(Rome, Italy)

For our last two days in Rome, we decided to combine some neighbourhood wandering with visits to some of the famous massive structures of Rome.  As predicted, there was also gelato; our current favourite (and the apparent favourite of locals) is Gelateria Romana. They have some unusual flavours, including 3 with pesto!

Yesterday began with a visit to the combined site of Palatine Hill and the Forum.  Palatine Hill was the former home of emperors, so their palaces form much of the ruins. The Forum was the civic centre of Rome; although much is in ruins here too, you can still see various temples, arches and basilicas.  It was surprising to see how these structures were built practically on top of each other; little attempt was made to let the buildings breathe.

After a break, we braved the crowds and visited the famous Colosseum.  Its real name is actually the Flavian Amphitheatre, but the later nickname eventually caught on and that’s what everybody calls it today.    It could hold 50,000 people and really does resemble today’s football stadia…just with a smaller “playing field”.  We were able to wander freely on the first and second levels; it is an extremely impressive structure, even though what remains is really only about a third of what originally existed.  Virtually no “seats” remain and much of the outer wall is gone.

While ancient Rome called the rest of the world “barbarians”, by today’s standards the gory and violent events within the Colosseum can only be described as barbaric.  The stadium was chiefly devoted to man-to-man, animal-to-animal, or animal-to-man combat…often to the death.  Even if losing gladiators survived the fight, they might be killed anyway if their performances were not judged to be satisfactory.  Condemned criminals were thrown unarmed and naked to hungry wild animals, so that they would eventually be killed by the beasts.

All of this sounds horrific, but I read last week that the condemned uncle of an Asian dictator was recently put to death the same way.  The recent popularity of extremely violent sports (such as “ultimate fighting”) also shows that civilization can be a very thin veneer even now.

Today we visited a nearby but much more recent colossus:  the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II (also known as the “Vittoriano”).  This is a huge white marble monument (pictured at the top of this post)  in the centre of Rome that was built to celebrate the modern unification of Italy.  It also affords great views of the city.  We stumbled upon a couple of interesting and highly specialized museums inside the Vittoriano:  one on the history of Italian emigration and the other on the history of RAI, Italy’s national broadcaster.  Although both were presented in Italian only, we really enjoyed them and would especially recommend the emigration museum to immigrants or those from a country largely populated by immigrants.  The broadcasting museum would appeal mainly to those familiar with Italian entertainment personalities, but we found enough radio-related material to reminisce about our days with Queen’s University Radio (CFRC).

After a visit to the gradually gentrifying neighbourhood of Trastevere, we stopped at the Circus Maximus (home of ancient chariot races).  No real structures remain, but we were able to wander around the “track”.

We ended our day with some shopping in and around the Via del Corso.  Sadly, Rome’s music stores have almost completely disappeared, while international brands are taking over more and more of the prime commercial real estate.  We consoled ourselves with Perugina chocolates.

(Rome, Italy)

Today we stepped back in time approximately 2000 years.

Like Pompeii, nobody has lived in Ostia Antica for many, many centuries.  But Ostia Antica was not destroyed by a volcano.  Instead, after being lived in for hundreds of years, Ostia Antica was simply abandoned somewhere around the 6th century.  The Tiber River changed course over time and this contributed to the relocation of Ostia Antica’s population.

Ostia Antica was huge – it used to be home to 60,000 people.  You can still explore almost the entire ruined city, although it gets a little creepy at times.  Sometimes it just felt like we were trespassing on other people’s property.  At other times, you wondered if you had wandered into some kind of post-apocalyptic nuclear nightmare.

Many of the ruins were several stories high.  Some buildings still had floors of mosaic tiles, while some walls still had signs or drawings on them.  What I found interesting was the extensive use of bricks, which I hadn’t previously associated with the Romans.

Whenever I explore a Roman site, the same song inevitably runs through my head:  Sting’s “All This Time”.   It was released in 1991, the same year that I did the stereotypical post-university backpacking adventure through Europe.  One of my first stops was at the Roman Amphitheatre in Trier, Germany…and the song has had a Roman association for me ever since.   While hit lyrics often look horrendous when written out, these aren’t too bad:

Teachers told us
The Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple on the edge of the
Empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled
Till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found

Highlighting the inevitable passage of time and the inevitable decline of great empires, it was an appropriate soundtrack for wandering in the archaeological ruins.

We were at Ostia Antica for more than 4 hours and, notwithstanding the occasional creepy feeling, it was a peaceful way to spend the afternoon.

(Rome, Italy)

Our first stop on the way to Vatican City was at the Pantheon.  Before researching our visit to Rome, I don’t think I appreciated how the Pantheon was different from the Parthenon in Athens.  There are definite similarities:  they are both 2000+ years old and both have that classical façade.

The Pantheon is the oldest continuously used building in Rome.  There are lots of more recent additions inside of it, reflecting the changes of time (Christianity, Italian royalty, etc.).  But the most impressive element is the massive dome on top of it.  I can’t imagine how awesome this must have looked to an ancient Roman.   It looks huge even today.   Like many massive indoor structures, however, it is difficult to properly capture on camera.   You’ll have to settle for the outdoor view, which doesn’t hint at the majesty within.

From the Pantheon, we passed through Piazza Navona (pictured at the top) and explored some nearby neighbourhoods full of twisty narrow streets.  We eventually made it to Vatican City (an independent country, through an interesting series of historic events) where we  sent some postcards we had promised to friends and family.

The Vatican has its own postal system and postcards mailed from there are therefore quite desirable to stamp collectors.

We visited the Vatican Museum after lunch and I’ll be honest:  we really went for one reason only…to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo 500 years ago.  It did not disappoint.  Considered by many to be the greatest work of art ever created by an individual, its scale is massive.  And even if you aren’t impressed by the scale, the technical accomplishment is beyond belief.  It is truly remarkable that Michelangelo could design and paint such a massive work, with appropriate perspective, on a curving surface so high in the air.  A couple of years ago, we saw Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” in Milan.  While an undoubted highlight of our trip to northern Italy, I think it is surpassed by the Sistine Chapel.   Alas, the magnitude and appeal of the Sistine Chapel means that you will  be sharing the experience with hundreds of other (stunned) people.  It was much easier to take in  when sitting down on one of the benches along the side walls of the Chapel.    Otherwise, it will be dizzying in every sense of the word.  No photography was allowed, so you will have to see it for yourself!

A nice surprise was the Vatican’s exhibit of carriages and automobiles that have been used by the popes.  I took a  lot of pictures but I’ve only posted the “popemobile” that was carrying John Paul II during a terrorist’s attempted assassination in 1981.  There has been a definite shift over the centuries from luxury to functionality.

We ended our Vatican day by visiting St. Peter’s Basilica.  Again, the sheer scale is overwhelming.  It covers 6 acres and can hold 60,000 people.  However, partly because this was not the work of just one person, the immensity of it wasn’t quite as impressive as you might expect.  For me, the highlight was the “Pieta” by Michelangelo.

He carved this sculpture from a single piece of marble in his early twenties.   This would surely be the work of a lifetime for anybody else.  However, this was also the guy who painted the Sistine Chapel.  And, as it turns out, he also was involved with the design of St. Peter’s and the massive dome on top of it.

We are exhausted after an overwhelming day.  In order to see more of “random Rome”, we decided to walk from our hotel all the way to Vatican City.   By itself, it was quite manageable and we were able to see a lot of interesting things along the way.  However, when combined with the standing and walking in the Vatican itself, it may have been somewhat overambitious.  We will try to reduce the amount of walking tomorrow!