The Eternal City

For President's Day weekend we decided to take a trip to Rome to see what the Eternal City had to offer. All I can say is WOW. It is such an amazing city filled with so much history and culture. We had so much fun. We left on Friday morning and flew to Fiumicino Airport via Easyjet. From Fiumicino we took a bus to get into Rome. The airport is about an hour away from the center of the city and our bus dropped us off right by the Termini train station.

Arriving in Rome was a little overwhelming. The city is huge! Like really huge! I had been used to looking at maps of these little towns like Vicenza, and Verona, and even Venice is not very big. So we were often surprised to find out that a walk that looked it would take five minutes on the map, ended up being around 20 minutes! As a result, we desperately learned how to use the public transportation in Rome quickly! So quickly in fact, when we were watching Angels and Demons the other night on TV, I was shouting to Robert Langdon directions to all of the places he was going to. "Take bus 40 to Termini station and walk three blocks North!"

Our first destination in Rome was to find the apartment that we rented for the weekend. It was near Termini station, in kind of an ugly area of the city, but it was cheap and clean! And that's all we cared about. After finding the apartment we decided to find the Borghese Gallery and gardens. We stopped by a cafe on the way and picked up some sandwiches to munch on in the gardens. We walked around the gardens a bit, enjoying the scenery, beautiful weather, and many statues along the paths. The Borghese Gardens is kind of like Rome's Central Park, a little patch of green and peace in the heart of the noisy metropolis.




After our little stroll, we entered the Borghese Gallery. Though the Gallery is not very big, it was filled with beautiful works of art. My favorites were the Bernini sculptures. They were truly stunning. I can't even comprehend how someone can create such beautiful art out of just stone. Most of the pieces were more air than stone and so delicate and intricate. My favorite was the Apollo chasing Daphne sculpture by Bernini:

This sculpture is amazing to see in person and walk around. It is incredible how Bernini has captured so accurately the two bodies in motion. I mean seriously, how the heck did Bernini sculpt Apollo's robe trailing off like that, or Daphne's hair, as if it's bouncing, or her fingers as they turn into intricate branches and leaves, as she turns into a tree. Mindblowing... Anyways, I think I got my art geekiness out. Sorry about that.

After the Borghese gallery we took Rick Steve's Dolce Vita walking tour to get more acquainted with the center of this huge city. We took the metro to Piazza del Popolo. This square was the traditional north entrance to ancient Rome. The obelisk in the center of the square was once in the temple of Ramses II and was brought to Rome by Caesar Augustus after he conquered Egypt.

We then stopped in to the church of Santa Maria del Popolo which features a chapel that was designed by Raphael and two famous paintings by Caravaggio.

Then we decided to continue our walk down Via del Corso, Rome's main drag where most of the shops and boutiques are.

Me on Via del Corso.

We took a bit of a detour to catch a glimpse of the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis.

The Mausoleum of Augustus. It looked like it was under construction.

The Ara Pacis. This commemorated the beginning of the Pax Romana,a golden age in Rome of good living, stability and peace.

Then we made our way to the Spanish Steps. A lot of people were gathered here, just socializing. It seemed like the Spanish Steps is Rome's living room where people just sit on the steps and talk. The steps are named for the Spanish embassy located here.

I just watched the movie, Bright Star, so I was interested in the fact that John Keats died of tuberculosis in a pink building just to the right of the Spanish Steps (not seen in this picture).

Chillin' at the Spanish Steps.

Our next stop on our walking tour was the very famous Trevi Fountain. It was full of tourists, but I have always wanted to go here to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain. The fountain itself is quite amazing too.

About to make a wish that I return to Rome! And I am sure I will, because I loved it!

After spending some time at the Trevi, we got some dinner at a tavola calda. Not very fancy, but they had some yummy, cheap pizza! Then we made our way back to our apartment to take a rest from day 1 in Rome.

We started out day 2 with the Colosseum. What a way to start your day! This place is colossal and so impressive. I can't even fathom, what it must  have looked like in all of its glory when it was actually in use.

