All roads lead to Rome

Too many pictures of Rome: http://picasaweb.google.com/kristine.d.morris/Rome#

It was inevitable that our European road trip would include Rome, given the famous saying that all roads lead there. And so, after enjoying Florence, we hit the road for a three hour drive south. Entering Rome, we were immediately engulfed by a traffic jam. We observed the scooter-riders, so accustomed to effortlessly weaving through the thick Roman traffic, become evermore frantic in their efforts to penetrate the backed-up cars, squeezing their way between the stopped vehicles, brushing fenders, mirrors, and elbows as they went. The car drivers seemed oblivious, chalking up yet one more scrape as the cost of doing business in the city. Somehow, we remained unscathed.

With the help of GPS Madge, we made our way to our rental apartment, which we found located in the midst of a huge construction project to build a new metro line. Strangely, this detail had escaped mention on the apartment advertisement...fortunately, we were not disturbed for the duration of our stay, although the romance of Rome was a little hard to immediately discern amid the construction hoarding and heavy equipment taking over much of our street.

We decided to go for a quick evening walk to get a lay of the land. Our first find was that of Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome (i.e the Pope). Pope Clement V abandoned it in 1309 in favour of transferring the official seat of the Catholic Church to Avignon. When the Avignon papacy ended, this church was deemed inadequate (due to fires and deterioration) and the Popes eventually moved to the Vatican, where they remain to this date. The basilica features a cloister displaying old architectural artifacts, six papal tombs, striking sculptures of the twelve apostles, and in the baldacchino over the high altar (at center in the photo), a reliquary said to contain the heads of Saints Peter and Paul. Really.

We arranged for a private tour with an American ex-pat, who had completed his Masters in ancient history here and stayed on to work as a guide (who says a degree in history can't get you places). That morning we caught the bus (conveniently, at our front door) for ride to our meeting place. We boarded and offered the driver our fare, but as the bus moved on, only received a terse "no ticket here." We shrugged...and spent the rest of the ride exchanging guilty looks and watching out for fare inspectors. With some relief, we disembarked at our destination, and were quickly met by our guide, Rich.

Then began an intense, four-hour whirlwind tour of the Roman forum, Palatine Hill, the Colosseum, and other nearby sites. Trust me, you will have even less patience reading an account of this tour than I have in writing it, so suffice to say that we saw a lot of really, really old stuff. Piles of rocks dates back thousands of years. Lots and lots of ancient history. Google is your friend, if you want more.

Another notable sight included the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (below left) built on the site of an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The floorplan was said to have been laid out by a miraculous snowfall in the year 352. Really.

We also enjoyed the Pantheon, a magnificent ancient temple in Rome that was later converted into the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome and one of the city's most spectacular sights (below).

 

 

 

Of course, Rome would not be complete without a visit to the Vatican, including the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's basilica, and St. Peter's square. We took a tour of the Vatican Museums that included the Map Room (with painted frescos of the world known and an ornate ceiling), various sculptures, tapestries, and works of art. Below, our tour group takes in the Belvedere Torso, said to have acted as a model for Michelangelo's works. The tour culminated with a visit to the Sistine Chapel, a surprisingly small space made that much cozier by the presence of a throng of other tourists. The small space amplified the cacophony of whispers, coughs, and exclamations, and was punctuated periodically by the custodians' sharp "shushes" and terse "no pictures!" It didn't feel particularly holy.

We then took in St. Peter's basilica, an overwhelmingly large and impressive space that dwarfs even the immense crowds that regularly throng about in its nave and arcades. Below, is a shot of the dome. Our last evening was spent with our new friends Rocco and Donatella, who graciously (despite the short notice), whipped up a fantastic meal that completely satisfied our cravings for a home-cooked meal. Thanks guys, and Ciao!