Roman Holiday

Roman Forum w/ Colosseum in background
Rome has quickly catapulted into the top spot for my favorite city. Incredible, truly. So much history and so many ancient ruins mixed in with modern cafes, restaurants, wild people, great little side streets, and the best food. It is hot, loud, in your face, dangerous to walk around (solely due to Vespas filling every gap in stopped or moving traffic), and often crowded despite how massive the city is - chaos, really. And it is a beautiful thing. Long blog entry beginning...now:

Arrived here Friday evening and Im staying with my buddy Zandy as he is in Italy for the week and is meeting up with his family up north on Monday. We hit the tourist attractions hard yesterday - started at the Vatican Museum, and thanks to the tips of Rick Steves (my new favorite guidebook author) and our quick thinking we didnt have to wait at all to get in. The museum has a staggering amount of sculptures dating back thousands of years, and some very ornate ceilings and artwork (ornate is an understatement). The finale of the museum tour is Michelangelo's masterpiece in the Sistene Chapel. Jaw-dropping paintings and detail - truly amazing, and surreal to finally see in person after hearing so many things about the place. But perhaps the most surprising aspect of the Chapel was how every sign and guidebook said that pictures were not allowed, yet the museum staff silently watched tourists shamelessly snapping photos with flashes by the dozens. I may have snuck in a couple photos myself.

Inside the Colosseum

Next was St. Peter's Basilica (above) which we were able to enter through the Sistene Chapel, thereby bypassing the line outside. The Basilica is the largest church in the world by a longshot, and pictures do not accurately illustrate how huge it is inside. I read that it can hold 60,000 people. Pretty amazing. And there are more incredible sculptures and artwork that line the walls and ceilings. Started to get numb at the beauty of this place by that point in the sightseeing, but then we walked outside into St. Peter's Square which is a grand outdoor plaza surrounded by a semi-circle of statue-mounted columns. There is a fountain on either side and an obelisk in the center, and plenty of empty space for gatherings - symmetrical and sculptural perfection. The only thing missing was a Pope sighting.

Since we did not have to wait much at all for the Vatican City sights, I decided to head over to Ancient Rome and see the Colosseum and Roman Forum (Z arrived to Rome before me and already visited these). Incredible. Really beyond words, especially because the structure is still standing and it is 2,000 years old (I'm having a hard time writing about this stuff as I feel like a broken record and I am running out of new words to describe the sights). Walking up to the Colosseum and then inside and around the stadium seating was quite an experience. I kept envisioning the gladiators in the center with the raucous crowd cheering, just as in the movie. Then the Forum (the main square where it is said Rome began) is not far from the Colosseum, and is filled with columns and ruins from centuries ago that are still standing (at least partially) as well as the Temple of Caesar and other relics of that ancient civilization. Awesome.

Ok that was exhausting to type. So many things to see here, and I didnt even mention the Pantheon temple (above) and Trevi Fountain, which are unique and terrific in their own ways. Bottom line: if you haven't already, visit Rome before you die. It is a must.