Piazza Barberini - Triton Fountain by Bernini 1642 (Hotel Bernini in the back)
Fountain of the Bees Bernini 1644Yes, in 30 hours!
Using Rick Steves' "Rome in 3 Days" itinerary, I made a schedule which also included the Bernini landmarks mentioned in Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" book. Thanks to Steves' suggestions and our strong legs, we were able to see all the main tourist attractions of Rome - note the word "see," not "study!" That was enough time accomplish the goal of visiting Rome, and I don't think I would want to know anything more in depth than a superficial taste of it at this moment. If I were to go back to Rome again, I would like to visit some of the museums that we had to skip due to time constrain and spend more time in Vatican Museums.
We decided to make this trip because of a change in plans due to Yunus' broken arm. Since he could not swim to get ready for the Valencia Regional Championship, we decided to travel to make the use of this idle time. This was a good decision because we realized that traveling Italy by pieces gave us the chance to recharge – physically and mentally. In Rome, there is so much history, arts and culture that after a certain point, things get blurry and I began to confuse what basilica we are in and what ruins we are visiting!
This is the advantage of living in Europe: you can hop in the plane and visit the city of your choice on a weekend excursion.
We flew to Rome on February 25th at 9:30 pm by Ryan Air (460 euros for 3 of us), took a taxi, (which was arranged by the hotel for 65 euros and thanks to the driver, included a grand tour of Rome before reaching the hotel) and stayed at the Albergo Ottocentro (a 4-star hotel, 615 euros for 3 nights, breakfast included - a bit expensive but I did not arrange it through our travel agency in Gandia and it was too late for the good deals on the internet). The location of the hotel could not be better and the reception staff was extremely nice – I definitely would go back there again. It was located near the Piazza Barberini, where Hotel Bernini is located (also mentioned in Brown’s book). From the hotel, we began our days by using the metro and ended by walking (all the attractions were pretty much in walking distance).
Using Rick Steves' "Rome in 3 Days" itinerary, I made a schedule which also included the Bernini landmarks mentioned in Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" book. Thanks to Steves' suggestions and our strong legs, we were able to see all the main tourist attractions of Rome - note the word "see," not "study!" That was enough time accomplish the goal of visiting Rome, and I don't think I would want to know anything more in depth than a superficial taste of it at this moment. If I were to go back to Rome again, I would like to visit some of the museums that we had to skip due to time constrain and spend more time in Vatican Museums.
We decided to make this trip because of a change in plans due to Yunus' broken arm. Since he could not swim to get ready for the Valencia Regional Championship, we decided to travel to make the use of this idle time. This was a good decision because we realized that traveling Italy by pieces gave us the chance to recharge – physically and mentally. In Rome, there is so much history, arts and culture that after a certain point, things get blurry and I began to confuse what basilica we are in and what ruins we are visiting!
This is the advantage of living in Europe: you can hop in the plane and visit the city of your choice on a weekend excursion.
We flew to Rome on February 25th at 9:30 pm by Ryan Air (460 euros for 3 of us), took a taxi, (which was arranged by the hotel for 65 euros and thanks to the driver, included a grand tour of Rome before reaching the hotel) and stayed at the Albergo Ottocentro (a 4-star hotel, 615 euros for 3 nights, breakfast included - a bit expensive but I did not arrange it through our travel agency in Gandia and it was too late for the good deals on the internet). The location of the hotel could not be better and the reception staff was extremely nice – I definitely would go back there again. It was located near the Piazza Barberini, where Hotel Bernini is located (also mentioned in Brown’s book). From the hotel, we began our days by using the metro and ended by walking (all the attractions were pretty much in walking distance).
The smartest thing I did: purchased the museum tickets in advance and did the Vatican guided tour that included St Peter's Basilica. For a couple of euros more, I purchased all the museum tickets (www.rome-museum.com) and I didn’t have to wait in line anywhere. This proved to be extremely helpful to cut down the stagnated time and visit many more places.
The Vatican Museums were 44 euros per person for 4-hour tour. Every penny spent on this tour was worth it. Our guide (who was associated with the oldest university in Rome, La Sapienza) was very knowledgeable and we learned about the juicy details that we couldn't if we did this on our own. We also ended up getting a private tour of St. Peter's Basilica because no one else had signed up for the additional hour (which was 5 euros more). With the guided tour, we were able to see all the important parts of the museums (which would take us longer to find) and have all our questions answered, and still had the flexibility to continue visiting the rest of the museum all day long if we wanted.
The price for a Colosseum ticket, which included the Palatine, was 13 euros per person. While I was picking up my tickets, I asked for the Domus Aurea, Nero's golden palace. I had not heard about this article before because apparently, it has been opened to public 6 months ago and I am not sure if it will be open forever due to some preservation problems. During our visit to Vatican, the guide kept mentioning about so many pieces removed from Domus Aurea to build something else; I became somewhat curious. By our luck, they had tickets available for the afternoon tour (only about 12 people are allowed each tour; another American couple said they tried the day before but it was all booked). I think we were lucky because it was not tourist season, yet.
