Italy Post 4: Rome Take Two

Rome

Take Two

One of the most interesting things about Rome, to me, was the layer's of history-both those you can see and those that are underground.  Because Rome has been around for so long there is modern and old right next to each other.  The coolest part though is thinking about what you can't see from street level.  Under the bustling modern street are ruins of centuries gone by.  These ruins are still being excavated and discovered today, some as far as 30 feet below the surface.

We saw this first hand in several places in Rome.  One of the best places to see it is the church of San Clemente.  You walk in on street level to a basilica (church) that is still in use today.  From there you can go down a level of stairs to the remains of another basilica dating back to the 4th century.  After exploring that you can go still further down another level of stairs to the ruins of a wealthy man's house from the 1st century.    They just built them one right on top of the other as time progressed.  Pretty neat right?

Another place we experienced Rome's layers was when we visited the Balbi Crypt, a museum that shows Rome's past through excavations performed on it site.  This used to be the sight in the city center of Rome that housed a number of buildings including the theater of Balbus.  There are three levels of exhibits showing the artifacts and history that archaeologists have uncovered.  The basement is the ruins of these old buildings.  It is hard to tell what's what but amazing nonetheless. 

Baths of Caracalla

Speaking of ruins, one of my favorite places, besides the forum and the Colosseum, in ancient Rome was the baths of Caracalla. These baths were the second largest in Rome. They were built sometime between AD 212 and 216.  They remained in operation until around the 6th century. 

Now, when I used to think of public Roman baths....I suppose I just thought of a large swimming pool, maybe a sauna. But this place was massive (scaling over 33 acres) and had way more to it that I could have imagined. It was like the equivalent of a modern day gym and spa combined into one massive and impressive health club.  It even had a couple of libraries in it.  If I were an ancient Roman, I would have loved coming here.

The different pools and rooms were heated or cooled by an extensive and impressive underground system.  We were actually able to go down and see how they used to heat and cool the whole place. It seemed complicated and I was very impressed.  

I thought it was so neat that so much of the mosaic floor remained intact! 

Some pieces of mosaic from the walls and 2nd floor that fell down.

Part of the underground tunnel that ran under the baths and was used to heat and cool the baths above. 

Catacombs

While in Rome we had to visit the Catacombs.  The catacombs of course are underground burial places most famous for Christian burials.  These burial places began being used in the 2nd century AD.  Christians even used to use some of the bigger family burial rooms as places to worship.   I was a little skeptical at first about visiting the catacombs, unsure if it would be disturbing or unsettling. It was neither of those things.  It was actually very interesting. There are no bones or anything else left in the ones people are allowed to visit so that helped make me feel a lot more comfortable. I ended up thinking it was a pretty neat experience. 

There are more than 40 different sets of Catacombs in Rome.  We visited the Catacombs of   Callixtus.  These catacombs are located just off the famous Appian Way.  They are enormous spanning over 37 acres and 12 miles. They are 4 stories deep.  The Catacombs of Callixtus are most famous for the Crypt of the Popes, a crypt that once held the tombs of several popes from the 2nd to the 4th century AD.

I was impressed by how they ran the tours of the Catacombs of Callixtus.  They had tour guides for every major language group and then some (at no extra cost).  They divided the people in line up by their primary language and each was assigned a guide to both explain the history and significance of what we were seeing beneath the surface and to keep people from getting lost in the labyrinth of graves.  Our tour guide was wonderful, had a great sense of humor, and was very knowledgeable about the history of the catacombs.

You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Catacombs but I did get a photo of the famous Appian Way which is one of the oldest roads in Rome. The catacombs we visited were just a short ways off of here.

Appian Way

Pantheon

 The Pantheon,  is everything I imagined it would be and more.  Who knew a ceiling could be so impressive? (Oh wait, I just saw the Sistine Chapel didn't I?).   The Pantheon is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings and has been in continual use for all of its history. Built in 126 AD, the Pantheon is most famous for its domed ceiling made of concrete with a central opening to the outside.  Even after 2,000 years the Pantheon's dome is still the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome. It is a pretty impressive ceiling to be sure!

