SOMETHING CATCHY ABOUT ROME
Oh my gosh guys. Alright. This is a BIG one. I finally made it down south to ROME, and it lived up to everything I ever wanted..
Ok.
Friday morning started fine. I was a little late into work as I finished packing up my backpack and everything for the weekend, but I got in, was in a great mood and was SO excited about my weekend ahead. I didn’t have too much going on so I was able to slowly get into my emails and into some work. It was nice. Then… maybe after lunch?.. Something flipped. Out of nowhere. All of a sudden my cardigan sleeves were too short but too baggy at the same time, my chair was squeaky and uncomfortable, my work was slap-my-keyboard-across-my-head boring, the guy next to me talked to himself too much, it was hot, and no matter what I did I couldn’t get focused. I started to have a miiiilllddd panic attack. Have you ever had one of those moments? Maybe not a ‘diagnosable’ panic attack, but a moment where you just NEED to change your clothes or leave a certain location or just stand up? Where you just can’t take it anymore? Well, that’s pretty much what it was, but I was at work, so I couldn’t just change my shirt or stand (no standing desks here :-( ) or leave. I had to sit. And try to work. And stay put until a reasonable time. And it caused me to go BONKERS. I had to talk to Matt and go for a couple of short walks to calm me down a bit. It was not good and seriously out of the blue.
A little after 5pm I decided my “reasonable” time had come, and I finally just left. As soon as I was out of the building I took my cardigan off, and I power-walked to the metro. I took it all the way to Centrale even though I knew I would be early for my train but decided to just get some food and calm down there.
Unfortunately, Centrale had its own obstacles… I really had to go to the bathroom and the only bathrooms there required I pay 1 euro (which I refused and decided to hold it), and THEN… the board that lists all of the departures went out...so they were only announcing delays and which platforms a train would be leaving from through the loudspeaker… in Italian. I tried to listen as hard as I could (I’m pretty good with numbers so I thought I could follow), but then it got closer and closer to the time I should be boarding, and I hadn’t specifically heard my train announced.
Starrttting to panic.
I finally hear one that I THINK is my train, so I start walking over there and towards my car. Luckily, my gut instinct tells me to ask someone to confirm. I say luckily, because it was NOT my train, and had I boarded I would have been screwed :-) So I walk back off the platform, and I’m reaaalllyy starting to panic that my train is going to show up, board, and leave before I even figure out where to go. SUPER luckily, the departure board comes back on in this moment, and I am able to find and board my train in time. Phew.
So I get on the train, and there is a small bag and a magazine in my seat, 7A. Assuming someone had mistakenly taken my seat, I just sit across the aisle in 7C. I thought that if I was in someone else’s seat they would say something, and we would correct the situation. But no.
1) it turns out the guy in 7B had just set down his garbage in my seat and
2) the girl who’s seat I had taken sat in 6C across from me and instead of saying something to me, just passive aggressively told the stewardess lady checking tickets that she was SUPPOSED to be in 7C.
Mio Dio.
Anyway. At this point I’m still in a bad mood from the awful day that Friday had become, so I start texting Kathleen essentially demanding that she brighten my spirits. Instead of trying to describe our conversation, I thought it might be humorous to just share a few screenshots (edited for our viewing audience and with the permission of the involved parties):
So yea. You notice how everything improved once there was wine? Ha. I got to Rome feeling preeetttyy good hahhaa.
I check into my hostel, drop my bags off in my dorm, and head back out.
I start walking towards some random bar called “VooDoo Bar” that I had found on Google maps and claimed to have good cocktails. The bouncers are sitting on stools right off the sidewalk, but after you walk past them you have to walk up a fenced path to get to the bar itself. It turned out that the whole bar (and I think there was an area that was a restaurant too) was outside. I can only describe it as Tiki bar meets Hippie festival? It was BIZARRE, and I loved it. The bar itself was kind of in the middle with random pockets of seating all around. There were big pads on the ground or on a platform in a lot of places to sit (or lay), there was a sushi stand, a pizza stand, a woman reading tarot cards, a small shop area, performers of all types, and…. Facepainting :-) So. Ridiculous.