The worst thing happened: my digital camera became temperamental and for half of the trip, I could not take pictures or I could only take blurry ones - well, I hope that is the worst kind of thing would during any of my trips...
The weather was wonderful except a little bit of sprinkle on the day we visited Colosseum. Later, in the morning, the sun came out again. Everyday, it was pleasantly cool so walking long distances did not bother us. We did not pack anything heavy, just a couple pairs of pants, shirts, and our fleece coats. This way, we traveled with our backpacks and did not have to pay Ryan Air for luggage fees.
Even though it is hard to tell from the maps, the distances within the city of Rome and Vatican City were unbelievably walkable. We divided the whole area of interest into 2 parts: west/north and east/south. We finished the W/N on the first day and E/S on the second day.
Let's begin with some superficial (which is what you get in 3 days) cultural observations and comparisons to Spanish:
1. Most people, especially police, in Rome could communicate in English (which is rare in most parts of Spain, even in the big cities).
2. Roman police seemed much more approachable and friendly than the Spanish.
3. Food is more interesting in Spain - maybe it is more original for us because we find Italian food in USA. However, pizza is definitely better in Italy than in USA in my opinion. Our lasagna expert, Dilara, adds that lasagna in Rome is #2 among all the places she has eaten (#1 is still the Helleland's).
In the mornings, we ate the breakfast at the hotel. For lunch, we tried different local restaurants and mostly ate pizza and lasagna. In the evenings, we were so tired from walking, we knew that if we stopped some place to eat, we could not have the stamina to get ourselves back to the hotel, so we ate both dinners at the hotel's restaurant - Rossini, which was quite exquisite. One evening I tried seafood Gnocchi; it was incredibly delicious.
4. There are way too many beggars, street vendors and muggers in Rome than in Spain. The police walks among them but they probably cannot do anything about it.
The last evening of our visit, we strolled the Via Condotti where all the expensive stores are located. For Dilara, we found a pair of Puma shoes on sale at the Ferrari store (Puma makes clothing for Ferrari). She had worn these kinds of shoes before and they were extremely comfortable. Afterwards, we took the metro to our hotel. When we got on the metro, I noticed a guy jumped in after us and in seconds he started working on the zipper of my cargo pants, where I stored some money. I placed the bag in front of the pocket and looked him on the eye. He switched his place and a different man took his place. This man looked toward the previous one as another man on his other side made the gesture of zipping his coat breast pocket up and down (where I stored our passports!). They looked like very ordinary people. Unfortunate for them and luckily for us, we got off the metro at the next station. It was kind of entertaining.
Luckily, I pay attention to my surroundings and grew up in Turkey where these kinds of things happened to anyone, not just to tourists. On the way back home, we met a young Italian couple, who lived in Rome. I asked if these pickpockets are problems for locals or just for the tourists. They said that there weren't really as many of them and they were not a problem for Italians, only for the tourists. Interesting! Obviously, we did not have any problems until we had that Ferrari bag in our hands. So the best way to avoid pickpockets is to act like locals (although my Nikon is a big give away!!).
5. Italians seem to be more entrepreneurial and service oriented than Spanish.
6. Food in Rome is much more expensive than Valencia (maybe even Barcelona).
7. We have not noticed as many environmentally conscious ads in Rome as we do here.
8. Cultural, artistic, and scientific genius in Rome is overwhelmingly abundant. Existing structures and works of arts from Rome's ancient and artistic history are definitely much richer than any place I have visited so far. After all, the Romans invaded many other places and brought their culture to those places.
9. There aren’t as many ATM machines in Rome as in Spain, so don’t be left without any cash in far off places even within the city limits.
The Vatican Museums were 44 euros per person for 4-hour tour. Every penny spent on this tour was worth it. Our guide (who was associated with the oldest university in Rome, La Sapienza) was very knowledgeable and we learned about the juicy details that we couldn't if we did this on our own. We also ended up getting a private tour of St. Peter's Basilica because no one else had signed up for the additional hour (which was 5 euros more). With the guided tour, we were able to see all the important parts of the museums (which would take us longer to find) and have all our questions answered, and still had the flexibility to continue visiting the rest of the museum all day long if we wanted.
The price for a Colosseum ticket, which included the Palatine, was 13 euros per person. While I was picking up my tickets, I asked for the Domus Aurea, Nero's golden palace. I had not heard about this article before because apparently, it has been opened to public 6 months ago and I am not sure if it will be open forever due to some preservation problems. During our visit to Vatican, the guide kept mentioning about so many pieces removed from Domus Aurea to build something else; I became somewhat curious. By our luck, they had tickets available for the afternoon tour (only about 12 people are allowed each tour; another American couple said they tried the day before but it was all booked). I think we were lucky because it was not tourist season, yet.
The worst thing happened: my digital camera became temperamental and for half of the trip, I could not take pictures or I could only take blurry ones - well, I hope that is the worst kind of thing would during any of my trips...
