Italia 2: Roma and Ciao

I am writing my final reborn blog post from the airplane connecting New York City to Baltimore. I have been traveling from Florence since 5am, but I had no problems on the journey through Amsterdam back to the USA.  It's hard to believe that my whirlwind 13-day, 9-country tour (the Netherlands, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Vatican City) has come to a close, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I especially enjoyed blogging again, bringing out my inner travel nerd. Maybe when I finish teaching I will backpack the world writing travel guides?  Dream on.

Yesterday, with my cousins out working like normal people with jobs during the summer, I decided to do a super quick trip to Rome, the Eternal City. I boarded the high-speed train from Florence to Rome, which got me to my destination around 10am and gave me about 6 hours to re-explore Rome. Upon pulling into the main train terminal (Termini), I bustled over to the subway armed with a 6€ day pass. While Rome is full of people and amazing sights like Paris, London, or Madrid, it definitely is grittier than any of the other major European cities. The subway is no exception with its dark passages and sweltering crowds. 

After surviving the subway, I went straight to my farthest point for the day, Vatican City, which as you may remember from previous postings is actually an independent micro-state led by the Pope. The Vatican really is timeless and hasn't changed much since my last visit. Opting to skip the long lines and crowds at the Vatican museums, I waited in the lines at St. Peter's Square to enter the basilica. The Vatican guards are still turning away scantily-clad tourists and shushing loud church visitors. The Vatican is nevertheless impressive and really shows the power of the Catholic Church in Italy and the world. 

From the Vatican, I crossed back over the Tiber River to blast through a monuments highlight tour including the Spanish Steps, the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, St. Ignacio's church, and the Piazza Navona. In a city full of ancient Roman, medieval, Italian Renaissance, and modern landscapes, nothing has change in Roma since I last visited, which is part of its awesomeness. I stopped for lunch at a pizza restaurant, of course, to enjoy typical Italian pie, beer, and a cappuccino. I must look Italian enough because all day long people spoke to me in Italian. The old man sitting next to me on the train complained about the late delay to me in Italian without a reply from me, just a nod. The waitress at lunch let me order as much in Italian as I could. It's fun to try using my Romance language skills in different countries, and I think it always leads to better treatment when you try to speak the local language in Europe. 

The last stop was none other than the Colosseum, Rome's most recognizable monument. It is still so impressive to see what remains of the stadium and the surrounding Roman Forum, but the sweltering heat and sun was starting to take its toll on me.  After grabbing another high-speed train to Florence, I arrived back at the apartment before joining Joe and Dany for drinks. We went up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which overlooks all of Florence, for drinks and appetizers. It was so wonderful to close my last night in Europe over drinks and gelato with my cousins, who have always been such gracious hosts. We went home, snacked on some of Dany's leftover homemade lasagne (yum!) before calling it a night for my early morning flight. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon, maybe when Dany comes to NYC in September!

Overall, I can say that this 2013 trip to Europe was as amazing as I hope and worth every penny I spent of my hard-earned salary.  I am glad I did the trip on my own volition and money, but it was also great to have such wonderful hosts in Europe to come along the adventure with me. Thanks to Christina, Joe, and Dany for being part of what made this journey awesome! I am already feeling the travel bug again as I crossed past customs to return to the USA, and I'm glad that I have a few trips left this summer (Maine, San Francisco, and New Orleans) before returning to school/work in August. One of the benefits of being a teacher is the amount of breaks, so who knows where I'll go for spring break. Greece? Peru? See where I go next! Thanks again for being loyal readers, and ciao!!

lo Stato della Città del Vaticano

Vatican City State lies in the northwest corner of Rome. Although it is entirely within the city limits of Rome, the Vatican is legally it's own country! While it uses the euro and cooperates with Rome in many ways, it has its own police force, post office, and thousands of employees.


Just at the foot of the Vatican is the Castel Sant'Angelo, originally constructed as a monument and tomb for Emperor Hadrian, it was eventually made into a Catholic building by the Vatican. Nearby is the Piazza di San Pietro, or St. Peter's. It is easily recognizable at the heart of the Vatican's image...if not from the movie Angels and Demons. The main courtyard is dominated by the columns topped with hundreds of saints, as you saw in my first Rome post.


St. Peter's Basilica is immense and stand at the center of the Plaza. I waited for about 30 minutes to get in, and there were security guards waiting to kick out men and women who were too scantily clad to enter (EVEN IN THE INTENSE ROMAN HEAT). Upon entering, you can see the massiveness of the church. Michelangelo's Pieta stands at the door, now behind glass after a crazy man attacked it with an axe in the 1970s. The church is FULL of sculptures on every wall dedicated to the many popes who have lived in the Vatican and/or celebrated in St. Peter's.