So I hung out for maybe an hour- had a drink, watched a flame twirler and people with swords, got my face painted, and generally sat tipsy in amazement of the atmosphere.
It was good that I felt awkward being there alone, otherwise I might have stayed and made myself miserable the next morning hahah.
On my way back to my hostel I decided I was hungry so I stopped at a little convenience store and bought a can of Pringles. After I made it back to the hostel, I decided the best option was to sit in the stairwell and eat them…
Man I amuse myself sometimes.
And when I get into my room everyone is already asleep and all of the lights are out. So, instead of being a normal person and trying to quietly change or use my phone for light, I climb into my bunk and go to bed. Clothes on, makeup on, jewelry on, facepaint on. Classy.
Saturday morning I actually had to get up really early to make sure I had time to walk to my first tour. I was supposed to meet my tour group at 8:45am at the steps in front of the Vatican Museum entrance. I of course wanted to plan to get there around 8:30am in case I had issues, and knew it was about an hour walk without stops. So I decided to leave between 7 and 730am so I could stop for an espresso and a croissant on the way, which meant waking up in the 630am realm after a night of drinking. Yikes.
But I did it! I woke up, I showered, I got dressed, I remembered to bring my chambray shirt to cover my shoulders when needed, I remembered my tickets. I was somehow very on top of my game :-) That said, the first 10 minutes of my walk were a little rough. I needed some water and was just slightly worried I would throw up in a bush. But it passed and after I got something to eat and a bottle of water, I felt amazing and ready for my day. The sun was shining, the streets were fairly quiet (my favorite, remember?) and I was about to SEE SOME $h!t!
I got there WAY too early and sat on the steps to wait.
Matt was just getting to bed, so we texted a bit in our overlap. Finally the time came, and we departed into the Vatican Museum!! Our guide was Emanuele, and as we walked through the museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica, he gave us all sorts of interesting facts. Many of you may already know a lot of the facts I will share, but I found it all a fascinating piece of Italian and Roman history. Also, I was wearing one of the dorky tour group headsets and headphones and didn’t even care just how dorky I looked!
After passing through security and the ticketed entrance line just for tour groups like ours, we started by going out towards the gardens where you can see St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance. We found some shade and Emanuele started giving us a rundown of some of the history and facts about the Vatican in general, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica.
We continued on through the museum where he pointed out a few nuances to some of the art- who created it, why, when, why was the floor sloped, why are their bees in the corners of those tapestries, etc. We didn’t get as much time in each room as I would have liked, but still got to see a few beautiful and interesting pieces.
So, First Fact time!
General Vatican-ness
They have their own euros with the Pope’s face on them
They have their own postal service (that is apparently very good)
The Vatican became its own state by making a deal with Mussolini
Popes used to see themselves as the kings of the Roman Empire (or maybe the WERE the kings??). This view of themselves was actually the reason that Popes collected so many artifacts and artworks- they felt the need to preserve their country’s and their predecessor’s history.
Pope Julius II summoned Rafael to paint a set of rooms in the papal palace (now part of the museum). Rafael was only 27 at the time.
One of these rooms has a huge, famous painting of ancient Philosophers. This room was used to sign important documents. Within this famous painting, Rafael actually used a portrait of Da Vinci as Plato, stuck Michelangelo near the bottom, and placed himself in the corner.
Rafael adopted the large-muscled way of painting people that Michelangelo used (see below for more info) and he died at 37 from an STD
I don’t think I ever heard a reason, but apparently the main guards of the Vatican (or maybe they just protect the Pope?) are the Swiss Guards (versus Italian police etc.). They are not allowed to be armed with guns, though, so they only carry swords. Though there ARE Italian Polizia around that DO carry guns.
On top of everything else you will read below, apparently Michelangelo also designed the uniforms of the Swiss Guards
Rafael's philosphers
Inner courtyard
Inner museum
First modern art crucifixion piece I have ever seen.
Then, it was time. The Sistine Chapel.
Second Fact Time!