The weather was wonderful except a little bit of sprinkle on the day we visited Colosseum. Later, in the morning, the sun came out again. Everyday, it was pleasantly cool so walking long distances did not bother us. We did not pack anything heavy, just a couple pairs of pants, shirts, and our fleece coats. This way, we traveled with our backpacks and did not have to pay Ryan Air for luggage fees.
Even though it is hard to tell from the maps, the distances within the city of Rome and Vatican City were unbelievably walkable. We divided the whole area of interest into 2 parts: west/north and east/south. We finished the W/N on the first day and E/S on the second day.
Let's begin with some superficial (which is what you get in 3 days) cultural observations and comparisons to Spanish:
1. Most people, especially police, in Rome could communicate in English (which is rare in most parts of Spain, even in the big cities).
2. Roman police seemed much more approachable and friendly than the Spanish.
3. Food is more interesting in Spain - maybe it is more original for us because we find Italian food in USA. However, pizza is definitely better in Italy than in USA in my opinion. Our lasagna expert, Dilara, adds that lasagna in Rome is #2 among all the places she has eaten (#1 is still the Helleland's).
In the mornings, we ate the breakfast at the hotel. For lunch, we tried different local restaurants and mostly ate pizza and lasagna. In the evenings, we were so tired from walking, we knew that if we stopped some place to eat, we could not have the stamina to get ourselves back to the hotel, so we ate both dinners at the hotel's restaurant - Rossini, which was quite exquisite. One evening I tried seafood Gnocchi; it was incredibly delicious.
4. There are way too many beggars, street vendors and muggers in Rome than in Spain. The police walks among them but they probably cannot do anything about it.
The last evening of our visit, we strolled the Via Condotti where all the expensive stores are located. For Dilara, we found a pair of Puma shoes on sale at the Ferrari store (Puma makes clothing for Ferrari). She had worn these kinds of shoes before and they were extremely comfortable. Afterwards, we took the metro to our hotel. When we got on the metro, I noticed a guy jumped in after us and in seconds he started working on the zipper of my cargo pants, where I stored some money. I placed the bag in front of the pocket and looked him on the eye. He switched his place and a different man took his place. This man looked toward the previous one as another man on his other side made the gesture of zipping his coat breast pocket up and down (where I stored our passports!). They looked like very ordinary people. Unfortunate for them and luckily for us, we got off the metro at the next station. It was kind of entertaining.
Luckily, I pay attention to my surroundings and grew up in Turkey where these kinds of things happened to anyone, not just to tourists. On the way back home, we met a young Italian couple, who lived in Rome. I asked if these pickpockets are problems for locals or just for the tourists. They said that there weren't really as many of them and they were not a problem for Italians, only for the tourists. Interesting! Obviously, we did not have any problems until we had that Ferrari bag in our hands. So the best way to avoid pickpockets is to act like locals (although my Nikon is a big give away!!).
5. Italians seem to be more entrepreneurial and service oriented than Spanish.
6. Food in Rome is much more expensive than Valencia (maybe even Barcelona).
7. We have not noticed as many environmentally conscious ads in Rome as we do here.
8. Cultural, artistic, and scientific genius in Rome is overwhelmingly abundant. Existing structures and works of arts from Rome's ancient and artistic history are definitely much richer than any place I have visited so far. After all, the Romans invaded many other places and brought their culture to those places.
9. There aren’t as many ATM machines in Rome as in Spain, so don’t be left without any cash in far off places even within the city limits.
Some traffic mishaps
The blond lady in the middle hit the policeman who was helping with the pedestrian crossing in front of the Vatican Museums. The taxi driver had warned us to watch for the traffic while crossing the streets - even during the green lights to pedestrians.
The scene is right by the Colosseum near by the Arch of Constantine. The police who was attending the incident got a little upset with me for taking this photo. Both rear tires on this car were flat - a freak coincidence?This is what most importantly we planned and accomplished during our visit:
1. Turned the Bernini and other Rome landmarks mentioned in the Dan Brown’s book "Angels and Demons" into a treasure hunt (A&D) and found all of them on the first day of our visit.
2. Visited 4 major basilicas of Rome: St. Peter's in Vatican, San Giovanni in Laterano, San Paolo Fuori le Mura and San Maria Maggiore.
3. Saw some beautiful Bernini masterpieces.
4. Learned about Ancient Roman life.
5. Climbed the Dome of the St. Peter's Basilica.
What I would want to do the next time around:
1. Visit Tivoli (Villa Deste)
2. The island of Tiberina
3. The University La Sapienza
4. Spend longer time in the Vatican Museums
5. Read about the Sistine Chapel frescos and visit afterwards
6. Visit villas and Ostea Antica outside the city limits of Rome.
The Itinerary:
Day 1 - February 26, 2008:
- We woke up at 7 am, had breakfast and left the hotel at 8:30 am and took the metro to visit Vatican Museums at 9:30.
1. Turned the Bernini and other Rome landmarks mentioned in the Dan Brown’s book "Angels and Demons" into a treasure hunt (A&D) and found all of them on the first day of our visit.
