A Roman Adventure Part Two: The Heart of Rome

Fori Imperiali

The sun shone brightly on our second full day in Rome. With the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Capital Hill on our agenda, we had an early start to the day - my birthday! And I must say, Rome is quite the place to celebrate a quarter of a century. The day was filled with exploring, photo snapping, gelato, sunshine, great food and even a nap- add in the beach and that would be my dream day. The only thing that was missing was my twin sister.

Anyways, on to our first adventure: the chaotic Colosseum. We walked ten minutes from our hotel, past a small fountain-filled piazza, and arrived at the welcoming and crowded Colosseum.  We eventually found the correct line, through a bit of Italian chaos, and paid 5 Euro extra for a guided tour from the Colosseum staff. I would not recommend this; with a good guide book, a self-made tour is much better.

Built in A.D. 80 during the height of the Roman Empire, this amphitheater was the sight of gladiator battles against other gladiators or animals, or the show featured animals battling animals. At one point in its history, the Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum's real name) was flooded to stage navy battle scenes. The arena could seat 50,000-70,000 fans and they could exit the Colosseum in fifteen minutes. Through Roman innovation of concrete and the arch formation, the Colosseum still stands in most of its grand glory today.

Overlooking the inside of the Colosseum

Derek overlooking the inside

The oval arena shows ancient elevator shafts that at one time were used to bring gladiators into the arena.

Colosseum at night

Derek in front of the Colosseum

Me in front of the Arch of Constantine

Roman Forum

Roman life was sophisticated, extravagant and filled with modern day luxuries. With running water in nearly every house, public baths to pass the time in, and grand structures that rival modern-day buildings, Rome, at the heart of the Roman empire is regarded as an engineering empire.

We started our tour of the Roman Forum area at Palatine Hill. With many ruins scattered throughout the striking green expanse, Palatine Hill once served as the home to the Imperial Palace, where emperors lived for three centuries. There were courtyards, a stadium, fountains, and a view of Circus Maximus. Derek and I wandered around the ruins, reading descriptions from our guide book along the way. 

Ancient arch on Palatine Hill

Beautiful skies at Palatine Hill

Palatine Hill's Stadium

Private wing of the palace

Overlooking the Colosseum from Palatine Hill

We took a path down from the hill into the Forum Romanum. The Roman Forum was the center of Rome, where the citizens gathered, women traded gossip and politicians strolled in togas. There was so much to see, and honestly, it was hard to see and fully understand everything going on. But, through photos, I will try to describe what we saw on our walk down Roman history.

Roman Forum

The House of the Vestal Virgins shared a story of ancient ritual, ruin and respect. The Vestal Virgins were chosen at the age of ten from prominent families to live a life of chastity for thirty years and protect the ever-burning flame of Rome. If the woman fulfilled her duty, she would receive riches and be allowed to marry. If she did not, she faced a doomed fate. This area of the forum contained statues of the Vestals, some partial and some whole. According to my Rick Steve's guide book, the Vestal's house was a "model for medieval monasteries and convents."

Courtyard of the Vestal Virgins

Statues of the Vestal Virgins

Derek walking down Via Sacra, the main road of Ancient Rome

There were piles of ruins everywhere. Pieces of Roman columns covered the grounds and provided a unique and intriguing landscape. Had Augustus leaned against that pillar at one time? In a very imaginative way, it's almost as if each little piece has a story to tell.

Roman Forum Ruins

Roman pillars were scattered throughout

Temple of Saturn

Roman Forum at night

Fresh, cold water straight from the aqueducts!

After climbing a large stairway out of the Roman Forum and onto Capital Hill, Derek and I climbed another set of stairs leading up to the Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church. In all of my church-visiting days, I have never seen a church like this one. With a mix of every art style imaginable, the church glowed in glory. Many small chapels dedicated to saints lined the outer edges, and there was even a small chapel where the Nativity Scene is displayed every Christmas. I have never seen chandeliers in a church, but hey, when in Rome!

Chandeliers adorn the inside of Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church

View from the top of the Victor  Emmanuel Monument 

After a quick stop at the Victor Emmanuel Monument for a stunning view of Rome, we headed back to the hotel for a power nap - a rare thing when we travel- but first made a stop at a delicious gelateria to cool off. Compared to the weather in Germany, Rome was warm and sunny!

Italian vino and gelato

That evening, we made our way to the Spanish Steps, after attempting to go to the Trevi Fountain again. Avoiding the mass groups of tourists at the Trevi, we somehow stumbled upon the Spanish Steps and enjoyed the view and atmosphere before heading to dinner.

Spanish Steps

After skimming menus at several restaurants (all have menus outside), we settled for a touristy, but romantic restaurant with a Pantheon view. The food was alright- I had a creamy pasta with mushrooms- but the atmosphere was grand. At night, the Pantheon portrayed a mystical feeling and to dine in front of it was wonderful. At the end of the meal, the waiters brought a tiramisu with a candle and started singing Happy Birthday. A classic Italian birthday!