Sistine Chapel
The sistine chapel was first painted with a fake night sky on the ceiling
The walls were done by Boticelli (plus others) in the late 1400’s
40 years after construction, Pope Julius II, at the same time he commissioned Rafael, also commissioned Michelangelo to re-paint the ceiling with I believe the apostles. Michelangelo said no at first, but then he ended up coming back proposing the project that was actually implemented which was accepted by the Pope
Because Michelangelo was a sculptor (“not a painter”) he was used to seeing human bodies as big, muscular, massive bodies. So that is how he painted, too.
Emanuele CLAIMED the Sistine Chapel ceiling was the largest surface ever painted, but after a quick google search I found that to be incorrect, so maybe it was the largest at the time Michelangelo completed it? Regardless, it is a large and complex project and Michelangelo only took 4 years to complete it. AND, he did it all himself instead of having his students do the actual work as many people did at that time.
Though many tell the story that Michelangelo laid on his back to complete the painting, scholars believe (due to sketches of Michelangelo as he was painting the chapel ceiling) that he did indeed stand and crane his neck to paint it…. For 4 years…
23 years after the ceiling, he painted the “Last Judgment” painting on the front wall. After he finished it, it was considered obscene due to all of the nudity. One of the popes actually had someone go back in later, scrape off the plaster with some of the nude bodies, add new plaster to repaint those areas of the fresco with added clothes
I knew that you could not take pictures in the Sistine Chapel, but I always assumed it was for religious reasons- that the Vatican didn’t want pictures taken in a holy place. But on this tour I was told that the real reason is that the company that did the most recent renovations on the Sistine Chapel (fully completed in the 90’s) actually owns the rights to the images! The Nippon Television Network Corporation of Japan. According to my tour guide, the copyright ends in 5 years, but this article actually says it
1) was never meant to cover ordinary tourists but was enacted as a blanket ban in case some professional photographer pretended to be a tourist…
and 2) the copyright already expired but they keep the rule in place for the protection of the artwork…
tis a mystery
http://mentalfloss.com/article/54641/reason-why-no-photography-allowed-sistine-chapel
Conclave actually means “locked in.” Some of you may have known this, but the Cardinals actually meet in Sistine chapel when they vote for a new pope, and from another tour guide later on, I learned that conclaves in the past were held in various locations, but a few of them lasted more than 100 days! And during one them, the townspeople of the location they were in got so fed up with it that they locked the Cardinals in a room until they decided. Hence.. The word conclave and the beginning of the still-used tradition of locking the cardinals in the Sistine chapel during this time (though I think she said they are now required to decide within a week or something)
As we got ready to walk in, Emanuele reminded us that there were no pictures allowed, but we could “try if you want to, though the guards in the room are not nice.” We picked a meeting point for 15 minutes later so we could all take our time and look at our own pace.
We walk in and… “Wait.. this is it?” is honestly what went through my head.
For some reason, it is nothing like I pictured. First, I honestly thought it would be a LOT bigger… like...football field size, when in reality it is more like 130 ft. by 45 ft. I also, in my apparent ignorance and naivety, didn’t realize there were wall frescoes, too. I had pictured this humongous, opulent church essentially where I would walk in and feel peace and awe and a general spiritual connection to Michelangelo. Instead, I walked in and it is more closely described as a 360 degree colorful, art-filled barn where every tourist in Rome squeezes in and talks while the police come on a microphone saying, “No photo… No... photo… Silence! Please… Silenzio...No Photo….”
So… yes.. I was a little surprised.
Ok. You ok? Has your shock and disappointment worn off? Cool, good, moving on.
So I get herded off to one side as they try to keep people away from the altar that is in there and then shoved into the crowd of people. I work my way towards the center and finally look up.
“Ok, Last Judgment first.. Ah yes, there’s the guy that Michelangelo was mad at so he painted him as a demon in hell… and yes there’s the naked bodies they tried to cover up… ok, yes, yes, I see.. Man that’s a big wall.. Ok.. now the ceiling.. **cranes neck fully back**.. Ok… it’s a series telling the story of the creation of the world so I’ll start at the end and work my way back...ok yes, there’s the light being separated from darkness… ok… then...what’s that one? .. hm.. God creating something… ok.. Yea and this one he’s creaattinngg…. Something else.. K.. and there is……..”
