Part Fourteen: Rome!

Loyal readers, I have failed you. I realize that it has now been nearly a month since I last updated and you deserve better than that! I will try my hardest to take this rainy day to get at least partially caught up. I also must apologize because I am aware that the details will not be quite what they should be because of the time between now and then. But alas, no more apologizing. Instead, I will jump right into where I left off, Rome, and get it all out there as best I can. So much has happened since we spoke last and I cannot wait to share it all.

So here it goes: Rome. Let me start by saying off that Rome was amazing and I cannot think of a better place to have ended my European portion of this trip. I guess because of its ancient roots, Rome felt so fitting as a place to observe after seeing so much of the rest Europe. It felt just right to be going back even further in time. I arrived in Rome via train after a my several days of gorgeous weather and fabulous hiking in Cinque Terre. I was ready to hit the cities again and excited that I would be met by some traveling friends.

At the train station, I reunited with my friend Eric from high school who was on a brief vacation there with his two friends Dustin and Kyle. They had all studied abroad there roughly two or so years ago and were returning for the first time since then. I would soon find out that they were the best possible people to explore the city with, both in general and for their great knowledge of the place. Kyle and Dustin are both classics grad students and Eric is a soon to be grad student in Renaissance Art History. If someone can find a better group please let me know because I do not think it is possible.

Immediately after I got off the train, I was cruising through the beginnings of my walking tour of the city seeing things that I would come to pass and explore for the next several days I would spend there. With my giant bag on my back, we took a slightly zig zagging walk from the train station, past the forum and a few other sites before arriving at the apartment we had rented for the week in the Trastevere area. We took a risk and booked a three person apartment to save some money and split it between the four of us. Now, lets just say it was a good thing we didn't intend on spending too much time in the apartment because there wasn't a whole lot to it. While they billed it as for three people, it had a bed for two, a fold out cot, and then I took up a nice spot on the floor. There was a kitchen that looked as if there had been a fire at one point and the hot water was not so cooperative at all times. But alas it was cheaper than most options and we tricked them so no need to feel bad about it!

I laid down my stuff, and we headed back out and towards the forum again. We had a quick walk around the area, up the stairs where the bright white "Wedding Cake" monument is, and down towards the Pantheon which marks the first site that I was able to enter into. The building itself was quite impressive and the dome structure was amazing. It started my mind on an endless battle that I would not succeed in conquering for the whole trip which is "how exactly did they manage to do that!?!?!" Raphael is buried their and that was another cool thing to see. Apparently, on the outside, there is a bee for the Barberini family which Eric made me strain my eyes to see, and would many times after, though I was thinking "B" the letter and did not realize until two days later that I had misinterpreted.

After that, we only had a few hours to see churches (Eric's favorite!) before they closed and we scurried off to the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva which contains Michelangelo's Christ statue inside and an elephant obelisk outside. When the boys had been there studying abroad they had apparently done a walking tour that took them to all the obelisks in a day. I can't imagine what that must have been like. We managed to see a fair amount but over the course of several days! Santa Maria was the first of many amazing churches I would see and I must say that I think there were as many amazing ones in Rome alone as I saw in the entirity of Europe elsewhere.

Next, we hooked ourselves up with some delicious gelato (I can't get enough) where I was able to finally sample some pistacio and I must say it was interesting but delicious. A quick stop at a bookstore called Herders had my classics friends drooling over a huge collection of classics texts though they claimed the owner left a little to be desired and was not a very nice man. I will take their word for it.

More churches, more churches. One of my favorites comes next. Saint Ignazio is a really interesting hruch that I believe is referred to as the "church without a dome." Apparently, according to my faithful art historian buddy, the church had commissioned a dome but had run out of money. Instead, they emplyed the tools of art and the manipulitive nature of perspective to have a 3D optical illusion painted on the cieling which suggested a dome without actually having one. Very tricky, very tricky. It was great to have Eric to instruct me on where to stand in order to see it best and to explain different portions of the painting.

