When in Roma!

Energetic, sexy, young (and ancient at the same time), sunny.....those are just a few words I would use to describe Rome.  I woke up the first morning feeling better and ready for what the day had to bring us.  We looked at our to-do list and the map our hostess at the hostel had given us and decided to do a Vatican City day, a Colosseum/Roman Forum day, and a "whatever else we wanted to bop around the city and see" day.  We started in Vatican City. Vatican city is a sovereign city-state within the city of Rome.  So yes, although we were still in Rome, you can consider it to be a separate state/country...even with their own separate postal mailing system!  It has a population of around 800 which makes it the smallest independent state in the world.  The popes have lived in Vatican City since the move from Avignon in 1377, but for some their place of residence was the Quirinal Palace, where the President of Italy now resides.  

We came on Thursday, so we just missed Pope Benedict's Wednesday morning speech, but don't think we didn't keep our eyes peeled for a glimpse of that giant hat or the popemobile.  All my knowledge of  catholicism from elementary school came flooding back to my memory when we were walking the aisles of Saint Peter's Basilica and wandering the hallowed halls of the Vatican museum.  I remember seeing answers to questions that I got wrong on religion tests (5th grade religion class = my first B...I wasn't even Catholic!).  

After we squeezed on the overpacked bus 40 to make our way to Vatican City, we stepped off at Saint Peter's Square, just in front of the basilica.  The sky was bluer than blue and the columns appeared majestic against the flood of people wandering about.  Saint Peter's has the largest interior (can hold 55,000 people!) of any Christian church in the world and although it is not the official church of the pope or the roman catholic church, it is regarded as one of the holiest catholic sites.  Construction of Saint Peter's began in 1506 and was completed in 1626.  

The church is belittling and it is so massive that people inside just look like tiny ants running around.  Many popes were buried inside, and the incorrupt body of Pope John XXIII (died 1963) is lying inside a glass case in the right nave of the church.  We found that they do this a lot in Italy, and it wasn't uncommon to see a couple of dead bodies in glass cases with masks on...Pope John XXIII was beatified (the step before becoming a saint) and when they moved his body in 2001, they found it to be still intact and not deteriorating.  So naturally....lets put him on display?  I found it quite weird and disturbing, but the Italians are into that sort of thing so...on with it.  

A couple of Michelango's works are featured inside (the famous Pieta), and the dome which he designed, as well as Bernini and other lavish sculptural works and marble walls.  

Saint Peter's Square

Inside of Saint Peter's Basilica

Saint Peter's worn down foot....where millions of pilgrims had come to touch the sacred statue.  

Yes, I did send postcards from the Vatican...how cool is that?!  Those of you that received one should be getting them very soon!  

From the gardens overlooking the most famous dome in Rome.  

After the basilica we walked around to the Vatican museum(s).  A student entry to the museum was 8 euros, with an entire day of fun filled learning opportunities (not bad!).  A regular priced ticket was 15 euros, which for all the artifacts and great works is not a bad price.  We paid 17 euros to see The Last Supper in Milan!  

There were separate museums/exhibitions throughout this one museum that could have taken all day.  Its as if the Louvre were set up into different museums...wow, can you imagine?  They are made up of Roman Catholic artifacts from over the years, the Sistine Chapel, art galleries...you name it, its there.  Including the official papal pie server.   

One of the courtyards.  

Perhaps one of my favorite photos from our day at the Vatican.  In the Postal Museum,  an old pointillism stamp with Noah's Ark depicted on it.  

Greek and Roman Artifact Museum

The top of a fountain in the courtyard.

Raphael, Michelangelo, and da Vinci were all over the walls and ceilings.  

Another one of Raphael's walls.  Part of the series of reception rooms that are open to the public of the Papal apartments. 

After hours upon hours of endless rooms of papal relics and beautiful paintings, we turned to each other and said, "Is it possible that the next room isn't as glorious as the last because they now seem so normal?"  It was weird to say, but very true.  It reminded me of Versailles.  The first few rooms are magnificent, but as you reach the end....that stunning, gold painted ceiling doesn't seem so impressive!

We finally reached the holy grail of the museum, The Sistine Chapel.  It's one of the last things you come to, and is packed with visitors from all over the world.  You walk in to a room full of silence, and a security guard reminding you not to take photos.  There are so many languages being whispered amongst one another and enough thought provoking faces to distract you from what is really present in this room.  Botticelli, Perugino, and Pinturricchio were all contributors to such a beautiful work of art but the most famous of contributors (and the one who gets all the credit) would be Michelangelo.    

