"The Pines of Rome" by Respighi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43bDPoRN2xA&feature=related
Note: This post was written yesterday, but because Blogger was not letting me upload pictures I waited until today to post it. Be on the lookout for a post about our time in Florence soon!
Buongiorno! We finally have reliable and quick Wi-Fi, so I am able to update you all on our journeys. We had such fun in Rome exploring "The Eternal City." We had a quaint corner hotel room at the Hotel Picasso, overlooking Via Palermo and Via Venezia. We could peek out our windows at any time and sneak a peek at this gentleman, who stood outside his store all day (from what we could tell).
The hotel was close to everything. On our first day there, fighting the jet-lag and pushing on though we'd only gotten about 3-4 hours of disturbed sleep on the plane, we set to exploring this city we'd call home for only the next 2 days. Where to first? The Colosseum, or Coloseo. Of course we stopped on our way to get lunch at a busy piaderia. These lovely, warm stuffed sandwiches were delicious, and the man we ordered them from was quite understanding of our lack of Italian.
We turned one corner, and there it was! This huge building you see in pictures and history books, staring us right in the face. Jon, my ever-thoughtful husband, downloaded lots of audio tours for things we'll be seeing on our trip. So not only did we save money on the audio tours at the Colosseum, but we kinda-sorta got our own personal tour guide (Rick Steves none the less). It was so easy to imagine gladiators fighting lions and bears in the huge arena, hearing the crowds cheer as Caesar and the Vestal Virgins watched over the action in their private boxes. We also got to explore the Arch of Constantine, Palatine Hill, and the Forum, Rome's ancient city center, where Caesar Augustus lived and was assasinated. "Et tu Brute?" For real.
Our second day in Rome was no less busy than the first. We went to the Vatican Museums, which are quite overwhelming. You can't help but feel tiny surrounded by so much history and beauty. We were able to see Rafael's "School of Athens," in which he included a self-portrait (can you spot him in the black beret?).
Of course the highlight at the Vatican Museums is the Sistine Chapel. Jon will probably get arrested but took sneaky pictures inside of Michelangelo's great masterpiece.
We then headed over to St. Peter's Square and Basilica. I think this was my favorite thing to see so far. Absolute jaw-dropping, bigger-than-life beauty. It actually brought tears to my eyes. The sheer size of the place is amazing, and the history of it even more so. We oohed and aahed over Michelangelo's dome and Pieta, and unfortunately got shooed out a bit earlier than we would have liked as they were closing up shop.
 |
| At the Vatican Museums. St. Peter's is in the background. |
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica |
 |
| Michelangelo's famous Pieta at St. Peter's. It's behind bullet-proof glass because in the '70s somebody ran into the Basilica and started chipping away at it with a hammer. Interestingly, this is the only sculpture signed by Michelangelo. He carved his name down Mary's robe after hearing that others weren't giving him credit for his work. |
We left Rome this morning, but only after visiting the Pantheon. It was a long trek, especially with our packs on our back. We had planned on taking the bus, but number 64 was packed to the max each time it came around. Literally packed... faces and arms smooshed against the windows. The Pantheon is the oldest building we've visited. It was originally built in 24 BC as a place to worship all (Pan) the gods (theos). It is massive, and the structure of the dome and oculus at the top is an architectural marvel; it was what Michelangelo used to model the St. Peter's Basilica dome and the Duomo in Florence (Firenze).
 |
| Inside the Pantheon |
 |
| The Pantheon |
We stopped at Santa Maria's church before heading to the train station. We found a gorgeous Michelangelo statue of Christ's resurrection. The best part about it is that few tourists know it is even there, so you have it almost all to yourself. We feel as though we've seen Michelangelo's fingerprints all over this city.
We finally made it to the train station after 2 bus rides and a metro ride. We got our Eurail passes validated, and literally ran to our first train. We were sitting at lunch, taking our time, not knowing that our train's platform was FOREVER away. So leave it to us to be running with 20 pounds on our backs and almost missing the train to Firenze. After a 4-hour ride (we thought it was going to be 2 hours- blah), we arrived in Florence with no reservations (forgive the Anthony Bourdain reference, but we literally did not have any reservations for a place to sleep). We found an Internet Cafe and booked the cheapest hotel we could find closest to the city. Needless to say, we had an interesting time just getting into our room as nobody was at the front desk when we went to check in. But we ended up with a lovely room overlooking the courtyard rather than the noisy street. The best part is that we get our own bathroom again. In the meantime, we'll be enjoying this view.
Oh, and we'll be doing some more of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment