“Rome - the city of visible history, where the past of a whole hemisphere seems moving in funeral procession with strange ancestral images and trophies gathered from afar.” -George Eliot
On the train from Bari, we arrive in Rome just before 1 PM. The station is bustling and so is the market / food court at the other end of the building. I wonder if every day is like this, then my mind, in vacation mode, remembers today is Saturday.
The one place handing out samples has some really delicious fried chicken. The entree comes on a salad and with some potatoes on the side. We are about “potatoed” out at this point in the trip, though, but the sample sure is tasty… We opt instead for a mortadella sandwich from another vendor, and it's another delicious option.
For the next 20 minutes, as we walk to the hotel, our luggage takes a beating on the cobblestone sidewalks. Along the way, we’ve spotted at least two wheels that have broken off other travelers' luggage. Thankfully, ours remains intact, so far.
TRAVEL TIP: Stay hydrated! Water from the continually-flowing, fancy-looking fountains with spouts is meant to be potable… and it’s refreshing and delicious on a hot summer day.
At the hotel, we try to get checked in quickly, since our reservation at the Vatican Museum is in a couple hours. The desk clerk hands us the room keys, and tells us to call if we need anything.
Opening the door to our room, the first thing I notice some wires sticking out of the wall, where the phone should be. It looks like we won’t be calling the front desk for anything. Strange. We'll deal with this later.
As we are ready to leave, Janine turns the key to lock the door, and the key snaps in half! Luckily, we are able to wiggle the broken piece of metal out of the lock and take both halves down to the front desk. For now, they give us the maid’s key and send us on our way.
It's hot inside the cramped subway cars, and it seems there's always one person not wearing deodorant in these situations. Outside on the streets of Vatican City, it's even hotter. We end up getting to the museum entrance a little early and cool down by buying a couple beers from a street vendor. This area, near the museum entrance, is a madhouse. It’s shocking how unkempt this part of the Vatican microstate is, too. All the trash cans are overflowing, and garbage is strewn about on the sidewalk, practically baking under the summer sun. The scavenging pigeons seem happy.
Inside, of course, it’s the exact opposite: grand and extravagant, shiny and clean. Following our guide, we walk for what must be miles through numerous corridors with beautifully painted ceilings and tapestries lining the walls.
I don’t particularly study religious art anymore (not since college), so I am really just eager to see the Sistine Chapel. Those specific tickets usually sell out almost as soon as they go on sale, so this full, guided tour from a third-party was our only option for this particular day.
During this walk, there are some unique sights of interest: the frescoes of the Raphael Rooms (with said artist subtly painting himself in one scene), a modern art collection (including works by Chagall, Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Dalí, and others), and a tapestry called “The Resurrection of Christ” (where Jesus’ eyes seem to follow you, just after he's miraculously emerged from the tomb). This being another Raphael design, it's truly incredible and has been fascinating visitors ever since these tapestries were first unveiled in 1519.
In the midst of all this excess, I can't help but think about all the trash on the sidewalk just outside these walls. Considering the Vatican Museum has been able to amass 70,000-some works of art, no doubt they could figure out how to keep the visitor entrance tidy, if they wanted. This must be the most expensive single item on display: a large, elevated wash basin, crafted from exceedingly rare purple Imperial Porphyry rock, used by Emperor Nero and supposedly valued somewhere between $1 billion - $2 billion. In the past, I would have used an exclamation mark to cap off those numbers. At this point, I've seen enough "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" excess while strolling down these halls that it's like "Okay, cool. I'm gonna go look at something else now." Here's Nero's "bathtub":
Now, on to the main reason we’re here: the Sistine Chapel. WOAHHHH! What a grand room it is. It’s wider, taller, and longer than I ever imagined. It is truly spectacular. Unfortunately, a bajillion other people are also in the room, and they are, evidently, a mix of being curious, inspired, and excited. I wouldn’t expect anything less. What I didn’t expect, though, are the announcements over the PA system every 5 minutes, saying “Attention! Attention, please! Quiet! Quiet! No photo! No pictures! The Sistine Chapel is a silent place.” But it’s not. This is one of the world’s great tourist attractions that I wish everyone could see at least once. It's that amazing. Being here is exciting, and there’s no doubt this room is unquestionably more an art gallery than a chapel. If a church service were happening in here right now, that would be different. With that not being the case, the volume picks right back up after every order for “Quiet!”, understandably.