After walking through the church itself, i made my way up the 300+ steps to the top of the dome for the views of the Vatican and Rome (and that's AFTER paying extra for the elevator up the additional first 200+ steps). The views are the best in Rome, as it is by far the tallest structure in this ancient city.


The following day, I returned to the Vatican bright and early to see the Vatican Museums. After waiting an hour outside in line, I finally made my way in to the 20+ museums. Some house the largest collection of ancient Greek sculptures in the world, others have maps of the world as it was known covering the walls, and still others have Egyptian artifacts and mummies. Besides these treasures, there is TONS of artwork, including the famous School of Athens by Raphael. It is painted on the wall of one of the chambers. The museum and grounds themselves are even a work of art.


Finally, after walking through thousands of works of art, you reach the Cappella Sistina, the Sistine Chapel. It is not as big or bright as you would think, but it is certainly spectacular. It is hard to see all the detail because the ceiling is so high, not to mention the Vatican guards screaming to keep everyone quiet (the irony).

After exiting the maze of Vatican City and Museums, I spent the rest of the day revisiting the sights of Rome. Unfortunately, food is not as good as you would expect in these large tourist centers of Italy. If you're not willing to pay upwards of 20 euros for a meal, you'll have to settle for bad-to-mediocre street pizza and food. The food does not detract from the amazingness of this country though. Next post is Venice!

la Città Eterna

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a paradox. Known as the Eternal City, Rome is the home of ancient ruins, Renaissance designs, and the modern elements of one of the largest metropolitan areas of Europe. There is something to see on every single corner, and it is easy to become lost in the innumerable sights and sounds of Rome.


After a little under two hours on the express train from Florence, I arrived at Roma Termini station by 9am. My hostel was friendly and full of lively people, located just 4 blocks from the train station. Although it was a good 15 minute walk to the edge of the city, it was nice to be located near the trains for the beginning and end of my journey. I started my day off early by heading straight to the Colosseum in Ancient City. For the price of one ticket, you are given entrance to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. I paid an extra four euros in order to skip the line and get a guided tour of il Colloseo...not too shabby. The Colosseum is just as big, old, and cool as you would imagine. Our Italian tour guide (her English was eh so-so) told us lots of cool facts when I could understand her. Luckily, most people in Rome (and in Italy, for that matter) speak basic English. This is helpful considering the number of American, Australian, Asian, French, and German tourists (all of whom have good-or-better command of English like the Italians). Anyway, cool facts about the Colosseum include that over 30 gladiators fought in pairs of 2 on the stage at one time. Also, after the fall of the Roman Empire, citizens took bricks and pieces from the stadium for over 1000 years for building materials, which is why it is incomplete today.


Located across the street from the Colosseum is the Palatine Hill, one of Rome's seve hills and home to many famous emperors. In the ruins, you can see the houses of Flavian and Augustus, as well as the Circus Maximus. Next to the Palatine is the Roman Forum. These scattered ruins and buildings make up the public center of Ancient Rome. Temples, trading posts, and commercial centers once lined this expanse of land in the center of the city.


After spending the morning in Ancient Rome, I went through the Storico Centro, or Historical Center of Rome. This is where the more modern landmarks begin. First, I saw the awesome Fontana di Trevi, as seen in the post below. Thousands of tourists flock there every day, with the hope of a quick return to Rome (throwing one coin in) or finding love (throwing two coins in). On the way to the Fountain, the Via del Courso begins at the Piazza Venezia, with the GIGANTIC Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument. This large white structure is a museum, but it mostly serves as a "temple" to a hero of the modern Italian state.


The exception to the Renaissance and later monuments in the rest of the city is the Pantheon. This temple-turned-Christian-Church is still a wonder of architecture over 2000 years later. We STILL cannot figure out how they made this dome stand without supports or columns! The light in the center moves with the time of day, which makes an interesting showcasing-tool for the art and murals on the walls. Next up were the Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popoplo. These large squares with intricate monuments are sights to behold, though there isn't much to actually do there.


In my next post I will post information about Vatican City...there's enough information and sights to see on its own!

ROMA ITALIANO

So I just got back from my two-day adventure in Rome and the Vatican City. However, I have a 7am train to VENICE tomorrow morning, and I need to get some rest before I have to get up super early for my day trip to the northeast of Italy. I will be certain to update you, my loyal readership (a.k.a. my mother) on all three places tomorrow evening when I return from Venezia.

It's been weird traveling on my own. It's nice to be on my own pace and schedule, but it's weird not having anyone to talk to. Luckily, my camera and all the wonderful sights keep me from going too crazy.

Here's just a sampling of my photos from Roma. Ciao!