Eurotrip Part V: Roma

  When we started planning our vacation, Rome was the focus. We had tried to get a home exchange in the city, but were not successful.  So, excitement built as we made plans to take the hour-long train ride from Tarquinia to the Italian capital.

  Our first day in Rome, we did the “Ancient Rome” circuit, starting at Palatine Hill, where Roman palaces once stood (a Rick Steves guide book suggestion to avoid the thousands in line at the Coliseum), followed by the ruins of the Roman Forum and, finally, the astounding Coliseum. It was a long, hot, and dusty walk on dirt and cobblestones, and we were tired after a stressful morning getting Jon a ticket at Rome’s Termini train station and then hunting down an Internet café to run off Vatican tickets.  But we entered the ruins on a happy note for Jon:  he had found excellent donner kabobs, his new favorite food-- thinly sliced lamb on pita with veggies and a special sauce, similar to a Gyro. 

 

Palatine Hill

Ruins of a private games arena from one of the palaces on Palatine Hill.

 Back in Time

  But back to the ruins. We made the mistake of not taking a tour, and the Italians are not known for effective labeling (or running their trains on time), so we sometimes were not sure what we were looking at. We only knew that everything was really, really old. And quite emotionally moving.

  The Roman Forum, although not in good shape, was recognizable by its familiar arches and temples. It was mind boggling to consider the decisions made on that ground thousands of years earlier. 

Roman Forum. I think this is the Arch of Constantine.

Not much left at the Forum. See my Facebook page for better photos (that darn vertical pic issue again).

   But the Coliseum had the most impact. Much of it is still intact and you can see the lower level where the animals, gladiators, and slaves were kept as they waited to take part in the "games," really a series of massacres. Some of the columns lining the streets to the Coliseum are still standing, and you can imagine what it must have been like 2,000 years ago (it was built in the first century AD) to be among the 50,000 spectators.  Kind of creepy but fascinating, a place we lingered at as we contemplated what life must have been like in ancient Rome.

Wow. I am actually in front of the Roman Coliseum.

The Coliseum is considered to be among the 7 wonders of the modern world, and the best example of ancient Roman architecture and engineering.

Dave shares info after overhearing an English speaking tour guide. Which we did not have.

The area below the floor of the Coliseum is now visible. Here is where the participants and hundreds of animals were held before making an appearance at the "games," which included mock animal hunts, sea battles, and gladiator battles.

Some of the columns that lined the path to the Coliseum are still standing.

On the way back through to the train station, as our double decker, open-top bus inched through the horrendous Rome traffic, we passed countless beautiful, ornate old buildings, statues, fountains, and churches, and snapped some quick photos, usually having no idea what we were looking at, knowing only that they sure were pretty.  It would take months to see all that Rome has to offer.  So, we decided to keep it real, and return for just one more visit—to the Vatican.

I believe this is from the military museum.

 

The Tiber River. A "bus shot" taken on our way to St. Peter's from the Coliseum.

The Vatican

    We knew from our guide books that the lines for regular admission to the Vatican would be endless so we booked a semi-private, 3-hour tour (20 people) and were so glad we did. We not only avoided the long admission lines, but found our Italian guide spoke excellent English and enjoyed telling anecdotes.

    The Vatican, the smallest country in the world, is a walled complex that includes St. Peter’s  (San Pietro) Square (where the Pope holds outdoor public masses), St.  Peter’s Basilica church including the Sistine Chapel, papal apartments, and Vatican gardens. Oh—and countess priceless art masterpieces. It is simply overwhelming; your head swivels back and forth to take it all in. We knew we would see many works of Michelangelo –the Sistine chapel, the Pieta --yet there were so many other world-class artists represented.  We were especially impressed with the works of Raphael (there are rooms dedicated to his works), and Jon’s favorite of all the art we saw was Raphael’s "Transfiguration."

Dave really, really wanted to go to Rome. St. Peter's Square.

Fountain in St. Peter's Square.

  Our guide entertained us. In one statuary hall, each male statue had been maimed by having its penis removed and a plaster fig leaf slapped over its private areas.  She explained that this had happened in the 1800s and many called the atrocity ‘the castration by Pope Pius IX.”  

 

 In the Sistine chapel (we had nearly an hour there), she relayed the story that Michelangelo had painted the face of a critical Vatican official (also upset about all those penises) onto the figure of Minos, one of the devils in Hell. The story goes that this made the official a public laughing- stock, so he went to the Pope to ask that the figure be changed. The Pope reportedly responded, “I have some influence in purgatory, but none in hell.” The figure remained unchanged.

    The Sistine Chapel is not exactly what I had imagined. There are colorful, masterfully painted frescoes all over the chapel, but I had imagined that the iconic "Creation of Man" panel would be the huge centerpiece of the ceiling and it is not; it's in the center but no larger than the rest of the ceiling panels. I also had naively thought that the chapel would have pews or kneelers, be set up as a chapel for prayer and reflection. Not so. Although the guards repeatedly shushed the tourists to keep the noise level down because they were in a house of God, the chapel is an open room. Still, there is no question that you are in the presence of artistic genius.

Michelangelo's Pieta ( Mary holding the dead Christ) is behind glass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Even the stairs in the Vatican are ornate.

 

 

 

Not bad for having to take photos with no flash...

 

Garden of Eden painting by Wenzel.

Weird statue of the goddess Diana. Playtex, you've got a call on line 10...

