6/29: A Colosseo Adventure

Over breakfast we tried to do some Florence planning. We were headed there in two days and had not secured a place to stay yet, so doing so was a priority. Once comfortable enough with our research and inquiries to set out for the day, we left for the one definite goal of hitting the Colosseum.

We walked down Via del Corso to the enormous Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II, which we read had to level important areas of town (like Michelangelo's house) in order to be built.

It was quite large, unnecessarily so, though at the base of the upper edifice were two Roman guards flanking their country's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At least that wasn't a display of opulence and self reverence.

We next passed Trajan's Column, his Forum, and his Market...or what was left of it. The column was pretty interesting, but the rest of it seemed almost entirely ruined.

Moving on, we walked down the peaceful Via dei Fori Imperiali, seeing the Colosseum in the distance, but we turned into the Roman Forum to get our tix for the three venues(Forum, Colosseum, & Palatine Hill) there, because Franco had warned us of long lines at the Colosseum.

ABOVE: Colosseum in WAY background.

Since we were already there, we decided to explore what was left of the Roman Forum. The truth? Not much. A couple arches, some piled rocks, a spot that may have been where Caesar was killed. The site seemed to be hosting a few exhibits on emperor Nero, as we found them scattered throughout the grounds during our aimless wanderings through the ruins.

After a water break, we climbed Palatine Hill to try out its views of Rome. Frankly, after we'd seen what the skyline from the higher Pincio Hill had to offer, this was an unimpressive view by comparison.

Exiting the Forum/Palatine area, we moseyed on down toward the Colosseum, which was really impressive from the outside. We stopped for a panini in the shade, and watched gypsies evading the police while we ate. Those dudes could have fifteen fake purses laid out on a blanket one minute, but be a block away with their merchandise over one shoulder ten seconds later.

After eating, we entered Il Colosseo. It was originally three levels(not counting the basement/locker room underground where gladiators and animals were kept), though a fourth was later added. Presently, only half of the 4th level remains, and only the first and second levels were accessible to tourists--though I later heard that you could schedule tours of the basement level.

An individual might easily find the Colosseum unremarkable because of how similar it is to contemporary stadiums, but the fact that should be regarded is how modern stadiums owe nearly every aspect of their design to this ancient structure.

On one end of the stadium stood a brass cross, which I had heard was meant to commemorate the blood of Christian martyrs shed in the arena, though that claim has since been disputed. On one guidepost, we read that the Pope used to tour the circumference of the Colosseum on Good Friday, and the crucifix is meant to commemorate that tradition too.

After departing the Colosseum, we cut northeast briefly to see the Church of San Piedro in Vincoli, or St. Peter in Chains. Inside were three sculptures by Michelangelo: Rachel and Leah--the two wives of Jacob in the Bible--flanking the central figure of Moses.

Michelangelo portrayed Moses at the moment following his reception of the Ten Commandments when he looks upon the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. A guide book stated that he's depicted with small horns due to a misinterpretation of the text. If you can get over that pretty glaring anatomical oversight, this was another amazing sculpture by the Florentine.

Of additional note inside is the relic that gives the church its namesake. Beneath the main altar, behind plexiglass, rest the chains that allegedly bound St. Peter during his Roman imprisonment. They didn't look as old and rudimentary as we expected, but it was still impressive to look upon the chains that once bound the man who now blocks our entry to Heaven.

ABOVE: More impressive than Alice in Chains.

We turned back south past the Colosseum and giant Arch of Constantine, then cut up past the ruined Circus Maximus to see the church of Saint Maria in Cosmedin, with its famous "Bocca Della Verità," or "Mouth of Truth." The church was closed, but the mouth sculpture was visible through the iron grate.

Legend has it that the mouth will bite off your hand if you reach in and lie.

We hit the river and followed it north to Ponte Fabricio, then crossed the tiny island Isola in the Tiber River, on into Trastavere.

This region was apparently ignored by the majority of Roman citizens for decades, leaving it small and quaint, before it arbitrarily got "discovered" in the 80s (I think) and it became hip to visit. We explored some of the quiet and cozy streets, stumbling on what appeared to be a house that once belonged to the famous poet Dante...

...then stopped to eat somewhere inexpensive. We ordered a Bruschetta appetizer, Annie had pesto gnocchi, and I had gnocchi with mussels and clams(& beer). Pretty good!

