Roma!

Of Course, The Colosseum

The Colosseum

The Colosseum

Roman Forum

Roman Forum

Roman Forum

At the Forum

Day 15
The Overwhelming Roma

This morning we left our agritourism hotel with the mist still clinging to the valleys on our way to Rome.

Once in Rome we settled into our hotel, Hotel Sonya, and then had some time for lunch on our own. Anita, Don and I went to a little pizza place down the road from our hotel. The pizzas here are very thin and large. There are only a few toppings and it seems too big to eat but before you know it you've eaten it all!

I headed around the corner to a bookstore and found a map book of Rome. It was only in Italian but so are the street names so what does it matter! I also picked up a wonderful book called, Rome; Present and Past. I highly recommend this book for anyone visiting this history steeped city. It has pictures of the attractions and ruins as they look today with a transparency overlay that shows you how it looked in it's hay day. Our local guide was using one to show us during our tour today.

On our way to meet our local guide, Ferdi taught us how to cross a street in Rome. You make eye contact with the driver and start walking, don't speed up and definitely don't slow down. It was a little scary because they drive a little crazy in Rome.

We met our guide at the Colosseum and went up to the main level that wraps around the middle of the interior. I looked at my book and the overlay really helped bring it to life. It's so big and amazing. To think what an event it would have been to go see a spectacle here. Wonderful place for pictures. And you can't help but reflect on the lives lost here too, all for sport and propaganda.

Then our tour went across to the Roman Forum. This was the center of Roman politics. It's really in ruins and you just have to keep in mind that where ever you see a row of columns, that was a huge temple or building. I love the gorgeous umbrella trees that cling to the hill tops of this place. It's as if the green plants are trying to retake the ruins for themselves.

Continuing along we headed to what looked like a modern brick building, but it turned out to be the Senate. This was a WOW moment for me. You could only walk in a few meters and there is only really the flooring left with the three steps of the Senate on three sides, but it didn't matter. The minute I stepped inside I could feel the immensity of this place. To think of the many countries and thousands of people that were affected by the rulings made in this one room by a handful of men. Our civilization, how we live today, it started here in this room. It leaves you speechless and humbled.

Now to my favorite piece of architecture, The Pantheon, House of the Gods. This is just a pleasure to behold. The dome is visible outside and the afternoon sun was making it look as though it glowed. We entered in and the interior of the dome amazes. There is an opening in the very center and inlaid squares all along the dome that used to hold pictures of each god. As the sun moves across the sky it shines through the center and lights up each square throughout the day to honor each god. Yah, WOW is right! That's only half of it. The other half is fathoming how the dome was built in that time period. It was the first dome of it's kind to be made of poured concrete. It is thickest at the base and thins toward the center.

Ferdi took us on an evening walk of Rome. We went to the Trivali Fountain swarming with tourists. If you threw a penny over your shoulder into the fountain you will return to Rome. The city is lovely at night. It's cooler and just has a glow to it. We visited another lovely fountain with no tourists at all! We made our way to the hotel thinking about all that we had undertaken today and wondering about what to pick tomorrow. There is so much to this city, how do you pick with only half a day to spend!

Trivali Fountain

My Favorite Place,
The Pantheon

St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica,
off to the Right is the
Vatican Museum

Vatican City

Vatican City

Close Up of a Column

Colosseum

I Have No Idea What this Is?

Day 16
Roaming Roma

This morning we were off to the smallest country in the world - Vatican City. Our local guide bustled us through the Vatican Museum with its long galleries of works, pointing out and explaining the key pieces. There is so much to see and the halls just seem to never end. We came to the Raphael works and his mural, The School of Athens were one of the figures is clearly wearing leather boots. This was a reference to his friend, Michelangelo, who was working in Vatican City at the same time. I guess Michelangelo's friends used to joke that he must go to bed in those boots. I find it surprising that such great masters lived at the same time and knew each other, how amazing!

On to one of Michelangelo's most famous works, the Sistine Chapel which was recently restored and looked gorgeous. People always hear of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel but why just that? This whole room is covered in frescoes and all are telling a story from the Bible. Make your way to one of the walls of the room where there are stone benches to just sit and enjoy it all.

The tour wound around until we were in the HUGE, St. Peter's Basilica. We gathered in front of a large monument that our local guide was explaining to us. As my eyes followed the piece down I realized there was a glass case at the bottom which was lit from within....is that a...no it can't be...yes, it's a dead body covered in clear wax! That was a shock!

He wasn't the only one either, there were more. Apparently one of the Popes felt very highly of himself because he was covered in gold.

Now I have a bone to pick with the Vatican here; you should really warm people before they enter that there are dead Popes in glass coffins!

After surviving St.Peter's, really huge, Basilica with dead Popes inside, we all went off in our own directions trying to fill our last day with as much of Rome as we could. I visited a few ruins near the Colosseum but I was drawn back to the Pantheon. This is by far my favorite place in Rome, perhaps because most of its' original grandeur is still intact. And yet, when I try to describe how it makes me feel, I have no words for it.

I got a cup of tea at one of the cafes in front of the Pantheon and pulled out the postcards I'd been intending to write since the start of my trip. Someone said to just mail them from home, but I just couldn't do that. So I wrote 25 postcards in one sitting and mailed them all!

I've reflected on my trip a lot today. I'm so glad I was able to take this trip of a lifetime. It seems like I've been in this country much longer than just 17 days. Wow, I can't believe I will be back at work in two days, scary! I think I'll experience much more culture shock coming back than I did coming over here.

I can't believe this is the last day with the group. We went to our last group dinner to Ristorante Esperia. It was a little sad at first, but then we got talking and it all turned to laughing and good times. The meal was wonderful. During that dinner we made a few plans for people to meet again, but even if that never happens, they will always be in my memories of one of the most important trips of my life. Many thanks to my tour members for being fantastic. Thanks to Ferdi, our guide for making Italy like home. And of course thanks to the Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door for putting together this amazing experience for us all.

Real - Ravioli

Veal Wrapped in Prosciutto
with Roast Potatoes

Simple Strawberries and Sugar,
a Universal Favorite