Rome

In truth, I first went to Rome for the art, not the food. I was a student at the University of Washington and signed up for its studio art program at the Palazzo Pio in the historic center of Rome. It was my first visit to Europe, and I planned to spend the semester gazing at the Roman columns, and the Berninis, and the Caravaggios, and making my own art back at the Palazzo. From the start, I was totally smitten with Rome; I still am. You can wander around and get a little lost in the narrow streets, and then you turn the corner and there’s something glorious, like, say, the Pantheon. Rome is a labyrinth of beauty that always surprises me.