Pressing westward, we found the church of Santa Maria in Trastavere, which was holding Wednesday mass. It is one of Rome's oldest churches dedicated to Mary, and it looks it.

We cut north to the Piazza Trilussa, then crossed Ponte Sisto back to the eastern side of the Tiber. Sunset was just getting into swing, and from the bridge it looked lovely with St. Peter's on the far horizon.

ABOVE: My gorgeous and photogenic wife.

At this point, we went piazza-hopping: Piazza Farnese, Campo dè Fiori, Piazza Pantaleo, Piazza Navone(again).

We navigated our way through the maze of streets to a gelateria called Giolitti, which had been recommended to us by Franco as one of the oldest gelato vendors in Rome. It was an experience unparalleled in America. We felt warped back to the early/mid 20th century, where the gelato vendors wore fancy clothes and a simple dessert shop could be decorated and staffed like a 5-star restaurant.

Annie got a lemon/limoncello cone, and I got Nutella and cream. She won. We shuffled our way home, gelato in hand, and Rome on our lips.

Rome June 29 Album:

Rome: June 29, 2011

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rome, Italy

6/28: Vatican Rumors True: The Pope DOES wear a funny hat.

We'd planned to see the Vatican today, but trusted Franco's advice to wait until early afternoon for the lines to thin and the tour guides to clear out. This left us with a chunk in our day to fill.

After a great communal breakfast of pastries, meats, cheeses, fruits, juices and choice of coffees, we set out toward the Chiesa di San Ignazio di Loyola (where we got booted yesterday) to have a longer visit and inspect the painted dome. It was an amazing example of perspective!

Above: View on approach.

The tale as we read it was that the church lacked the funding to build the dome into a cupola, or to have one added later, so a plan was devised to have the dome painted in a way that LOOKED like it had a cupola, windows and all. It was truly impressive.

Above: View directly beneath.

From the church, we walked past the Pantheon, then into the Piazza Navona. It had three cool fountains and a relaxed but lively atmosphere, hemmed in as it was by blocks of buildings and cafés.

Continuing on, we crossed the Tiber River at the Ponte Sant'Angelo, with picturesque angel sculptures lining it on the way to the Castel Sant'Angelo.

Originally designed as a mausoleum for emperor Hadrian and his family, it was later turned into a Catholic fort/castle, hence the name. We admired the mausoleum-turned-castle, then ate an awesome riverside lunch from a street-vendor café: spicy salami and ricotta with lettuce on...foccaccia, maybe?

Above: The mausoleum/fort/castle/museum

After getting rested and rehydrated, we steered ourselves toward Vatican City. The size of St. Peter's Basilica was astounding even from half a mile away.

We found our spot at the end of the line for the Vatican Museums, which WAS considerably shorter than we feared it might be(thanks, Franco). Nevertheless, the mid-day sun was beaming directly down on us in line, and the rare hint of breeze wasn't much help, so I shortly got light-headed and dizzy.

We had fortunately brought water with us, which we rationed between ourselves, but I still cursed at least twice (at least I wasn't IN the Vatican!) before we made it close enough to the entrance to feel optimistic that we'd get into shade and comfort before the museums closed for the day.

In case anyone's wondering, it took almost one hour exactly to gain access to what can best be described as a madhouse. There was barely a semblance of order to the chaos of lines and bodies. We paid our 30€ (What does the Catholic Church DO with all that money?!) to basically get herded through rooms with priceless sculptures, paintings, tapestries and antiques.

We barely got to see them or pause long enough to snap a picture before the swarm overwhelmed us again. Tour guides were of no help, clogging all hallways with their groups. The museum aficionado that my father and uncle had raised me to be was disgusted by how little we were able to admire and appreciate in the boundless museums.

Above: The Laocoön Group. I was the only one of hundreds who noticed.

Some tourists were obviously just paying their 15€ to beeline directly to the Sistine Chapel, but they only encouraged the collective rush and panic of the crowds to go, go, go. We definitely felt like cattle in paddocks.

We remember seeing long hallways with frescoed ceilings and ornate gold leaf woodwork, then rooms with more frescoes--many by Raphael. If I hadn't been snapping photos whenever possible, I don't think either of us would remember much more than the crowds and hallways.

On our way to the Sistine Chapel, we were led through contemporary art galleries(We saw a Van Gogh and 3 Dali paintings), which I found to be an interesting juxtaposition.

