The following post covers mine and Amy's time in Rome - Sept 3 - 5, 2014:
September 3, 2014:
I had a very short night. I feel asleep in the middle of reading. I woke up at 1 AM, with the lights on. I turned them off, only to sleep a few more hours until 4:30 AM alarm.
I dressed and packed quickly and was in the lobby by 5:25 AM and got a cab for the 20 minute ride to the airport.
I walked in and found Vueling airlines - a complete mob scene. Was so glad that I had bought an "Excellence" ticket - that line had no one in it!! I had been sweating the luggage charge - the Excellence ticket only covered 23 kg. I knew my bag would be around 29 or 30 kg. Sure enough it was 30 kg. The agent just tagged it as heavy, but no charge. According to their website, it should have been 12 euros per kg. I was SO happy and a little shocked. She explained that the gate had not been assigned and to watch the monitors. It felt a little like my train experiences, waiting for the gate to be assigned.
Gates were divided between A, B, C, D and E concourses. A, B and C were one direction and D and E were another. Luckily my boarding pass at least mentioned that I was in A, B, C section. I headed down the escalator, checked out duty free and then spotted McDonald's. I completely indulged in a sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin and a Coca Light.
My gate was still not posted, but at least the concourse was posted, so I headed to B. More waiting for the gate. Finally it was posted and there was a mad dash by many to the gate.
At the gate, boarding started within about 10 minutes. The flight was uneventful and I read the Rome portion of Rick Steve's Best of Europe book while flying - getting lots of good tips and ideas.
We landed about 10 min early. I had a long walk from the gate. Again, no passport check, immigration or customs.
My baggage claim was 9 and Amy's was 7. We connected via text message. Was so wonderful to see my sister - it had been since Christmas that we saw each other. We discussed our flights and our respective and shared excitement about the Italian adventure ahead.
My bag arrived and we headed out for a taxi. So many fake cabbies tried to get our bags and usher us into their cabs. I had read about this in the guide book, so knew to look only for the City sanctioned taxis and it was a flat rate to the Old City.
The room was not ready yet, so they allowed us to use the spa to freshen up. We checked our bags, asked the concierge for lunch suggestions - he made a reservation at Tiempo - and we headed out to explore our new neighborhood.
We took a very leisurely stroll for a few blocks around the hotel, talking about my trip prior to Rome.
We arrived at lunch and they were obviously expecting us. The owner said - you from the Westin...si, si, si! We had our choice of outside tables since no one else had arrived. We had got there right at 11:30 AM.
First water and two glasses of red wine. The house wine was delicious - quite surprisingly good. There were so many pasta options. We shared a caprese salad - perhaps the best I've ever had - the mozzarella, the basil and surprisingly I even loved the tomatoes. I had spinach and ricotta ravioli and Amy had gnocchi with four cheese cream sauce and a few cucumbers. We shared some of each other's pasta - both were incredible. The gnocchi was very small and incredibly delicate and soft. Nothing that I've had in the US compares...not even Cafe Spiaggia in Chicago where I thought I had had the best gnocchi to date.
Time was running short, so we got our check and dashed back to the hotel to meet our tour guide for the afternoon. Magdelina had been recommended by some neighbors in Minneapolis. She was very pricey, but we soon learned that she was worth every penny and more. For the first half day, we also had a car service with driver.
Magdelina was waiting in the lobby when we arrived. She was very Polish looking, a bit older than I was expecting and very matter of fact. No joking with her! She called for the driver to come back to the hotel and we were off.
We sped through a few Piazzas, catching glimpses of multiple fountains and chapels.
We were headed to the Pantheon. Magdelina talking almost non-stop when we were in the van - tons of history of Rome, explaining certain sculptures - it was like a college crash course.
We stopped first to see a statue with a base with a white elephant and a large Egyptian oblescik on its back. There was a long story about a previous Roman Ruler having an elephant as a pet - and he loved it - but the elephant died within a year. The ruler had many pieces of art created in the elephant's honor.
From here, we walked a short distance to the Pantheon.
The building was incredible. We arrived around 12:50 PM Day light savings time, so 11:50 AM regular time, so the sun was directly overhead to shine into the opening in the top of the dome on top the entrance. Of course there were many, many tourists, but Magdelina just barreled through. She didn't look back for us, we were just expected to keep up.
We walked a block and there was the driver and car, perfect timing. They were very well coordinated during the entire day.
Afterwards we continued on to the Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum. Constantine legalized Christianity when he was the ruler. But interestingly, the Arch didn't include any images of him or his work. All of the reliefs and statues had been removed from other memorials and merely reused. Magdelina explained that over the years, many memorials or other structures were dismantled for the materials to be used in other buildings or memorials.
