To Rome!

After many months of planning, Raymond, Michelle, and I went to Rome for a week. It was the first visit for each of us and did not disappoint! It really is the ‘eternal city’ with history exuding from every building and square.

Day I

After arriving from a very late flight from Lisbon (midnight) we found a reputable taxi driver that did not overcharge us for the ride into Rome. We stayed at a lovey Air BnB apartment (top left: view from the living room). It had everything we needed for a comfortable stay and lots of character – only about 1/3 mile north of Vatican City. After sleeping-in, our first day was spend exploring the neighborhood and walking across St. Peter’s Square (not mention sending some postcards from the Vatican Post!). Next we proceeded to circumnavigate the entire nation of Vatican City by following its large and lengthy wall.

Day II

The three of us got an early start on our second day and had an espresso while waiting for our tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Nothing prepares you for the magnitude of grandeur and the scale of the Vatican – our guided tour was three hours and should have been three DAYS…there is simply so much to see that it, unfortunately, felt a bit rushed at times to keep up with our group (all the while shoulder-to-shoulder with a multitude of other tour groups – our guide said there are something like 30,000 people who visit the Vatican museum each day). The sculptures were amazing and the highlights for me were the giant Roman bronze pine cone and statue of Apollo (later used by Michelangelo as inspiration for the face of Jesus in the Sistine Chapel), the pair of Egyptian lions, and the gallery of incredibly realistic animal statues. The other highlight, of course, was St. Peter’s Basilica – the capital of the Catholic world. The opulence and beauty of this place cannot be overstated – marble literally everywhere: columns, floors, statues, and everything else gilded. Plus the famous sculpture la Pietà which Michelangelo created from a single block of marble at the age of 24 (above, lower left). The altar canopy was also a show stopper (above, lower right).

Day III

This was a dedicated ‘off’ day for us without any tours booked. Nonetheless, we thought we should see the famous Trevi Fountain so we boarded the subway and walked the last 1/2 mile or so. It was pretty, but completely swarming with people…rather than wait in the long line to walk down to the water level, we were content to take some photos and do some shopping at the interesting shops nearby. After a delicious lunch we walked to the nearby Convent of the Capuchin Monks to see its Franciscan museum (I liked the St. Francis in Prayer (1606) by Caravaggio). The real draw, however, was the macabre crypt filled with the bones of 3000 disinterred monks. Though eerie, the artistically arranged bones were also a peaceful reminder of the transience of life.

Day IV

We traveled via two subway lines and arrived at the Coliseum stop for a guided tour of the Coliseum and Roman Forum. Alas, like our experience at the Vatican, the pace of the guided tour tended to distract from the sights and leave one feeling rushed. Regardless, it was an amazing place. The nearby Forum was the center marketplace/town square of Ancient Rome and absolutely exuded history at every turn with ruins of temples, palaces, and the senate.

Day V

A busy day, we got an early start and headed to the Pantheon for a self-guided tour. This was a much more relaxed way to take in the sights. The building is immense and literal perfection – the width of the dome is 142 feet and the height at the top of the dome is also 142 feet from the ground, meaning that a massive perfect sphere could fit inside it. To give you an idea of the scale, the open oculus at the top is 30 feet across! While created to house statues of all the Roman gods and goddesses, it has been a church for the last 1,600 years (in addition to housing honorific tombs like Raphael (above) and the first king of united modern Italy). Next to the Pantheon was a stunning gothic church built over a former temple of Minerva. Highlights were the painted/gilded ceiling, the sculpture of Christ the Redeemer by Michelangelo, and a marble sculpture in honor of Mary made to look like billowing fabric.

Later in the day Raymond and I took the subway to see the Flaminio Obelisk (ancient Egyptian, 1200 b.c.) and walked to the Spanish Steps. Climbing the 136 steps, we were treated to magnificent views of Rome (and St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance) as well as the Church of St. Thérèse at the top.

Day VI

Our last day in Rome, we split up – Raymond and Michelle went to St. Peter’s Square for some last minute souvenirs and I went on an epic walk: St. Peter’s Square to Castel Sant’Angelo, across the bridge over the Tiber river and onward through a very ritzy part of the city to the Spanish Steps. As you can probably tell, I was fascinated by the many obelisks in Rome (a total of 12 as listed on this 19th century post card) and decided to visit as many of them as I could (marked in yellow). When I read that the Lateran Obelisk is the largest Egyptian obelisk in the world I became determined to see it. So I hopped on the subway and traveled to the southeast part of Rome. It was very impressive – 105 ft of red granite with deep, clearly cut hieroglyphs commissioned by pharaoh Thutmose III in 1400 b.c.

Day VII

Early, early in the morning we left our lovely apartment and headed to the airport. Raymond and I bid farewell to his mother and we returned to Lisbon and onward to Terceira. It was a marvelous experience and one that we will not easily forget!