2. Visited 4 major basilicas of Rome: St. Peter's in Vatican, San Giovanni in Laterano, San Paolo Fuori le Mura and San Maria Maggiore.
3. Saw some beautiful Bernini masterpieces.
4. Learned about Ancient Roman life.
5. Climbed the Dome of the St. Peter's Basilica.
What I would want to do the next time around:
1. Visit Tivoli (Villa Deste)
2. The island of Tiberina
3. The University La Sapienza
4. Spend longer time in the Vatican Museums
5. Read about the Sistine Chapel frescos and visit afterwards
6. Visit villas and Ostea Antica outside the city limits of Rome.
The Itinerary:
Day 1 - February 26, 2008:
- We woke up at 7 am, had breakfast and left the hotel at 8:30 am and took the metro to visit Vatican Museums at 9:30.
We met our tour guide right across from the museum entrance. She first took us around the entrance area,
Square Garden, Cortile Ottagono and Cortile della Pigna. Making our way towards the Sistine Chapel, we visited some of the rooms including Pio-Clementine Museum (animal room and gallery of muses was interesting – the Urania (astronomy) holding the globe reminded me of Madonna in Montserrat; again and again, I see the examples of how all the religions are influenced by each other.), Estruscan Museum, Vase Collection, Biga Room, Gallery of the Candelabra, Gallery of Tapestries (some amazingly beautiful and detailed tapestries, mostly by Flemish artists, were displayed on the walls of this room; apparently, some of them took as long as 15 years to complete!), Gallery of Maps (Yunus’s favorite), Gallery of St Pius V, Sobieski Room (Liberation of Vienna by Jan Matejko was interesting), Room of Immaculate Conception, Rapheal’s Stanze (finding the famous philosophers in the School of Athens was fun), Sala di Constantino (it was interesting to learn about the process of Constantine’s legitimizing Christianity in Roman world) Borgia Apartment (this was interesting for us because of its reminiscence of the Borja Ducal Palace in Gandia), Collection of Modern Religious Art and ended our museum journey with the famous Sistine Chapel (A&D). So this was where the famous meeting of the Cardinals was held to elect the new Pope. In the chapel, we were instructed to be quite, but with so many people in one room, it was nearly impossible; so the staff kept shushing people. For this reason, our guide explained the details of this room in the Room of the Maps. I also noticed some people using mirrors to study the ceiling – I would never thought of that; if you have a neck problem, it is good idea to bring one to investigate the art work for an extended period of time. Because I lack knowledge in art appreciation, I could not tell why the Michelangelo’s frescos were so special and famous; however, I admit they were incredibly beautiful, inspiring (especially God Creates Adam) and so vivid.
- From here we split with our group and moved to the St. Peter's Basilica, which was beautiful and filled with incredible amount of artwork. The Vatican was built on the grounds of circus of Nero. A part of the basilica stands over this area. St. Peter’s grave is believed to be on these grounds. An archeological excavation surfaced a writing that read “Peter was here,” which gave a further evidence to this assertion.
Holy Door
Holy Door
Michelangelo was only 24 when he designed the Pieta! Just the thought of being able create (let alone at age 24) such beauty gave me goose bumps. It was displayed behind a bullet-proof shield after a vandalism attempt that destroyed the sculpture's nose.- After saying goodbye to our lovely tour guide, we took the elevator halfway to the Michelangelo’s Dome, which thankfully helped us to skip 200 some steps. After the elevator, we continued walking up 330 steps.
- Found the Bernini bloques on the floor of the Piazza San Pietro and around the obelisk (A&D, West Ponente - element Wind). We also saw the famous Swiss Guard in their interesting costumes!
- Ate lunch at one of the street restaurants on Via Borgo. The food was reasonably priced and good quality.
- Walk to Castelo San Angelo (A&D): We did not enter because the line was too long for what's worth of it inside - just imagined the Emperor Hadrian's ambitions to built a castle as his tomb (117-138). Our famous Borja the Pope had apparently restored the castle. The guide at the Vatican mentioned that it was also used as a refuge for the Popes during turmoils.
- Crossed the Ponte Umberto Bridge in front of the Palazzo di Guistizia.
- Walked to the Piazza Navona and found the Bernini's architectural as well as sculptural masterpiece the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata). It was under construction so we could not see up close all the details (A&D element Water).
- Visited the Church of St. Agnese in Agone (the façade of this church was built by the Bernini’s student and rival) and the Fountain of the Moor and the Neptune.
- Walked towards Campo di Fiori but for some reason, we could not find it even though it seemed pretty obvious on the map. This is something I realized during our walks: the distances seem much farther on the map than they actually are and you keep walking thinking that what you are looking for is still a long ways away. Anyways, we did not really look too hard because we were more anxious to see the Pantheon.
- We watched a guard exchange at the Palazzo Madama (the house of the Senate of the Italian Republic).
- Walk to Castelo San Angelo (A&D): We did not enter because the line was too long for what's worth of it inside - just imagined the Emperor Hadrian's ambitions to built a castle as his tomb (117-138). Our famous Borja the Pope had apparently restored the castle. The guide at the Vatican mentioned that it was also used as a refuge for the Popes during turmoils.