Christmas card photo, I think?

Inside the Colosseum. Really made me want to watch Gladiator!!!

Dallin enjoying the Colosseum.

A wood floor used to cover this maze of stone walls. It was underneath this floor where wild animals were kept and raised using an elevator for the gladiators to fight.

Next to the Colosseum is also the Arch of Constantine. This arch honors Emperor Constantine who legalized Christianity in Rome.

After the Colosseum, we went next door to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Forum was my absolute favorite part of the whole trip. It is literally the ruins of the center of Ancient Rome. It was crazy to think that we were walking where the Caesars walked, and we were in the heart of what was the beginning of Western Civilization.

Overlooking the Forum

This is the Arch of Titus, which commemorated the Roman victory over Judea. When the Jews refused to worship the Roman emperor as a god, the Romans enslaved the Jews and forced them to build this arch, as well as the Colosseum.

The Basilica of Constantine, a hall of justice. Our camera is not capable of showing just how big this place is. And it was even bigger, back in the day!

The same basalt stones that were walked on by Caesar Augustus.

These are the original bronze doors of this Tempio di Romolo.

This is the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina. During the Renaissance a Christian church was built within the columns of this temple.

Under that roof is the Temple of Julius Caesar, where Julius Caesar's body was burnt after his assassination.

This is the Temple of Saturn, the Forum's oldest temple built in 497 B.C.

The Column of Phocas was a gift to the fallen empire of Rome from the Byzantine Empire for the commemoration of the Pantheon becoming a Christian church.

The Arch of Septimius Severus commemorating his battles in Mesopotamia.

After exploring the Forum we hiked up to the adjacent Palatine hill for a view of the Forum and to see the gardens.

Me on Palatine Hill overlooking the Forum.

Palatine Hill is where all of the Emperors of Rome built their palaces. We toured the homes of both Caesar Augustus and his wife.

This was Augustus' private stadium.

We then exited the forum and walked over to the Piazza Venezia to get a look at the Vittorio Emmanuele monument. This is a massive monument to the first king of Italy. His statue is the one in the middle on a horse. It is the biggest equestrian statue in the world and Victor's mustache is over five feet long!

Then we walked over to Capitoline Hill and climbed up Michelangelo's grand staircase.

Near the Capitoline square is the famous she-wolf statue that depicts the legend of how Rome began with Romulus and Remus.

There is also Il Nasone! If you've seen Eat, Pray, Love this looks familiar. The Romans joke that this is where a cheap Roman boy takes a girl out for a drink.

Then we went up the Vittorio Emmanuele monument for some splendid views of Rome.

And then we watched a Communist parade!!! Hooray!

We ended day 2 with some yummy pizza at a place called Pizzeria da Baffetto which means Mustache Pizzeria. Go figure? It was good though!

Day 3 began with a border crossing into a new country: the Vatican City! It was Sunday, so it was quite crowded here. Many people were going to mass and came to hear the Pope speak.

St. Peter's square in the Vatican City.

We came to see the enormous and magnificent St. Peter's Basilica. This is a huge church chock full of masterpieces having been designed by Michelangelo.

The front of St. Peter's Basilica.

This is a Swiss guard. These guys kind of police the grounds of Vatican City.

The inside of St. Peter's Basilica blew me away. It is a huge church! Unfortunately, because mass was in session, we couldn't get as close of a look at the front of the church and the main altar. We actually pretended we were Catholic and came to see the mass, just to see the front of the church better. Shhh. Don't tell! haha. We decided that we probably ought to go when they started handing around the collection plate and the Sacrament...

Our camera cannot accurately capture just how huge this place is. The canopy in the middle was designed by Bernini. It is the largest brass work in the world! Underneath the canopy, the body of St. Peter is supposedly buried.

Starting from the upper left corner, going clockwise: Michelangelo's Pieta, the massive dome, Bernini's sunburst dove window, one of the many mosaics of saints in the basilica, inside of this massive church.

