Italy, Part 3 - Roma!

I think it's really strange that cities have different names depending on what language you speak. For example, Florence is really Firenze and Rome is really Roma. Why does it matter? My name doesn't change depending on who I'm talking to. Plus, the real names sound better! Oh well, let's move on to the final portion of my trip to Italy...Roma!!

See pics: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/Rome#

So the drive to Roma went very well and took a couple hours. However, once we got near the city it was a different story. Due to a lack of a good map and good signs, we ended up going the wrong way on the highway that circles the city. So after a while we decided it may be best to figure out how to get to where we needed to go based on our maps. It ended up working out, but it took a while and involved a lot of turning around. When we finally got to the Hertz office, there wasn't even a place to park the car, so I basically sat in the middle of the road with hazards on while Megan ran in to get more information. Eventually we got everything settled, dropped the car off, and put everything on our backs again. We went to the nearest metro (underground) station and made our way to the appropriate stop for our B&B. We left the map to our B&B at the Hertz office, but very luckily found it thanks to Megan's memory.

Our B&B host was waiting for us outside and took us upstairs to our room. The B&B was basically a flat with a large common area, a kitchen, and three rooms. It was pretty nice and our host was amazing. She gave us an excellent city map, complete with handrawn bus routes and pointed out all of the main sites to see. She also added a couple great restaurant recommendations that she often enjoys as a local. After our introduction to Rome, we felt we better use the rest of our evening to the fullest! We unpacked our stuff and set off into town. We decided to make our way to the central area of town where a number of sights are, and most notably, all of Roma's fine shopping. We passed stores that didn't mean anything to me but made Megan pretty excited, like Dior, Prada, YSA, Gucci, Verache, and many many many more. We made our way to the Spanish Steps, which consists of 138 steps that climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna (at the base) and the Trinita dei Monti (the church at the top). The stairway was built in 1723 and is known as Europe's longest and widest staircase. The sun had gone down and we had an awesome view of Roma lit up from the top. Climbing and exploring the stairs and church worked up an appetite, so we decided to head to dinner.

We went to our host's most highly recommended restaurant called Maccheroni. It is hidden among restaurants and shops along some of the tiny streets of the central area of Rome. It was 8pm and we were told we could sit outside as long as we were done by 9pm when the reservation seating started. We ordered a jug of excellent white wine and ordered two courses. I started with penne pasta with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella. It was by far the best pasta dish I had during the entire trip! My second course was excellent Italian Sausage. We finished just after 9pm and headed toward another sight in the area, the Trevi Fountain.

On our way to the fountain, we passed a number of street vendors which is very common in the city. A lot of them in the central area sold some kind of shelled, warm nut. However, most of the vendors consist of huge carts selling all types of beverages and snacks, including wine. We bartered with one of them for a few minutes, bought a bottle of wine, and headed to the fountain. The Trevi Fountain is the largest, standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet), and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome. Although the fountain is very old, it is meant to symbolize the place of one of the main aqueducts that supplied Rome with running water. The fountain was an extremely popular place and we stayed there for the rest of the night drinking our wine and chatting with other tourists. I didn't know it at the time, but tradition says that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome. I wish I would have known because I would love to return some day!

Our 2nd day, and only full day in Rome, was another power sightseeing day. We had a lot to cover in one day, something that normal tourists would take a couple days to do. We started by walking to the Coliseum, which we had seen the night before from the outside. We were shocked how long the line was, but luckily we got stopped by someone who was selling guided tours of the Coliseum and the nearby Forum area. By taking the tours, you got to bypass the line to the Coliseum and you obviously got to learn a lot from the guide, so we did it. The Coliseum was absolutely amazing. To imagine how big and revolutionary it must have been at the time is mind boggling. The entire building, inside and out, was very impressive even in it's current state. A few years ago they found the underground series of tunnels and chambers underneath the floor of the stadium, so most of the floor has been lifted to show them. The coliseum was built in ten years between 70 and 80 AD. It seated somewhere between 50k and 70k and hosted three types of fights: animal vs. animal, animal vs. gladiator, and gladiator vs. gladiator. Obviously the fights at least included a lot of blood, and commonly included death. The underground series of chambers and tunnels also included lifts which allowed animals and gladiators to suddenly appear on the stadium floor...an ancient example of special effects. After our tour we were free to explore the Coliseum, which we did, and then went to a nearby shop to grab some lunch.

Right next to the Coliseum area is Palatine Hill and the Forum. Palatine hill is the most central hill in Rome and is where ancient Roman Emperors lived. Excavations have shown that people started living there around 1000BC! Just below the hill directly next to the Coliseum is the area known as the Roman Forum. In ancient times, this was the center of everything. No one lived in this area, but it was the financial, economic, religious and commerce center of Rome. It held a number of churches, basilicas, arches, and other buildings whose remnants can still be seen today. We met up with our tour guide that took us through this huge area. Since we still wanted to see so much, we breezed through the area after our tour and headed to our next stop...the Vatican.

Vatican City is actually a sovereign city-state sealed in it's own walls in the city of Rome. With a population of around 800, it is the smallest independent state in the world by both population and area. It is the central authority for the catholic church and holds a huge museum and St. Peters Cathedral. Our first visit was to the Vatican Museum. The museum was huge and had endless rooms and halls full of museum things. Since neither of us were too excited to spend hours looking at museum things, we made our way to the highlight of the museum: The Sistine Chapel. However, getting there meant we had to walk through plenty of rooms and hallways which were extremely elaborate. My favorite part of the museum was a collection of handrawn maps from the 1500s. It was very interesting seeing North America, and the world, grow throughout those exploratory years. The Sistine Chapel itself was full of people gawking at the famous painting on the ceiling. Although no pics were aloud, I snuck one here as well.

From there, we went to St. Peters Cathedral which has the largest dome in the world. The Cathedral is a lot like other Cathedrals we had seen, but even more elaborate and fancy. As we walked in, the sun shone through the windows and visibly streaked the thick air inside. My overall impression of the cathedral was disappointing. I don't understand the need for so much money to be spent on making a building so over the top elaborate. It really seemed unnecessary and gotty, but it was an amazing building. Below the cathedral are the crypts of St. Peters Tomb. A number of previous popes, including Pope John Paul, are buried there. The piazza outside of the cathedral is huge and surrounded by gigantic pillars and statues. There is a fountain in the center and, based on what I've seen on TV, this is where everyone gathers to hear the Pope.

After leaving Vatican City, we grabbed some quick gelato and took the bus to the Pantheon. The Pantheon was truly an amazing building. The large pillars outside are made from a single slab of granite and came from Egypt. Pantheon, meaning "temple of all gods," was built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. The center dome is open in the middle and looks absolutely incredible from the inside. The piazza outside the Pantheon had a small fountain in the center and surrounded by other buildings, restaurants and shops. From there we headed to another restaurant recommended to us by our host called Gusto. It is known for their pizza, but we got there before the restaurant opened so we enjoyed happy hour in the bar before being seated outside for dinner. The pizza was incredible and definitely the best pizza I had in Italy. We later learned that our host was also there for dinner with some friends shortly after us. After a quick break at our hotel, we headed back out on the town to enjoy some drinks in Piazza Navona, the popular and young area to hang out in town. We grabbed a few beers and checked out one of the local shops before heading in for the night.

Our last day in Rome was short since we had to catch a flight in the early afternoon. We went back down into the central shopping area and browsed some more of the fancy stores. We also saw the Spanish Steps again, grabbed some gelato and some lunch, and walked the narrow streets enjoying the nice weather. Overall, I was extremely impressed and happy with Rome. It was much better than I had imagined and would love to go back again. Farewell for now!