Italy 2004 - Rome, Part 1 of 2

[Note: We started our trip in London, where we spent three days before flying to Rome. Therefore, the Italy travel diary starts with Day Four.]

Travel Diary

Day 4: From London to Rome

Steve wrote:

We awoke early, had some breakfast at the Piccolo Bar, checked out of the Munchkinland Hilton and headed for the tube. Even on wheels, our suitcase is a real load and carrying it down the stairs on to the train was a lot of work. Hard to believe that an underground tunnel can be hot, but it is. As we got closer to the airport, more and more passengers also had luggage.

Navigated the signs at Heathrow to Terminal #1, checked in, got our seat assignments and went to the waiting area for the gates. The gate assignments aren't posted until it's time to board each flight, so everyone waits in the middle of a shopping mall until their flight is listed.

The flight to Rome was uneventful, except that coach seating on British Air has as much leg room as any airline I’ve flown. We met our driver (sent by the hotel) and proceeded into Rome, taking a drive around the Vatican on our way.

We checked into the Hotel Locarno. Our room is one of several in a separate building from the rest of the hotel. We leave the lobby and go around the corner, where a key opens a door to a small room that leads to an old-fashioned cage elevator that only holds two people. We go up the elevator and through a series of locked doors until we get to our room. As in London, the key is necessary to turn on the lights. What wasn’t on, unfortunately, was the air conditioning. The bellboy came back to try to fix the controls but to no avail. As we were three flights up, we could open the windows for some circulation and had some privacy due to some metal shades that rolled mechanically rolled down. What they didn't block out, as we came to find, was the noise from the street below.

Which leads to a little known fact about Italy - not only is honking your horn a sport here, apparently it’s a competitive sport. Once one idiot does it, everyone else chimes in. This, and the fact that our room never cooled off, made it a tough night for sleeping.

Rosemary wrote:

The drive from the airport into Rome is on a freeway and through terrain that looks a lot like southern California. But then you enter the city, and the Vatican looms up before you. Everywhere there are piazzas with sculptures and fountains, decorated bridges, old buildings with Roman inscriptions.

Our room is quite something. High ceiling, marble floor, elegant-looking bathroom. A hand-held "shower" in a dangerously high-sided tub, and no shower curtain. I have been told this is typical.

Boldly, I am using my Italian vocabulary (what I can remember of it). Of course, so far everyone we have encountered speaks at least a little English. We walked around the block and chose a restaurant (one that had been recommended by the bellman). At La Penna d'Oca, we had a delicious - and expensive - meal that took about two hours to eat. It was after midnight, and many of the local restaurants were still full of diners.

Day 5: Rome

Rosemary wrote:

This is the city that never sleeps. The ventilated shutters did not keep out the noise - garbage collection and street sweeping at 2:00 am! A hot, restless, night. But the air conditioning was fixed this morning, so things are looking up.

Steve wrote:

We walked a couple of blocks to Piazza di Popoli and picked up a cab to go to the Colosseum, about a third of which is still intact after only 2,000 years. Amazing to think about what happened there and how you can envision it while standing in the remains.

From there, we walked a short distance to the Roman Forum, where we caught a free tour given by a young Texan studying philosophy in Rome. We were dubious about the "free" part, but he works for a tour company that offers paid tours of other areas of Rome, so this was a promotional thing for them. The kid was an amazing guide and explained a lot, separating fact from fiction, all with a sense of humor. He told the story of St. Lawrence, who was martyred by being roasted alive over a fire of hot coals. At one point, after about ten hours over a low heat, he said to his captors, "You can turn me over, I'm done on this side." We will forever refer to St. Lawrence as the Patron Saint of Barbecue.

Rosemary wrote:

In telling the story of Romulus and Remus, legendary founders of Rome, the guide pointed out that if Remus had killed Romulus, instead of the other way around, we would now be in the city of Reme, looking at Reman ruins, learning Remantic languages, etc.

Steve wrote:

After this two-hour tour, we walked to Capitoline Hill and to the Victor Emmanuel Monument. This is an incredible looking structure which we first saw from our taxi on the way to the Colosseum. Built in the late 1800's, it commemorates the unification of Italy, with statues, columns and several levels, with over 250 steps to the top (sense a recurring theme?). Upon reaching the upper level, we were rewarded with amazing views of the city.

Since it was around 3:00 PM, we had a quick lunch at one of the nearby "bars" and set out for the Pantheon, one of the oldest intact structures in Rome. Built and rebuilt, it set design standards that have been used for centuries. Made almost entirely of concrete, its walls at the base are about 30 feet thick, yet the concrete at the top of the dome is only 5 feet thick. It is exactly as wide as it is tall and has a circular opening at the top that provides all necessary light. The floors slope outward for drainage. Just incredible!

After a quick stop for some amazing gelato (our first of many in Italy!), we walked to the Trevi Fountain which, as you might expect, was crowded on this warm day. Again beautiful sculptures that had survived centuries. We each tossed in the traditional three coins, which means we will return someday.

Rosemary wrote:

We caught a taxi back to the hotel and saw on the way that the Spanish Steps are within walking distance. After a shower and some rest we went out for dinner. It was a good meal, much simpler and less expensive than last night. Back to the cool room. We have acknowledged that we will be hot and sweaty all day, every day. It is much hotter here than we had expected. Everywhere is jammed with tourists. The streets are narrow, filled with tiny cars and motor scooters. Strangely, some drivers will stop for pedestrians! It helps to be assertive and stick with a crowd.

