Holy buckets, Rome is overwhelming. It’s big, it’s Italian, and it’s not Germanic. So what does that feel like? Be prepared that everything I am about to say are generalized observations and in no way fully capture the amazing places we have been. With that, the Middle Europe countries that we were in previously are clean (mostly), scheduled and timely, not overly crowded, and people are reserved. They aren’t overly affectionate. They don’t yell. They don’t call too much attention to themselves.
Here we are in Rome, and the drivers are crazy. The traffic is crazy. It’s dirtier here, people seem to be arguing and then they kiss each other. Everyone is flamboyantly fashionable, in a way where they seem to enjoy being looked at. Laundry is literally everywhere, hung out on our first day in the bright December sun. The trains may or may not come. Sometimes one comes, then the next comes one minute later. When you’re packed into the train and it feels like for sure not one more single person can cram into it, all of our stinky bodies pushed up against each other. The train stops, the door opens, and the single person trying to squeeze off is drowned as 10 more people somehow cram themselves into the train.
So what was Rome like for us? When we first got here, Ellie wasn’t feeling well. Being more “in charge” of finding us from point A to point B and how things work, I was feeling overwhelmed beyond belief. Additionally, we have 3 days/4 nights here, same as in every other city. Yet there is SO much to do and see, how can we possibly fit it in? I started off by feeling a bit taken aback, even unexcited about being in Rome. Rome, of all places! When in Rome, right?
Four days later, I’m a changed woman. I can completely appreciate what Rome is, as a city. And I would even venture to say I really liked it. Love is probably a bit strong, but it feels like the kind of place that you keep coming back to. So, I figure it’s got another chance with me.
We stayed in an apartment we booked through airbnb, located literally across the street from Termini Station (ie central station). The neighborhood was so-so… Lots of vendors, some homeless people, crowds of tourists at certain times of day (imagine living outside of central station in NYC…it’s a big meeting point with lots of people). The back streets in the neighborhood are filled with many Korean, Chinese, and African markets. As you move away from the train station, the neighborhood becomes diverse and interesting with lots of street art, parks with ancient roman ruins, and little shops peppered with trattorias. The apartment itself is nice & clean, a shared space. We are renting a room from the occupants, Ines and Luca. Our second day there, they leave to go on a trip so we end up having the place to ourselves. This is very nice as we got to cook, hang out, and feel more at home.
And now, onto the activities that brought us from skeptics to believers (fitting analogy, what with the Vatican so close ;P). On Saturday morning, we awoke early to depart the ship in Civitavecchia. Sad to leave the buffet lifestyle (and full gym), but it is nice to be back traveling on our own. On the cruise, it felt too short to arrive in a port and have only from 8am to 6pm to see the entire city. How can you actually experience a place in 8-10 hours? We take a train back from Civitavecchia to Rome Termini station, and find our airbnb apartment by about 11:30. Ellie is still not feeling well, so we relax, researching what exactly we want to do here in Rome. In the evening, we go out to attempt to do a walking tour. Without having booked online, we are turned away, as the tour is full. A bit disheartened we walk back to the apartment, stopping for a few basic groceries at a corner market. To bed early, tomorrow is a big day!
We have heard recommendations in our travels from others that have visited Rome. They all say similar things: 1 full day for the Vatican, one full day for the colosseum, roman forum, and other archeological stuff. It is Sunday, and the Vatican museums are closed. So, we opt to dive into roman history by visiting the Colosseum and the Roman forum. We download trusty Rick Steves’ audio guides. Basic guided audio walking tours that are free. The Colosseum is, of course, massive.
As we enter, it towers up and shows its internal layers of brick. Rick Steves narrates and we get a great look from different angles around the site.The thing that gets me the most, I think, is seeing a recreation of the elevator and hydraulic lift inventions that the Romans made. 80 of these lifts existed under the arena platform, where they would have gladiators, animals, and set pieces magically pop up from under the ground.
From the upper levels of the Colosseum, we can look out and get great views of Constantines Arch, the Roman Forum, and the remains of The Temple of Venus and Rome. It’s beautiful, captivating, and starts to push that imagination boundary where history and our grasp of time plays a difficult battle between tangible and storybook.
As we leave the Colosseum, a large group of Italians dressed in Santa costumes begin to surround us and fill the square as we sit and eat a snack. They begin to chant, then line up for a huge group photo, with us still sitting in the midst.
We sneak out and continue over to the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum is an archeological site of the main city center area of Ancient Rome. It’s now a combo ticket option with the Colosseum, and it is basically a pile of pretty rocks if you don’t know where you’re going. Information plaques are limited, and once again Rick Steves comes to the rescue with a lively audio tour. We see where Julius Ceasar was burned,
we see the Curia (or senate house), the Vastel Virgin temple, and much much more. Throughout this, we learn about Hadrian, Nero, and Constantine, and many other emperors. It’s impressed upon us Constantine’s huge role in the world as we know it today. In the 3rd century, you would be hanged, burned, or crucified for being a Christian. Within 100 years, Constantine had legalized Christianity and anyone that didn’t accept the new faith would be punished. This large-scale legalization at the end of the Roman Empire solidified the spread and prominence of Christianity throughout Europe.
