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| St. Peter's Basilica, Rome |
Ciao!
This past week, David, Kathleen and I ventured all over Italy for Fall Break. We visited Rome, Florence and Venice. I am writing the first of three articles about our trip to Italy. Leaving after class on Friday aftenoon (October 29th), we were excited and ready to experience Italy for 8 days. We took a two-hour train from Aix-en-Provence to the Nice airport, where we boarded a short plane Roma.
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| Trevi Fountain |
I was completely captivated by Rome and all it had to offer. Each monument told a story of a different time period and era. Rome in late October is beautiful. The leaves are beginning to change and the air is crisp, but it is not too cold. Saturday morning we walked around the city bouncing from monument to monument. We started at the Trevi Fountain located in the heart of Rome. Known as one of the most famous fountains in the world, the Trevi Fountain holds the legend that if a visitor throws a coin into the fountain, they are ensured to return to Rome later in life. When we visited, it seemed as if there were hundreds of people flocking to see this fountain. People of all nationalities and ages sat and stared at the curved marble sculptures and clear flowing water. We each threw a coin into the fountain and made our way over to the historic Spanish Steps. "Spanish Steps" translates in Italian to: Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti, and is known for being the longest and widest staircase in Europe. It was neat to look down onto the city of Rome and see all the swarms of people walking up to the top of the stairs. Close by, we walked over to one of the most well-known sites in Rome: The Pantheon. Rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD, the Pantheon was probably the oldest building I had ever visited. Though scaffolding surrounded most of the left side of the building, the site was still mesmerizing. The large circular dome was truly remarkable. It is hard to believe that in 126 AD, the people in Rome had the means to build something so massive and complex.
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Spanish Steps |
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| Pantheon |
I really enjoyed visiting the Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. This church was smaller compared to St. Peters, and was so beautiful inside. I fell in love with the detailed frescos and smaller side chapels. This church was smaller and not overdone, yet it evoked great sophistication and historical value as seen through the impressive art work.
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| Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola |
Later that day, the three of us ducked into a small side-street for a quick bite of lunch. I ordered a basic margarita pizza and it really did live up to the hype. Pizza in Italy is amazing. However, it was the gelato that we later stopped to get that was to die for. This first gelato I ordered was a cone filled with pistachio and tiramisu gelato. We tasted different gelato from the three cities we visited in Italy, but this first cone in Rome was by far the best. It was not too icy and not too creamy. I can see why they say that Italians are some of the happiest people in the world.
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| mmm |
One of my favorite sites in Italy was St. Peter's Basillica and the Vatican Museums. As we approached the site, there was a massive line winding around the entire church. Luckily we found an amazing tour guide who promised to let us skip the lines and have a personal tour for only 20 euros. This deal was absolutely worth it. Our tour guide was a man from Ohio who had been living in Rome for almost ten years. He was very funny and informative. He really made the experience of going through the different rooms very enjoyable. He explained all the different important paintings and sculptures in an amusing fashion. Many jokes were made about Tom Hanks and the DiVinci Code. Our tour guide also showed us the location of the Pope's apartment. We were the last people to get into the museum and it was basically empty. It was nice to have the area to ourselves. I loved getting to see the Sistine Chapel. There was something very mystical and special about the chapel. Even though we were not supposed to take pictures, our tour guide told us we could try to sneak a few pictures in before we left. At the end of the tour we got to walk through St. Peter's Basilica. It was the biggest church I had ever been to. I have to say, I preferred the Vatican museums and the quaintness of the Sistine Chapel to the massive Basilica. By the time our tour was over, it was dark outside and the lights were beginning to be turned on outside. St. Peter's was absolutely breathtaking at night. I loved being able to see the transition to dusk and watch all the Saints illuminated on top of the cathedral. Later that night we met up with one of our friends from the Vanderbilt program in Aix, Robert. He was visiting his cousin in Rome for the weekend and the five of us went out to dinner at this authentic Italian restaurant where we all ordered different pizzas and pastas. Rome had a really fun night life, and we met many other students who were also studying abroad. It was also really fun to see the Trevi Fountain at night. It was not as crowded as it was during the day. It felt much less touristy without so many people posing for pictures.
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| St. Peter's Basilica & Vatican Museums |
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| Sistine Chapel |
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| St. Peter's at night |
The next morning still had to tackle all of Ancient Rome. We first got lunch before we went to visit the Colosseum. We chose a small spot for fettuccine with views of the Colosseum in the background. I thought it was so great to be able to walk down the street and arrive at the Colosseum. Considered to be one of the most remarkable works of Roman Architecture, the Colosseum was completed in 80 AD. Just sitting outside the monument, I could feel the history and stories exuding from the structure in front of me. We walked up Palatine HIll towards the Roman Forum. I really liked getting to walk around all the different columns and ruins. Standing on the top of the hill, I could see the Colosseum and Capitoline Hill. It was amazing to be standing in the place where so many aspects of the governmental system were created. One of my favorite sites was the Victor Emmanuel II monument. Even thought it was only finished in 1935, the Victor Emmanuel II monument showcased a beautiful chariot sculpture on the top of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Across the street we got to see Trajan's Column and the Trajan Markets. Our tour guide from the day before suggested we go see the Capuchin Crypt. It was four little rooms decorated with the bones of over 4000 bodies. It was a very chilling experience to realize that I was surrounded by bones in a small room. After walking around for two days, we all wanted to get a good dinner and go to bed. I tried gnocchi for the first time and Kathleen and David got similar pasta dishes. I was not a huge fan of gnocchi. It was a little thick and heavy for my taste, but I loved the fettuccine with meat sauce we had for lunch. I even remember Kathleen saying, "You know a meal is good when you don't want it to end." That is sort of how I felt about Rome, I didn't want our visit to end.
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| Roman Forum |
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| Vincent Emmanuel II Monument |
I loved being able to walk around a city and not expect to see a 2000 year old monument standing before me. I hope the tradition is true, and my Trevi Fountain coin will bring me back to Rome one day.
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| David, Kathleen and Robert at Trevi Fountain |
Next stop Florence!
I'll be writing soon!
Molly xo
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