After the chapel, we exit via the “new” Bramante Staircase (built in 1932 - the other with the same name dates back to 1505).
Outside, we soak up some rays in the garden, then exit Vatican City by simply walking across the street.
At this point, it feels like we are quickly losing daylight. We grab a beer at an impressive brewpub, but we can’t stay too long since the two available seats have been reserved for an upcoming football/soccer match. Next, we grab some expensive, not good dinner and work our way back to the hotel. G'night!
...
Kicking off a new day, we walk to the Colosseum. We knew it’s close to the hotel but not THIS close… All it takes is a walk down half a block to the intersection, turn left, and you can see it looming large at the end of the street.
We were last here 11 years ago, and I’m just as mesmerized now as the first visit. After taking a big loop around the historic arena, we walk down the street, through Circus Maximus, which was once a chariot-racing stadium. Today, it’s just a big, open park with a lot of gravel that gets in your shoes and kicks up a lot of dust.
TRAVEL TIP: If you’re visiting during summer, be sure to bring or pick up some sunblock. So far, there have been plenty of spaces with little or no shade during our walk… and it's been sunny and hot so far!
Along the way, we find a large, indoor farmers market and buy some beautiful strawberries for a snack. Those public water fountains mentioned earlier are convenient for giving the fruit a rinse. Continuing on, further up the road is the Roman Forum. We’ve walked among the ruins there before, 11 years ago. It’s a neat place but brings to mind how, for example, the best view of Paris includes the Eiffel Tower, rather than the view from it. The Forum is best viewed from the outside, from the elevated periphery surrounding the archaeological plaza.
I'm ready for a drink. How about you? I generally avoid ordering cocktails at bars or restaurants, having felt swindled enough times in the past: a martini shouldn't feature the vermouth, a typical margarita is more than just mix, and, in Italy, a proper spritz doesn't highlight the club soda. Nonetheless, I recently saw an article about the 50 best bars in the world, and one near our hotel is on it, called “Drink Kong”. Despite my reservations, I'm curious about the place.
As we walk that way, it begins to rain. Just when the bar comes into sight, it really starts to pour, and we rush on in. It’s early enough that we have our pick of seats at the bar.
The menu is a mystery. Sure, you can order classic cocktails here, but part of the fun is trying whatever the heck drinks like “Equinox”, “Magma”, “Paradox”, and others are. Next to each drink name is a geometric representation, telling you how the flavor profile is balanced, between notes of acid, sweet, bitter, and a “Kong Factor”. If you want to spoil the fun and know exactly what’s in each cocktail, the ingredients are listed in the very back of the menu book. I take a peek and still don’t even know what some of those ingredients are.
We end up chatting with a couple next to us, Adam and Daisy, from the U.K. We talk about our drinks and music and politics and work and more drinks. The one drink Janine and I planned on turns into several, and we continue the conversation with our new friends by going to dinner together. What a fun couple they are, and hopefully we cross paths again one day.
As the evening winds down, I tuck my wife into bed, then head back up the street to the Colosseum. Walking around it at night, the view is incredible. I really have no sufficient words to describe the ambiance here, of the structure being lit up and without having the usual crowds all around. There’s something magical about the experience. It feels like it’s just the Colosseum and me… that is, until I find a really great perspective of the building reflecting in a puddle, crouch down to take a photo, then a man crouches down right next to me. I'm a little on edge now, hoping I don't have to sock this guy. Then, in his perhaps-Australian accent, he says “Sorry, mate, I’ve got to steal this shot.” We both laugh, and I hope he likes his photos as much as I like mine.
Having circled around the entire arena, I make my way back to the hotel. The streets are quiet - maybe a little too quiet - and there are plenty of shadows where anything, or anyone, could be lurking. Along the way, a couple rats scurry out of the darkness, then right back into it. This whole walk is about 10 minutes but feels much longer.
Back in the room, I'm certainly ready to hang my hat up for the night. I wish we could stay in Rome a little longer, but in the morning we will be picking up a car, then driving a couple hours north, to the Tuscan town of Montepulciano.
"Exploring Italy: Rome (Pt. 3)"
Written by: Justin Kilmer
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