And my thoughts stopped. I was looking directly up at the painting of God’s Creation of Adam. One of the most famous images in the entire world. I had this image on a poster growing up, for goodness sakes. And here I am… looking at the actual paint in the actual location where Michelangelo painted. Alright. This is what I was hoping for.
So I finished looking through the ceiling series, then moved to the side walls to see if I could figure out which side was the story of Moses and which was the story of Jesus hah. For the record, I figured it out. And then I spent my last few minutes trying to look anywhere else I hadn’t looked and absorbing any other detail I could.
Coolest art barn I’ll ever be in.
Ok. So then we essentially moved out and onward to head towards the Basilica. As you obviously know by now, I am not a religious person, but I loved seeing this Basilica for the history and immensity of it if nothing else. What an incredible piece of human accomplishment. Truly.
So, Third Fact Time!
St. Peter’s Basilica
When St. Peter (actually a guy named Simon, who knew?! Oh, you did? Fine.) came to Rome, there were no churches at all and the main religion was paganism
When folks got mad about Simon trying to spread Christianity, they killed him (and his brother Paul.. the jerks). He was crucified, but did not want to “die like Christ did,” so he was flipped upside down. One tour guide told me that this was at his own request, another said it was the decision of the people killing him
Pope Sistine commissioned the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in 250 A.D. to be as big as the temple of Solomon to.. initiate the connection between God and Christians like Solomon was in Jerusalem... I think was what he said? The original church burned down at some point and the current structure was built between 1500 and 1650 ish.
St Peter's Basilica is the largest church in the world
Inside, there is an all-bronze altar that is the same height as an 8 story building!!!! This altar sits directly above where St. Peter is buried 50m below, and only the pope is allowed to give a sermon from the altar.
A few years after painting the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo designed the dome of the basilica. The dome is the equivalent of I think a 40 story building, and the statue of Liberty could fit underneath!!
The dome of St. Peter’s is also situated directly above the altar and the tomb such that “if you were to drop a pebble from the center of the dome, it would land on St. Peter”
Underneath there are Catacombs you can walk through where other popes are buried, though I did not have time to do this.
And lastly, there is an apparently famous sculpture, also by Michelangelo… of course… that APPARENTLY another crazy person with a hammer tried to destroy in the 70’s. Sounds like some people had it out for Michelangelo’s sculptures (see post like..8? On Florence)...
Phew! What a tour!!! Seriously. I was already so happy and my day wasn’t even halfway through. I stood outside and grabbed one picture of the Swiss Guards before leaving the Vatican City.
I decided to grab a water and a pizza sandwich (ha, my new favorite!), sit down on the curb, and watch the people go by in some shade.
While I was sitting there, I was watching a small flock of pigeons fighting over two chunks of pizza. A small finch came in and actually almost won out with one of them! And right as I was mentally congratulating the finch, a seagull swooped in, all of the other birds scattered, and the seagull stole both pieces of pizza and flew off. Everyone around me, myself included, was flustered by the disturbance and then started laughing at what jerks seagulls are…
After I finished my lunch, I headed out to an area I had found online called Janiculum Terrace where there was apparently an excellent view of Rome. It was across the river and allowed me to walk down some random streets I probably never would have walked down. I loved it. There were also a few other terraces along the way so I stopped for gelato at one while enjoying my truly Italian moment.
After that, I saw I had marked on my map (that’s how I keep track of where I want to go and where I have been) something called “Trastavere” nearby. So without even looking at a description or thinking about it, I navigated there next. I get to where the map has marked Trastavere, and I see a big building and think, “Oh, this must be it. Alright, what ARE you?” And I finally look at a description on my phone and… Trastavere is a “hip neighborhood” etc. etc… woops.. I don’t have enough time to explore a hip neighborhood, so i immediately re-navigate to the Arch of Constantine where I was meeting my next tour group. According to my mom, though, that area DOES also have some historical significance from World War 2, so.. next time.. I’ll go back.