The next set of churches was not so much about the buildings themselves, but the paintings they contain. Eric is a fan of Caravaggio (he claims to like Michelangelo the most but I detect a little bit of confliction when he talks of them), who I had little or no experience with before going to Rome. The two pieces were as follows: One was a set of paintings of Matthew. Unfortunately, they were under restoration but we were able to see them a bit anyway. Caravaggio, I learned, painted many many layers and actually used the blunt end of the brush to carve into the paint and thus with x-rays we are able to see the different levels. On display were a few of said x-rays and it was super cool to see them. The other painting was of Madonna di Loreto and I was given another great set of informative bits about the painting, the nature of it, how important feet are and how Caravaggio saw his works as being interactive, including Eric asking me to kneel down as the figures in the paintings were.

We took a quick walk around some more and then went to check out the statue of four rivers at the Piazzo Navona. It was a whirlwind of a tour in terms of art and information but it was a great start and I was learning a lot, plus getting to know everyone which was really nice. Everybody was really open and welcoming and it was so fun to hang out with them all. I came to realize that I would have been totally overwhelmed in Rome alone and could not have possibly seen as much as I did or learned as much about each place. I am so grateful to my partners in travel.

So now would be the time that I would break into writing about dinner, but alas, I had so much food that I am going to give our dinners a different section of the blog entirely. I feel like it will be easier for me to highlight the meals that way because they were amazing. I'll also soave some night life points for later as well. So now, I will move on to day two!

We began our day with a hike up the Campidolgio and over towards the forum. We bought ourselves a triple threat pass to the Forum, the Palantine, and the Colisseum and headed into the Forum. It was really really awesome to be amongst such anqiquity. What remained of the structures begged thoughts of what it all looked like and how thriving and amazing a place it must have been at its height. The old columns, the stunning partially intact buildings, I couldn't quite get my mind around it but I had some faithful friends to help me out.

Let me just say, the weather was beautiful. It was borderline tshirt weather and was sunny all day. I could not have asked for more. We walked around the forum for a while and the headed up to the Palatine hill which afforded an amazing view of the city and even more great ruins. The Palatine is one of the most ancient spots in Rome and was used for ages as lodging for the wealthy and included a large palace. Down one side, we were able to look over the forum and over the other we could see the grounds of what was once the Circus Maximus. We wandered round and round, touring the ruins. We gave Eric a hard time for his practice of tossing water on the marble to see its true color, though he was right. It was also fun to see him go wild over the specimens of "Opus Reticulatum" and other stone patterns that I had no idea about which are used in various different parts of the ruins and represent different time periods of design.

Our classics tour continued after a brief pizza with a tour around the Colosseum. Now, the Colosseum is by far the most popular of the three sights and it showed. The line was long, especially considering there really weren't any at the other sites. People flocked to it. Inside it was pretty amazing to see. The sheer magnitude of the structure and how much still exists it is quite impressive. Unfortunately, the crowds made it so we did not want to stick around too long and soon enough we were back out on the street debating what to do next.

Eric had a grand plan to retrace the Papal procession route, famous from the jubilee years (I believe) though it was quite a treck and we compromised by doing part of it, with a few stops in between for a little wine or coffee (hot chocolate in my case). We headed over to the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the official seat of the Pope. The place was massive! Really, truly, massive, with an impressive fascade and an even more impressive interior. From there, we set out down the via Merulana to the San Pietro in Vincoli which contains Michelangelo's Moses and some other famous frescoes. Eric gave me some great information on how the sculpture was part of a much larger, more extravagent tomb which Michelangelo was commisioned to build but never had to chance to do so because of a lack of fundings. Apparently, he considered it to be sort of his great calling or something and was pretty broken up about the fact he never got to do it. Most of this was due to the fact that he considered himself first and foremost a sculptor but was constantly doing projects invovling painting which he did not favor. It was all very intersting to me and a ton of info i had never heard.

Insert dinner and nightlife here after returning to the apartment. See a little bit later for details.

Day three! Now, day three was a little confusing and I am still not quite sure what we did for most of the early afternoon. We started out on a walk without much direction, stopped in to see a few sights, and then headed out towards the Appian way which I am still not quite sure that we made it too. We were going on knowledge from a few years back and I guess my guides did not remember the length of the walk or the details quite correctly. We did manage to get some great walking in along the walls of the city and saw some fun stuff along the way but it was quite a hike to an unsure destination. Not to fear! I consider no time lost.

