Italia Day 10-14: Roma

We looked forward to escaping the plethora of American snotty tourists and heading to Rome. We had some decent cloudy weather so we started out straight away checking out old buildings just around our area. Wine was so cheap, cheaper then water, that I definitely enjoyed it. Luckily there are several gelatarias and restaurants right near our hotel. I do have to say, all of our hotels were quite nice, especially the Rome one. We were spoiled with satellite TV to get some British channels to catch up on the news. We had seen that Bush was coming to the Vatacan so we knew to avoid it during the Wednesday mass with the pope since security was going to be mad. The next day was a bright and sunny day, YAY! We walked all over the old Roman Forum. We started at the Colosseum where we paid to have the history part of the tour and skip the 1+ hour queue. I had heard that there were cats all over, but none were to be found. Several days later we came across some random ruins that they had all the cats rounded up, neutered and placed there. Strange, yet interesting. The Colosseum is huge, and it was interesting seeing part of the floor rebuilt. We also got a tour of the Palatine Hill. I also got to be a big nerd here since I also know random facts of Nero and other fascinating architectural history quips. After walking all through the Roman Forum we went out to the Circus Maximus and walked all through the length of it. This is where the Christians were actually murdered way back in history not in the Colosseum. This is what the chariot races used to be done on like in Ben Hurr, where I got most of my religious teachings from. On a hunch I sent us on a wild goose chase looking for the Baths of Caracalla, it was off our map, but I knew the general direction to walk in. After a few wrong turns we finally found it. These ruins I really wanted to see since they were super important back in the day since important people would go there to do business and sit in the different baths. It was just one of the buildings that really interested me while studying them. By this time our feet were killing us so it was back to the hotel to take a nap before watching the Romanian - Italy football match. Italy won which was great since the Italians take their football very seriously!

We following day we saw all the other sights within the city. We started with the Fontana de Trevi where if you throw a coin over your shoulder you are to return to Rome and throw another you will find true love. Of course I had to throw one in! Next stop was the Spanish Steps. It was partially under reconstruction which was to bad but it was great to get a view over the city. Jen had recommended a great pizza place since she goes to Italy all the time and it was excellent! After our filling meal, we headed to the Piazza Navona where we sat in the fleeting sun and enjoyed the day. The final stop of the day was the Pantheon. This has to be the most important building to me, in the entire world. This was the most important thing for me to see in Rome. Words cannot describe what it is like, it is something that everyone should experience. When in Rome, do as the Romans do... The sunlight coming through the oculus was mezmorizing. I just sat down on the floor and watched the dust motes dance across the sunlight streaming in. From the outside it looks like any other ruinous ancient roman building but inside it is domed, decorated and just amazing. Boring for some, but I think I could go there everyday just to mediate and reflect.

We had to wait for Bushy to leave to go to the Vatican. This was another lovely torrential downpour day, YAY! We had our brolly as we waited in line for not too long before being allowed into the museum. (Oh, and if you want your passport stamped, they no longer do it, but you can send a post card from their post office at the end of the museum) If you looked at each thing in the Vatican for 7 seconds, it would still take you 30 years to see everything. Amazing! All time lines, all styles, all mediums, a little bit of everything for everyone. Michaelangelo's, Salvador Dali's, original floor of the Baths of Caracalla, Raphael's finest frescoes and ancient Egyptian cat mummies dipped in gold. At the very end is what I had been waiting nearly 20 years for, the Sistine Chapel. As a girl I had wanted to get married there since I love the frescoed ceiling. If you cannot tell by the reoccurring theme, I really like Michaelangelo and this was his greatest painted masterpiece. The Sistine Chapel is the end of the museum and where the most people pack in. Even though the say no photography and no talking, there are always several disrespectful people and the let down of this is that almost all of them were Americans. And we wonder why we have a bad reputation around the world when it comes to being tourists. St Peter's Basilica was the next stop where you could still see all the seating from the mass the day before and Bush's visit. The Basilica is awe inspiring. America certainly has no churches as spectacular as Europe, let alone this specific church. Mummified popes and Michaelangelo's Pietà that is now behind glass since some moron hit Mary on the toe with a hammer. The dome of this basilica is much more impressive then the Florence one, so we had to climb that as well. We were so tired, but knew this was our one chance to climb to the top and look out over Rome. We did not regret it. Yet another Michaelangelo feat to experience since he was supposed to originally do the Florence Duomo but was called upon by the church to do this one, which is even bigger and better. We did not even cheat and take the lift partway, we walked all 550 steps. Once reaching the ground level again, we descended to the crypts to see the pope sarcophagi. Pope John Paul II had many mourners, but the most gathered tomb was for Peter himself. The found his remains buried within a large burial pit not to long ago and they determined that it was the original Peter. As we were leaving somehow we ended up with a tour that we were not supposed to be on and got to see some toehr burial things. Who knows what we were looking at, but we were not supposed to be and that made it all the more fun! After leaving the Piazza del Campidoglio by Michaelangelo we ended at the Castel Sant' Angelo where in olden times the pope would take refuge. We had a nice walk along the Tiber river before heading back to the hotel where I promptly launched myself on the bed and fell straight to sleep from exhaustion and mental overload.

With our last full day we decided to head out to Via Appia Antica where all the catacombs are located. We decided to take the Metro out as far as it would take us and sort of wing the rest of the way and hope the signs would point us in the right direction. We found the little turn off, up a very narrow road that cars were driving like maniacs down. We hugged the walls as closely as we could, crossing where it was wider in areas and got into alcoves along the way before finally coming upon the first set of catacombs. They were packed, but we wanted to see where Saint Peter and Paul were originally buried after being martyred. We found the pathway off the road and were much safer there. The catacombs are very interesting and creepy of course. There are 7 miles worth of tunnels below ground. I could only imagine what they would have smelled like back in the day, and all traces of human remains are long since turned to dust there. The tombs were so small, just tucked up into the wall stacked three or four high to the low ceilings. At the end of the tour they showed where the original Roman pagan tombs were, with all of the cremains inside. These were at one time open to the sky, but a church had been built over them hundreds of years later. The only reason these catacombs were found is when they went to resupport the floor of the church, they found the old pagan tombs below. Luck of the draw. We had a nice walk back, not along the scary road, and enjoyed our last meal in Rome before heading home. If I never make it back to Italy, which I do hope to soon, I had seen everything that I had my heart set on, everything else it just a bonus!

Nothing like stepping off a plane from Italy and being able to say, 'I love being back in Sunny Ireland', and meaning every word of it!