The Arch of Constantine is just in front of the Colosseum. Onward to the Colosseum...Magdelina charging the way, skipping all lines. She had purchased advanced tickets, so we could skip all of the very long lines. She took us to several key viewing spots, explaining the construction, the history and the events of the Colosseum. There were no placards that would give that type of info, so we were very grateful for Magdelina. It took about 9 years to build and the architect wasn't sure that the structure would actually hold. In addition to the Gladiator fights - which is thought to have been rigged, with each participant getting paid very well - the shows would start with public killings of criminals. The criminals were usually fed alive to lions. There were also many animal killings/hunting. During excavations about 10-15 years ago, very large numbers of bones were discovered in the center area - and not just animals and humans, but many extinct animals. There were also several seeds and plants found that were not native to Rome, so it is believed to be from the species that the killed animals had eaten/killed before being delivered to Rome for the "shows". All of the shows were free - people only had to get tickets for crowd control. The shows were always sponsored by the government, a politician or some other organization for propaganda purposes.
All of the seats, ornamentation, decoration and vast amounts of the structure had been removed from the Colosseum after about 500 years to be used in other buildings. The Colosseum had served it purposes of the time and the Romans believed in reusing materials. Much of the large limestone rocks that were used for seats were repurposed for building St. Peter's Basilica. I had always assumed it was merely time that caused all of the damage to the Colosseum - not so, many previous generations had purposely reused much of it. There was a major earthquake that destroyed much of the far outer wall of the Colosseum.
I can't imagine the brutality and gruesome sights that would have been observed there for so many years and by so many generations.
From the Colosseum, we drove past the Circus Maximus which was used for Gladiator/Chariot races. The outline of the track was so clear. Magdelina explained that the Gladiators would circle the track 7 times. The outcome of the race had nothing to do with the horse, speed or skill of the Gladiator...it was a very brutal race with many fights, etc - only the strongest survived and won...or the most brutal.
Our next stop was the Roman Forum - seeing the ruins of Ancient Rome was very thought provoking. Will many generations from now be discovering the town/cities/countries where we live today? Are we building structures that could survived 2000 years? Magdelina had an incredible book that would show the view we were looking at and then have an overlay to show what the original buildings looked like - it was incredible the size and detail of the structures there they were able to build.
The tour continued through Capitoline Hill and the Aventine. We ended up on Janiculum Hill which offered a panoramic view of Rome to one side; the other side was the Vatican with a wonderful view of St. Peter's Basilica and the mountain where the Pope has a summer home.
We were dropped off at the hotel around 5 PM - four hours with Magdelina. It was a very full afternoon. What we covered in 4 hours, could have taken 2-3 days on our own and still not knew or understood even half of what we did today.
At the hotel, our room was ready. A very nice front desk clerk escorted us all the way to our room - showing us all of the features. We were upgraded to an incredible suite with multiple rooms.
Around 8 PM, we ventured out to dinner - to a recommendation from the concierge. We walked about 4 blocks. The place was downstairs and had a cellar feel. There were several other tables of English-speaking patrons. Later in the evening we determined that the Westin concierge had recommended the place to all of them. I wonder if he got a kick-back or several free meals per month. We split a half-bottle of Chianti Classico. It was quite nice. When bread was served, Amy asked for oil which never arrived. I ultimately grabbed a bottle of olive oil off the waiter station that was just beside me. The waiter came and grabbed it out of Amy's hands, saying that was for salads only. We started by splitting mozzerella. Amy had pasta while I had veal picatta al limone. The veal was just OK - more buttery than lemony...also not as lean or pounded thin as I would have expected. We finished by splitting a tiramissu. Lastly, the waiter brought us both a complementary shot of Lemonchello.
We walked back to the hotel and were both exhausted from the long day and short night of sleep. I feel asleep as Amy was talking to me...she had to turn off my light.
September 4, 2014:
We woke up today around 7:30 - we didn't have specific plans until meeting Magdelina at 12:30 at the Vatican Museum, so we were going to take the morning easy. We walked towards the Spanish steps - and they were under renovations! The monument at the top as well as the fountain at the bottom were both completely covered. The top monument was also covered in a huge advertisement.
Vendors and rose-pushing guys were everywhere. One forced Amy to take 3 roses and then demanded money - that's when I took them from Amy, gave them back to the guy and said that we were not interested. She didn't fall for the rose guys anymore during our time in Rome.
From the steps, we continued walking on Via Condotti past many high-end stores and a chapel.