After pretending we were Catholic and spending some time in the Basilica we decided to climb the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. Climbing the dome was 530 steps of adventure and exercise! First we climbed to the roof level of the basilica. From there we were able to get some good views of the outside of the dome...

...And rest for the journey ahead.

What a peaceful resting spot!

Then we went inside of the Basilica at the roof level, so we were walking right around the circumference of the dome. From this vantage we could see the amazing mosaics of the dome up close, as well as look down on the mass in session below.

Then came the real adventure. We next climbed to the top of the dome by climbing a staircase that literally escalated between the inner and outer layers of the dome.

At times it became a bit claustrophobic.

But the view was well worth it!!!

After climbing up all those stairs we were famished, so we just went and had one of the best meals of our lives.

We went to Pizzeria da Francesco near Piazza Navona. Oh my. It was so good. I got tortellini with ragu sauce, and me and Dal split a margherita pizza. YUM! I still fantasize about it til this day.

Then we walked around what is now our favorite spot in Rome, Piazza Navona. It is just so quaint and beautiful here, and in my opinion the prettiest part of Rome.

Piazza Navona: our favorite spot in Rome.

Then we moseyed on over to the Pantheon.

This place is incredible just because of how old it is, and how good of condition the building is in. The Pantheon was built in 126 A.D. and has been in constant use ever since. Originally, the Pantheon was built as a temple to all of the Roman gods (Pan = all; theon = gods). However after the fall of Rome, under the rule of the Byzantine Empire the building was converted to a Christian church to honor martyrs. It is for this reason the Pantheon is so well preserved. Because it was turned into a church, the barbarians did not pillage the Pantheon, unlike the unlucky structures found in the Forum, and elsewhere in Rome. It was amazing to see a building almost just as the Romans would have seen it.

The dome and the oculus window is the major feature of the Pantheon. Until St. Peter's Basilica, this was the largest dome in Europe!

Inside of the Pantheon. Vittorio Emmanuele and Raphael, the artist are buried here.

We sat in the pews of the Pantheon for quite a while, just because we were so tired. We decided that we needed to go back to our apartment and take a nap. We were wiped out!

After a much needed nap, we were hungry so we decided to go back to the restaurant that we went to for lunch! Pizzeria da Francescos. Oh man. It was just as good the second time! This time I got spaghetti carbonara. Mmmmm. So creamy and bacony. Just perfect. And of course we split another margherita pizza! The best pizza in my life!

Once again at Pizzeria da Francescos. I will never forget this place.

The guy in the white, manning the oven is the Roman god of pizza. Oh what culinary delights he created!

After such wonderful food, Dal and I felt good about day 3 in Rome and decided to retire for the night.

Day 4, the last day, began with packing up our bags to leave our beloved Eternal City. We left our apartment and headed to the Termini train station to check our bags. Then we hopped on the metro towards the Vatican Museum. We didn't make reservations (which I would strongly recommend doing) so we ended up waiting in line for about an hour. It wasn't too bad. The time went by rather quickly with chocolate croissants in hand. Yum!

Me in front of the Musei Vaticani.

The Vatican Museum was amazing! We got to see in real life so many things that I have only seen in text books! I loved it.

Me in the Hall of Maps.

We found our lovely home of Vicenza!

We saw Raphael's "School of Athens"

and Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker". Dallin was so embarrassed to take this picture of me, but I just had to do it! He thought I looked too much like an Asian tourist.

And of course we saw Michelangelo's amazing Sistine Chapel. Stunning!

After the Vatican Museum we got some lunch, and then decided to end our trip with some gelato of course! So we went to San Crispino near the Trevi Fountain. This is supposed to be one of the best gelato places in Rome. They don't use any artificial flavorings or colors and they have some interesting flavors. I got some banana flavored and some honey flavored gelato. Both were delicious!

After our treat we headed back to the train station to pick up our luggage and catch our bus to the airport. We were sad to leave Rome. We had such a wonderful time. But we know that we will be back, because I threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain!