Abbreviated version: Rome was crazy, chaotic, touristy, polluted, and we’re glad to be back in Orvieto. Saw some ruins, saw some churches, fountains and monuments galore, walked 500 miles, and stayed in my first hostel.
Unabridged Version:
Of course there was a train strike the Friday we were supposed to go to Rome, but we went Saturday instead. Early morning bus down the hill the train. And then a very painful train ride as my ears popped every time we went through a tunnel. But we made it to the Termini station in Rome.
We started at the Colosseum with Marco (our Italian art/culture/history/everything-about-anything teacher). We have "whisper tools" which allows Marco to speak into a microphone and then all of us have our own receiver units with headphones. This makes it really nice in such a large group and we can go off exploring a little bit while he's still talking.
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Marco talked us through the ancient forum..
We passed Trajan's forum with Trajan's market and Trajan's column (but I won't bore you with hundreds of pictures of broken columns. We walked towards what the Romans call "The Wedding Cake" because they’re disgusted with this eye-sore of a monument to the first modern king of Italy. And it dwarfs all of the ancient archeological sites.
We also walked through the medieval Jewish ghetto. Not what I expected because the buildings weren’t any different from the rest of town, but I guess this was just the only location where the Jews could live. Marco pointed out the Palazzos of the richer Jewish families. In one of the piazzas was one of the most sought out fountains of the Grand Tour: the fountain of the turtles. Marco also told us the story of the politician Aldo Moro who was kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigades and his body was found months later by means of a mysterious call to the police; now a plaque commemorates the location.
Onward still...The Area Sacra ruins, discovered when they tried to dig a new life of the metro (you can guess that happens a lot in Rome), the site apparently doubles as both a current archeological dig and the location where animal control apparently shelters all the cats… We passed by the store run by the family DeRites who are the personal tailors to the Pope.
And then Marco left us at the Pantheon. This is one site that can only be described a fraction of a bit by pictures.
After the group dispersed, we had lunch and went to Piazza Navona where Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers and Borromini’s Church of St. Agnes in Agony both are.
Passed by Fontana del Moro and lots of churches that I don’t know the names of… Walked down the Corso (the mainstreet full of pedestrians) and ended up in the Piazza del Popolo (“the people’s square”).
Walked by Villa Medici but couldn’t find a way in. Walked around this weird park that was having some kind of carnival. The paths were lined with busts of famous Italians and I tried to pick out the ones I knew.
We then walked to the Piazza della Rupubblica. Just behind me in the picture below is Santa Maria degli Angeli which has a pretty modest brick façade. But I decided to take a risk and walked into the church. It was not at all what I expected. Inside it was incredibly grand and expansive. Beautiful detailing. Just incredible. And while we were in there, a guy sat down and started to play the organ. The sound filled the entire space and made for an incredible experience.
After dinner a couple of us went to what I deem to be the most beautiful site (second only to my mountains, as anybody who knows me will know): the Trevi Fountain at night. This experience is truly beyond words. But the lights, the excitement, the roar of the 14 fountains, not to mention the incredible sculpture of this massive thing that’s only 100s of years old. Perfecto! And as I threw coins into the fountain 8 years ago, the legend has proven true, and I have returned to Rome. So in goes another coin for next time J.
My first hostel experience went well. Eight of us girls got a room to ourselves. Considering the price, not much I can complain about there.
And we finished off the day at the museum where there was an exhibit of Michelangelo, Raphael, and their students’ work during the Renaissance in Rome. Unfortunately no pictures from here L and I guess I read and examine art too slowly because I was rushed out so that we could get to the train station in time.