Other Roman Sights

Like all good Roman tourist, we saw many other famous sights.  We watched "Roman Holiday" one night while in Rome and made it a point to go see a lot of the places showcased in that movie.  So we sat and relaxed (and dodged pigeons) on the Spanish steps, we saw the Mouth of Truth,  we tossed a coin into Trevi fountain and promised to return to Rome again.

The famous "Mouth of Truth". Supposedly if you put your hand inside and tell a lie...it bites your hand off. 

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

We also stopped by a church in Rome to see Michelangelo's "Moses".  This was, without a doubt, the most impressive and lifelike sculpture I have ever seen.  It took Michelangelo 40 years to complete it.  When he was done, it was so perfect and so lifelike he reportedly asked it to "Speak".  

We also climbed to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument to enjoy the view of Rome.  It was a great vantage point for seeing the city. Then we wandered through the military museum inside.  

Views from the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.

We did many other things while in Rome but those are the highlights.  I think spending a week was the perfect amount of time.  There is such an abundance of things to see and do in Rome that cramming it all in in a few days would have been exhausting, especially considering we walked pretty much everywhere (averaging 10 miles a day). 

Tiber River

Trajan's Column

Our Italy trip was romantic, educational, relaxing, and the realization of a lifetime dream for me.  After 15 days in Italy, we spent the night overnight in the airport and then boarded one of 3 planes to head back home to Missouri and our little boy!  I am so glad we took the opportunity to visit and have about a million more stories and details I could share with you if you ever decide to visit for yourself!  I would definitely recommend it!

Italy Post 3: Rome Take One

Rome

Take One

Rome, what a beautiful city, full of history and full of life. Modern butted up against ancient.  History around every corner, even under the modern, bustling streets.   It is such an amazing place, you really have to be there to experience its charm and fully understand how breathtaking it is.  

For now,  you can bear with me as I try to share with you some of what James and I experienced during our 7 days in the "eternal city".  I am not going to be able to cover even half of what we saw or did but I will share the highlights and encourage you (if you haven't already) to go sometime and experience it for yourself.

Our trip began on a Monday.  We said "arrividerci" to Venice and boarded a train bound for Rome.  After a 3 hour train ride we arrived in Roma, grabbed our lightly packed luggage, and walked to our bed and breakfast.  Once we arrived and got checked in, we unpacked and got settled in.  Then we checked out our map and decided to spend the rest of the late afternoon and evening walking around the heart of the city.  Luckily, our bed and breakfast was within walking distance to most of Rome's largest attractions.

Some of the Pretty sites of Rome :)

We headed straight down to the Colosseum.  We walked through a park and saw the Colosseum for the first time from a great vantage point.  We stopped, took pictures, and then walked closer to check it out.  We decided not to go ahead and go inside that day because it was only going to be open for another 30 minutes, and we didn't want to rush.  So we headed on.

Our first view of the Colosseum

From the Colosseum, we walked by the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.  Then we just continued wandering for a while.   Once our feet were pretty much exhausted,  we stopped and grabbed some dinner and then headed back to our hotel to rest up for a full day of sightseeing the next day.

The Colosseum and the Roman Forum 

The next day, we grabbed some cappuccino's and pastries from a place just down the street from our bed and breakfast, and then we headed straight for the Colosseum.  We decided to go ahead and pay a little extra for a guided tour and it was well worth it.  We got a great well-informed tour guide (originally from Boston)  and had a relatively small group to wander  with.   We started in the Roman Forum and I've got to say I was never so grateful to have someone with me who knew what we were looking at.  

My morning cappuccino! 

The Roman Forum is basically now what appears to be the ruins of a bunch of old buildings.  However, this area was once the most powerful seat of government in the world.  Think Julius Ceaser, Augustus, Mark Antony, and Constantine and you've got a small idea of some of the powerful men who lived and worked near the Roman Forum many years ago.  

