Rome (the real post)

Day 1

We have arrived in Rome. It is still hot. The traffic is crazy, to cross the street you need to just bravely step out into the cross walk because if you hesitate just for a moment they will drive right through (and very close too). Right after moving in to our hotel I walked to the Santa Maria degli Angel church. Ok, first of all, every church in Rome is amazing. I wouldn't put in much effort to see other church's in other cities because the ones in Rome were free, amazing and on every street corner.

Anyway, at this church they had a meridian line? and an occulus and you could use the light to read from the line the day of the year. It was pretty amazing. The marble and stone work in all these churches was amazing.



Then it was off to Saint Pietro in Vincoli church to see moses. There were lots of people just in the corner looking at the statue.



There was also a really amazing statue of a skeleton with wings. I haven't seen many of them at all in Italy.


There are also tons of Egyptian oblesques in Rome. Often they are then capped with a christian figure. Apparently after Rome conquered Egypt they brought back lots of artefacts which is why Rome is littered with the oblesques.

I wandered around San Giovanni Laterno, a grand building but I didn't go in. This is where I caught my first Rome Metro, the subway system, to the Spanish Steps. The steps were crowded with people but ultimately not that fascinating. However, they did appear in the movie Roman Holiday.


All around this area is the expensive shopping area and then some streets over the more modest shopping area. It is also one of the main bus roads. Though it's amazing to consider what kind of roads the buses squeeze down. Actually, it's amazing to consider what the cars squeeze through!

Day 2

The next day Carrie and I set off early to see Saint Peters Basilica. Wow. This place was huge. We just walked in (at 8:30) but when we left at 10:30 there was already a long line of people in Saint Peters Square to get in.



The floors were gorgeous and we saw the zamboni driver working to keep them clean. What a job - 'I drive the zamboni for the Vatican'. The alter was massive and gorgeous as well, I loved the twisting of the wood.

I didn't realize that the Basillica was built over the remains of Saint Peter, the first pope. We went below to the open part of the catacombs and saw the tomb of JP II. There were people filing through and many were crying.


Then I mailed a letter from the Vatican.

Carrie and I then headed to the Pazza del Popolo where we learned an important lesson. If someone hands you something, rudely tell them you don't want it and pull your hands away. We knew this was the case but were caught by it anyway. We got rid of the flowers fairly easily though and then had our pictures taken with the lions.

Next was the tour of ancient Rome starting from the Piazza Narona. This plaza had an impressive fountain of the four continents and rivers of of the world. There were four groups of figures devoted to each continent and a river on that continent. Though there are many impressive fountains in Rome. Our tour was ok but it was hard to hear the speaker through the radio headsets that we were given. She had a strong accent which combined with the crackle and the street traffic meant we missed a lot of information. I think it would have been better to buy the 9 euro picture guide book which covered the churches as well and guide myself, but I like to read while I look at things. If you want to walk and be told, the tour would be worth it. One of our first stops was the Pantheon. This was a Roman temple devoted to all the gods. There was a hole in the ceiling so that rain could reach the floor of the temple. Apparently to show unity, the temple floor was covered in stone brought from all countries of the empire (i.e. Turkey). As we have been covering so much countryside on this tour and taking the train everywhere it amazes me to consider that this entire area and way beyond was ruled at the speed of horseback. Wow.

Next up was Trevi fountain, man was this place packed. You are supposed to throw in a coin to ensure a return to Rome but I didn't. I guess I figure if I want to go back, I'll buy a plane ticket.

Carrie had gone out the previous night to see some of Rome with the lights and ran into a man who claimed to be a lost tourist as well. But after 20 minutes of mutual wandering he proved to know more about the city than he had originally let on. He was always flirting, for example when he grabbed her hand to run to the bus he didn't let go. Carrie described it as the horny prom date always trying to make a move. At Trevi fountain he told her to throw in some money but then unexpectedly grabbed her around the waist so she wouldn't 'fall in'. While Carrie was telling him he wasn't going to get anywhere that's when she pointed out she was married (they see the ring - but where is he now?) and if he wanted a girl for the evening he should try elsewhere. Eventually he accepted it and said he loved her because her love from also from her head (towards her husband) and then ran off into the night. With me it wouldn't have gotten that far, I am distrustful when I am on my own.

Then we headed into the remains of ancient Rome. There were ruins.

I was vaguely aware of what they used to be. I'm going to have to check my facts but Rome went from a large population (was it 1 million) to 9000 people. Can you imagine living in an emptied out city? The citizens let the debris build up which is why the ruins of Rome are something like 10 feet below current ground level.

Our guide pointed out a church that had been put into an old Roman building and you can see the height of the green door in the new excavation.

We also saw Ceasar's tomb, or at least where his ashes were distributed. Finally it was on to the Colosseum. But first the Arch of Constantine. This arch was built to celebrate the sack of Jerusalem. You can see in one of the carvings they are carrying out a menorah.