We headed out to the Villa Borghese from there which had some really cool pieces in it (more of Eric's beloved Caravaggio's) the best of which I would say were the Bernini sculptures: Apollo and Daphne, the Rape of Persephone, and David. The sheer physicality of the sculptures was amazing and the detailing and texture was so cool. I don't think I have ever seen any sculptures like that before and it was a really cool experience.

We emerged into the Borghese park amongst some towering, incredible thunder clouds. As we walked along the sun began to set and we caught some great light as it went down over the city before the rain set in. We hopped in the subway and emerged in the Piazza del Popolo, one of my favorite piazzas of the trip, we were made our first of two attempts to see some more Caravaggio's in a church there but mass was in session and we were unable to. Bummer. We walked back and made a quick stop for a bottle of wine before going home to get ready for another fantastic dinner. Details later! The walk back was cool and we walked along the river for a while just talking about all sorts of things.

Thursday! Last full day! Vatican day! The Vatican, oh wow, so much going on there. I cannot believe how much there is packed into that complex. We started the day with a trek up the dome of Saint Peter's. Now, this too falls into the category of things that are touristy, yes, but not to be missed. The walk up inside the dome, bending with the curve of the structure, up all sorts of little staircases, is not to be missed. Not to mention it affords one of the best views of Rome that I saw. Truly amazing. The structure itself, St. Peters, is absolutely amazing. Huge again, and filled with so many amazing pieces of art, decorations and other things. The altar in the center was so cool and we were lucky to be there when a great light was cast through the back offering a golden backlit view. We wandered a while in there and I even ran into some people from my hostel in Cinque Terre. So random. I thought about asking them to hang out but they mentioned that they didn't like the Sistine Chapel and, well, that sort of stuff just doesn't fly around Michelangelo loving Eric.

After St. Peters, we headed into the Vatican itself and toured around all the amazing works of art, ancient sculptures, and all sorts of other relics and artifacts accumulated over the years. The Raphael paintings were particularly interesting and furthermore the Raphael rooms were so cool. We ended in the Sistine Chapel where Eric, much against the rules, gave me all sorts of great info about the process of painting, the details, and the different intricacies that I know I would have missed without him. He even made me enter with my head down and walk to the back without looking up because that is how Michelangelo intended it to be viewed. The place was pretty amazing and I craned my neck to view as much as possible.

A funny side note: before entering the Vatican, we were offered a tour by a loud, boisterous guy who claimed he could give the best "15 minute" tours of the place. That is a running pace at best! Later, we encountered him in the Vatican giving a tour and essentially reading off his iPhone while making jokes that made no sense and offering some pretty funny points about the art work. I can't imagine he was offering anything too great and he basically was just yelling in a loud voice which was pretty funny to observe. I felt a little bad for the couple on the tour but I guess if nothing else it was pretty entertaining.

We decided for try number two for the Piazza del Popolo Caravaggio's but ran into mass again and never got to see them. From there, we headed down to see the Trevi fountain which was cool but sooooo crowded and then walked to the Spanish steps. We sat there a bit and Eric and I ventured to the top where we caught an amazing sunset over the varied domes of the city, a perfect way to cap off an amazing tour through the city. Again, dinner details in a moment.

The last day was made up of a visit to a favorite pizza place and then off to Termini train station where I set out to the airport to say goodbye to Europe! I know I am forgetting a few sights, forgive me readers, forgive me Eric, but I think I packed it all in. The sights of Rome were absolutely amazing and I am so glad that I got to see as much of it as I did. I loved walking around and basically having something ancient to see around every corner. Truly great.

I read in my lovely email from Eric that the things neither of us can remember which day they happened on are as follows: a walk on the Ponte San Angelo which as a ton of sculptures designed by Bernini. One high point was a hike to the top of the Janiculum which had views rivalling that of the dome of St. Peter's. Other than that, we did a lot of wandering and saw all sorts of obelisks, cobbled roads, fountains, aqueducts, and so many other things.

