Roma's Roses & Ruins

It's amazing how things that are hundreds of years old still exists today. Take gladiators for example. During the Roman empire, gladiators could make their fortune and win their freedom by fighting, through strength and cunning. Young men, often slaves, were forced into fighting, though some chose that life. Today, as a modern take on an ancient tradition, people still wear things reminiscent of gladiators, case in point: gladiator sandals. This may seem like a strange this to occur to me walking around the streets of Rome, but I couldn't help it. Seeing all these modern tourists wearing shoes similar to what people may have worn on these very same streets hundreds of years ago is slightly mind-blowing.

Rome. It's an incredible city, and I can hardly do it justice in describing just two days in it's streets, museums and restaurants. There is so much history there, everywhere you turn a monument, statue, or ruin greets you, inviting you closer to investigate and explore. I could easily spend weeks there doing just that. It's also one of those cities that I have learned so much about, through fiction, textbooks, lectures, movies and museums that seeing everything in person is stunning.

For example, in our first few hours in the city we took the metro to the Colosseum stop. Off we got, walked up the steps into the blinding sunlight and BAM! There was the Colosseum. Right in front of me. That was unexpected. It was incredible. Here was a building I've learned so much about, right in front of me, light stone against a clear, blue sky. We had to go up and touch it- touch thousands of years of history, wars, emperors and citizens. It's pretty incredible. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go inside on this trip- my first reason to go back to Rome! Going back to the gladiators though, there were loads of 'gladiators' strolling around. Strapping, rather attractive, young men in full costume, waiting for a picture. Didn't really expect that either, though why I'm not sure. I was intrigued by how young they were though-most looked in their 20s. Was dressing up a side job to pay for Uni? If I learn Italian I'll ask sometime.

Colosseum! In person!

Turning around from the Colosseum

Really cool maps showing how the Roman Empire expanded

Simply turning around once in a circle from the Colosseum, there are easily twenty things within site to see- luscious gardens, standing columns, the old Roman forum, statues of Julius Caesar, a museum, palm trees and more. Where to first? A stroll down the Via Fori Imperiali, with the Roman forum on our left and statues on our right until we reached the Piazza Venezia and a really impressive moument to Vittorio Emanuele II. Although my friends described it as a fascist monument, I really liked the soaring winged chariots on the roof, drawn by teams of four horses. It being Italy, thus really hot and the fact that people were eating gelato everywhere, I had to eat some as well! My friends have decided that I'm addicted to gelato. Not entirely a bad thing.

Roman Forum!

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

One of my favorite places in Rome was the place we went next- Fontana di Trevi! It was gorgeous, clean white stone, intricate statues of Poseidon, sea creatures and horses, and sparkling clear water. Together, we all made our wishes and threw our coins into its waters, over our shoulders- following in the age-old tradition. I could have spent a quite a while idling by the fontana, perhaps just reading or chatting with a friend.

Fontana di Trevi!!

It was beautiful in the brilliant afternoon sun

Random fountain and memorial

The streets of Rome are bustling, filled with tourists, crowded cafés, narrow alleys and the scents of roasting nuts, pizza and coffee. As in most older European cities, the cobblestones can be treacherous, I don't recommend wearing heels, though somehow, some women seem to manage! We meandered the streets from there, coming across loads of famous piazzas, fountains and monuments too numerous to name. We ended up at the Santa Maria Maggiore and from there took buses across the Tevere to have dinner in a famous restaurant district. The night was still warm, and people were everywhere, walking through streets full of lights overhead, tables and chairs everywhere. Vendors and musicians abounded, all plying their trade and especially selling roses. That is one thing that will always stick with me about Rome: roses. Everyone tries to sell you roses, and we generally ignore them. Only the night, I somehow ended up with three roses from my friends? Lots of haggling, and a discussion about where the Rosario (the Italians nickname for them) was from- Bangladesh! Supporting his family back home. We had a delicious meal of pasta and extremely large cans of Coke, and somehow found our way back to our hotel (noticing a great deal of cats along the way).

For our last day in Rome, in addition to lots of coffee, we saw the Vatican and the museums around the Vatican! So much famous artwork! Michaelangelo's Pieta, and the Sistine Chapel! Plus loads of Da Vinci and more. One thing that was definitely worth it in the Vatican was climbing to the top of the Basilica- all 551 steps up. That was exhausting. But the view of the entire city of Rome is stunning and well worth the effort! You can see for miles in the clear, Italian air, the whole city laid out before you. The Vatican museum includes the Capella Sixtina and is only 8 euro to get in! You could literally spend all day there, and we only had a few hours. So I felt like we raced through the exhibits, and I desperately wanted to stop and examine all the statues, using what I learned in my Roman Art & Architecture course at McDaniel! One of my favorite corridors before reaching the Sistine Chapel was the hall of Maps. Gorgeous maps of every region of Italy were painted on the walls! Rich sapphire blues, emerald greens and script in flowing gold were painted, with cities spring up on land and ships and monsters plunging about in the seas. Compass roses gave the maps direction, some maps showing the whole of the country, others a specific city or district. They were beautiful. I would love to have a map like that painted on the wall in my room!

View from the top of the Basilica of the Vatican

The Basilica

Maps!!

The water scenes were my favorite parts

The Sistine Chapel- stunning. I just stood there, staring upwards for ages, until my neck could stand it no longer. Everything appears three-dimensional, from people sitting on window-ledges to Adam and God parting with their famous finger-tips. "No photos!" The guards would cry repeatedly- not that it stopped most people! From there, we walked along an old Roman wall to the Castello San Angelo! An incredible castle, full of secret passages, stairs and courtyards, with hanging gardens in the inner wall. For some reason, the whole structure had the feeling of ship for me- perhaps because the very top of the castle had a mast-like structure. The building has undergone a lot of changes- from a mausoleum built by Hadrian to Papal Apartments connected to the Vatican, to a castle! You get an amazing view of the Tevere river and Vatican from the top!

Roman wall with Castel S. Angelo in the distance

Castello San Angelo!

San Angelo on top- see the mast-like thing behind him?

Me with the Tevere and Rome behind1

The Vatican and the Tevere River

We also visited the Piazza di Spagna with it's famous Spanish stairs- the meeting place of many young couples (yet more rose vendors) before having dinner and exploring more that evening.

Spanish Steps!

A Roman Sunset

Roma. And incredible city, ancient and yet still fully alive! I can't wait to go back and explore more of it's ancient mysteries- like the Circus Maximus, Roman Forum and Pantheon! Until next time dear Roma..