I did manage to snap a few photos on my iPhone.  Nothing of quality because the room was dark...but I had to get something.  

Smack dab in the center of this photo is one of Michelangelo's most famous paintings, The Creation of Adam.  See the two hands almost meeting?  Perhaps you only know the hands, but here's the entire thing!  

Sunset on the Tiber river.

We found a restaurant that was actually open at 6:30 for dinner....Romans eat very very late...but since we had an early morning start with no lunch we were ready to eat, get home and get to bed.  I had the best cream of tomato soup, with a little bit of red pepper for a kick....I could have eaten 3 or 4 bowls.  My dinner?  Spaghetti alla Carbonara.  Italian classic.  

Day 2 was spent as Colosseum/Roman Forum day.  I was pleased with this decision on yet another sunny, beautiful day.  We were able to take the metro to the colosseum (one of the few places you can actually go on the Roman metro) and we were bombarded out front with people trying to sell us tickets and tours in all sorts of languages.  I am never sure of people selling things out front, even if they are perfectly legit, so we decided to tough it out and wait in line.  The line was only 30 minutes long...and in the end I'm glad we waited.

My first opinion as we walked out onto the balcony overlooking the second level?  It's pretty small.

Okay, not small...but I was expecting this HUGE stadium like arena.  But what was I comparing it to? Movies, books, photos....that I have seen cropped to a 2 inch x 3 inch section in a textbook.  It was still magnificent.  I couldn't believe that this structure is still standing, even after all the restoration.  It can seat up to 50,000 spectators and was finished in 80 AD under the reign of Titus.  In 217 AD the Colosseum was damaged by a fire caused by lightning, and wasn't fully restored until 240 AD.  Gladiators continued to have fights in the Colosseum until the mid-400's, and animal hunts continued until 523 AD.  Animals were imported from all over the world and the fights between gladiators were often proof of family power or wealth.  There was an earthquake in 1349 which destroyed a great part of the south side to collapse.  Even today the vibrations of the city and the underground metro continue to be a problem for the structure of the Colosseum.  It has had several periods of restoration, including talk of Tod's shoes giving 25 million euros in 2012 towards the rebuilding and restoration of the Colosseum.  There have been some investigations and inquiries about the gift...but if someone is offering you money for the rebuilding of your country's oldest and most visited monument...wouldn't you just shut your mouth and say thank you?  ha!  

The part you see on the ground floor (hypogeum) are many rooms and spaces where animals and gladiators were kept before contests began.  

"Framer!"

The flattened areas are where the seats use to be, erosion has caused the rock and sand to slide and now the "seats" are only seen in a small section of the Colosseum.  

View from the Colosseum overlooking Palatine Hill.  Just to the right of here is the location that each year, on Good Friday the Pope has a parade (in his popemobile!) and gives a speech to all who gather.  

Okay, so it says no touching the monuments but this old column....just laying on the ground like that screams, "sit on me!"  

Isn't it beautiful against the blue sky?

We continued our ancient journey up to Palatine Hill, just adjacent to the Colosseum.  Palatine Hill is perhaps the oldest of the Roman ruins with recent excavations dating back to 1000 BC.  

Circus Minimus

Top of Palatine Hill overlooking Rome.

Looking down to the Roman Forum.  

 I haven't been to Greece, and I haven't seen any other ancient ruins other than these.  I will have to say they are quite impressive.  Not necessarily the fact that they've been here for thousands of years, but the fact that there are these huge columns of rock and marble and they were placed before cranes and trucks and heavy lifting machinery.  It is a miracle that they are still standing with bustling Rome just encircling the structures as part of daily life...and how we build things today that fall apart within years?  We should take some tips from the ancient Romans.  You know what else I find fascinating?  That even in the 800's and 1300's when the structures were starting to deteriorate, someone said..."No, we can't knock them down or destroy them...they are important."  Somebody down the line had to make that decision and Rome has since just popped up around it.  There are several spots within Rome where you can look over and see a protected ancient Roman column next to an ugly apartment building built in 1950.  

The Roman Forum is a group of ancient ruins from Roman governmental buildings.  The Forum was a center of Roman life and culture for centuries.  It was host to public banquets, political, judicial and religious events as well as an entry way for victorious kings and rulers to parade through the Palatine Hill.  

Like I always say...every good European city has one.  