And now for the food! Mmm. Let's just say, we let ourselves go a bit on the food. It was Rome after all, how could we not? First off, I will reference things we had more than once. The first was a place that was a favorite of the guys from when they studied there which they had a name for based on a girl who used to work there which quickly changed to Sho's when they discovered the prior girl didn't work there any longer and now Sho did. They claimed it is the best pizza in Rome and from what I sampled it definitely was. It had a perfect crust, crispy and not too thick or too thin. The toppings were amazing. I tried a whole variety including potato (a first), prosciutto, some cheese I still can't identify, and caprese. The two stand outs were: Prosciutto, which was interstingly ordered with the prosciutto under the cheese and was salty and delicious; and Caprese with a delightfully sweet tomato sauce, big chunks of mozzarella, and a good helping of nice, fresh basil.

Up on the hill near Sho's was a little cafe that served some sort of donut which I cannot spell but may be something like Cin Bella? If anyone can help me on that one that'd be great. They were so good. I have been craving them ever since. Picture a plain donut, but better dough, with just the right amount of sugar, delicately moist, and twice the size of any normal donut. Perfect for dipping into the wonderful Italian hot chocolate.

Most of our best meals came at dinner: We had a great meal at a place called Popi Popi with a very charismatic waitor. I had an amazing Carbonara, chock full of eggs and pancetta. It was quite rich and delicious. They also had some of the best brushetta I'd ever had with some really good, sweet cherry tomatoes and a perfect amount of olive oil. We went to a place that the boys knew as Al Pao but had be renamed Eden where I had a great seafood pasta with a regional tomato sauce.

Possibly my favorite meal was at a restaurant called Ponte Sisto Osteria. Eric asked a professor who works with his former program in Rome for a recommendation. He gave us the name of this place and said to that we should tell him that "Michael Douglas" sent us. Now everyone knows Michael Douglas is a famous actor. The professor's first name is Doug so we figured that maybe the guy had a nickname for him. For some reason, we tried to ask the waitor about it which created a very hilarious, slightly embarassing situation in which the waitor seemed to think the actor had recommended it and no one knew enough Italian to communicate what we needed to say.

Oh well, the food was great! Since it was our last night, Eric and I went all for it. I started with a delicious fresh pasta dish with a slightly spicy, slightly sweet cherry tomato sauce. It was so good. Just the right balance and so fresh. Next, I tried something I had always wanted to: ox tail! I have heard nothing but great things and couldn't wait to get into it. It came braised in tomato sauce with celery and was so, so good. So tender and rich with a great sauce. I couldn't get enough. I finished off with a delightful fruit pastry that was quite good.

In addition, we had great samplings of delicious red wines and some amazing gelato along the way. The wine bars in Rome are really cool and it was fun to sit over a bottle and discuss the day, get to know each other, and have some lively conversation. Good conversation is probably my favorite thing about great food and wine and we had plenty of all three. We often had some good meats along with our wine and some good cheese. We also frequented a cool little bar with a wonderful waitress named Antonella where we had some good drinks and unwound after the day. Not that unwinding was really necessary after full days of sight seeing and eating and drinking, but unwound we did.

So that is Rome! Finally! I am embarssed that I didn't get it up here sooner and hope that the amazingness of the experience translated well and you all are still reading out there! It was the perfect way to wrap up Europe and head out. On the whole I loved my time and Europe and it was all so amazing. I was a little sad to see it go but ready for a change. A change indeed which I will tell you of soon.

Please keep reading. I write to you now from Argentina where I have been for nearly three weeks now and I am having an amazing time. Details soon, I hope. Just a quick update, my trip is coming to a close! After one more weekend here I will head over to Chile, up the coast for a week, and then home! Wow, it has all gone so fast but I am looking forward to getting home to see friends, family, and to get my life in order for the summer.

So yeah, things are going well. I am having a great time. Can't wait to write more. Hope everyone will follow along again. More updates soon I hope! I am determined to see this blog through to the end!

Hope all is well with everyone.