We found Trevi Fountain too along the walk, but it was also closed for restoration:
We then turned on to Via del Corso towards the Piazza Venezia and Victor Emmanuel Monument which is the largest monument in the world. We took several pics and wandering around the monument.
As the morning got later, the walk started to get warmer and warmer. When in the direct sun, the Medetertian heat was terrible.
We were both starting to get hungry, so we stopped at a shaded pizza place - we both had individual pizzas and Coca Lights, along with a bottle of water.
After a leisurely lunch, we found a taxi stand and got a taxi to the Vatican museum to meet Magdalena.
Our 3+ hours with Magdalena was to include the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and then St. Peter's Basilica. Before the trip, Amy and I were both most excited about the Sistine Chapel.
Magdalena took us to a nice place a level up from the entrance to give us an overview of what we would see and more specifically to explain the scenes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling (no one, including tour guides is allowed to talk while inside the Chapel). Getting that context and knowing what to look for was so important.
We went very quickly through the Vatican museum. Magdalena said that folks are only able to absorb so much in a day and the museum was not the special part of today. We made a few stops at key pieces of art, but was at the Sistine Chapel within the first hour.
There was a slight line to get into the Chapel. Magdalena said she would give us 20 minutes to look and explained where to meet her.
Getting in to the Chapel was like forcing cattle into a corral. There were security guards constantly quieting the crowd, telling people to move along, telling men to take off their hats and announcing that pictures were not allowed...and then shaming those who still ignored the no picture rule.
Evidently Michelangelo didn't want to paint the Sistine Chapel, but felt an obligation since the Pope had asked for him to do it for the Pope's private chapel. The Chapel is relatively small and when being toured has no pews or seats; I'm not even sure it is ever used for worship or services anymore.
I had brought binoculars on the entire trip just for this experience since the ceiling is more than 65 feet high. They were quite useful to see the painting in greater detail.
The different sections of the ceiling portray 9 scenes in the creation of the world, man and the first sins:
- The Separation of Light and Darkness
- The Creation of the Sun, Moon and Earth
- The Separation of Land and Water
- The Creation of Adam
- The Creation of Eve
- The Temptation and Expulsion
- The Sacrifice of Noah
- The Great Flood
- The Drunkenness of Noah
As you walk into the room, you are at scene 9, so Magdalena said we should work our way to the middle of the room before even looking up.
The close-up portion of the painting that is so renowned - Adam's finger and God' finger is very near the center of the ceiling.
Looking toward the wall where you enter is also The Last Judgement. So much to see in this fresco as well, luckily Magdalena had educated us on the key aspects to observe.
The crowds were overwhelming - constant pushing and shoving - and I was also quite nervous about pickpockets. I had read that the Chapel was one of the worst places in Rome for pickpockets. After about 10 minutes of walking around, we were able to grab a few seats on a bench that lined the walls. Meeting Magdalena at the end was quite easy and we headed out through the Tour Guide only exit, which is shortcut to St. Peter's Basilica.
We were guided through some backdoor areas and courtyard and suddenly we were turning the corner to enter St. Peter's. Walking through the door for the first time was breathtaking. The Basilica is almost beyond explanation - something you have to see in person to truly appreciate it. The size and scale was so much bigger and grander than my wildest expectations. Quite honestly before going in, I was just expecting another Chapel - I've seen so many on this trip and had sort of become immune to the grandeur of each. But St. Peter's impresses...it is often said that it is the most impressive chapel in the entire world. By the end of our time there, I would completely concur.
There was so much to take in and unfortunately as I write this I'm forgetting some of the details that Magdalena gave us.
After we said our goodbyes to Magdalena and she imparted the last bits of knowledge, Amy and I walked around the Basilica a bit longer and then proceeded to the line to go to the top of the dome. We had to wait about 20 minutes and it was 7 euros per person to use the elevator for about two thirds of the distance up...which we did. It was 5 euros to take the stairs the entire way. I couldn't believe the number of people taking the stairs. After paying 20 euros to get into the Basilica, why wouldn't you pay 2 more euros to get an elevator?
The first stop is inside the rotunda that overlooks the services area inside the Basilica. It was fantastic - a mass had just started, so were treated to music and entrance of the priests.
A close-up of the tiles used to create part of the wall decorations in the two pictures above:
From here, you are lead outside and the stairs begin to the top of the rotunda. The stairs were quite small...and got smaller and more narrow as you ascended. Further along the walls started to curve in, so you had to climb while leaning to the side. The last staircase was circular one that went straight up. The handrail was a piece of rope hanging down the middle...this was certainly a climb for the fearless.