We continue our history lesson and move on to the Pantheon. Originally a temple built by the Romans (specifically by emperor Hadrian, I recall), it was eventually converted to a church. It is still largely intact, due to its continual use for the last 2000+ years. Rafael is buried there, along with Italy’s early kings. The roof is domed, the first dome of its kind, made from concrete. It has a hole in the center, letting in sunshine and rain. When it rains, the water filters out from the floor through small holes in the marble. Rick Steves again contributes his thoughts to the subject, and we tour around.
Back home for a few hours in the afternoon to rest, we reemerge into the nighttime of Rome in time to get to our (booked online!) walking tour. Our tour guide is Stefano, a middle-aged Italian that works as a paid tour guide during the day. He’s small, but his voice carries and he takes us on a meandering walk through the historic city center of Rome. We begin in Piazza di Spagna, location of the Spanish Steps. We learn about Bernini, a baroque sculptor that seems to have designed the entire city (any large fountain, church, art architecture has his name attached). Stefano tells us about the Barberini family, a wealthy benefactor of many churches and art architecture. The joke goes: anything that the Barbarians didn’t pillage from failed Rome, the Barberini did. They were responsible for taking a large bronze portico that had been on the Pantheon, melting it down and using it in the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica. The family insignia was a bumble bee. Upon closer look, one can see many bumble bees scattered throughout the city on buildings, facades, and churches. On we go, learning small interesting things that give character to the onslaught of churches, domes, fountains, and marble.
We end at the Trevi Fountain, which is currently under restoration. Upon recommendation from our guide, we head around the corner to a trattoria for bruschetta, pasta, and red wine. The food is delicious, but we are surprised by a 4euro service charge (most places will list on the menu if there is a service charge). We pay it anyway, and head back to the apartment – full and happy!
Monday is Vatican City day. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, gaining it’s independence from Italy in the 1920s thanks to Mussolini (one of the few good things he accomplished!). In order to avoid paying 4 euro /pp booking fee online as well as the famed long lines, we decide to go in the afternoon. This affords us a nice morning at the apartment, giving us time to catch up on things like blogging, uploading photos, etc. By midday we leave, arriving at the Vatican Museums by about 12:30pm. I have downloaded an audio guide from itunes, which I am hoping will give us a good overview of the museum with specific information about different key pieces. The Vatican Museums are huge. Because of the support that the church gave to artists throughout the centuries, a large portion of the world’s treasured artifacts are indeed owned by the church. It is a little daunting to know where to go, what to see, and how to pace yourself. We start in an ancient Greek and Roman sculpture hall, becoming quickly irritated with the audioguide. It points out specific pieces, but does not give directions on where they are located. Additionally, it describes the way the sculptures would have looked, rather than what they currently look like. We spend about 15 minutes wandering back and forth, looking for Apollo with a bow in his left hand and a laurel branch in his right hand. Finally, I overhear an English speaker saying something about Apollo. I stop her, and ask where on earth he might be. She points to a little niche, and sure enough…there he is. Yet, he is missing his bow and laurel branch. Rather than reading the small plaques, I was seeking the two things that he was missing!
Eventually fumbling our way into some sort of rhythm with the audio guide, we make our way through most of the museum. There are the ancient roman sculptures, then a series of Ancient Egyptian pieces, then a gallery that housed small nymphs and smaller statues. Then we moved into halls filled with tapestries and wall hangings, then the map gallery, and finally Rafael’s rooms – a series of rooms all frescoed by Rafael. Continue on, and we get to the Sistine Chapel. But, more on all of that in a bit. There are a few items in the earlier galleries that stick out. First, a marble torso called the Belvedere Torso. Missing it’s legs, arms, and head, it is now just the torso. It is said that it’s form and beauty were so stunning to Michelangelo that he decided not to refurbish it and instead leave it as it was. (It was traditional back in the day to “fix” the eroded or broken parts of the ancient marble statues by replacing missing limbs, noses, etc).
The whole ancient Egyptian section was interesting, as they always are. A powerful reminder of the vast expanse of the Roman empire, that these artifacts were all brought to Rome because of their conquering of the Egyptian land.
The tapestries were beautiful, many of them designed by Rafael.
I especially liked the hall of maps. It was one long gallery, in which 40 hand painted maps filled the walls of the world as they knew it. It is impressive to see the shape and structure of what they thought Italy was (in comparison to our accurate maps now-a-days). Each map was so beautifully painted, it made me think of the maps in fantasy books when everything is delightfully colored and written in loopy script.
Then, we arrived at Rafael’s rooms.
Our audio guide finally lives up to it’s price tag. We get detailed descriptions about every fresco, the history of it’s creation, and how it connects to the other works in the room. We stand there, our necks cranked up to the ceiling. The beauty is actually overwhelming, and its hard to imagine the work that goes into this type of artwork. As we move through the rooms, my awe continues to grow. I know that this is only the beginning – we still have the grand finale, the Sistine Chapel.