 

A birthday dinner by the Pantheon

                                                                                                     

Pantheon at night

Pantheon at night

After a long, beautiful day, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night. Thanks to my husband for a wonderful birthday in Rome! 

On Monday, we took our time packing and left our bags at the hotel for pickup later. Our flight was leaving at 7 pm, so we had another full day ahead of us. We started our morning with a walk around the market in Campo de Fiori and stopped for a coffee and baguette for breakfast. Then we headed to the Pantheon for a third time, but this time to actually go inside. The Pantheon, built in AD 120, was used as a temple to all Roman gods. When Rome turned Christian, so did the Pantheon. It is the only ancient building in Rome to continuously be used since it was constructed. The Pantheon is as tall as it is wide, and was the model for St. Peter's Basilica, the dome in Florence, and the Capitol Building in DC. The dome has an open circle at the top, and was the only light source for the church. When we visited, it had recently rained. In the middle of the church, a rope marked off the wet floor, although the floor is built slanted so that rain water can drain.  

Cafe at Piazza di Fiori

Altar of the Pantheon

Open dome inside the Pantheon

Derek inside the Pantheon

Top of the Pantheon

 We spent the rest of the day wondering the streets, walking, walking, and walking just a bit more. We strolled through Piazza Navona, a hub of artists, tourists and cafes. We walked along the river and up some quaint cobbled streets where we found some gelato, again, and over to the Spanish Steps in search of an ancient city wall. We didn't find a wall, but instead we made our way back to our hotel's neighborhood and settled into the same restaurant from the first night. Why not have one more delicious meal before leaving Italy? We had fried zucchini flowers with anchovies (I picked those out) and Derek had the macaroni with sheep and ricotta cheese and I had a pasta with veges. We caught an early bus to the airport and after a storm delay made it back to our house late Monday night. 

Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona on a beautiful, sunny day.

Flower market

Our favorite restaurant!

An interesting entrance

Derek loved the tiny cars.

Trevi Fountain tourists

Victor Emmanuel Monument

Site of the Argentina Ruins- literally in the middle of a busy intersection.

I highly recommend Rome as a bucket-lister. The city was a mix of old and new sites, young and old people, tourists and locals, history and daily life, and Derek and I loved it. I suppose that's all for now. Ciao!

A Roman Adventure: Vatican City

Vatican City from St. Peter's Dome

Oh Italy, you did it again! Imagine walking five minutes out your hotel door, passing palm trees and gelato stands along the way, and bam, out pops an old ancient tower and then you peek down another street and the Colosseum waves hello in the morning sun. Rome, a land of enticing artifacts, original paintings, endless gelato and pasta, and history grander than any other city, did not let us down. Our three days in Rome proved to be nothing less than amazing, and here is part one of our Roman adventure.

 Arrival

We started our journey in the early afternoon on Friday, October 12th and flew out of the Karlsruhe Baden-Baden airport at 6:00 pm. After a smooth and quick 1.5 hour flight with RyanAir, we arrived to the Rome Ciampino airport and took a 40 minute shuttle to the Termini rail station in the center of Rome. After looking at the map, we headed in the direction of our hotel and arrived ten minutes later. Our home for the next three nights, Julie de Maison, was on a quiet street tucked behind the Italian Ministry. After checking into the guest house and receiving a recommendation from our host, Derek and I strolled down the cobbled street to a little Italian restaurant with all kinds of Italian charm and cuteness. Our first meal in Rome included round macaroni noodles with creamy sheep and ricotta cheese for me, and spaghetti carbonara for Derek. It tasted scrumptious, especially accompanied by some very cheap, tasty Italian vino rosso. After finishing dinner close to eleven, we strolled around the area and then called it a night.

Vatican City

Pope's Quarters on the top right corner

Saturday was the day that never ended, in a very good way. We awoke early and after a small breakfast at the hotel, walked through the main streets of Rome and crossed the Tiber River to the great St. Peter's Square in the heart of Vatican City. Once in the square, we found it impressively outlined with many, many pillars topped by statues of saints resting above with an ancient Egyptian obelisk towering in the middle at 25 meters. The shape of the square represents the arms of the church reaching out to its people, and we even saw the Pope's quarters with the windows open, a sign that he was home.

I pre-ordered Vatican Museum tickets online and after a 15 minute walk from the square to the entrance, we bypassed a very long line and started our tour in the overly-crowded museum. Derek and I are not fond of many museums and have really only been inside a few during our German stay, but the Vatican Museum made the list especially because of the final destination, the Sistine Chapel.

