Roma, Italia

Rome



Where to start? When in Rome, see the Vatican. That makes the absolute top of my list. I don't think I could explain in words what it was like to spend Good Friday on the steps of the Vatican. It is really more than you could ever imagine. The size alone of the Basilica is overwhelming and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's famous Genesis fresco is so perfect... I could have looked at it all day long. Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel against his will and was at the time in competition with an up and coming artist, Raphel. His Fresco is breathtaking and although no pictures were allowed, everyone took them -how could you not?

St. Peter was martyred and buried underneath the Vatican and all succeeding popes held the Vatican as their residence. Vatican City is its own country and has its own monetary system and post office. How do I know all of this? -I'm a genius, no really. It is essential to take a guided tour of the Vatican and you don't need to prebook it. There are tons of independent English speaking guides who are insanely knowledgable, and for 10 extra euro, you will actually know what you are looking at. I could have listened to our tour guide all afternoon! We were lucky enough to get a little inside information about the Swiss guards who work for the Vatican... That's pretty much all I am allowed to say, but I will explain that any girl who gets a date with a Swiss Guard gets a private tour of the Vatican Gardens... You can put two and two together yourself; I, on the other hand am sworn to secrecy and will never have pictures to prove anything.

Other interesting things about the Vatican - Michelangelo's masterpiece, Pieta, is also housed here at St.Peter's. It was knocked over after a psycho entered the basilica claiming to be Christ with a hammer and tried to destroy it. The marble sculpture was repaired but is now behind bullet proof glass... The dome inside St. Peter's marks the highest point in Rome and Michelangelo designed the inside of this as well. If you have one day in Roma, take a picture outside the colosseum and go in to tour the entire basilica and the Vatican museums including the Sistine Chapel. It will revive you, it will inspire you, but most of all, it will likely reaffirm your faith. I went back twice in 2 days just to see it.

I did actually do other things in Rome, like tour the Colosseum. This hits number 2 on my list and I would again recommend a guided tour. Most of the tours, well actually all of the tours I took in Europe were guided and only required an extra 10 to 15 euro and usually a jump in front of all of the lines. We grabbed a hop on, hop off bus tour for 20 euro that allowed us to go all over Rome and get off to see the sights we chose. It worked out really well, however if you want, most of the city is completely walkable. The Colosseum was enormous and holds 50 thousand spectators (obviously not anymore). The guide explained that all people were allowed to attend the events in the Colosseum except for actors and ex-gladiators. There were lotteries at the events and raffles where people could win animals or even slaves. During the time of the gladiators, it was common for most households in the middle class to have around six slaves working for them.

The gladiators were often treated like celebrities and had managers that they basically sold their life to while fighting (for about seven years). I suppose with fame comes a price... Less than two percent of gladiators survived all their fights. Events held at the colosseum were seen as family events and even children could come to see the gruesome fighting. Underneath the colosseum floor were chambers that held the wild animals that would be released into the arena. They would often release two to three male lions who had not eaten in over a week together just to enhance the action for the crowd. There was also a canopy above the arena that was used as shade for the spectators, but was rolled up three times a day to release the stench that accumulated with all of the dead animals, hot sun, and sweaty people.

The Trevi fountain was another highlight of our trip and we were able to see it at night with a beautiful glow against the background of Roma. The fountain is the biggest in Rome and was designed by Nicola Salvi in the 18th century. The spring underneath the fountain was discovered by a virgin and the central figures depict Neptune flanked by two Tritons. It is supposed to be a fountain of love and it is traditional to throw in a coin and make a wish (which of course, I did).




There are many palazzos (plazas) throughout Rome, but the main ones that are critical to see are ...

1) Campo de' Fiori - with lively music and shopping surrounding the palazzo during the day, and bars and clubs to venture through at night. Try a Spritz - drink while you're in Italy at least once... Decide for yourself what you think.

2) Piazza di Spagna- in the 18th century, the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See had his headquarters on the square and the surrounding area was seen as Spanish Territory. The famous Spanish steps are also here, beautifully lined with flowers and built by the French in 1725 to link the the Trinita dei Monti church with the Piazza di Spagna. When we were there, it was filled with tourists and was hard to fight to get a picture. Connected to Piazza di Spagna on the opposing end of the steps is Via dei Condotti, which will, if you let it, eat your money. High end shopping finds its home here in Rome and we took a pass at Prada and Gucci. Instead, we traveled to an area near the Vatican (like I said, I saw it three times...), called Via Borgo, which had more reasonable shopping (and Italian leather sandals).

3) Piazza Navona- there are three fountains here and plenty of Gelato options! This piazza is lined with restaurants, even in the smaller side streets and no matter where you go, try the house wine. We learned a little late that while cheap, the house wine at most restaurants in Italy is excellent and comes in a pitcher ( no wonder Jesus and I get along so well, turned water into wine....hmmmm).

So to wrap up Rome, which is difficult, let me tell you.
Where to stay? Anywhere central to downtown near Piazza Navona or in that area keeps you pretty central to everything. We stayed a block from Campo di' Fiori At the Pomenzia Hotel - complementary breakfast, real hair dryers, friendly staff, reasonably priced, and clean. No lift... And we were room 33. If you know anything about me, you will realize that my huge muscles were the only thing that allowed me to carry my (huge) suitcase up three (which was actually like six - two to each flight) flights of stairs. Pack light, I won't ever, but you should.

Where to eat? Anywhere that looks family owned and has people eating at it. Don't go into an empty restaurant, it's probably empty for a reason. Eat gelato, and eat a lot of it. It's vacation and you can hit up the gym when you get home. Gelato is only good in Italy once you've had it there. Also enjoy at least one bottle of Chianti to yourself, no sharing!








Where to go? Give yourself 2 full days in Rome minimum. Also, purchase the Eyewitness Travel Rome pocket and map guide (seven euro with debit master card), which saved my life and allowed me to know quick facts about the many gorgeous sights I saw in Rome. You must already appreciate it considering a lot of the information in this post came from my newly gained knowledge! The rest was written in by my editor.
See the Vatican, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain (throw in a coin and make a wish) and the above Piazzas. then, at night, walk back to the Vatican when everyone has left and take one last look. You might never again see something so incredible, so soak it up.



To view all of my photos from Rome, click HERE.