Rome in 20 hours

14 May 2013

Pointing at the Vatican from the top of Palatine Hill.

The best pita sandwich I have ever had…because the bread and cheese are so good here!

Police Car in the Vatican…never seen ones like these in the states.

Our second day in Rome was full of exploring the streets in greater depth, and we did not get lost once! Let me just say that we are now pros at navigating through the city. We spent the morning at the Capuchin Crypt where we saw a church made from the bones of 3700 monastic friars (monks) and explored an incredible museum explaining how this gruesome church and monastic order came to be. The afternoon was filled with exploring ancient Roman ruins outside the Colosseum-Palatino Hill and the Foro Romano. As we walked from place to place we saw surprising sights that came out of no where, seeing many more things than were actually on our itinerary! In the early evening we visited the Vatican. It was great getting both the day view and the night view of the beautiful Saint Peter’s square and the basilica-It was just as beautiful the second time as it was the first time. We made another gelato stop on our way back to the metro and it was great! Then we headed back to Daniele’s place.

Myself, Ellie, and Steven-my travel buddies and great friends.

We covered nearly the entire inner city of Rome in 2 days, and we did it on feet! I calculated that between the times of 11:00-21:00 on the first day, and 10:00-20:00 on the second day we spent a solid 20 hours pacing the beautiful streets and alleyways of Rome. I love this majestic city and I am sad to leave in the morning, but am excited to move on to new adventures in Italy.

SM Deli Angeli [no photo]

This grand Basilica is one of the closest attractions to the Termini and houses several of Micleangelo’s paintings. It has one of the most unique sun calendars I have ever seen, with a timeline running all the way to the center of Rome.

Capuchin Crypt [no photos allowed in museum]

This monastic order was gruesome. The group contained Friars and Capuchins associated with the Catholic Church. To make a long story short, they built the interior of an entire monastery out of human bones. The bodies of 3700 friars were removed from their graves and used in the building of this gruesome cathedral. We got to walk through 6 of the rooms that were built out of these bones, some complete skeletons existed with skin, fingernails, and eyelids still intact. That is the closest I have ever come with “living” history in my life…

Quirinale Square

Palantine Hill

This is the Hill located northwest of the Colosseum that is home to a collection of well preserved Roman ruins. You could spend a week all in itself exploring all the many different places on this hill.
This is a picture of one of the best preserved stadiums within the ruins on the hill. We also saw the Circus Maximus. Located at the west end of Palantine hill, this ancient stadium that now lies in ruins, was once the grandest arenas in the area. It had room for over 128,000 people to sit and watch the events that took place there. It is not as well preserved as the stadium pictured above. The building of stadiums is not all structural. Creativity and design must go into building the best possible venue for the people it serves. The colosseum for example had a stage, pillars, maize, animal cages, box seats, etc… All these elements were vital in producing a stadium that reflected the Roman people’s needs and desires. It’s design was ingenious.

View of Colosseum from the top of Palatine Hill.

Roman Forum

Located to the Northeast of Palantine Hill, North of the Colosseum, these ancient ruins contain beautiful temples, pillars, and houses. I walked the same path Caesar walked the night before he was killed, and touched where his body was buried.

Capital Hill [no photo]

The second famous hill in Rome, contains many of the newer government buildings that are both beautiful in design and very purposeful.

Castel S. Angelo

After seeing this castle at night, we decided to stop back by it on our way to the Vatican and view it in day light. It was beautiful, but it did not even come close to comparing to how it looked lit up in the beautiful night.

River Tevere

This is a bridge that crosses over the River Tevere in Rome.

The Vatican

To enter the Vatican is like stepping into a different world…well a different country at least. Priests and Nuns roam the square, dressed in their best robes and offering smiles and kind words to everyone who passes by. At night the square was quiet, but during the day it is packed with tourists trying to take in the splendor of such a majestic city.

Saint Peter’s Square

The square is stunning. When we arrived it was filled with chairs preparing for the Pope’s weekly wednesday address to the people. Statues of saints line the skylines atop the buildings to either side of the Basilica, and the Basilica rises in the center brilliant and beautiful.

All I can say is, wow. The St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is probably the most beautiful building I have ever seen. It is huge and every square inch of the building is covered in mosaics, paintings, and precious stones and metals. As my Italian friend says, there is enough gold in that building to pay the debts of every nation in the world. Can you say Mama Mia!

Saint Peter’s Square Guards

Does the Pope only hire “good looking” guards?…because these two were looking mighty fine!! especially the one on the right…

Everyone always wonders about the food, and I am here to tell you that you cannot go wrong with any venue in Rome. Exceptionaly good is the Old Bridge Gelati, a couple blocks from the Vatican. I have tried a lot of Gelato since I have been in Italy and this place is by far my favorite.

Gelato in front of the fountain in Piazza Navona

The “real” Little Caesars.

Snack stands are everywhere…because so are the tourists.

It is so nice to be a part of a worldwide church. I have been able to make contact with YSA (young single adult) members of the church throughout Europe and have coordinated members to meet and places to stay in nearly every city we will be visiting. People don’t realize how lucky we are to have such a bond with people halfway across the world. Daniel’e, a student at a University in Rome and a member of the Church has kindly had us as guests in his apartment for the past two days. He took out for an evening in the city, bought us the best croissants I have ever had, and quickly extended his friendship to us. Thank you for being so gracious to us Daniel’e, I can’t wait until our paths cross again. Grazie.