I was standing straight up and the camera is perfectly horizontal...that's how slanted the walls were as you got closer to the top of the dome.
But when you reaching the top...WOW! Besides the immense crowds, the experience was incredible. You could walk around the entire rotunda, getting 360 degree views from the highest point in all of Rome. We think people stayed at the top for so long because they were dreading the climb back down!
When we were down, we stopped back in the Basilica for a few final pictures...then headed out the front entrance to see the square area. The square is where the Pope delivers weekly addresses, so chairs are almost always set up to accommodate the crowds. A few more pictures from the outside and we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel.
At the hotel, we relaxed for while - it had been a long day of walking!
Magdalena had recommended a restaurant near us named Tulio. I mapped out the directions and we headed out for a lovely dinner. Unfortunately we never actually found Tulio. Where it was supposed to be, we couldn't find the address. We went to a hotel very nearby and asked the concierge - he said that Tulio was closed for holiday and wouldn't re-open for another week. So many of the stops and restaurants in Rome will close at night with heavy metal, garage-like doors. It is closed down so tight, you can't even notice that anything is there....so was our experience with Tulio.
We walked around a bit, but didn't see anything that looked appealing, so we headed back to the wonderful Italian place where we had lunch the previous day. Amy had the same gnocchi as the previous day, but I had a different pasta (can't remember now what it was). We both had glasses of the house wine...just as good as the previous day. We shut down the place!
We had a nice stroll back to the hotel and headed off to bed very soon.
September 5, 2014:
Today we are on our own in Rome, without Magdalena's wonderful guiding hand...although she had given us several suggestions.
We slept a little later than the previous days and headed out of the hotel without breakfast. We grabbed a cab to go to Holy Cross of Jerusalem Basilica. The first cab we got in spoke no English and we were never able to explain where we wanted to go. So off to cab #2...better luck, especially after I pulled up the map and Basilica name on my iPad.
Holy Cross of Jerusalem was in a "rougher" looking area of Rome and the Basilica is somewhat nondescript, especially compared to the grandeur we had seen the past two days. The reason for stopping at this Basilica was their treasury: thorn from Jesus' crown, splinter from the cross, nail from cross and copy of the shroud. This was a recommendation from Magdalena - the only Basilica in Rome where these treasury items are on display for the public.
Seeing these items left us speechless. We'd heard the biblical stories since we were young kids, never imaging that we'd see an actual nail that was used to hang Jesus from the cross. Obviously there is incredible security around these items and photography was not allowed. The items are in a small chapel on its own. When were by ourselves in the room, I was tempted to snap a quick picture, then then saw the multiple security cameras and decided not to test the Rome police.
We headed out of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem and had no hope of getting a cab, so we started walking down the street...there appeared to be a large structure in the distance. Sure enough, it was another Basilica. We approached to enter and was quickly stopped - we could not enter due to Amy's dress not covering her shoulders and me having on shorts.
Luckily there was a taxi stand near this Basilica, so we hoped one to the Four Rivers Fountain which was made by Bernini. We took tons of photos of the Fountain and then entire square....and then started walking the square. There was a great stationary store and we both bought a few things.
We were hungry, so decided on a lovely outdoor cafe for lunch. We both had a pizza along with a glass of Rose wine. We were initially in the shade, but as the time passed, our table was in the sun, so we didn't linger long after finishing our food.
There was a church across from the restaurant - St. Luigi Church that had a great Caravagio painting. We also visited St. Agnese...and I was a bit appalled, a guy was eating an ice cream cone at the back of the chapel.
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From Piazza Navona, we walked on to Piazza Campo Dei Fiori. Unfortunately most of the vendors were already packing up the produce and closing down the market. But we did get to see many lovely flowers.
After walking around for a few minutes, we took a cab back to the hotel and relaxed for bit.
For our last dinner in Rome, we had researched several options and decided on a place that Rick Steve's had recommended very strongly.
The place was a little difficult to find and the restaurant was in the basement, but the atmosphere was very modern and cool. We got a great table and quickly ordered a bottle of Italian wine. I had Veal al Limone and Amy had spaghetti alla Gabriello. We shared buffalo mozzarella to start - it was very creamy, excellent! Finally we shared chocolate crepes for dessert. The meal was incredible and a wonderful end to our time in Rome.
After dinner, we both wanted to stop for a cocktail, but nothing was open after dinner, plus we were very hot from the walk back towards the hotel.
We stopped for several pics on Spanish Steps. Then back in room, we both went to bed very quickly....off to Positano tomorrow!!
