Photos by Caelin Webber

When I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Rome for a long weekend (while studying in Cambridge, England, for a semester), I really had no idea what would await me.

Of course, I had the long list of sights drilled in my head: the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and the list goes on. But there is just something mystical and enchanting about the Eternal City that words truly can't describe. It really is a world of its own, and your breath is taken away again and again with each corner you take.

I must admit, I was quite nervous to travel to Italy by myself; I had flown plenty of places before on my own, but never to a place where I didn't speak the language. Of course, I had maps and directions coming out the ying-yang, and had my handy-dandy Italian phrase book, but I couldn't help feeling that I was just a little bit crazy.

The flight was as smooth as silk, and we landed in Italy without a hitch. After a frightening little incident at Passport control where I interpreted a misplaced ink pad as my being detained as a suspected criminal, I found myself waiting on my way to the hotel.

I joined some friends for dinner in the heart of downtown Rome. I had a traditional Italian four-course dinner: bruschetta, spaghetti carbonara, veal parmesan and custard. Of course, it all tasted amazing: this was Italy after all. Oh, and don't forget the bottles and bottles of wine!

To make the evening even more wonderful, we made out way to the Pantheon, and just sat for about an hour by its fountain. We didn't get home until well after two in the morning. I just couldn't believe how fast the time went; we had left for supper at 6:00 p.m.!

After getting a great night's sleep, I made my way back to my friend's hotel, where I had been invited to join a group who was visiting an Italian villa that morning. This was not just any villa, of course, as one of the professors had a close relationship with the owner, and we were to be given a private tour.

It turns out that this was no villa at all, really, but the Sovereign Order of Malta, the smallest recognized sovereign state in the world. Situated in the middle of Rome atop of one of its highest hills, has its own government, issues its own passports and stamps, and is granted the status of Permanent Observer in the United Nations. While here, you could look into three countries at once: Sovereign Order of Malta, Italy (Rome) and the Vatican.

As you can imagine, this was an incredible treat and absolutely awe-inspiring. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing a bit of shopping and eating.

We ended the night at what was to become my favourite spot in all of Rome: the Trevi Fountain. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the fountain is that it seems to appear out of nowhere; as you approach, you can only hear the rush of water, and then, all of a sudden, materializes this amazing work of art, celebrating life, heath and change. Eerily illuminated by floodlights, the effect was magnificent.

So there I was sipping wine and eating gelato (a less firmly frozen, softer, more intensely flavoured and coloured version of ice cream... so good!) by the Trevi Fountain, and just couldn't believe I was in Rome.

The next day, a small group of us rented bicycles and set out to explore some of the back streets of the city. It was a spectacular way to discover many of the often overlooked nooks and crannies of this magnificent city. After returning the bicycles (which only cost three Euros for over an hour), and devouring another fabulous pasta lunch, we headed to Vitorrio Emmanuel Monument, an astonishing tribute to all the fallen war heroes. There were even guards patrolling to make sure no one was sitting down, out of respect for the dead.

Climbing to the top of the monument offered panoramic views of the city, with the Forum and the Colosseum in the foreground. The Forum was, indeed, our next stop, and it was here that I was truly blown away by the amount of history packed so tightly into such a small space. This was where the political, religious and commercial activities of ancient Rome took place, and although certainly an exercise in imagination, it was easy to feel like you were part of a flourishing society, that ancient Rome was, in that moment, alive and well.

We finished the day off with a brief stop at the Colosseum; its sheer size is mesmerizing. The largest structure for entertainment with gladiators and wild animals ever built by the Romans, you cannot help but notice its ambiguous and almost paradoxical attraction as, on one hand, it seems to represent the best of the Roman civilization in the grandiosity of its architecture, and on the other it seems to express its darker side in the cruelty of the shows that were offered here. And no, Russell Crowe was not there.

Alas, my final day in the Eternal City had arrived all too swiftly. I set out early in the morning to join the queue for the Vatican Museums, an immense collection of papal wealth and fortune, saturated with rare paintings, sculptures and other artefacts.

By the time I reached the ultimate destination, the Sistine Chapel, my senses had been completely overwhelmed. Here I was, staring up at the Sistine Chapel, one of the world's greatest masterpieces; I was in a daze, really, my mind wouldn't let me take it all in.

Next, I visited The Basilica of St. Peter's, and paid my respects to Pope John Paul II. Although not a Catholic, I could not help but be overwhelmed by the utter size and scale of the church. The greatest architects of the period, including Bramante, Michelangelo and Maderno, collaborated in the creation of St. Peter's, the largest in the world with its surface adding up to a total of 22,000 square metres.

After wandering around for an hour or so, I noticed I had a few hours to kill before I made my way to the airport, so I made my way to the Piazza di Spagna, home of the Spanish Steps. This magnificent staircase was designed in the 1700s by Francesco De Sanctis, and is animated by terraces and curved sections that create the effect of a waterfall precipitating into the square below.

After a brief interval here, I made my way back to the hotel to collect my luggage, and, before I realized, I was back in London. I realize that this account has been littered with words like amazing, wonderful and breathtaking, but truly these descriptors do not do justice to Rome. It really is a place one must discover for oneself to appreciate its magnificence and majesty.