- Crossed the Ponte Umberto Bridge in front of the Palazzo di Guistizia.
- Walked to the Piazza Navona and found the Bernini's architectural as well as sculptural masterpiece the Fountain of the Four Rivers (Nile, Ganges, Danube and Rio de la Plata). It was under construction so we could not see up close all the details (A&D element Water).
- Visited the Church of St. Agnese in Agone (the façade of this church was built by the Bernini’s student and rival) and the Fountain of the Moor and the Neptune.
- Walked towards Campo di Fiori but for some reason, we could not find it even though it seemed pretty obvious on the map. This is something I realized during our walks: the distances seem much farther on the map than they actually are and you keep walking thinking that what you are looking for is still a long ways away. Anyways, we did not really look too hard because we were more anxious to see the Pantheon.
- We watched a guard exchange at the Palazzo Madama (the house of the Senate of the Italian Republic).
- Visited the Pantheon, the best-preserved ancient Roman monumental building. It is amazing how they built a perfect spherical dome with an exact circular opening in the 1st century BC. However, later we heard that the Nero's Domus Aurea's architects experimented with building the circular dome, and the Parthenon is suggested to be inspired by these works. As for most people, we were curious about the opening whether it had some Plexiglas cover or similar because how did they get rid off the water from the rain? Apparently, opening is not covered and the rainwater is drained through the small holes (total of 22) on the marble flooring. It was possible to imagine “dropping a body” through the 29 ft (8.7 m) diameter opening just as A&D heroine Vittoria suggests. Here we also found the Rafael's tomb, another mention in the A&D.
Outside at the Piazza della Rotonda, we saw the Fountain of the Pantheon by Giacomo della Porta and Leonardo Sormani (1575), mask with dolphins by Simone Moschino (1575) and the rock work by Vincenzo Felici (1711). Also near by at the Piazza della Minerva was the Bernini’s cute elephant sculpture.
Outside at the Piazza della Rotonda, we saw the Fountain of the Pantheon by Giacomo della Porta and Leonardo Sormani (1575), mask with dolphins by Simone Moschino (1575) and the rock work by Vincenzo Felici (1711). Also near by at the Piazza della Minerva was the Bernini’s cute elephant sculpture.
Rafael's resting place
- Walked to the Piazza del Popolo passing Palazzo Chigi (the building where Italian Council of Ministers meet), Palazzo Montecitorio (the seat of the lower house of the parliament), Mausoleo Augusto and Ara Pacis, which we did not visit inside.
- Found the Chigi Chapel (Capella della Terra) in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which housed the Bernini’s Habakkuk, the Angel, Daniel and the Lion (A&D element Earth).
- Found the Chigi Chapel (Capella della Terra) in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, which housed the Bernini’s Habakkuk, the Angel, Daniel and the Lion (A&D element Earth).
- From there we walked to the Piazza Spagna passing the Fountain of the Babuino with the strange looking sculpture in the Via del Babuino. At the Piazza Spagna, we saw a Spanish flag hanging from one of the buildings; we wondered if it was the Spanish Embassy.
We climbed the steps and saw the Villa Medici, which currently houses the French School of Arts (maybe that's where Allis studied when she was in Italy). In the Piazza, the father Bernini's Fountain of Barcaccia (1623-1644) stood. Further up from here was the Piazza Mignanelli.
We climbed the steps and saw the Villa Medici, which currently houses the French School of Arts (maybe that's where Allis studied when she was in Italy). In the Piazza, the father Bernini's Fountain of Barcaccia (1623-1644) stood. Further up from here was the Piazza Mignanelli.
Villa Medici from the top of the Spanish steps- Bought some roasted chestnuts - we ate lots and lots of chestnuts in Rome; they were much better quality than the ones we get in Valencia.
- Continued to walk through Via Vittorio Veneto and Via del Triton towards the Fountain di Trevi. It was the most crowded area that we had encountered the whole day. As in the movies and the pictures, the fountain is incredibly magnificent. Its building began in 1732 by Nicola Salvi and finished by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. And no, we did not throw any money in it! I don't think it was worth fighting the crowd for it.
- Continued to walk through Via Vittorio Veneto and Via del Triton towards the Fountain di Trevi. It was the most crowded area that we had encountered the whole day. As in the movies and the pictures, the fountain is incredibly magnificent. Its building began in 1732 by Nicola Salvi and finished by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762. And no, we did not throw any money in it! I don't think it was worth fighting the crowd for it.
- Right across the street from the fountain, we found a Benetton store and bought a pair of jeans for Dilara since she grew out of her older ones and we could not find the style that she likes in her size in Spain.
- We continued our walk towards the Church of San Maria della Vittoria (the same name as the A&D heroine) to find the final landmark mentioned in A&D. Climbing the Via Barberini, we arrived at the church where the Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa was located in the Cornaro Chapel (element Fire).
- We continued our walk towards the Church of San Maria della Vittoria (the same name as the A&D heroine) to find the final landmark mentioned in A&D. Climbing the Via Barberini, we arrived at the church where the Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa was located in the Cornaro Chapel (element Fire).
St. in the Cornaro Chapel (a common display of dead bodies of holy people)Finding the St. Theresa sculpture concluded our Day 1 adventure and around 7:30 pm, we headed towards our hotel for a good rest and dinner.
Day 2 - February 27, 2008
- Left the hotel at 8:30 am and took the metro to the Termini first and exchanged to Line B for the Colosseum (the metro system works in a cross in Rome Line A goes from SE to NW and Line B goes from SW to NE). When we got outside from the metro station, we found a light drizzle, which was not bothersome. We proceeded to the reserved tickets box, purchased our Domus Aurea tickets for the 12:40 tour while picking up the ones for the Colosseum and entered the Colosseum before our scheduled time 9:30 am (so get there earlier if you like). The first of its kind in size and building materials used, this colosseum looked incredibly magnificent. The site was originally a man-made pond, which Nero’s Domus Aurea overlooked.
Day 2 - February 27, 2008
- Left the hotel at 8:30 am and took the metro to the Termini first and exchanged to Line B for the Colosseum (the metro system works in a cross in Rome Line A goes from SE to NW and Line B goes from SW to NE). When we got outside from the metro station, we found a light drizzle, which was not bothersome. We proceeded to the reserved tickets box, purchased our Domus Aurea tickets for the 12:40 tour while picking up the ones for the Colosseum and entered the Colosseum before our scheduled time 9:30 am (so get there earlier if you like). The first of its kind in size and building materials used, this colosseum looked incredibly magnificent. The site was originally a man-made pond, which Nero’s Domus Aurea overlooked.
This must be where Nero's colossal statue used to be- From there, we walked to the Palatine Hills and the Museum. It was interesting to learn about the lives of Romulus and the ancient Romans.
Palace of Septimius Severus
Domus Flavia
Palatine Museum
Huts of Romulus
Stadium of Domitian Palace- We came down to the Roman Forum from there and walked along the ancient ruins. The story of the Vestal Virgins was quite fascinating. Vesta was the goddess of fire, which was among one of the many gods and goddess the ancient Romans worshiped. Some girls at ages between 6 and 10 would be selected to become the priests of Vesta, the keepers of the eternal fire. Letting the fire die out would be severely punished by beating or scourging by the highest priest. Losing their virginity was even a higher crime so the punisment would be being buried alive. According to the mythology, Romulus and Remus, fathered by Mars, were born to one of these virgins. Maybe that's how they had to be raised by a wolf for their mother might have been punished by death.
Arco di Tito
Antiquarium Forense from Colosseum
House of the Vestal Virgins from Palatine
Temple of Antoninus and Faustina
Basilica of Maxentius
Arco di Septimius Severus
Curia Julia- After the Roman Forum, we walked out towards the Capitoline Hill and the Museums. We did not visit the museums here; instead we walked towards the Piazza Boca della Verita.
Santa Maria in Aracoeli
- At the Piazza Boca della Verita in the Forum Boarium, we saw the Carlo Bizzacheri's Fountain of Tritons (1717) and the cylindrical Temple of Vesta (where the culprit virgin priests were whipped).
- Across from the fountain was the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. This church was quite interesting because it was evident from the walls and columns that it was built using an ancient Roman temple. At the entrance of the church on the right-side wall was the famous mask Boca della Verita. This mask was the only reason we had walked to this area. According to the legend, anyone who told a lie while his/her hand stuck inside the mouth would have it bitten off. Obviously, we were OK!
- From here, we walked back towards the Colosseum to meet our tour for the Domus Aurea.
Circo Massimo
Arco di Constantino- Domus Aurea was one of my favorite visits of this entire trip. After this visit, I understood why Nero was the most hated Roman emperor and why they tried to systematically remove his memory from their history. It is suspected that Nero started the Great Fire of Rome in 64 BC. After the fire, instead of helping the Romans to rebuild their homes, Nero took over the land and built his golden palace, Domus Aurea, which helped to confirm these suspicions. The archeological digs discovered the flooring of Roman houses that preceded the palace. This palace is considered to be one of the greatest examples of Roman architectural and engineering genius.
After Nero’s death, the Trajans built some walls within the palace and filled it with rubles to bury. Above the palace, they built their baths.
During our visit, we met a couple from Austin, Texas (whose daughter and son-in-law would be graduating from medical school this summer and the husband was based in Yalova, Turkey during his military service with US Army; they recently traveled some archeological sites in Turkey), and an American college student (who was doing a study abroad program in German and philosophy with the University of Heidelberg in Germany). Being done with their trip, the Texan couple gave us their fancy laminated map, which was more informative than our hotel acquired one.
After Nero’s death, the Trajans built some walls within the palace and filled it with rubles to bury. Above the palace, they built their baths.
During our visit, we met a couple from Austin, Texas (whose daughter and son-in-law would be graduating from medical school this summer and the husband was based in Yalova, Turkey during his military service with US Army; they recently traveled some archeological sites in Turkey), and an American college student (who was doing a study abroad program in German and philosophy with the University of Heidelberg in Germany). Being done with their trip, the Texan couple gave us their fancy laminated map, which was more informative than our hotel acquired one.
Painstakingly restoring the frescos
Here is the ground below the palace's floor (tile flooring belonging to one of the homes burnt during the fire)
Still work in progress
Trajan baths- After the visit, I was curious to check out the Trajan baths above the palace. Well, not much was left of them and the rest of the place looked like a park occupied with some suspicious characters.
- We ate lunch at a restaurant called Pizza Forum, which was kitty corner from the Domus and Colosseum. This was also a reasonably priced and good quality food restaurant. Since Yunus and Dilara are not the greatly fond of unfamiliar sandwich selections, we did not try the street vendor sandwiches, which looked quite delicious to me.
- After the lunch we walked to the Baths of Caracalla. This was also an interesting site for there were areas of well-preserved tile floors and it provided a visual tool to imagine one of the ways the ancient Romans socialized. It was fascinating to learn how much they valued physical health.
- We ate lunch at a restaurant called Pizza Forum, which was kitty corner from the Domus and Colosseum. This was also a reasonably priced and good quality food restaurant. Since Yunus and Dilara are not the greatly fond of unfamiliar sandwich selections, we did not try the street vendor sandwiches, which looked quite delicious to me.
- After the lunch we walked to the Baths of Caracalla. This was also an interesting site for there were areas of well-preserved tile floors and it provided a visual tool to imagine one of the ways the ancient Romans socialized. It was fascinating to learn how much they valued physical health.
- After our visit to the baths, we asked the staff how to get to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. He told us that it would take 1 hour by walk; hence, we should walk back to Circo Massimo and take the bus. On the map, it did not look that far and he might have underestimated our ability in mileage coverage so we decided to walk. It took us about 20 minutes to reach the Piazza San Giovanni and the Giardini di Porta San Giovanni; it was not that tiresome at all. The Fountain of the Lateran Obelisk by Domenico Fontana (1607) at the piazza was also under maintenance.
Maybe not as much as the St Peter's but San Giovanni was also pretty impressive. The facade of the main entrance was designed by Alessandro Galilei (1732-1735) and was quite remarkable. This was the first extraordinary landmark we had noticed on our way to the hotel after arriving Rome.
During our visit to the basilica, a service in English was in process and the choir sang some hymns in English. On the same day, the Pope also addressed the crowd at the St Peter's Square but we could not go there to see it for we had the reservation for the Colosseum at the same time.
Maybe not as much as the St Peter's but San Giovanni was also pretty impressive. The facade of the main entrance was designed by Alessandro Galilei (1732-1735) and was quite remarkable. This was the first extraordinary landmark we had noticed on our way to the hotel after arriving Rome.
During our visit to the basilica, a service in English was in process and the choir sang some hymns in English. On the same day, the Pope also addressed the crowd at the St Peter's Square but we could not go there to see it for we had the reservation for the Colosseum at the same time.
Note the eye, triangle and sun
- Across from the Basilica were the Holy Staircases and Chapel of the Popes. We watched the people climb the stairs on their knees while praying. We joined them and climbed to the high altar on our knees.
Image of Christ- We continued walking on the Via Merulana, which lined with many more churches and small gourmet food stores.
- We arrived at the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore with a fountain by Carlo Maderno and a bronze statue by Guillaume Berthelot. One of four major basilicas of Rome, this one also was full of artistic masterpieces. Dedicated to Virgin Mary, this Basilica houses the highest bell tower in Rome.
- We arrived at the Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore with a fountain by Carlo Maderno and a bronze statue by Guillaume Berthelot. One of four major basilicas of Rome, this one also was full of artistic masterpieces. Dedicated to Virgin Mary, this Basilica houses the highest bell tower in Rome.
- From here, we walked to the Piazza della Republica near by Stazione Termini, passing Teatro del Opera in the Piazza B Gigli. Here we saw the Fountain of the Naiads by Mario Rutelli (1901). The piazza was surrounded by two similar looking building groups forming a half circle with Santa Maria degli Angeli across from them.
- We took the metro from here to the Piazza Spagna to visit the Via Condotti. This was where we bought Dilara's Puma shoes and ate lots more roasted chestnuts.
- Already exhausted from a long day, we took the metro back to our hotel and had the famous pick-pocketing incident.
- We again finished the day with eating at the hotel’s restaurant.
Day 3 - February 28, 2008:
- We again woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast and left the hotel at 8:15 am for our 9 am reservation at the Borghese Gallery. To get to the gallery, we walked through the Villa Borghese gardens. This garden was also filled with some impressive sculptures and fountains. The people were taking a morning stroll at the park.
- We took the metro from here to the Piazza Spagna to visit the Via Condotti. This was where we bought Dilara's Puma shoes and ate lots more roasted chestnuts.
