Rome - Final Days

 Rome – Day Three & Four

Sightseeing can be hard work.  Being a tourist in Rome can be overwhelming.  During a stay in Rome it is not “time” that is in short supply but simply the “capacity” to absorb what you are seeing.  There is so much to see and do that after awhile you reach your limit on fine art and antiquities.  You find yourself walking by paintings by Raphael or Matisse, barely giving them a second look, much like driving by a couple of cows in a field.

A few last words on driving and walking in Rome.  We were crossing a street at a pedestrian light controlled intersection.  As we walked by three lanes of stopped cars on our green light, suddenly a car accelerated through the fourth lane of the crosswalk, narrowly missing many of us.  An American tourist exclaimed loudly,  “did you see that guy, he didn't even slow down on the red light.”  A nearby local spoke to him and said, “you must remember, you are in Rome, there are no rules!”

Always Start the Day with a Good Breakfast.

Day Three was a productive sunny blue-sky tourist day.  We walked to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican.  We had Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel tickets for 11 am.  Buying tickets ahead of time meant we didn’t have to stand in line to buy on the day.  We saved ourselves a few extra minutes of line waiting.  The Vatican is huge and the Sistine Chapel is one room amongst many.  Once inside with audio guides rented, we joined in the tourist throng of shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back mass of movement.  One hand on your partner and one on your wallet are "musts" as you let the currents of humanity carry you through the maze-like structure. 

Finding the Entrance to the Vatican can be Challenging.

The Inner Vatican Garden.

The Hallways are Over a Football Field in Length.

Your Neck Gets Sore From Looking Up.

The Vatican Museum is a huge business and much like Disneyland, they know how to move people efficiently and collect money.  You see priceless works of art, many of which you have read or heard about but most catch you by surprise by their beauty and antiquity.  The Catholic Church certainly has cornered the market on works of art.  I am sure Catholics would likely feel differently but it is almost "too much" when you consider the conditions of man when this wealth was accumulated.

The Sistine Chapel and its works of Michelangelo are worth the wait.   The beauty is underscored by the understanding that the massive work was done on wet mortar in the Fresco style and on scaffolding high in the air.  Pictures do not do it justice.

We finished the museum in about three hours.  We entered St. Peter’s next.  In the morning the line was about 800 m long but after 3 pm we walked straight in.  All cathedrals in Europe take your breath away with their grandeur and art but St. Peter’s simply takes it one step further.  We used a Steeves’ self-tour walking guide and spent nearly the next two hours in the basilica.

The Swiss Guards are Still At Work.

St. Peter's Basilica.

The huge number of sculptures and gold artistic creations was again, overwhelming. The alter was created by Bernini and is certainly a highlight as is the gilded vaulted ceiling domes.  There was a special service taking place for several hundred folks in wheelchairs and we were unable to gain access to the stairs for the dome view of Rome.  We didn’t remain long enough to see if any miracles took place.

With most of the days work done, we took the long walk back to our hotel.  Maps in hand we attempted to take different routes and discover new piazzas to explore.  We found a recommended restaurant, Roscioli near the Campe d’Fiori.  It was fully booked and we made a reservation for the following evening, our last night in Rome.

Foodie Shots.

We ended the day back in our neighborhood and explored our “own” Pantheon.  It dates back to early Roman times but survived the fall of the Roman Empire because martyrs against the Empire had used it.  Very cool hole in the roof and the floor is convex in the middle and slopes away to a concave perimeter allowing moisture to drain.  Of all the places we visited it was the only one that had constant audio reminders in multiple languages that this was a sacred place and we were to be silent.  (Of course we are in Italy so like all other rules it was ignored).

Pantheon - Our Home Piazza.

Pantheon At Night.

Day Four saw two weary tourists ready for another full tourist day.  We planned to use our purchased “Roma Passes” to ride transit to our chosen locations but alas, this is Italy and all transit was on strike for the day. 

The Newer Structure at the Right Holds the Coliseum Up.

We hoofed it to the Coliseum to start the day.  Our Roma Passes did allow us to skip the long ticket lines and walk straight in.  The iconic sight is worth the visit and we learned much more about its history.  Built to satisfy the Roman need for violent sport, the wood floor had a large number of trap doors and elevator lifts that hoisted wild animals or armed criminals into disguised locations.  The gladiator(s) waited in the middle and were to be surprised by the location and foe they faced in battle.  Wild animals were the norm.  Lions and other exotic beasts were brought in to best the gladiators.  Apparently the whole Christian killing thing probably never happened since the arena was build about 200 years after the persecution of Christians.  We were also surprised to find out the building is not just eroding due to the passage of time.  When killing fell out of favor, the building materials were scavenged to build other buildings of the time.  The wood floor rotted and all the underground rooms and passageways were filled in with dirt.  There is little marble left from the original grand amphitheater.

The basement rooms and passage ways for the Gladiators and Foe.

After the Coliseum we walked next door to the Forum.  The Forum is the area of the original Rome.  You can walk around the ruins (but no longer touch) of the House of the Vestal Virgins, Julius Caesar's temple columns, the Rostrum and others.  It is cool to sit there and realize that some ancient Roman sat in the same place, in the same sunshine and took in the same view.

Yes... I am sitting on a Roman Marble Antiquity.

Romulus and Remus - Raised by a Wolf and Historical First Citizens of Rome.

The afternoon included a walk from our hotel to the Borghese Gallery, one of the “must see’s” of Rome. The Borghese includes Bernini’s “David” is one of the most remarkable sculptures in the world.    We almost missed going to the Gallery.  You must have a purchased appointment ticket and the numbers are strictly controlled so it is nothing like the Vatican experience.  Individual tickets were sold out until days after our scheduled departure.  We had to contact a tour operator on the Internet to get our tickets.  Again, the gallery was overwhelming and by the end you walk by Raphael paintings like they were discarded beer cans.  Sorry but no pictures due the strictly controlled "no photo" rule. The only time we saw a rule enforced in Rome.

Rome's "Stanley Park" - Borghese Gardens.

We had one of our best dinners on the entire trip at the Roscioli near the Campe d’Fiori and an evening walk to end our tour of Rome.

Our Last Dinner in Rome - Roscioli.

I am writing this last entry on the plane flying over southern France.  No airport change in London this time and we should be quickly on our way to Seattle.

Of Course as happened Everyday - We Finish with a Gelato!

That brings an end to this experience and to this blog.  We hope to look at it in the future and relive some of our wonderful experience.

Bye for now… 

P.S. despite the wine, beer and pasta, we did indeed lose weight on this trip. Some redistributed, and some lost altogether.


…what was that Jinder????  We have another planning meeting this month for our trip to India in March?

I guess there may be more to come in the future.