Day 6: The Vatican

Steve wrote:

After a good night's sleep we woke up early, had a quick breakfast at the hotel and caught a cab to the Vatican Museum. After a few minutes, our guide Linda ("Leeeenda") and the rest of our group of thirteen arrived. Although we had early access before the general public was let in, there were a lot of tour groups, so it took a while to actually get in. Once inside, a couple in our group had trouble with their tickets and one old guy took forever to come back from the bathroom. As a result, we lost our time advantage on the crowds.

And a crowd it was - about 20,000 people a day go through the museums, so it’s hard to get a good look or clear photo of any exhibit or statue at eye level. Fortunately, most of the items are so big or so high that there’s still plenty to see. Walls, arches, domes - all with incredible artwork, either paint or mosaic. There is a ceiling that looked like the figures had been carved into the material, but it was painted with such dimension that you found it hard to believe even after being told.

At the beginning of the tour, Linda spent quite a while discussing the Sistine Chapel, using some charts supplied by the museum in the courtyard. One of them showed the panels by different artists depicting the lives of Moses and Jesus, one detailing the ceiling of the Chapel itself and one describing “The Last Judgment”.

The center of the Chapel shows nine scenes from Genesis, flanked by the prophets and ancestors of Jesus. It took over four years to create, with Michelangelo working mostly by himself. (Linda, not wishing to offend anyone with references to Michelangelo's alleged homosexuality, said that "he was unmarried, so he had a lot of time on his hands.") The images themselves are frescoes - paint on wet plaster - so it's incredibly difficult work. If the artist makes a mistake, the plaster must be removed and the scene started again. And by painting on wet plaster, the colors change when it dries.

It is Michelangelo's view of the history of the world until the birth of Jesus. I know nothing about art and even less about religion, but I think I can say that this is the greatest artistic achievement in history and has to be seen to be appreciated. Then, thirty years later, Michelangelo was asked to paint an entire wall of the Chapel, "The Last Judgment". He was older and the figures reflect that; they are larger, thicker and heavier than those on the ceiling. No longer as optimistic as before, he portrays Jesus as angry, deciding who will go to Heaven and who will go to Hell. The artist used images of his contemporaries as models for the figures, including a self portrait of a tortured soul. One of his enemies had complained about the nudity of the figures, so Michelangelo used his image to depict someone in Hell with a snake wrapped around his waist. When the man asked the Pope to have it changed, he demurred, saying that he had no control over what happened in Hell. It’s hard to see all the details in all of this - it's on the ceiling in a long (120 feet) and narrow (45 feet) space filled with tourists all craning their necks to the sky. It would take days to examine it fully and we only spent about 20 minutes inside. Breathtaking and unbelievable at the same time.

From there, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world, a fact commemorated by markings on the floor of the church showing where the largest churches in other major cities would be if they were inside St. Peter’s. All of the artwork is either sculpture or mosaic, so it’s in pretty good shape.

Except for some tombs of some of the Popes, everything else is open to the chapel with one exception, Michelangelo's "Pieta", which was attacked with a hammer by a madman over 30 years ago.

After all of this, exhausted with the walking and climbing we had done over the last few days, we had some lunch and took the afternoon off. Later, we took a walk to the Spanish Steps via one of Rome's most expensive shopping districts and the walk back, we had dinner across the street from the hotel and went to bed.

Rosemary wrote:

I can say that my pidgin Italian has been helpful at times. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not true that "everyone speaks English". None of our taxi drivers have spoken English. The charming old lady who sold us some fruit had not a word of it. Some of the hotel porters speak English, some do not. Most people who do speak English can tell just by looking at us that we need it.

The hotel elevator is a tiny, caged box that just holds two people (suitcases have to make a separate trip). The elevator shaft smells of garbage - I suspect they store garbage in the basement. We turned in our laundry this morning for the alleged same-day service, but as of 10:45 pm it had not returned. I don't know what I will wear tomorrow if it doesn't come back tonight or in the morning (or for the rest of the trip if it is lost).

At the Roman Forum, tourists and locals walk on the same stones where Julius Caesar and other historical figures strolled. Pieces of ancient structures lie randomly on the ground, where we can sit on them.

The temple of Romulus Divus, built in 307, still has its original bronze doors.

Looking toward the Palatine Hill.

At the Roman Forum, people still leave flowers in memory of Julius Caesar, on the spot where he was cremated.

The huge monument to Victor Emmanuel II was built between 1885 and
1911 (a process which destroyed Roman ruins and medieval churches). Those columns at the back are 15 meters (about 50 feet) high. There are many oversized, highly dramatic statues, as well as the grave of the Unknown Soldier.

Originally a temple for all the gods, the Pantheon was converted to a Catholic church in 1609.

"Sfera con Sfera" (Sphere within a Sphere) is a sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro in the courtyard of the Vatican Museum.

Because the guides are not allowed to speak in the Sistine Chapel, the courtyard includes diagrams which are used to explain everything to the tourists ahead of time. (Photography is not allowed inside the chapel.)

The Vatican Museums house a vast collection of amazing and historically significant artwork. This "Laocoon" is a Roman copy of the Greek original.