Van Gogh's Pietà

Once inside the famous Sistine Chapel, where you were forbidden from talking loudly or taking photos, the first things you noticed were loud crowds and dozens of people disobeying the No Photos rule. These people sucked. They nearly ruined the experience for us, because the museum guards were constantly shouting (the irony!) at people to be quiet and put away their cameras.

But my word, it was beautiful. Michelangelo's Genesis on the ceiling was more paneled and intricate than we expected, with his mural of the Last Judgement mesmerizing us from the altar wall. The sides of the chapel had fresco scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ.

The Last Judgement, photo courtesy Wikipedia

We gazed for a long time, forcing ourselves to ignore everyone around us. When we left, it was with a bittersweet feeling--not disappointed with what we saw, but with what we experienced. It was a herded spectacle that took away from what was supposed to be a respectful and inspiring sight. We lamented the probability that in the future, the Sistine Chapel may become unavailable to visitors because of their disrespect for the rules. Then again, for 15€ a pop, perhaps the Catholic Church can endure the tide of tourism.

Speaking of, after departing the Chapel we were forced to pass through or by no less than five kiosks or gift shops hawking Christian merchandise. Holy capitalism.

We refilled our water bottles outside St. Peter's Square, then entered the Basilica. The first feature I sought was Michelangelo's Pietà, which should have been just to the right of our entry. I was extremely disappointed to see that it was cordoned off from view.

Instead, here's a photo of us looking sweaty.

The cathedral itself, though, was amazing--and huge. There were high, vaulted ceilings with several domes and cupolas, ornate marble, wood, or stone carvings and gold leaf on everything. The main altar was highly ornate, with the tremendous, bronze baldachin of Bernini towering over it.

We did not go into the museum, and we couldn't go up to the Dome of the Basilica because it was closed, so I seized an opportunity as we were exiting to try and glimpse the Pietà. I saw a security guard part the curtain to leave that area, so when no one was watching I reached across the velvet rope and parted the curtain just long enough to get a blurry photo and glimpse of the gorgeous sculpture from maybe 40 feet away.

I am proud to say that was the only time I broke the rules on holy ground.

We walked out directly through St. Peter's Square, marveling again at its immensity. Annie didn't know that the square easily filled up with the faithful on important holidays or public addresses from the Pope. It must be amazing to witness.

TOTAL VATICAN TRIP: 2:30pm~6:45pm

We walked north along the Tiber, then crossed a bridge to see the Ara Pacis and Mausoleum of Augustus. Ara Pacis was closed, and also housed in a horrible modern-looking building that made it look like, at best, an art gallery.

The Mausoleum was roped off and appeared to be still under excavation. I don't know nor have I read much about the site, but I'm curious to hear what's been found by archaeologists.

Meandering back through town, we passed the Spanish steps again, then had dinner near Piazza Barberini. Tortellini for Annie, spaghetti bolognese for me, and we split a plate of chicken. With water and a beer, 35€.

ABOVE: The Spanish Steps, nearing dusk.

We walked home filthy, footsore, and exhausted...again.

Rome June 28 Album:

Rome: June 28, 2011

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rome, Italy

6/27: From the Glory That Was Greece, to the Grandeur That Was Rome*

*Note: Read "To Helen" by Poe for this entry title's allusion.

We had a helluva ordeal leaving Athens. I overestimated the efficiency of the Athens metro system, which delivered us to an outer station 15 miles from the airport with a 30 minute wait for the next train to the terminal. We realized we very likely might miss our flight if we waited on the train, so we hailed a cab for the remainder of the journey.

The taxi paid off, we thought, because we arrived just around an hour before our departure. We found the EasyJet line, and waited. And waited. 15 minutes later, we got to the desk and were told our flight was overbooked, and that we had to get in a separate line. Five minutes after THAT, we were told that the flight stopped check-in 40 minutes before departure. F#%*&$ airlines.

We begged with the woman at the desk, who acted like she was being generous by giving us two standby tickets and no promises that we or our luggage would make it to Rome. I imagined her cackling over a witch's cauldron as we sprinted to the security screening, which must have been staffed by the Athenian Glue-Sniffers League. They frisked Annie, and debated me over the pronunciation of "iPad" because I hadn't taken my "iPawd"(their pronunciation...sounds like iPod, right?!) out of the bag.

