The last leg of my friend Jess' tour of Europe was a fantastic six day stay in Rome. After running from place to place, trying to catch trains, planes and buses and staying in hostels, we were happy to settle in the Italian capital for an extended stay - and in a real hotel! (Word of advice: Travel during the off season! We found a great little hotel in the heart of Rome for 50% off!)
Part three of our trip was full of culture, history, and great food. We had the chance to see practically everything our guidebook suggested and then some. We also were able to relax and enjoy some long meals of the most delicious Roman cuisine. Rome is impressive because it seamlessly incorporates the old with the new to create a culture unlike any other. Walking around you see amazing ancient ruins like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and Roman Forum among the thriving business and culture of Rome today. After spending a week there, Jess and I began to understand why Rome is rightly referred to as The Eternal City.
As a history major, I was fascinated by walking around the ruins of Ancient Rome and experiencing the stomping grounds of Nero, Augustus, Hadrian, and the like. I especially loved touring the Colosseum and Palatine Hill all while imagining what life was like back then. I know, what a nerd I am...
My favorite part of our visit to Rome, however, had to be our stop at The Vatican. Jess and I found our way last minute into the weekly Papal Audience where the Pope hosts visitors and gives a message and blessing to all in attendance. We were somewhat surprised during this time because the hour seemed more like a football game than time with the holiest person in the Catholic Church! At the end of the service, various visiting groups are acknowledged and when each is called, they stand up, hoot and holler, sing, wave flags, and do whatever else they want in front of the Pope! It was fun though to be with so many different people from around the world in the same room because so many countries were represented (the latin american nations yelled the loudest and were the most fun and the Americans were the most boring when the Pope recognized them..in case you were curious...)
After getting our blessing from the Pope (we felt invincible after that!) Jess and I headed to the Vatican Museum. Needless to say our jaws dropped the moment we entered and stayed that way until we left. The artwork in that place absolutely takes your breath away. Seeing paintings by Raphael, Botticelli and others room after room is enough to make even the most disinterested tourist have a new appreciation for art. The last room at the Vatican Museum tour is Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel and it certainly does not disappoint. I hope he thought it was worth it to spend four years on his back painting the ceiling because I definitely think it was!
I hope to remember some of the meals Jess and I ate in Rome because they were second to none. It was so fun to eat two hour dinners of gnocchi, ravioli, lamb, calamari etc. with the perfect glass of red wine and finished off with delicious tiramisu and lemoncello (always compliments of our friendly Italian waiters! - needless to say it certainly pays to be two young girls in Rome!) We ate a ton of pizza as well and couldn't refuse making a stop at a pizzeria that our guidebook referred to as 'simply the best pizza in Rome.' We thought that was a rather bold statement but when we went there and finally tried the pizza, we couldn't agree more! The pizza, cooked in a wood burning oven (the only REAL way to do it..) was so big it overflowed off our plates and had the perfectly thin crust that we all know makes for the best pizza. We finished the night off with a gelato and a stroll around town and ended up having the most perfect and quintessential Italian evenings. We were lucky to have a lot of nights like that and I was sad to see Jess head back to America on the morning of January 18th while I went on my way to my next wwoofing stop in sunny Sicily. Look out for another blog post on that soon, but for now, hope all is well back in the States!
