Thursday was another fun day. It was the last day of class, and for some, it was their last full day in Rome. I slept in that morning, for the first time since Sunday, and got ready for class. We decided to walk, since it was “the last time”. It was really hot, but the walk was worth it. In class, all we had to do was write a “postcard” of our experiences in Rome from an engineering perspective for the USC Viterbi Engineering website. This took around a half hour and then we were given our presentation grades. And then we were free. Well, free except for the written proposal of course, but it felt like we were done.

To celebrate, we went to one of the best pizzerias in Rome, which was just around the corner, and was called Monte Carlo. True to its reputation, it was the best pizza margherita I had the whole time in Rome. Then it was time to shop a little more. Mike and I headed off to go find some souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. We spent a good two hours on this endeavor, walking from Accent through Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and finally up to Barberini metro stop. We rode the metro back home, and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and basically procrastinating work on the final project. At some point I decided to give up hope and just finish it at home. That night we had a farewell dinner put on by Accent a couple blocks away from our apartment. The meal started off delicious with seemingly endless appetizers. I stuffed myself, and by the time the entrees arrived I was full. But I pressed on! After the appetizers, the food declined a little, with mediocre pasta, some strange meat that I think was supposed to be veal, and then some gelato with fruit. In the end, I was glad I ate so many appetizers!

We walked back home and I spent the rest of the night saying goodbyes and relaxing. Again I ended up on the terrace at some point and played more cards, but not for too long this time. Almost half the group was leaving the next day, either for the journey home or for further travels in Europe.