Grand European Tour: Rome
The day we left, we woke up at 5am in the hopes we could get some rest from 6pm-midnight. I went all out with a neck pillow, ear plugs, eye mask, and pull-over hoodie tightened around my face, but sleep still wasn’t easy. Needless to say we were all pretty exhausted and bleary-eyed when we deplaned at about 7am local time.
At the recommendation of our agent, we started our tour in Rome. This gave the rest of Europe a chance to warm up before we arrived. We flew on Delta and encountered quite the bizarre airplane safety video meets yoga retreat mashup. I don’t think it was supposed to be funny, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
The drive from the airport to the hotel was over an hour and many times it felt like a roller coaster ride! Over the hill — flying down narrow streets — whipping around the bend! Sometimes when we came to a sudden stop my body anticipated an unexpected drop straight down! The best part was the view of the Colosseum as we came through the city.
We couldn’t check into our hotel room yet, so we went out to lunch at Piccolo Abruzzo, a place recommended by our travel agent. We all tried a different classic dish. My choice was spaghetti alla carbonara and it was delicious, fresh, and somehow light. The Italian-style bacon was so tiny and yet thick and crispy! Afterward we were able to take a nap before heading out to our Roman Street Food Tour for the evening.
The walk to our food tour was supposed to take about 40 minutes but we gave ourselves extra time. It’s a good thing we did because along with passing by Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, we stumbled upon so many other ancient sites to stop and look at. We were the only people on our tour with Mauro, a local. He shared with us the uniqueness of Roman pizza and taught us that good gelato is very dense and will be served in a small dish. An unusual food he introduced us to is called supplì. It was a rice ball that a seasoned tomato arborio rice, similar in flavor to Spanish rice, filled with mozzarella cheese, breaded, and deep fried until the cheese is hot and gooey. The legend is that when Napoleon’s army marched to Rome they demanded the people feed them. The people “generously” made them supplì, which burn the mouths of all the unsuspecting soldiers.
We also saw Pasquino, the first “talking statue” of Rome, where people would anonymously attached messaged and letters with criticisms and complaints about the government. It still contains notes today, including one complaining about the quality of a grilled cheese sandwich.
Our evening was finished up with authentic (deca*) Italian espresso. We were surprised to discover that Italians typically prepare their espresso with sugar. It was creamy and delicious and almost chocolatey with no bitterness.
*Deca is short for decaffeinato.
Vatican City
On day two, we walked through Villa Borghese on our way to Vatican City. It is a large park, just outside the city walls, where we meandered about, looking at sculptures and flora and fauna. We had lunch near Vatican City and were delighted to encounter a parade of Cent-Suisses there to celebrate the induction of the newest Swiss Guards.
Our guide for the Vatican City tour began by explaining to all his American guests what “close” means and how to push your way through a crowd so we wouldn’t lose him. He also warned us that we would be overwhelmed by the incredible amount of art and artifacts and it’s impossible to see it all. This was the first of many tours with wireless headsets so we could hear the guide clearly without the need to huddle close or have him shout. Before we entered an area, our guide would explain to us what we were about to see and important facts so that when we entered, we could take our time to look and explore. We learned about the sculpture Laocoön and His Sons, and how the past custom was to attempt to restore missing limbs. When the original arm was found in 1906, it changed the impact of the entire sculpture.
Our first view inside was the Chiaramonti Museum, filled to the brim with antiquities. Rows and rows of Greek and Roman busts and sculptures to demonstrate the power of the Pope. The grandiosity is even more than you realize at first glance; even the shelves and pedestals are pieces of ancient buildings. Titus was startled to see a bust of Emperor Geta that looked like younger version of himself.
All of Vatican City is impressive, but we were blessed that the Sistine Chapel was recently restored. What magnificence! The story of the Old Testament is told by Michelangelo down the length of the ceiling. We learned he started with the last panel, where you can see great detail and lots of people. The story goes that half-way through the process, they had to tear down the scaffolding and reinstall it in the other end of the room. When Michelangelo could finally look up and see the paintings from the ground, he realized that no one could see the detail. Because of this (and because he was sick and tired of the project) the days of creation have much less detail.
When visiting St. Peter’s Basilica, we saw an automatic Holy Water dispenser. Over the years, all of the paintings have been replaced with incredible mosaic replicas. Next year is a Jubilee Year, so they are expecting innumerable tourists and pilgrims. They must make more money now from ticket sales than the Popes who sold the indulgences to build it could even imagine!
Unfortunately, to visit St. Peter’s Basilica we had to exit the Vatican Museums, which means we couldn’t return to explore more. If I had known this, I might have tried to find a tour that finished us inside the museums so we could spend more time at our own pace.
“Ovosodo” dessert from Egg
Roman Ruins with a Cat Colony
Laocoön (with original arm) and a reimagining in the window of an art gallery.
Colosseum and More
Our final day in Rome took us to the Colosseum. I find it incredible that we still use the same stadium design today because it works so well. It wasn’t as large as I imagined, but the architectural ingenuity is impressive. Something we learned was that it had giant, canvas awnings that could be rolled out to provide shade and protection. They were manned by sailors who had no problem running along beams, wielding canvas and ropes far above the surface. We even saw a painting done by an artist who had studied in Rome, next to his etched name on the building.
Painting and Etching by H. Robert
After the Colosseum was the Arch of Titus. Of course, for us, it was an absolute must, but it also happens to be right at the entrance into Palantine Hill, so it was easy to find. Because of the artwork on the Arch of Titus, they think it was built by his brother who felt guilty after assassinating him. Tirzah promised not to murder Titus.
Palantine Hill was where the palaces were built. The ruins are a reddish stone and it reminded me of “Garden of the Gods” in Denver, only at a smaller scale. Shortly thereafter our tour guide explained that one distinct area was called the “Garden of the Gods.”
We saw several other ruins and walked around the Roman Forum a bit, but it was very hot. The Roman Forum was rather underwhelming, although we saw heirloom plants that they think are the same varieties grown in ancient Rome. In the afternoon, Titus needed new shoes (they were literally falling apart), so we walked back across town to the fashion district, stopping to see the Spanish Steps on the way there. On the return to our hotel, we ate gelato and discovered going up the Spanish Steps were the most direct route back.
Spanish Steps
My Thoughts on Rome
On our first short walk we saw water fountains on the street. They were low, but looked more like a constantly running faucet than a fire hydrant or drain pipe. We learned from our walking food tour guide that these are called nasoni (meaning “nose”) because the pipe looks like a nose (some even have faces). There are over 2,500 nasoni in Rome, dating back to to the 1870s as a way to provide fresh drinking water to the poor. The water is clean, cold and fresh and the pipe has a hole in the top so you can block the end and use it as a drinking fountain. We would have used them more if bathrooms were more easily accessible!
Everyone assumed we were Americans, which was fine. They gave us English menus, most could speak enough English to communicate, and everyone was friendly and helpful.
There is a lot of traffic, but the dynamic between cars, motorcycles/scooters, and pedestrians is very fluid and organic. All the cars are so small, I even saw a cute, little, “baby” Jeep! Pedestrians are king, and we literally stepped in front of a moving bus (with enough time for it to stop, of course) to cross the street! Motorcycles and scooters weave in and out of traffic and I don’t think I saw a single car without at least one scrape or dent on its bumper.
Because of the narrow and clogged roads, the lack of dedicated public transport lanes, and only a few subway lines, walking and scooters seem to be the most effective forms of transportation in the heart of Rome. Shortly after our visit, some friends visited and took a tour of Rome on Segways. That sounds like a fantastic way to see Rome and I would recommend it to anyone else planning to visit.
