as one person at my hostel put it. I couldn’t agree or like it more. In stark contrast to Naples it is much cleaner (though the Athens subway still wins for being the nicest I’ve seen) and everybody speaks English once again.

I ambled about a park and then the Colosseum came into view over the tree tops. I caught myself unconsciously grinning. And it hit me: this is why I came on this trip. To see these things. To have these experiences. I am giddy.

Back at the hostel there is spaghetti night - for 2 euros you get all the pasta and wine you want. It’s a great socializing tool and I meet a bunch of people. Most notably, the highest concentration of Americans yet. There’s two girls from Montana, and two from Wisconsin. So the midwest is getting some good representation!

Eventually, sitting on the hostel’s rooftop, a guy tells us that he has a duty free bottle of vodka that he’d like us to help him get rid of. We oblige, and laugh long into the night.