Which brings me to…the Sistine Chapel. We find a seat against a wall, and sit back with earbuds in as we embark on a 45-minute audio journey leading us through the room. Created solely by Michelangelo (most works from the Renaissance are attributed to one artist, but really it is probably created by the students under the master’s watchful supervision). The Sistine Chapel is the work that defies this, as no one really even saw the room until Michelangelo had finished it. He took 4 years to complete the ceiling, and another 4 to complete The Last Judgement, which covers the entire front of the room behind the alter. This was done 25 years after he had completed the ceiling. It took so long because he had a number of setbacks: first, he didn’t know the fresco technique. Secondly, once he learned it (paint is applied to wet plaster, then the plaster dries), he found that the plaster was molding. So, then he had to invent a type of plaster that was mold-resistant. This technique is still used today. You know, just in a days’ work.
The actual grandeur of the Chapel is hard to put into words. The works are beautiful, big, passionate and fiery (as Michelangelo wanted them to be), but the real magnificence for me lies in the vastness of the project. To have seen what one man can do in a lifetime (really a fraction of what he did, since Michelangelo’s body of work is so huge), it is inspiring to realize what the human mind and body are capable of. To sum it up into words is, truly, something I cannot do. Pictures, too, are impossible – with no photography allowed in the Chapel itself. So, you will have to make due with these images I found on google.
After the Sistine Chapel, we quickly make our way over to St. Peter’s Square and Basilica. This is where the Pope lives, sometimes preaches, and makes scheduled appearances. It’s dark and rainy, and the Basilica is closing soon, so we go through our Rick Steves audio tour, feeling engulfed inside of the church. The largest church in almost the entire world, it is massive. It was also designed by Michelangelo, but most of the interior decorations were completed by none other than Bernini! (I didn’t even know that name before coming to Rome).
A real treat: we get to see Michelangelo’s Pieta: statue of Mary and Jesus after his death. It in itself is considered a masterpiece. It is cover by bulletproof glass, because in the 1970s some maniac broke in and started hacking at the piece with an axe.
On Tuesday, we have a series of things we want to see and do. As our last day, we at first think there is not much left – yet there are a number of stops that seem unique and interesting. First stop of the day (in the pouring rain), is the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. It is the oldest church in Rome (it was consecrated in 324 AD) and is also the official ecclesiastical seat of the bishop of Rome, the Pope. We take a look inside, once again feeling engulfed by the church. Much of the alter is blocked off, so we listen to an audio guide without much ability to roam.
On to the next stop, the Jewish Ghetto.
We eat lunch at Ba Ghetto, a kosher restaurant in the Ghetto. This is the original Jewish Ghetto, one of the first places in Europe where Jews were sanctioned by law to live in a ghetto-like environment. Ghetto itself is an Italian word. The Roman Jewish population is unique: they predate the Jewish diaspora. The first Jews in Rome date to bout 160 B.C., when ambassadors were sent to live and act as businessmen to the Roman emperor. This established the first Jewish settlement outside of Jerusalem. After the Romans attacked and destroyed Jerusalem & the Temple in about 70 AD, the Jewish diaspora ensued. This led to the widespread emigration of Jews from Jerusalem. So, the Roman Jewish population is unique because it was established over 2000 years ago. With the rise of Christianity, the Jewish population was forced into living in the actual Ghetto (this is when it first established as a ghetto — sadly I cannot now remember the year that this happened). When this happened, the Romans built churches on either side of the Ghetto, with passages written in Hebrew as a sort of “conversion tactic”. The Jewish population was even forced to go to mass. Eventually, all this was abolished. Then, WW2 came and there is a whole additional story describing the atrocities that occurred. Without making this blog post too long, one cool fact that we learned was that Pope John Paul II was the FIRST Pope in 2000 years to enter inside a synagogue. He entered the Synagogue in Rome, and he publicly apologized for the Church not looking out for and not coming to the defense of the Roman Jewish population during WWII. He was a very cool guy.
After stopping into a Kosher bakery and getting a bite to share, we cross over the river and wander around Trastevere.
A cute neighborhood with winding streets and cute trattorias. It’s beginning to clear up a bit, so we meander the streets listening to yet another Rick Steve’s walking tour. It is cute – we see a few more churches, then continue our day by going up again to the Vatican. Wanting to see it in the daylight, we arrive by bus at St. Peter’s Square. Planning to reenter the Basilica and climb up to the dome, we see a HUGE line waiting to get in. We decide to go to the gift shop first, where we purchase some Christmas gifts for Ellie’s family. Back into the square, and the line is still huge. The sun is now starting to set (the downside of off-season travel – although things are cheaper and less busy, we get many less hours of daylight to sight-see).
We head off to our last few stops: the Four Rivers Fountain (also by Bernini),
the Trevi Fountain (not by Bernini),
gelato (Ellie gets Orange Chocolate and I get Cherry),
then back home to a workout and packing, before we get up early in the morning to head to Belgium. Farewell, Roma! We will meet again, Italy!
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