Rome

On the train! Destination: Roma!

Spanish Steps

Throwing a coin in the fountain to ensure my return!

Trevi fountain

Gladiator school, in the shadow of the colosseum

Us in the coliseum.

View of the Roman forum

Building in the Roman forum. This is the original door from almost 2000 years ago. The original key that still works is in a museum.

Alter of St. Peters

For you grandma. In front of St. Peters

Oh Rome, you are so amazing and so overwhelming. We spent three full days in Rome, and saw very little of this amazing city. We visited the Spanish steps, threw a coin in the Trevi fountain. The legend is that to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain assures a return to this amazing city. So yes, I threw a coin in. We visited the Capuchin catacombs. Some 4000 monks bones are used to “decorate” the catacombs. Vertebra were used to make chandeliers, its creepy and visual stunning all at the same time. The coliseum, the pantheon, palatine hill, the roman forum! To understand how old these buildings are, to understand what they were used for is completely fascinating, and it is so hard to wrap your mind around. We took a guided tour of the ruins, which was awesome. It made looking at a bunch of “really old stuff” come to life.

Of all the regional cuisine in Italy, my favorite is Roman. Our favorite little restaurant in Milan, is Roman. And being in Rome further fueled my love. We ate at an awesome little place called Antica Roma. The restaurant is built into the side of ancient ruins. The food was outstanding. And the owner is a trip. He is from Rome, but has made many trips to the states, and speaks perfect English. His most recent trip to the states was for an International Harley Davidson convention. Yes you read that right. He had us laughing all night long. The restaurant didn’t feel touristy just because he spoke good English. His focus is still on producing superb cuisine. Which he absolutely does!

One of the highlights of Rome for me, other than the food, was the Vatican. My grandma Departie was a devout Catholic. I remember talking to her on Christmas mornings and her telling me she watched the pope give his address that morning. From the moment we entered all I could think about was her. I know that she would have been beyond thrilled to know that I went there, that I was able to see such an important, and holy place. St. Peter’s is beautiful, to say the least. The entire church radiates a holy presence. The artwork is spectacular. The Sistine Chapel is without a doubt one of the most spectacular pieces of art I have ever seen. There is no picture that will ever do it justice. The gravity of the actual room makes seeing the painting even more amazing. The Sistine Chapel is where, when it is time, the new pope is voted on and chosen. You don’t have to be a Catholic to appreciate how important a place, how historical a place that is.

It’s hard to articulate everything we saw in Rome. Many of the places we have traveled felt like that. It’s not just what you are seeing, but it’s a feeling you get being there. It’s feeling the history seep out of multiple centuries worth of stone, seeing the beauty that once was, that still is after thousands of years.