After last night’s run through Old Rome, we woke up 7 hours later and prepared for a seemingly packed morning and afternoon, but with the intentions of taking it all in stride and at a pace we could enjoy. If you are planning a future trip to Rome, give yourself plenty of time and come prepared to learn your history; you will regret not doing so.
We started our morning with a trip over towards the Spanish Steps to try out a British tea room we spotted on our evening run. We haven’t sat and enjoyed any tea since our time in
Italy so thought it would make a nice start to our day. Unfortunately, we quickly found out that the tea room was meant for a higher class of British visitors, as tea and scones started at 33 euros. We couldn’t back down, so we enjoyed some delicious iced teas (a strawberry tea and a summer fruit blend). While in the shop, we witnessed a tourist come in for a cup of tea and try to pay with a 500 Euro bill. The servers were furious, and couldn’t believe that he was traveling with only cash, supposedly just 500 euro bills that he was given at the bank. It seemed quite suspect, but made for a great joke when we received our bill and I winked at the server letting her know we would keep our 500’s in our wallet. After breakfast, we walked to Trevi Fountain to do the traditional coin toss over our shoulder, symbolizing that we will someday make it back to Rome. The fountain is beautifully placed between three small streets “tre via” with the cascades from the back wall of the nearby palace. Over 120,000 euro is collected each year from the coin tosses, most of which is donated to charity.
Italy so thought it would make a nice start to our day. Unfortunately, we quickly found out that the tea room was meant for a higher class of British visitors, as tea and scones started at 33 euros. We couldn’t back down, so we enjoyed some delicious iced teas (a strawberry tea and a summer fruit blend). While in the shop, we witnessed a tourist come in for a cup of tea and try to pay with a 500 Euro bill. The servers were furious, and couldn’t believe that he was traveling with only cash, supposedly just 500 euro bills that he was given at the bank. It seemed quite suspect, but made for a great joke when we received our bill and I winked at the server letting her know we would keep our 500’s in our wallet. After breakfast, we walked to Trevi Fountain to do the traditional coin toss over our shoulder, symbolizing that we will someday make it back to Rome. The fountain is beautifully placed between three small streets “tre via” with the cascades from the back wall of the nearby palace. Over 120,000 euro is collected each year from the coin tosses, most of which is donated to charity.
We hopped on the metro (which is GREAT for transportation and comes unlimited with a Roma pass) and headed towards the Vatican City to explore the area. The entire walk, all Bethany and I could talk about was the craving for a kebab. It’s typically affordable, delicious, and quick. Everywhere we have gone around Italy, we end up seeing a Foot Locker near something we are looking for. I spotted the store and jokingly said, “There’s a Foot Locker, we are definitely near a kebab shop”. As we got closer, I noticed a flashing kebab light in the small cafe next to the shoe store, which led to a delightful laugh. Our first stop in the Vatican was St. Peter’s Basilica. This is the largest church in the word and sits upon the tomb of St. Peter. It’s history is quite impressive as is the interior, with works done by Raphael, Michelangelo, Peruzzi, Sangallo the Younger, and Bramante. The basilica started to go up in AD 349 and was restored and adapter many times in the next 1,000 years. Inside is a sensory overload, from Michelangelo’s Pieta, the throne and tomb of St. Peter, and the various prayer and vigil areas. I honestly knew very little about this space, but was able to hang in from other tour groups and my Fodors Rome app, which has been my tour guide throughout the entire experience.
We walked around the walls of the Vatican and made it to the Vatican Museum. Throughout our entire trip, we have been able to avoid long lines because of good timing, fortunate circumstances, and the ROMA pass, but this was our first wait. Fortunately, we came in the later afternoon and were able to make it in under an hour. I had been warned by friends that the museums would be the most overwhelming experience of my life, but I was confident in my ability to enjoy it after a great experience at Uffizi in Florence. Unfortunately, I was wrong. We walked through the countless rooms of Roman Catholic history, tapestries, maps, and more and I was completely rocked by the amount of history, artifacts, and artwork that came in this one day. One of my favorite areas was the Gallery of Maps, featuring topographical maps of Italy and
“The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo is one of the world’s most famous pieces of art. But as we walked into the Sistine Chapel, the location of the papal conclave (how a new Pope is selected), I could not stop staring at “The Last Judgement”, done by Michelangelo as well. This painting represents the second coming of Christ with heaven, hell, and purgatory. Beyond the heaviness of that image, I was so relieved to understand the humor of our history when I learned that the Master of Ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena ridiculed the painting because of the nudity and shame. Michelangelo responded by placed Cesena’s face into the scene with donkey ears in the area of hell. When Cesena demanded that the Pope have it removed, the Pope said that his jurisdiction did not extend into hell, so the image would remain as is. Surrounding the other walls of the chapel are the most amazing frescoes from various artists of the time. I also spent a lot of time looking at Ezekiel, who seemed to have a bold and almost zealous look that didn’t match up with similar people in the painting. This website gives a great perspective on the positioning. The Sistine Chapel is the most incredible reminder that man is capable of creating beauty and beyond. There are many moments in my life that I wonder if I can really accomplish or create as much as I dream up, imagination seemingly trumping reality at times. But to walk into this area and see the beauty in an era where opportunity and resources were minimal in comparison to today, I can’t help but feel shame that I’ve not done more.
The remainder of our afternoon was spent exploring the Vatican Museum, as we wondered through the various museums until we couldn’t walk any further. We headed back to our house in Old Rome and spent some down time uploading photos and preparing for our next stop, Venice. We sat at a cafe down the street and enjoyed a quiet evening with pizza, salad, and cappuccino before heading back to pack up everything that we had. The trip is over halfway finished, and we only have two more cities remaining. Time is flying. Being on vacation is wonderful, however I can not avoid the email inbox and various messages that need attention via social media for both work and play. I’ve never been one to fully eliminate work from my day-to-day but I’m certainly finding this change of rhythm wonderful.