Anyway, as I am on my way to the Arch, I am walking down the sidewalk of a decent size road, and see some ruins on my left! How neat! As I am looking at my map to see what they are (I later realized it was the edge of Palatine Hill), I see that the area to my right is called “Circa Maxima”.... Wait.. “Circus Maximus” sounds familiar. So I pull up the description, and it was a field (now) that used to be the dirt track for chariot races. I essentially ran across the street to go stand in it. I don’t know why exactly, but I almost started crying.
Ok, so I get past my moment and keep walking. I take a turn and actually walk past the entrance to Palatine Hill without realizing it. And all of a sudden… the colosseum is in view. THIS was my number one top priority to see while in Italy. This monumental, historically influential structure. And there it was. Just sitting in front of me. Goodness gracious.
So I meet with my tour group, put on some more super cool headphones with my super cool audio pack hanging around my neck, and we head back to Palatine Hill. Again, the tour guide gave super interesting tidbits of information about the history of Rome and the places we were viewing. So..
Fourth Fact Time!
Palatine Hill
First she told the legend of the founding of Rome.. of which I have found a handy summary on wikipedia…
“Romulus and Remus were born in Alba Longa, one of the ancient Latin cities near the future site of Rome. Their mother, Rhea Silvia was a vestal virgin and the daughter of the former king, Numitor, who had been displaced by his brother Amulius. In some sources, Rhea Silvia conceived the twins when their father, the god Mars, visited her in a sacred grove dedicated to him… Seeing them as a possible threat to his rule, King Amulius ordered the twins to be killed and they were abandoned on the bank of the Tiber River to die. ...In the most well-known episode, the twins were suckled by a she-wolf, in a cave now known as the Lupercal.[3] Eventually, they were adopted by Faustulus, a shepherd. They grew up tending flocks, unaware of their true identities….When they were young adults, they became involved in a dispute between supporters of Numitor and Amulius….During this time they learned of their past and joined forces with their grandfather to restore him to the throne. Amulius was killed and Numitor was reinstated as king of Alba. The twins set out to build a city of their own….After arriving back in the area of the seven hills, they disagreed about the hill upon which to build. ...In the aftermath, Remus was killed either by Romulus or by one of his supporters.[4] Romulus then went on to found the city of Rome [on Palatine HIll], its institutions, government, military and religious traditions. He reigned for many years as its first king. “
Apparently most people agree that Rome was founded in 753 BC, but it is part of the legend, and I had a few Romans repeat this, that it was SPECIFICALLY founded on April 21.
After awhile, people of the city on Palatine hill moved down (to where the Roman Forum now stands) and only the kings and other rich or elite inhabitants lived on the hill
Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire during its Imperial times, was born and lived on Palatine Hill
From the 4th century and on, people pillaged Palatine Hill to build other things. This was specifically a common practice during the middle ages. This recycling is a big reason why we have “ruins” now instead of just ancient buildings ha. For example, the Pantheon is one of the best preserved monuments because it was converted to a church in the middle ages and was therefore kept safe from pillagers
Basilicas were actually Administrative centers instead of religious centers originally
One of the first stops we made was looking down on an old private stadium of emperor's.
We then walked around and looked DOWN on the Circa Maxima I had been in earlier, we saw an old basilica and some other rooms and buildings or courtyards that were part of an ancient palace. In a number of places, the original marble flooring can still be seen!
We then walked over to the other side of the hill through some gardens built by the Farnese family in the middle ages and looked out over a terrace from which we could see the Colosseum, the arch of constantine, The Arch of titus, and all of the Roman Forum. It was incredible.
This is me essentially unsure of what to do with my life because oh my god look at this and also trying to hold back tears because oh my god look at this....
We walked back through part of the gardens and then down steps to get to the bottom of the hill. We first walked over to the Arch of Titus where she told us that kings and military leaders were given a “Triumphant Procession” if they returned from a victory that expanded the empire (I’m pretty sure I read there were very specific conditions they needed to have met in order to receive this honor). During this parade, they essentially started at the Arch of Titus and dragged their enemy captors through the main street of Rome and then killed them in front of everyone. Brutal.