We also passed by the front of Nero's house. He was the mad emperor and had taken much of the cities wealth for himself. When he died, the wealth of Jerusalem was used to purchase the decorative arches and to build the Colosseum. This was built over Nero's garden lake which was drained and it was built in only 9 years (or close). I guess you can do a lot with slaves. These acts bought the goodwill of the people and thus emperor Flavius was a popular ruler.

Here you can see all the lower rooms below the stage. They said that you could have staged naval battles in the Colosseum but I always wondered how. It turns out when originally built, those rooms were made with wood walls and these were removed and the entire thing filled with water. Once they were rebuilt with masonry (as seen in the photo), they could no longer stage naval battles.

I also liked the graffiti that was found carved into the stones. People were drawing their favourite gladiators and fights. You can barely see in this graffiti the gladiator armed with a trident and net.

Also found in the Colosseum excavation were lots of sewing and weaving stuff. Apparently women would go to the Colosseum and do some work, just like in front of the tv. But can you imagine! There were gruesome executions, people torn apart by animals, nasty nasty ways to die and you were spinning!

There wasn't much left to see at Circus Maximus. This was the scene of the grand chariot races in Ben Hur. Now it was a grassy field where kids played soccer. You can still see the layout of the ring and there is a bit of ruins at one end.
In the evening I checked out Trevi fountain and the Colosseum. The fountain was even more packed than during the day and very pretty. This seems to be the place to romantically make out... Actually, I saw one couple tasting each others tonsils and when they pulled back for air I was expecting to see the look on the man to say something like "yeah who's getting some" but instead it was the unexpected sweetest smile of him knowing just how lucky he is. Well I guess so, making out at Trevi fountain in the moonlight (sadly with a huge audience). Hmmm, no, just need the lover for Cinque Terre but I'd transplant that smile.



Day 3

On the third day I set off early for the Vatican museum. I could have gone to see the pope (you need to get tickets for him greeting pilgrims every Wednesday) but decided I wanted to see more monuments. I guess I could have gone later to the museum because first thing in the morning there were huge lines. The museum itself was amazing, it was HUGE. Someone said it was bigger than the Louvre. If you walked past every exhibit it would be 9 miles long. They had a great Egyption section with the stuff that had been collected by the Romans after they conquered Egypt. There was even a mummy and I don't think I've ever seen one of those before.

There was also fabulous art. It might have been greater than the palace of the Doge but I am now perhaps a bit jaded. I really loved this part of the wall, I loved the colours of the angel and the gold leaf that makes the sun sparkle.

This photo was taken in the room devoted to the conversion of the Roman emperor to catholicism. The ceiling has a painting of the cross over a shattered Roman statue.



Plus the human traffic was intense and made it a very impersonal experience. I went to visit the Sistine chapel. You had to walk down a very very long corridor filled with art and maps and tapestries. It was a highway, clearly people paid full entrance to the museum but only walked to the Sistine chapel and out again without visiting the rest. The chapel itself was amazing, the colours were so vibrant and the place was packed. It was written there was no photography allowed but I was told there was a lot of surreptitious photos that were taken. Surreptitious my ass! Flashes were going off like at a rock concert. The guards were there but they just watched. I took some photos without flash.


On the way out I saw more art, I have a photo of rock star Jesus on the cross, check out the flowing locks.


After the museum I went to the National museum which had the archaeological artifacts. It was pretty interesting, they had a slave collar which had a dog-tag like disc with the inscription instructing that if the slave was found to be returned to so-and-so's house and a reward would be paid.


I wanted to see the Palace ruins but they were closed. The G8 meeting was in Rome and there were tons of security. I even walked right in front of a machine gun which was pointed out to the crowds of tourists just walking around the square. They guys would just sit around their trucks and check out all the girls walking by. They were even hitting on members of our group later in the evening.

So as I was pretty tired at that point I decided to do random bus trips. With the Roma pass you get free entrance to two museum in three days, discounts to other museums and three days of free transit. I would get on a bus, follow it's route on the map, get out in a bigger square and catch another. I ended up at Saint Ignazzio de Loyola
(more ceiling art including a cool false perspective cuppola where if you stood somewhere specific in the centre and looked up it looked like a huge dome), then back in the Pantheon (still crowded and beautiful) and then it was back to the hotel.

That evening out group went out to eat in the more trendy of the Rome areas. Dinner was decent and the area seemed to have more locals and less men on the prowl (another much older waiter to Carrie: "You're married, well I'm married too, but I have a problem. Do you have a problem?"). I left the group because I had heard that the Mouth of Truth was close by. Indeed it was, this was the artefact from a scene in Roman Holiday where the male lead (Carrey Grant?) pretended his hand was bit off as he teased Audrey Hepburn. I was very excited to have found it! It was locked behind the gates of a church and it looks like they don't want people putting their hand in it, but still it was neat to have found it.