Ok, on a more serious note, our trip to Roma was very interesting and I'm not sure that I can write an explanation that will do it justice, but I will attempt to. Here goes:
We left San Paolo at 6:15 AM to catch the 6:50 train to Roma Termini. Once there we visited a caffe for cappuccino and cornetti (pastries), then made our way to Musei Nazionale Romano to look at ancient Roman art. After about 1 1/2 hours we left and took a bus to the center of the city where we walked to apparently the best gelaterria in Roma (I have nothing to compare it to, but it was good) and took our gelato to around the corner where we found the Pantheon. We took about 20 minutes to marvel at its beauty and then we had to walk to the marketplace to get lunch (pizza) and find a cool place to eat and get more water. Then we walked through the Jewish Ghetto to the Roman Forum, which we didn't walk through because a) we still had more to see and b) you have to pay now. After taking pictures and hearing about it, we walked on to the Colosseum where we stood outside for a while taking it all in, but we didn't enter (again, more places to visit). Walking around and out of the area of the Colosseum, we took some stairs up to another road that took us to the Basilica of Santa Maria. We covered our shoulders and walked in to see a myriad of frescoes and mosaics, a massive amount of Peruvian gold covering the ceiling, and just general beauty. Leaving here we walked the final blocks back to the train station to catch our 5:03 train back to Orvieto.
Rome is a very interesting place that, as I imagine many other cities have, has a seemingly strange combination of the old and the new. Honestly, I had never really thought about Rome until we actually got there and it was before me. Now this may sound strange, but I really didn't think of Rome as a city - or rather, I think I always thought of Rome as two cities: the current city of shopping and futbol and the ancient city of the Colosseum and the Forum. Needless to say it was quite a shock to see modern apartments and streetlights yards from the the ancient walls of the Colosseum and a McDonalds mere feet from the Pantheon. Also, I'm not sure that I've ever been to a city quite like this one. San Francisco is fairly large and crowded as is LA, but neither of them seem as overpowering as Rome. Looking back on our trip now it doesn't seem quite as overwhelming as it did in the day. It was probably a combination of the walking, the heat, and the sights, but I left Rome feeling like I never truly wanted to return. Now I think that I will (because I know we missed some crucial places), and hopefully I will be slightly more prepared for the city this time.
2 commenti:
I so relate to this story about Rome. When we went to Boston, somehow I thought it would be a bit of preserved history, but instead, it was just a typical large modern city - dirty, overcrowded, with the historical sites just dwarfed by the high rises. It took me a bit to adjust and I thought I didn't want to return. Now, I think I just need to do more exploring next time. So happy to hear all about your experiences! Enjoy :)
when you described rome in this blog it totally reminded me of spain. i just love the diversity of old and new, of the cultures, and the different types of architectural design. i just can't wait for you to show me rome one day and for me to show you spain. i love hearing you experience all these wonderful things!
i miss you!
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