Basically the Roman Form is the collection of building and temple ruins from where the city of Rome really stood in ancient times. There was so much information and so many different ruins I had trouble keeping up, but here are just a few:
Here is a temple that later on people tried to tear down using ropes and things (see the marks??) but were unable.
Here is where the Temple of Vesta stood. In this temple the eternal flame was lit and the Virgin Vestas were in charge of keeping it lit at all times. The Virgin Vestas were the most respected and revered women in the empire and received very high society privileges. They had special seating at the Colosseum and if someone on their way to their execution met a Virgin Vesta, he would be automatically pardoned. The Vestal Virgins were chosen very young, there were only 6 at a time maximum, and they served a 30 year ‘term.’ They were required to remain virgins.. No kids, no husbands… during the whole period or would otherwise be buried alive. Once their term was over, they were free to live normal lives, though they were typically in their 40’s at that point.
Julius Ceasar was a very loved politician during the Roman Republic time. As we all know, though, the Senators didn’t like the power he obtained and killed him on the Ides of March. After stabbing him 23 times in 44 BC, they brought his body to the Forum and burnt it. After his death, his adopted heir Augustus (born on Palatine hill as mentioned above!) took over and the Roman Empire began
These are 2 really interesting Wikipedia articles if you are interested
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus
This is where they marked as the waypoint of Rome, so as they measured distances saying that “this city is this many kilometers from Rome,” this was the point they used.
So we finally were getting close to our “appointment” time at the Colosseum, so we started walking that way!! As we walked our tour guide was telling us that as an example of just HOW MANY ruins and artifacts etc are in Rome, she said that the 3rd metro line they are trying to construct has been in progress for 10 years and is still not done because they keep hitting Ancient ruins. HA!
Alright, Fifth Fact Time!
Colosseum
When first built, the Colosseum was actually called the Flavian Amphitheatre (but in Latin). It is more commonly known as the Colosseum, though, because there used to be a big bronze statue of the Emperor Nero nearby that had been preserved after Nero’s death that was known as ‘the Colossus of Nero’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_of_Nero).
(Sidenote: Nero is not looked at fondly in history, according to Wikipedia his “rule is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance,” he burned Christians alive, and apparently Peter and Paul were both killed under Nero’s reign, though the order may or may not have been given by Nero)
Romans came to call the arena next to The Colossus, the Colosseum. The statue is obviously no longer standing, but the name stuck.
The Colosseum was built between 70 and 80 AD, but they do not know the name of the architect
It was made with Travertine stone and used to be covered in marble with iron clamps holding the marble on, but the marble was either taken down or fell down over time, and the iron clamps were stolen
All residents of Rome were invited to the games including slaves and prisoners. Each resident received a piece of pottery with their entrance gate and seat number.. Just like a stadium ticket today! Additionally, though, seats were chosen based on your status in society. So, although the slaves and “poor women” were invited and allowed to attend, their seats were at the very top with standing room only.
More than one million people have died inside the Colosseum. These deaths came from both the games as well as holding executions inside the arena. Sometimes during breaks in the games, they would bring a prisoner (or a Christian….) out to be executed in front of everyone by getting eaten by an animal.
The Colosseum could fit over 50,000 people
Gladiators in the games were mostly prisoners of war, but some poor men chose to become gladiators for a chance to be rich and famous
Our tour guide said there were almost always games happening. They were incredibly popular with the Roman people, and were privately financed, so as soon as one would end (could last for months), the next rich person that wanted to show just how rich they were would coordinate the next set of games.
Folks would set up food stands in the corridors to sell food to those in attendance so they wouldn’t have to leave.
The emperor sat low and close to the action on one side, with the Vestal Virgins sitting in equivalent seats across from him and the Senators sitting in marble bleacher type seats on one end. Apparently the marble still shows inscriptions of the Senators names, but I did not get to go down and see.
