Sunday, March 2
We woke early to an amazing breakfast at the hotel in Rome where they had a selection of ham and cheese, eggs, and all kinds of bread, like croissants and baguettes. The coffee was thick and strong and has the taste that only Italy could provide. The group met up and roamed the streets of Roma, Italia. The weather forecast was not in our favor so the group as a whole and decided it best to try to make it to the colosseum before the rain began. Our chaperones gave us 2 hours to get ready and right as the 2 hour mark hit, the rain began.
We took the metro about 5 minutes into another part of Rome and got off right at the colosseum! It was amazing. Everything about it was 100x better than any picture can capture. We stayed there only for an hour and a half and took in as much as possible. The hand-made bricks and fallen columns were more than anything I could ever have imagine. We talked together about how such a beautiful place could have housed such murderous games. The floor was all but missing to where you could look and see the prisoners' chambers, where the next men up to play in the games were held captive. It was a labyrinth of history.
After the Colosseum, we headed on an adventure to find the Pantheon, the Roman version of the Parthenon. It was more of a tomb and some artists and saints were buried there. For example Rafael, a Roman artist, was buried right inside. There were statues and the building as a whole was very dark.
Pantheon Built 27 BC – 14 AD
After the Pantheon we found our way through side streets and many turns over to the Trevi Fountain. It was the Lizzie McGuire movie all over again. We made the way to the fountain front and tossed in a coin with a wish. The sculptures were amazing and there were gelato stands all around.
Trevi Fountain built 1732
After some difficulty, a large group of us eventually decided we didn’t know the way around and found a bus stop to catch the next bus back over to the Colosseum. It was very bumpy and a little confusing but we did it somehow and everyone had a great time joking about it. Once back to the hotel, another group of girls invited us to tag along to dinner with them, where my friends and I had our first Italian pizza.
It was hard to even comprehend that 1) we were in Rome, Italy and 2) we got to see in person the most famous pieces of history. To this day it still hasn’t set in. Our feet were dead and our bodies exhausted by the end of the busiest day in Rome.
To catch the train over to the smallest country in the world, we were up with the sun. In a rush, we ate breakfast and hustled to the metro station where everyone and their Momma was waiting for the same train as us. Half of our 20 person group got on…. Half not. Of course we were the group to not make it on that first train but we had a chaperone and the boys with us so we felt okay. Being one that doesn’t do well with large crowds, this ride was less than pleasant. We had to slither our way in on the next train where I was sandwiched in between two tall men. As soon as we reached the next stop and few got off, I pushed my way out of that sandwich and into a more spacious (kind of) area. It was horrible. When it would stop, we were all slung backwards and stumbled to keep our balance the whole time.
We finally made it to the stop for the Vatican. By the “Vatican stop,” they mean you have to walk 20 minutes to get there; so we began the journey. We approached the huge outside walls of the smallest country in the world and met up with the rest of the group. We all entered together and went through security much like at the airport. We were lucky to get a tour guide from Savannah, Georgia so she understood the struggle with southern hospitality and manners that all of us have been so accustomed to. She studied archaeology and had lived in Rome for 15 years. She was fairly young too. She took us over and gave us a lot of background information on the Sistine Chapel and other parts we would and wouldn’t see in the Vatican. And then we entered into the museum. From the very first painting until the very last statue, we were in awe. Every piece of work had taken so much artistic ability and countless hours. Some statues were older than anyone could date and some paintings were from modern artists. The whole place was amazing. We went all through the museum and the galleries and eventually made our way into the Sistine Chapel. It was more beautiful than in pictures. We had to enter from the back door because no one except for the Pope is allowed through the huge wooden door in the front. We strolled through with our heads turned high, taking in the 10 scenes from Genesis that Michelangelo had done so many years ago. The guards were very serious about not allowing pictures inside. Some of the guards made the rule-breakers delete their pictures in front of them. After the Sistine Chapel, we went under St. Peter's Basilica, where bodies of the past Popes are held. Most were in elaborate tombstones. Our tour guide pointed out a plain marble box and said that she had asked whom that box was for and a guard replied “the next Pope to go.” There are actually two popes still living. Creepy to think whoever dies first already has a tomb prepared.
From the tombs, we went up into the main heart of the basilica and WOW. We looked up to the massive ceiling. The inside of the whole building was made into a cross with figurines everywhere. The altar in the center was made fully of bronze and was magnificent. On the way to the back of the basilica we looked to the right and saw none other than a pope… A dead pope. He was covered in bronze and placed in an almost cage-like casket and set on display around benches where people could pray next to him. I’m not sure just how old he was, but it was clear he had been there for awhile.
Upon exit our tour guide told our little group that we should speak with the guards in the front and ask about tickets to hear the Pope speak on Wednesday. We chickened out and decided pizza sounded better. St. Peter's square was peaceful and showed great storm clouds approaching. The Vatican was very interesting and I hope one day to go back.