National Monument to honor Vittorio Emanuele II, in the bottom it houses the museum of Italian Reunification as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier.  Completed in 1935 and made of white marble, it is one of the most easily recognizable buildings in Rome.

Ahh...the Spanish Steps.  I was actually rather disappointed as we approached the Spanish Steps.  They are supposedly the widest staircase in Europe, and certainly didn't provide as good of a view as the steps leading up to the Sacre-Coeur in Paris.  

Supposedly in the month of May Azaleas are placed up the middle of the stairs and I believe they should turn that into a year round tradition.  It would make the trip up much more enjoyable.  We stopped on our way down for a gelato, an always welcome treat in Italy.  

Purely cream gelato...SO good.  

Sunset wasn't half bad from the top!

These are the hot "item" to sell in Italy at the moment.  They haven't made their way to France, thank goodness.  It is a round squishy, jelly ball that when thrown onto the floor it "splats" into a flat shape.  Now why would two 24 year old girls want this?...we certainly had plenty of offers.  

Sign on our door in our hostel....good thing it wasn't hot!!! I couldn't afford A/C!!

And my most FAVORITE thing about Rome????????

The Trevi Fountain!!!!!!! Oh, I cannot even explain to you how incredibly beautiful it was.  It was breathtaking and immediately brought a smile to my face.  It was romantic and absolutely stunning.  I never wanted to leave.  

It is a fairly new fountain, completed in 1762, and perhaps the most famous fountain in the world.  Taming of the Waters is depicted in the fountain's statues with Neptune's shell chariot, taming hippocamps, or sea horses.  Each hippocamp is guided by a Triton.  The fountain brings water from the Salone Springs to its basin which is a length of approximately 20 km from Rome.  The aqueduct constructed in 19 BC transports water from the Aqua Virgo to all the fountains in Rome.  

One of my favorites of the trip!  

Throwing a coin over your shoulder ensures your return to Rome.  There were many visitors just tossing coins in and I hated to tell them that unless you throw it over your shoulder it just doesn't count.  

Trevi Fountain at night. 

Isn't it spectacular?!!  I'm not sure whether I preferred it during the day or at night more?!

An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the Trevi Fountain each day...more during the summer season.  The money is cleaned out regularly and is used for a food bank for Rome's needy population.  

I didn't want to leave!  I could have stayed and watched the water trickle through the fountain in the sunshine for hours...much less the incredible people watching going on in the background.  

Our very last day was spent bopping around Rome on the metro (or lack thereof) doing things on the map that we couldn't devote an entire day to.  First stop was San Giovanni's Cathedral.  This was Rome's first church and the church of the popes.  Because it is the popes church, there are 6 papal tombs located inside.

The Pantheon was also included on our list.  It was built as a temple to all Roman gods and was completed in 126 AD.  The dome of the Pantheon is to this day the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome.  The dome has a large hole in the top center, and the floor has regularly placed drain holes for when it rains.  The hole in the dome also permits the only light shining throughout the old temple.  The Pantheon is the most preserved relic of ancient Rome and has been continuously in use since its completion in 126. 

The large granite columns in the photo were brought in from Egypt on the Nile and Tiber rivers and weigh a whopping 60 tons each!

Love the look of this rustic salumeria.

Fountains at the Piazza Navona.

Santa Maria in Cosmedin.  

Stunning on the inside.  Built in the 8th century.  

Ceiling of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin.

Santa Maria Maggiore.  The largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome.  Since it is a papal church, the pope often has service here...including Assumption service on the 15th of August each year.    

Under the altar is said to be buried the Crypt of the Nativity, which contains wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus. 

Da Vinci Code fans anyone?

Piazza del Popolo.  "People's Square."

A random dome that I thought was beautiful at some point along our trip but now I can't remember where its from.  :S

And...another one.  Laura...any idea?

Sunday morning before our flight we took the packed to the brim bus "H" out to the outskirts to a mercati or market.  It wasn't anything special and reminded me very much of Saint-Ouen market here in Paris so I won't go into much detail.  Let's just say if you need a knock-off Hollister sweatshirt or a pair of socks...this is the place to go.  

Vibrant, colorful, sunny Rome was an excellent end to our Italian holiday.  We were there just long enough to be able to catch some zzz's at night and enjoy our days, but still feel like we got the full Roman experience.  Italy has been good to me in 2011-2012.  I can now say I feel as if I've "done" Italy and can move on to exploring the next beautiful European country.  (As if I don't live in a beautiful enough European country...)  Any suggestions of where you would like to see me go in 2012???