Part of the Roman Forum

Without a guide, I would not have known which buildings were which and why they were so important.  I basically would have said, "Oh, that's a nice pile of rocks...wonder what that used to be?" With the guide, I learned what everything was and used to be. I also heard many stories of things that transpired hundreds of years ago right on or near the spot where I currently stood.  

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina

Temple of Saturn

After we spent a good amount of time in the Forum, we headed for the Colosseum.  Now, there is something surreal about being at the Colosseum.  You've learned about it in school, you've seen the photo's, its intrigued and mesmerized you...and now you are there.  It is a pretty neat feeling. 

I am assuming most of you know at least a basic history of the Colosseum and have heard of the gladiators. But.... here is my little history lesson in case you didn't know.  The Colosseum was started by the Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD.  It was completed by his son Domitian sometime in the 80's AD. It was originally capable of seating 50,000 spectators for viewing such events as animal fights, gladiatorial combats,battle re-enactments, and public executions. It ceased being used for such practices in the beginning of the medieval period.  The Colosseum you see today has been destroyed over the years by fire, earthquakes, and pillaging for its marble, statues, and other precious stones. Our tour guide told us that parts of the Colosseum are actually sinking down now and out of fear for it being destroyed they are planning on starting restoration on a very large scale sometime this year. We were glad we were there to see and experience it before all the scaffolding and mayhem of working on such an old gigantic building began.  

There are numerous other fascinating details about the Colosseum, including how big it is, how the different classes of people were arranged different seating, how the animals and gladiators were brought up from below onto the stage, how many people died there, etc.  If you feel like learning more...google it!!  It is fascinating...to me anyway!

Vatican City

Well, since I just told you so much about a tour that was totally wonderful and worth every penny, I will now tell you about a tour that was pretty much the opposite of that.  On our 3rd day in Rome, we decided to head to Vatican City.  We had heard wonderful things about the Vatican and well...not Catholic...were excited to see it.  

When we got closer we looked for a tour group to join. We found one.  It was relatively small but unbeknownst to us, they would drag us around (somewhat aimlessly) for the better part of 2 hours while more and more people joined our group.  When it was all said and done I believe we had 60 people in our group.   Finally, after 2 hours of being in the hot sun, squashed and fighting our way through the ridiculous crowds at the Vatican we began our tour of the Vatican Museum.  

Our tour guide was very short, and spoke English but...was rather hard to understand.  As we made our way through the impressive Vatican Museum it was a struggle to make it through the crowds of people and keep an eye on where she was going.  I felt so very much like a cow being herded to my death.  It was pretty awful.  The most amusing part of this whole experience was watching other people in our group react to how bad it was.  Man, some people get really rude and mean when they are in a bad situation :).  

Anyways, the Vatican Museum was large and had many interesting things but unfortunately I missed most of it.  I was rewarded when we got to the end and saw Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.  Talk about breathtaking.  You really could stay there all day and see new details the entire time.  It lived right up to the hype for me.  I have no pictures of the Sistine Chapel because they are super strict about not taking them so...just go one day...see for yourself. 

Vatican Museum

Vatican Museum

After we left our tour group, James and I quickly headed to St. Peter's Basilica to stroll through that.  Well, it was huge and gorgeous and impressive!  However, it was also packed and after having fought crowds for so long we didn't stay for too much longer.  But we were impressed by it. 

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica

Now, if I scared anyone with my horror story of Vatican City, I apologize.  It is definitely worth going to.  I have heard some wonderful stories of people visiting and thinking it was the best part of being in Rome...so try it.  You will miss out if you don't.  Just maybe research the tour groups first oh...and don't go on a day where the Pope has given an audience earlier in the day.... we didn't realize that we were doing that but I don't think that helped it be any less busy.  

View of the Forum and Colosseum

One of Rome's busy busy streets :)

Ahh....Roma!! 

Well, I have tons more to share on Rome but it's really late right now so I think I'm going to leave you with just our experiences arriving in Rome, and visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Vatican City.  I will try to continue our Italy trip with more on Rome soon! Enjoy!