Derek in the Hall of Maps

We started the tour in the Egyptian room, where we saw well-preserved mummies and statues of ancient gods and then migrated through a courtyard containing highly regarded sculptures and many old bathtubs. We passed into a hall containing a gigantic water basin, probably used for bathing, that belonged to the emperor Nero. An infamous emperor, Nero ordered the building of a luxurious and extravagant palace for himself, and pieces of the palace are scattered throughout the museum. The museum's rooms and halls used to be pope palaces and are painted and adorned with sculptures, tapestries, maps, etc.

One of my favorite halls was the Hall of Tapestries from the School of Raphael. The tapestries represented many moment's of Christ's life and were astonishingly huge. Another favorite was the Hall of Maps where one of the popes commissioned that all Italian regions be painted onto the walls. After about an hour and a half, we arrived to the Stanze di Raffaello, or Room of Raphael, where between 1510-1511, the famous artist Raphael was commissioned to decorate several rooms in the pope's quarters. One of Raphael's most famous paintings and a prime example of Italian Renaissance art is the "School of Athens," a painting depicting the most famous philosophers of ancient times such as Plato and Aristotle. I had studied this painting in an high school art history class, and to see it in person was amazing. But not as amazing as the Sistine Chapel.

Raphael's School of Athens

Along with the crowds, we shuffled into the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina)  and tried our best to take it all in. After finding seats along the side of the church (luckily), we read through our travel guide that explained the meanings of each painting. No photos were allowed, but this is how I would describe it:

To think that one man, Michelangelo, completed (almost) the entire church by himself is beyond astounding; he created 5,000 square feet of frescoes. But to truly look at the meaning of the frescoes in combination with my faith and everything I studied growing up was, for me, a very moving experience. The ceiling was covered in scenes of all important biblical events before Christ. The wall above the altar was a larger-than-life mural of the Final Judgement. All of Michelangelo's famous paintings were together in one room and they were powerful. There was so much going on in this small church and so much to see that really, to fully comprehend everything, you would need to study the church for a month, or a year. Breathtaking is an understatement.

Decorative ceilings in the Vatican Museum

Collecting fresh water from one the fountains in the Vatican

Fresco-ed ceiling in the Vatican

Egyptian god Anubis

Nero's water basin sitting upon a mosaic floor

One of the tapestries from "Episodes of the Passion"

After leaving the Sistine Chapel through a door "only for tour groups" we skipped the line for St. Peter's Basilica and headed straight for the dome. After a short ride in an elevator, we arrived half way up the dome and had a close-up look at the beautiful mosaic wall before a snail-paced climb of 300 steps to the top of the dome. After a quick look at Vatican City in the rain, we headed back down the stairs and took cover inside the grandest Catholic church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica. A little history: St Peter's is built on what used to be Nero's Circus 2,000 years ago where it is believed that St. Peter, the first pope of the Catholic church, was crucified upside down. The altar of St. Peter's Basilica is built directly above the place of St. Peter's tomb. The basilica houses beautiful sculptures, paintings, and mosaics and it's no wonder that this church is the grandest of all. My favorite sculpture was Michelangelo's Pietà, a striking and delicately carved marble piece of Mary holding Jesus.

Here are some photos of St. Peter's:

The Altar of St. Peter's

One of the many naves in the church

Michelangelo's Pietà

Standing in the square

Swiss Guards guarding the Vatican

The crooked staircase winding to the top of the dome

Up-close mosaic near the dome inside St. Peter's

Derek standing next to the mosaic

A look down onto the Sistine Chapel

Trevi Fountain at Night

And after out Vatican tour, the day was not over. The rain drifted away and Derek and I found a gelateria on a corner of a picturesque Roman street. Oh gelato. Have you tried it? There are so many flavors to choose from and you can hardly ever go wrong. Anyway, after our gelato lunch, we wondered the streets of Rome in the light mist. We strolled over to Piazza Navona, took shelter under the awning of the Pantheon as it rained, strolled past Parliament, after stopping for a Sicilian cannoli, and ended up at the oh-so-romantic-and-overly-crowded Trevi Fountain.

We explored a nearby marketplace and purchased a beer and single-serving wine glass and settled onto the damp concrete seating surrounding the fountain. People watching is quite the sport, and I particularly enjoyed the annoying scam artists with large Polaroid cameras who would offer to take a photo with a couple's camera and then one with the Polaroid. Then the scammer would ask for money for the Polaroid.

The sun went down and after throwing some coins into the fountain, backwards to appease the legend, our appetites raved. We headed in the direction of our hotel and within ten minutes settled into a lively restaurant described in my guide book as "the Italian attempt at a German beer hall."

Derek in front of Castel Sant'Angelo

Trevi Fountain

Cannoli Time

Italian charm

I indulged in the chocolate, Derek in the fig

Wine time at dinner

After dinner, we decided to view Rome by night. We walked passed the Roman Forum, all the way to the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine. This tiring yet fulfilling day allowed us to sleep sound that night, and we awoke early the next day (my birthday!) for another Roman adventure. More to come in the next blog....so stay tuned!