italia (part due).
(Adapted from my personal journal, 29 March 2010.)
29 March 2010~
Rome~
First full day in Rome! And oh my goodness was it amazing. I woke up early and walked to the Trevi Fountain at about 7am. Sure enough, there was only one other woman there with her big camera, putting my little one to shame. It's amazing that more people don't catch on to the emptiness of these popular sights in the morning -- but certainly good! Without the crowds, it's pretty amazing, and quite an awe-inspiring sight, too. After admiring that for a bit and taking my photos, it was back to the hotel for breakfast.
Afterward, I headed for the Colosseum... I found the building easily enough -- it's hard to miss -- but I think it took me half an hour to figure out where to buy tickets! (And I know how to read enough Italian to find a ticket office, thank you very much. It's biglietteria.) I wandered most of the way round the Colosseum itself, up the Via dei Fori Imperiali, across the Via dei Fori Imperiali several times, which is a stupidly busy street... Once I figured out where the ticket office was (directly inside the Colosseum, of course, although poorly signposted), I was only in the queue for about 15 minutes. And then I was spit out inside the 2,090 year old Colosseum itself. It's mind-boggling that it is (a) still standing at all; and (b) as relatively well-preserved as it is. It's really amazing -- you can just picture the lions and other exotic animals prowling in the cages below as the gladiators fight on the main level and a bloodthirsty crowd of Roman spectators cheers them on. I wandered around there until roughly lunchtime, and headed for lunch at a pleasant little trattoria right nearby.
Next on the agenda was the Forum. It's really required that one has a good imagination -- there's a few columns here, a few there -- but it must have been bloody impressive in its heyday. The Arch of Septimus Severus, at one end, and the Arch of Titus, at the other, are very impressive -- the Arch of Septimus Severus (re: the link: okay, so I couldn't resist; my brain insisted on making the association) has particularly beautiful rose patterns on the inside of the major arch. At the end closer to the Arch of Titus, there was a man wearing the single most hilarious hat ever. It was squarish and black with random brown tufts sticking off of it.
Next on the itinerary was the Basilica di San Clemente, recommended as a must-see stop by a friend. It's very cool -- the main level has some pretty churchy things, but it's the lower two levels with their dank, old air that are the real draw. The lowest level is a Mithraic temple in what was possibly the Roman mint and a first-century Roman house. Mithraism was a pre-Christian, all-male cult made primarily of soldiers. You can also hear an underground spring rushing past, which may have been used to flood the Colosseum for their mock naval battles. The next level is a 9th or 10th century (can't remember now) Christian church. The Mithraic temple was filled and the church was built on top of it. It's got several interesting frescoes that are well-preserved, particularly given their age and the damp, musty air. It's also got a stone that has a pagan inscription on one side (in beautifully carved block lettering) and a Christian one on the other side (much shorter and in less elegant carving).
My final stop today was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was really beautiful -- the pattern on the ceiling was stunning, and the frescoes on the inside of the dome were also really beautiful. I have to admit that I felt a grain of guilt at photographing the church, particularly with all the Catholic priests and nuns about. I did see one priest with a Rome guidebook and another listening to an audioguide tour of the church, which I found very amusing. Now I'm back at the hotel. I'm also working on my daily gelato goal -- cherry cream on Sunday and tiramisu gelato today (SO good -- that's two of my favourite desserts combined, right there).
29 March 2010~
Rome~
First full day in Rome! And oh my goodness was it amazing. I woke up early and walked to the Trevi Fountain at about 7am. Sure enough, there was only one other woman there with her big camera, putting my little one to shame. It's amazing that more people don't catch on to the emptiness of these popular sights in the morning -- but certainly good! Without the crowds, it's pretty amazing, and quite an awe-inspiring sight, too. After admiring that for a bit and taking my photos, it was back to the hotel for breakfast.
Afterward, I headed for the Colosseum... I found the building easily enough -- it's hard to miss -- but I think it took me half an hour to figure out where to buy tickets! (And I know how to read enough Italian to find a ticket office, thank you very much. It's biglietteria.) I wandered most of the way round the Colosseum itself, up the Via dei Fori Imperiali, across the Via dei Fori Imperiali several times, which is a stupidly busy street... Once I figured out where the ticket office was (directly inside the Colosseum, of course, although poorly signposted), I was only in the queue for about 15 minutes. And then I was spit out inside the 2,090 year old Colosseum itself. It's mind-boggling that it is (a) still standing at all; and (b) as relatively well-preserved as it is. It's really amazing -- you can just picture the lions and other exotic animals prowling in the cages below as the gladiators fight on the main level and a bloodthirsty crowd of Roman spectators cheers them on. I wandered around there until roughly lunchtime, and headed for lunch at a pleasant little trattoria right nearby.
Next on the agenda was the Forum. It's really required that one has a good imagination -- there's a few columns here, a few there -- but it must have been bloody impressive in its heyday. The Arch of Septimus Severus, at one end, and the Arch of Titus, at the other, are very impressive -- the Arch of Septimus Severus (re: the link: okay, so I couldn't resist; my brain insisted on making the association) has particularly beautiful rose patterns on the inside of the major arch. At the end closer to the Arch of Titus, there was a man wearing the single most hilarious hat ever. It was squarish and black with random brown tufts sticking off of it.
Next on the itinerary was the Basilica di San Clemente, recommended as a must-see stop by a friend. It's very cool -- the main level has some pretty churchy things, but it's the lower two levels with their dank, old air that are the real draw. The lowest level is a Mithraic temple in what was possibly the Roman mint and a first-century Roman house. Mithraism was a pre-Christian, all-male cult made primarily of soldiers. You can also hear an underground spring rushing past, which may have been used to flood the Colosseum for their mock naval battles. The next level is a 9th or 10th century (can't remember now) Christian church. The Mithraic temple was filled and the church was built on top of it. It's got several interesting frescoes that are well-preserved, particularly given their age and the damp, musty air. It's also got a stone that has a pagan inscription on one side (in beautifully carved block lettering) and a Christian one on the other side (much shorter and in less elegant carving).
My final stop today was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was really beautiful -- the pattern on the ceiling was stunning, and the frescoes on the inside of the dome were also really beautiful. I have to admit that I felt a grain of guilt at photographing the church, particularly with all the Catholic priests and nuns about. I did see one priest with a Rome guidebook and another listening to an audioguide tour of the church, which I found very amusing. Now I'm back at the hotel. I'm also working on my daily gelato goal -- cherry cream on Sunday and tiramisu gelato today (SO good -- that's two of my favourite desserts combined, right there).