The Fall of Rome

Michael and I arrived in Rome after a pleasant 3-hour flight from Dublin.  Three trains and a short walk later we arrived at our apartment.  The apartment was in nice area with lots of shops and restaurants nearby. 

did not build a big enough wall

Rome is a magical city and is very easy to walk around.  Everywhere you look there is something interesting to see and we had a pleasant 5 days wandering and exploring the city.  It is impossible to list everything that we discovered however I shall try to remember the highlights.

There are a number of piazzas however one of the most impressive is the Piazza del Popolo.  This huge piazza has an Egyptian obelisk standing in the centre surrounded by the Fontana dell’ Obelisco, a group of four mini fountains with lions.  At one end there are the twin churches of Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli both built in the 1600’s.  Across the other side of the piazza there is another church, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, which contains works by several famous artists including Raphael, Bernini and Caravaggio.  There is also the large Fontana del Nettuno in another corner.  Then there is the huge Porta del Popolo, which stands at another corner creating a gateway to the piazza. This huge piazza is pedestrian only so it is a nice place to wander around looking at beautiful statues.

The Spanish Steps are currently undergoing a 1.5 million euro restoration paid for by Bulgari.  A small section along the side has been reopened to allow tourists to climb to the top to view the Trinita dei Monti church at the top.  The view from the top is well worth the climb of 135 steps up the steep slope.

 

The Pantheon is awe inspiring, made even more so by the fact that you are walking down the street, turn the corner and there it is, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.  A magnificent church that was built in 126 AD, it is open to the public free of charge and Michael and I visited it several times during our stay just so that we could see it in the changing light.  Raphael’s tomb is there and contrary to what Dan Brown would have you believe in Angels and Demons, this was his only burial place.

The Piazza Navona is another grand piazza filled with ornate fountains with dolphins, sea monsters, sea nymphs and Tritons.  The centrepiece is Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, which is a huge, showy fountain.  Musicians, artists and hawkers gather here and it is a lovely area to relax and watch the world go by.

The Colosseum was undoubtedly the highlight for me of our stay in Rome.  Approaching the structure from the outside is an exciting experience, however, it is not until you are inside, that you truly appreciate the magnificence of the building.  It is quite simply astonishing.  The sheer size, scale, detail and mechanics are mindboggling.  It was also amazing to see just how much of the building is still standing.  We were so lucky to be there in the off-season as there was no queue to enter and we were able to walk around freely without tripping over other tourists.      

A short walk from the Colosseum took us to the Palatine Hill, which is one of the 7 hills of Rome and home to some amazing ruins.  The Roman Forum is there and it was thrilling to walk along this ancient marketplace.  I would love to say that my 6 years of Latin studies had me translating all the monuments however I would be lying.  I was able to pick out words here and there and could usually translate enough to get the gist of what was written.  We spent 3 hours strolling through the ruins and were fascinated by everything we saw.

The National Monument to Victor Emmanuel is a huge, imposing structure of stairways, statues, fountains and columns.  The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and eternal flame is housed there and would have to be one of the grandest war memorials I have seen.  It is the largest monument in Rome and it is clearly visible from just about anywhere in Rome thanks to it being made from bright white marble.

Michael and I were delighted to stumble upon Trajan’s Column, which we both had forgotten was in Rome.  We saw the cast of this 35 metre structure when we visited the Cast Courts at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.  It is lucky that the cast was made as the original column has now been damaged by centuries of pollution however it is still an imposing sight and focal point of Trajan’s Forum.   

The Galleria Borghese houses a collection of paintings and sculptures, which belonged to the Borghese family.  Among the many works we saw were Boy with a Basket of Fruit by Caravaggio and Venus and Cupid with a Honeycomb by Cranach the Elder. There is also Bernini statues and paintings by Titian, Rubens and many others.  Another beautiful piece is a statue of Pauline Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victrix by Canova.  The gallery itself is a fabulous building with elaborate frescos and marble floors and best of all, the gallery limits the number of people allowed entry at any one time so that you are never crowded out from seeing the artworks close up.

Castel Sant’ Angelo sits high on a hill overlooking Rome and Vatican City.  It was initially used as the mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian and then was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle.  The view from the top was incredible and we could see the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square where Pope Francis was delivering a mass.  We could see him on a raised dais and an enormous television screen was broadcasting.  It was a surreal moment to realise what we were witnessing.