The main arena floor was actually a wood with sand on top of it, and underneath was the hypogeum which was a complex maze of corridors where animals and gladiators were kept in cages and there were a number of elevators which would lift a gladiator or an animal from below to the arena floor
Vomitorium means “to rapidly discharge”, and corridors built into the Colosseum which were used for rapid exit out of the arena were called the Vomitorium. Apparently they could empty out the entire arena in a matter of minutes. And yes, this is ACTUALLY where we get the word vomit (not that Romans had building where they went to vomit)
There were underground corridors between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (likely for the emperor and Vestal virgins to get there without walking amongst the crowds) as well as a corridor between the Colosseum and the training grounds for the gladiators
The Colosseum actually had a canvas roof that could be deployed to keep spectators protected from the elements or could be “flapped” to create a breeze. It was tied down external to the arena at big stone anchor points and slaves (or sailors if you read the Wikipedia article) would be used to manipulate the canvas.
The last documented fight in the Colosseum occurred in 435 AD though animal contests continued after that time
The Colosseum has undergone cleaning restorations very recently (one was said to have been done 1993-2000 and one was apparently unveiled in 2016, but the INSIDE of the Colosseum is still not completed) to remove pollution and help with general deterioration
The difference between cleaned stone and not cleaned
And that was it. The tour ended and I sat and looked on for a bit longer trying to process everything I had seen that day. It was tremendous and overwhelming. (When I told my boss on Monday that I had been to Rome, he worded it so perfectly when he said, “Rome is heavy with history”)
I finally headed back to my hostel to change clothes (I was GROSS) and figure out my plan for the night. I put shorts on and grabbed a beer from the hostel fridge and sat out in the little courtyard in back.
I finally had chosen a place to go for dinner, made a reservation through TripAdvisor (thank you again family I met in Florence that taught me that trick!!), and headed off. When I got there, though, I noticed the restaurant looked a little bit fancy, and right as I was trying to think through whether or not I cared, some guy from the restaurant next door was trying to grab people and bring them over. That place looked more casual but like they still had a good menu, so I ditched my reservation and went over.
I sat for almost 2 hours just eating, having a glass of wine, and watching the people around me and those walking by on the street. It was lovely. And even after sitting that long, my leg muscles were STILL twitching from walking around so much, at which point I realized I had not only been on my feet but had been WALKING for over 10 hours that day. It felt good.
I stopped next door at the bar owned by the same people on my way out, had about half a drink, and decided I was just too tired. No Voodoo bar for me tonight. I went back to my hostel and went to bed. Yes, it was like 10pm, but I think I earned it.
Sunday morning I woke up to the birds chirping through the open window and just the slightest chill in the air. I laid there for an hour or so just feeling content.
I had no agenda or tours for the day, so all I really knew I wanted to do was to walk a path I found online between the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. I took my time getting ready, packed up, dropped my bags at the front desk, and headed that way. Starting at the Spanish steps, I followed the listed directions.
Random door that I thought looked neat
When I arrived at the Trevi fountain, I saw the HUGE crowd in front with everyone trying to take selfies with the fountain in the background, so I stopped on the side, climbed up on the wall, and just sat in the shade reading about the fountain and enjoying a LOVELY moment.
(I did eventually walk in front to take a quick picture :-P )
I then wandered a bit and eventually found my way over to the Pantheon. Wow.
Apparently it was not open yet so a decent sized line had formed. I found my place in said line and stood waiting and watching a violinist JAM out. While waiting, a guy starts walking up the line offering a tour for 10 euros. The Pantheon is free to enter (currently at least), so most people said no, but I decided that I would like to have a little more background and insight.. And it was only 10 euros so what did I have to lose?
So I go and wait at their meeting point at the corner, and soon get introduced to our tour guide whose name I cannot remember. She was from Napoli and was very Italian. Since the Pantheon was still not open at this point, we started by walking around the exterior. She gave some information about the Pantheon, but honestly mostly just talked about Rome in general. I did not take any notes so my facts are going to be brief:
Sixth Fact Time!
Pantheon etc.
Pantheon means “of all gods”
On the side you can see where the ground was when the Pantheon was built
The original entrance was on the back side of the circular part and not the side with Portico as is used today
The obilisks around the city (including the 2 in the vicinity of the Pantheon) were actually stolen from .. Africa?.. And placed here.
When you see two “keys” as she called them (crosses or plus signs) on a monument or a fountain etc, it means the Pope had it installed.
