27 March 2010: Day 1
I have reached the halfway point in my European adventure and to celebrate not being TAKEN thus far, how about a 9 day vacation in...Italy!!
Spring break was finally upon us and while other students were going to Greece, Amsterdam and Barcelona, my roommate Steph and I were destined for Italy! Following our mini-excursion to Milan we knew this was where we wanted to spend spring break. So with the itinerary set for: Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Florence and Pisa we woke up early Saturday morning and headed for Roma (the Italian name).
In Rome we stayed in a 6-person suite at The Yellow. This was my first real Hostel experience and it turned out to be an amazing time. Staying in hostels was a great way to travel on budget and meet some really cool people at the same time (sometimes you get bad roommates but overall I had a good experience).
After getting checked in Steph and I wasted no time and hit the streets of Rome in search of monuments. Our first stop was the four fountains, which was followed by the magnificent Trevi Foutain. Legend has it if you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain you will be ensured a speedy return to Rome. Then if you toss 2 coins in you will fall in love there. I fell in love with Rome by just looking at the fountain and I didn’t even have a chance to throw a coin in.
Trevi Fountain
Next stop, the architectural wonder the Pantheon. Like everything I want to see it was having restoration work done, so I had to live with seeing half of the temple covered in scaffolding. Looking past the scaffolding I was still amazed by the 2000-year-old building.
Following the Pantheon we went to the Piazza Navona, which once was a stadium for wrestling matches, track and field and even mock navel battles where they would flood the stadium and filled it with fleets. Today it serves as an open-air market where artists were exhibiting and selling their work.
The last stop we had planned was Trajan’s column, which is one of the greatest examples of Roman relief sculpture. After checking out the column we couldn’t help but notice how close we were to the Colosseum. Though Day 2 was set aside to explore ancient Rome, we couldn’t help but give ourselves a sneak peak. This also gave us an opportunity to get our photo-op done so we could focus on exploring the next day.
Colosseum
That night we hung out at the hostel bar. There we met some American architecture students who are studying in Berlin. We instantly bonded over this shared experience and would go on adventure together our last day in Rome.
Overall our first afternoon was a great success and set an outstanding tone for the rest of the trip.
28 March 2010: Day 2
Day 2 in Rome started early......earlier than planned because I accidently set my clock ahead 2 hours versus 1 for Europe’s day light savings.
That morning began with the Colosseum. We saw it from the outside the day before but today we were to explore the interior. Craftily we skipped the queue by getting an audio tour, versus a regular ticket (realistically not super crafty). Once inside we were guided back in time, with the help of our audio tour and learned of the Colosseum’s violent history. Without the help of the audio guide to aid us in creating a picture I don’t think the Colosseum would have been as exciting. The structure from the exterior is impressive but the ruins on the interior hold no meaning without explanation.
Following the Colosseum we walked the ruins of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum where one could get an idea of how the early Romans lived. Legend has it that Palatine Hill is where Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive.
From all these locations Constantine Arch is visible. The Constantine Arch is the largest arch in Rome and except for a section is made of the ruins of Trajan’s monuments (thank you audio guide).
From here our next step was San Giovanni Laterano, which was built in 314AD by Constantine. It is Rome’s oldest basilica and was the seat of the Papacy until the 14th century. I think this was my favorite religious building to date. The inside was ornate but not overwhelming; and admitted this feeling of peace and calm.
Near this basilica are supposed to be the 28 steps of Christ that Jesus climbed to go to trial before Pontius Pilot. They were apparently brought to Rome by St. Helena, mother of Constantine. We searched for them, and we found a lot of steps but none that we were certain could be them. After awhile we gave up, decided to do a little more research and would return at a later time.
Being efficient travelers, Steph and I finished our itinerary ahead of schedule, so we headed in the opposite direction for the Spanish steps. The Spanish steps were designed by the Italians, paid for by the French, named for the Spanish, occupied by the British and now there is a McDonald’s (American representation at its finest). This representation of nations could be further seen in person, as people of varying nationalities sitting together in harmony occupied the steps. According to a fellow traveler from North Dakota, the McDonald’s by the steps is the largest in the world. Though it was big, it did not seem like it could be the largest in the world.