The food in Rome was fabulous and we found a wonderful store called Eataly, which I had read an article about in The Age.  It is a huge store, set out over 5 floors with a market area where you could buy any type of Italian food and drink, with a number of restaurants scattered throughout.  The store is located outside the main tourist precinct, so it is mainly just the locals shopping and eating.  Michael and I went there twice during our stay, sampling oysters, fresh pasta, wine and gelato.

Whilst on the topic of food, one of the best things that the Italians do, is serve aperitivo with your drinks.  When you order a glass of wine, at the very least you will be given a bowl of chips and nuts to accompany it.  Other bars will have a mini buffet set up with assorted snacks like mini panini, dough balls with mozzarella, antipasti, olives etc.  Michael and I called in for a quick drink at a bar near our apartment and the owner, seeing that we did not understand the custom, filled two enormous plates with food for us, all free of charge.  When we ordered a second drink, he encouraged us to refill our plates.  When we finally went to leave, the owner pressed an arancini into my hand insisting that I try one of their specialties.  I couldn’t help pondering as I walked home that there was a time that men used to give me flowers, now it is rice balls!

The coffee is Italy is superb.  The custom is to order at the counter and to drink it standing up.  You can sit if you want to however, depending on the café, you will pay up to four times the price just to sit down.  We soon got into the habit of standing at the counter like a local.  Breakfast for us consisted of a cappuccino and a cornetto (like a croissant, only sweeter and richer).  All the locals do it and it is a good way to start the day.

We visited the Museo di Roma in Trastevere and saw the exhibition Miracle Village, From Judgement to Absolution.  This exhibition deals with the subject of the life of sex offenders, once they leave prison.  It was not a subject that I would normally choose to see and it was disturbing to say the least.  We entered the next exhibition, Iranian Living Room, hoping for something a little more uplifting only to be met with depressing tales of oppression.  Both exhibitions served as a reminder of how lucky we are.

Venice Queen

A very comfortable train journey from Rome took us to Venice.  The view as you exit the station is like no other.  The Grand Canal is huge and the feeling that you have entered another world was very strong and was only enhanced by boarding the vaporetto (water bus) to take us across to our hotel.   There was a mist over the water, which added a feeling of mystery and excitement to our travels.

We found our hotel without too much difficulty, deposited our bags and set off to explore the city.  We were situated just around the corner from San Marco Square and spent the afternoon exploring some of the many narrow laneways.  It was still Carnevale time so there were many people dressed in masquerade costumes walking around the city.  The costumes were unbelievably elaborate, each one unique and made from rich and colourful materials.  There were harlequins, women dressed in the style of Marie Antoinette, military uniforms and many other lavish costumes.  Everyone wore masks, mainly made of porcelain although some wore leather ones.  The masks made me feel a little unsettled.  I actually have a fear of clowns and these masks invoked the same feelings of unease in me.  This wasn’t helped when I glanced down one laneway and saw one of the figures just standing and pointing at me.  It was a little creepy to say the least.

The next day, Michael and I took the vaporetto across to the Gallerie dell’ Accademia where we saw many beautiful artworks by Bellini, Tintoretto and Tiziano and many others.  The highlight of the gallery for me, were two works by Hieronymus Bosch – Triptych of St Uncumber and Four Visions of the Hereafter.   Both pieces had recently been restored and were due to leave the gallery the following week to take part in the exhibition to mark 500 years since Bosch’s death, which is being held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.  Our timing could not have been more perfect.

We also visited Murano, the area famous for glass making.  Murano is composed of seven islands, which are linked by bridges.  It was very pleasant strolling the area and looking at all the shops filled with beautiful glass jewellery, tableware and chandeliers. 

Italian Greyhounds? No Italian Whippets

Venice is a city ideal for walking and it is a wonderful place to wander and get lost in.  The winding, narrow lanes lead past a myriad of shops and the buildings themselves are quite beautiful.  We were grateful that we were there in the offseason as the streets were busy without being overcrowded.  One could see how the Venetians would get fed up with meandering tourists clogging the streets in the summertime.

In the evening, Michael and I took the vaporetto to see the canals and city by night.  The mist was very thick which only enhanced the beauty of the area.  The gondoliers seemed to be doing a brisk trade and it was lovely to watch them steering their boats through the narrow waterways.  I was a little disappointed that I didn’t hear any of them singing.  Perhaps that is a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t very well during our stay in Venice, so I wasn’t able to sample any of the wonderful food.  Michael however, took up the challenge to eat for both of us, and so had a wonderful time wandering the cicchetti bars.  Cicchetti is the Venetian version of aperitivo and so he tried many tasty morsels such as sardines on bread and prosciutto and mozzarella.     

best coffee ever