Anyways, longer story shorter, we made it to Rome Fiumicino frustrated and tired, then took a bus to Stazione Termini, then two (filthy, circuitous, confusing) metro stops to Piazza Barberini where our hotel was one block away.

Piazza Barberini

We had reserved a double room at the Daphne Inn-Trevi as recommended by our Lonely Planet guide. We found it off a major thoroughfare on an old, quiet cobblestone street, up three flights, and well staffed. Helpful Franco at the desk spoke great English, checked us in easily, gave us a Rome map and showed us where everything was--including his favorite pizzerias and gelaterias.

Our humble abode.

We gave ourselves some time in the room to rest after lugging our bags through the airport and downtown Rome, and time to figure out a game plan for the day. The first order of business was food, so we walked to a nearby pizzeria called Alice(pronounced "Ah-LEE-chay") and devoured several homemade slices of ham and margherita pizza.

With food and coffee in the guts to power us through the day, we went exploring. Leaving from Piazza Barberini, we walked northwest to the Spanish Steps and its Piazza di Spagna, then we cut north slightly to enter a park area called the Pincio Gardens that had great skyline views of Rome and the Piazza del Popolo below.

We descended the path from Pincio to head that way. From the NE corner of the Piazza, we entered an old church with stunning sculptural work--some of it quite macabre. There were tombs lining the walkways, and many alcoves had tomb-shaped monuments or outright skull/skeleton sculptures. Annie got really creeped out.

Rightfully so.

We walked around the whole Piazza, noting that three large roads entered the piazza from the southern end, which was why the area was referred to as "Il Tridente," or, "The Trident."

Wandering to the southwest corner, we entered a large church with several side chapels and alcoves. It was less morbid inside, though the outside was populated by hormone-stricken Roman teens. I got really creeped out.

Walking south on the main drag of the "trident" toward the center of Rome, we took a right turn to see an obelisk, a parliamentary(?) building and another obelisk...

Rome: Lovin' phallic symbols since 200 B.C.

... then we proceeded around another corner to the Tempio Adriano. It was an ancient temple with new buildings constructed within and onto the old corinthian columns. It was an as-yet-unseen-by-us literal blending of ancient and modern architecture.

Upon a strong recommendation from Franco, we found and entered the Chiesa di San Ignazio di Loyola, which had spell-binding mosaics on the roof and cupolas, but we got kicked out at closing.

Just like our ceiling back home.

The main dome of the church was particularly intriguing, but we couldn't figure it out before our sudden departure, so we made plans to see it again later in our stay.

We moved on down the street, westward to the Pantheon...It. Was. AWESOME.

From the outside, you could tell the building was large with a big-ass dome on top, but the inside was far more vast and breathtaking. The dome was actually open at the peak, and we later read that this was a monumental achievement of ancient Roman architecture that could not be replicated with modern materials.

The inside walls once held large statues of the Roman gods--hence the name Pantheon--but it had been converted to a Christian church like many other pagan sites of the western world. A couple tombs could be found there, most notably(to us) that of artist Raphael.

No sign of the other three Ninja Turtles.

After a moment's respite by a fountain in the Pantheon's piazza, we aimed toward home with a stop by the Trevi Fountain for photos and gawking.

It was very crowded, with tourists practically clambering over each other to snap the perfect photo, and with gypsies everywhere hawking cheap merchandise or propositioning you to take your photo...for a price, of course.

We paused in the throng just long enough for Annie to toss a coin over her shoulder (thus guaranteeing, according to legend, her return to Rome), then we shortly retreated back to the Daphne for much-needed showers.

ABOVE: A photo NOT taken by a gypsy.

We ate dinner on our street at Gioia Mia Piscipiano. It was convenient, though proved fortuitous because Annie loved her dinner. We split a Prosciutto and bread appetizer, then ordered gnocchi and wine for her, and parpatelle(?) and beer for me: 43€ (~$64).

Totally worth it for the peeing cherub logo.

Bellies full, we walked back to Trevi Fountain to see it at night, thinking it may be less crowded. We were not the only ones. There was still a pack, though the tourists' zeal seemed to have tempered into patient appreciation for the lovely architecture and sculpture work.

We eventually wandered back home and into bed, exhausted.

Rome June 27 Album:

Rome: June 27, 2011

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Athens to Rome