Speaking of fellow travelers that night we met 2 of our new bunkmates. They were 2 really nice guys from Northern England. They were a perfect example of great people we met while staying in the hostels. We hung out with them that night playing a little foosball, Team USA vs. Team UK. This time around the UK was victorious.
29 March 2010: Day 3
Today was Vatican day.
Being the smart travelers that we are before leaving for Rome we made reservations to go to the Vatican Museums, so that the day of all we had to do was show up at our reservation time and skip the line that wrapped around the building. (By the time we came out of the museum at noon the line had to be a 2 hours wait.)
In the museum the highlights for me were Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Raphael School of Athens. The Sistine Chapel was a little different than I expected. I expected the scene with Adam’s and God’s extended hands to be much larger and evident, when in fact when standing in the great room it took me sometime to focus on it. But nonetheless it was extremely impressive. Steph and I were so interested by the room that we later bought a book to read up on it more.
Raphael’s School of Athens was interesting because (according to my art history professor) it was cutting edge for its time because the subject featured Philosophers versus the popular subjects of religion and mythology.
After the Vatican Museums we went to St. Peter’s Basilica that rests on the alleged site of St. Peter’s tomb. The basilica was very pretty but tough to manage through all the crowds.
St. Peter's Basilica
Following our morning at the Vatican we stopped by Piazza de Popolo, where we saw the 3200-year-old obelisk of Pharaoh Ramses II. When we were there we noticed this great outlook, so we decided to climb the hill to get to it. From the top we had an impressive view of the city and of the Vatican.
View from the outlook
Our detour up the hill was followed by a trip to Cappucini Church. In this church there is a section decorated completely in human skeletons. It was extremely fascinating but eerie at the same time.
Our final stop of the day were the 28 steps of Christ that we could not find the day before. After our failure the previous day we did a little research and got a better idea of where to look. When we did find them you could not even see them because followers trying to walk the path of Jesus covered them.
This completed our day and we headed back to the hostel where we met up with our 4 American friends that we made the first night. It was at that time they presented to us the most exciting plans for day 4.
30 March 2010: Day 4
When in Rome, do as the Romans do........and drive mopeds!
The previous night our new friends extended us an invitation to go see the modern church on the outskirts of Rome.......via mopeds. Trying not to miss out on any exciting opportunity, we were in. So first thing in the morning they went and rented 2 more helmets (safety first) and we hit the road.
Riding on the back of the moped was extremely terrifying at first but was quickly masked by how exhilarating it was. It also put me at ease that in Rome, and in many European cities, motorcycles and mopeds make up a large part of the roads so other vehicles know how to drive safely with them.
Ready to ride
The church we went to was called the Jubilee Church and was built in 2000 at the request of Pope John Paul II to celebrate Jubilee 2000. The reason our friends wanted to see it was because they are architecture students and the church is considered a masterpiece in engineering and architecture. Well I don’t know anything about engineering or architecture but I could easily see the appeal.
Jubilee Church
After checking out the church we had extra time before we had to return the mopeds, so what better way to spend it then by cruising by the Colosseum. It was incredible driving around this 2000 year old monument and made me believe that the best way to see Rome is on the back of a moped.
Unfortunately after our little adventure it was time for Steph and I to leave Rome and head to Naples. I was so sad to leave Rome, but I knew that more adventures were to be had in Naples and Florence. Without a doubt I will be returning to Rome!
Naples (Napoli)
My first thoughts on Naples were that it is really dirty and not exactly safe (it is known for its pickpockets).
At first I was nervous about our new hostel because the exterior was not very well kept, but it turned out to be nice on the inside. While our hostel in Rome was set up like a dorm this one, Hostel of the Sun, resembled a house. It had a living room, dining area and kitchen, and staff was really friendly. This time around we were in a 7-person suite and our bunkmates were these Australian girls that were doing some traveling before university.
No comments:
Post a Comment