People such as Popes and emperors/ kings “liked to put their names on things so that when the Roman people would walk by the building or fountain etc they would say, ‘Ahhh yes. Pope XYZ. Good Pope. He brought us water.’” Haha
That’s all I really have. She rambled a lot about where to get coffee and about how we should all drink from the fountains, but it was fun.
We did a full loop around the building and then had to get back in line. The line had at least doubled since I had jumped out of it, so I was a little dismayed, but it really was only because the Pantheon had STILL not yet opened (opens at 12pm for the record). But we got back in line, and sure enough, after the doors opened, I think we went through the line of probably 400 people in about 15 minutes. So. No big deal.
As we are walking in, she tells us how the huge bronze doors are not only from the 15th century but are seen as symbols of good luck if you touch them (I forget why), so we all touched the door as we went in. The interior is gorgeous. The dome has an oculus at its center that is still open to atmosphere, so when it rains, it rains inside the Pantheon! Though small holes in the floor act as drains so cleanup after a storm is easy. Vittorio Emmanuel II (the first king of United Italy in the 1800’s) is buried in a tomb on one side of the Pantheon, and his wife his buried on the other… with some other guy. Her name is Margherita, and she is the namesake for the best pizza in the world. :-)
And that was about it for the Pantheon. We parted ways, and I stopped to get the “best coffee in Rome” and “the best gelato in Rome” before continuing on.
From then on, I essentially just found other ruins and monuments on my map and navigated around to them. I had marked Trajan’s column as suggested by Melanie, and then I marked Largo di Torre Argentina because Pantheon tour guide said that was where Julius Ceasar was killed! So I headed that way.
Saw this on the way
And this
Then when I got there, I could not find a single sign mentioning Julius Ceasar, but the internet confirms that he was killed at the Theatre of Pompey which was also in this square sooo. I guess I saw it?
Regardless, pretty cool spot with ruins of 4 temples.
As I started walking towards Trajan’s column, I saw this museum!
So obviously I went in. Free admission, which was nice, because I ended up not really liking it and leaving pretty quickly hahah.
Thennn I saw these remains across the street of the Temple of the Nymphs
Then saw on the map the Portico of Octavia and Marcello Theater, so I walked over THERE.
Then walked up the road past the big memorial to Vittorio Emmanual II
And finally made it to Trajan’s column/ Trajan’s Forum/ and Trajan’s Market. Reeeaalllyyy cool area of ruins just northwest of the Roman Forum. For more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan
I thought I was done with it, but as I started walking in search of food, I saw the entrance into the museum of the market! So I spent maybe an hour so going through that. It was not only a really well done museum inside, but it allowed access to walk through the ruins of the market!
Well... they warned us...
I was finally quite hungry, so I went to grab a late lunch at Osteria Al 16.
At that point, I was about wiped out. I had nothing else I needed to see, and I didn’t have the energy for much else, so I decided to do one more walk over by the Domus Aurea (built by Nero, next to where the Colosseum was later built and still stand and near his bronze statue mentioned previously.. Though I am not sure which came first, the statue or the Domus Aurea...) and walk through the park there to get one more look at the Colosseum before I had to leave. I walked over there of course, lots and lots more ruins. The park was filled with ruins of Trajan’s bath complex and other things I didn’t even have the energy to read about
I finally was able to get my last glimpse of the Colosseum, and called that a day.
I headed back to my hostel to get my bags. I then had about a 15 minute walk back to the train station and of course ended up getting there very early. What do we do when we have extra time in Italy? We eat! I found my way to a place called Fresco, had a “bitter white” drink that maybe was wine? But tasted liked licorice… it was ok.. And a pizza.
Even after that, I still had to wait more than half an hour to even find out from which platform my train was departing. I got onto the train, and besides an annoying woman that sat across from me and talked on the phone the ENTIRE 3 HOUR RIDE, I made it back to Milan without a hitch.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my Roman Holiday. Two jam-packed days of history and emotion, and it was truly everything I could have wanted.
If anyone wants some suggestions on walking routes or tour groups to use, please let me know as I truly enjoyed my whole experience.
Next up:
Napoli :-)
See you soon!!!!