This is the famous "School of Athens" fresco painting by Raphael; it is supposed to depict the great philosophers such as Aristotle and Socrates.

Even Dali made it into the Vatican Museum.

St. Peter's dome.

Ciao, St. Pete.

  By time the tour ended we were—you guessed it—hungry. After walking in circles for about 30 minutes, we found a little place recommended by Rick Steves, and collapsed into the arms of the dark, cool café. The food was very good, but the high point was meeting the chef. We didn’t catch his name, but raise your hand if you think it might be Mario.

Lunch at a Vatican area restaurant, where we were introduced to the chef.

 What I Learned on my Vacation:

• Yes, it is possible for it to be sunny and in the 80s for 17 days straight.
• Jon, who had the Italy week off from his studies in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, was an excellent traveling partner, enthusiastic and eager to experience it all. We loved having him with us, even if he isn’t the best Canasta player. OHHHH.
• When you know you won’t have a working cell phone, take a damn watch.
• Bring a working cell phone. In fact, bring a working smart phone just in case the Italian Internet cafes decide to go on holiday.
• When your home exchange partner says she has a computer with Internet, be sure it is connected to a printer.
• Rick Steves, author of the guide books that are the “Bible” for Jon’s study abroad group, is usually right. Bring his books with you.
• Although there are 4 passport checkpoints (and accompanying lines) to fly out of Rome, the total time spent by Italian officials actually looking at those passports is about 4 seconds.
• The Italians are gregarious and welcoming as long as they don’t work in the public transportation industry. The German-Swiss are sophisticated, and would rather go around you than give you the time of day, but they run a darn fine public transportation system.  
• Swiss hot chocolate is milky smooth; you drink it from a cup. Italian hot chocolate is like a mug of hot chocolate pudding; you eat it with a spoon.  Gimme both.
• Put 10 Italians in a room together and there will be a din; put 10 Swiss in a room together and you can hear a pin drop. Could two cultures with common boundaries be more different?
• The cows in Switzerland are revered, but they might be deaf. They all have a bell around their neck that gongs every time they move a muscle.  PETA, do you have a Swiss office?
• Don’t run low on cash in Italy. Their ATM machines are usually broken or out of money, or both. True.
• Italian Paninni trucks are the bomb.
• A 1 liter bottle of water: 1 Euro in Italy, 5 CF in Switzerland. Huh?
• I like Bern better than Rome; I like Italy better than Switzerland. Both countries are gorgeous.
• Italy: I will be back.

Eurotrip Part IV: Beautiful Tuscany

 Sienna

     Although it was 2 hours from Tarquinia, we had heard so much about Sienna (including Rick Steves!), an Etruscan hill city in the Tuscan region of Italy, that we buckled up to check it out.  What a great city, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a historical city center dating back to 900 BC, although most buildings are from the 1100-1300s.

     After finding parking just inside the city walls, we walked many, many narrow streets, and of course, Jon and I grew hungry—hey, it was lunch time!—so we ended up at a tiny, grotto-style restaurant. Great choice, since Dave and I were able to get our beloved walnut raviolis and they were molto bene.  

Walnut raviolis rule.

 

   Bellies full, we then headed to the Duomo plaza where an accordion player sat beside the cathedral playing music from Phantom of the Opera, so you know I was happy. (Sadly, though, no Gerard Butler in sight.)

Really, Jon?

  The large, glittering Duomo is a striking combination of Romanesque and Gothic  architecture. Most extraordinary is its use of dark and light stone to create stripes, and its intricate inlaid tile floors. All three of us loved this cathedral, perhaps even more than the Vatican structures.

This photo reminds me of the movie Alien. This church is the most intriguing I have ever seen.

    We also checked out the adjacent Museo del’Opera, which has a famous 14^th century piece called Maestra, by Duccio. Very enjoyable since it is in a lovely, old building and is not so large that you become overwhelmed. 

    We headed to the other side of the city and the famous, shell-shaped Piazza del Campo plaza, home to a large fountain and a ton of tourists. Naturally, we had gelatos in hand as we sat in the warm Tuscan sun and imagined how exciting it must be every summer when the Palio bareback horse races are run along the outside of the plaza. Apparently, they are extremely crowded, drunken affairs. Sign us up.

Couple o' Beers on the Campo. Doesn't get much better.

Yes, this is the plaza where they have horse races twice each summer. Everyone congregates in the middle and on the balconies of the buildings. The bareback riders race in a circle on the perimeter.

Fountain on the Campo.

 We loved Sienna so much that we made reservations at the restaurant said to be the best in the Campo for the next day. As it turned out, we returned to Sienna on a different route, through the beautiful, rolling Tuscan countryside rather than the highways we originally took. With a crappy GPS guide, and dusk upon us (Dave’s eyes are lousy in the dark), we  could not figure out how to make our way through the gates of the old city. So, just as in Bern, we drove in circles--although with far fewer stalls, since Dave had become an old hand with the clutch.  Yet, as often happens, we ended up with an enjoyable alternative, a small local restaurant just outside Sienna, with effusive, English-speaking hosts and a very friendly German couple who kept us entertained through much of the meal. I had the famous Florentine steak –so, so good and properly cooked rare-- and we cheered Italy on in a televised soccer game along with a packed house of locals. Life was good.

The rolling hills of Tuscany are often dotted with these tall, thin "Tuscan Cypress" trees.

 

 Next: Roma