- Already exhausted from a long day, we took the metro back to our hotel and had the famous pick-pocketing incident.
- We again finished the day with eating at the hotel’s restaurant.
Day 3 - February 28, 2008:
- We again woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast and left the hotel at 8:15 am for our 9 am reservation at the Borghese Gallery. To get to the gallery, we walked through the Villa Borghese gardens. This garden was also filled with some impressive sculptures and fountains. The people were taking a morning stroll at the park.
The GardensThe gallery housed some important Bernini sculptures including the artist’s self-portraits and some Caravaggio paintings as well as art works of some other important artists such as Botticelli and Bruegel the elder. For me, the first floor of the gallery held more interesting works of art than the upper floor. Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne (with its incredibly delicate tree leaves made of marble) and Pluto and Proserpina were my favorite articles. Every time I see one of his sculptures, I am awed by Bernini’s artistic genius. The expressions and details in his work are mind-boggling. The kids and I studied Bernini’s David to compare it with the Michelangelo’s David when we visit Accademia in Florence.
The reservation to this gallery is only for 2 hours and after that you are out. In short, the visit to this gallery was well worth it.
- Well, since we finished my itinerary 1 day before, we had the time to do some more sight seeing that we had not planned. To make the most of it we decided to get a day pass for the public transportation and travel to farther distances.
From the gallery, we walked to the Piazza Spagna, had a bite at the Caffe Greco on the Via Condotti and ate some more chestnuts!
- From here, we took metro to San Giovanni station and transferred to a bus to visit Appia Antica. The road was old fashioned and surrounded by many ancient ruins and open fields with farm animals.
- We got off the bus at Catacombs of San Callisto. It was interesting to see how they buried their dead during early Christianity in Rome. They called their final resting place cemetery, which meant dormitory in Greek; hence, they laid their dead vertically on a piece of white cloth. The Christians regarded death not as an end but as a resting period before being awakened by Jesus at the Judgment Day. The Romans buried their dead in necropolises, which meant the city of the dead.
During the early years of Christianity in Rome, people were not allowed to practice their religion freely so they came to these burial places to worship and hold services, which some still continue. Apparently, nearly 500,000 Christians including 16 bishops and all the 3rd century Popes were buried here. The sizes of the tombs were interesting to note because some were tiny for they held babies.
- From here, we took the bus back to San Giovanni and took the metro again to visit the Pyramid of Cestius. Influenced by the Egyptian trend, apparently Cestius had this structure build as his tomb in 16th or 12th BC and took about a year to complete. I am not sure about its historical importance but I would not make a special trip for this piece. Luckily, it was on our way, right outside the metro station and we did not have to make any effort to find it.
- We hopped on the metro again and went to Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. This basilica was founded by Constantine and suggested to be Paul’s burial place.
- From here we took the metro and returned to the Vatican to find a puzzle that Dilara wanted and we could not see any other places we visited. We bought a 2000 piece puzzle of St. Peter’s Square with the basilica.The reservation to this gallery is only for 2 hours and after that you are out. In short, the visit to this gallery was well worth it.
- Well, since we finished my itinerary 1 day before, we had the time to do some more sight seeing that we had not planned. To make the most of it we decided to get a day pass for the public transportation and travel to farther distances.
From the gallery, we walked to the Piazza Spagna, had a bite at the Caffe Greco on the Via Condotti and ate some more chestnuts!
- From here, we took metro to San Giovanni station and transferred to a bus to visit Appia Antica. The road was old fashioned and surrounded by many ancient ruins and open fields with farm animals.
- We got off the bus at Catacombs of San Callisto. It was interesting to see how they buried their dead during early Christianity in Rome. They called their final resting place cemetery, which meant dormitory in Greek; hence, they laid their dead vertically on a piece of white cloth. The Christians regarded death not as an end but as a resting period before being awakened by Jesus at the Judgment Day. The Romans buried their dead in necropolises, which meant the city of the dead.
During the early years of Christianity in Rome, people were not allowed to practice their religion freely so they came to these burial places to worship and hold services, which some still continue. Apparently, nearly 500,000 Christians including 16 bishops and all the 3rd century Popes were buried here. The sizes of the tombs were interesting to note because some were tiny for they held babies.
- From here, we took the bus back to San Giovanni and took the metro again to visit the Pyramid of Cestius. Influenced by the Egyptian trend, apparently Cestius had this structure build as his tomb in 16th or 12th BC and took about a year to complete. I am not sure about its historical importance but I would not make a special trip for this piece. Luckily, it was on our way, right outside the metro station and we did not have to make any effort to find it.
- We hopped on the metro again and went to Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura. This basilica was founded by Constantine and suggested to be Paul’s burial place.
The puzzle in 5 days (completed in 10 days, sky took us as long as this much)- By that time, we got hungry and also needed to hurry to collect our bags at the hotel and head towards the airport. We entered the first restaurant we saw (at the corner of Via dei Corridori and Via Orfeo; also had a gift shop in it) ordered food without checking the prices. The waiter was exactly the kind of persons Rick Steves describes in his website – talking you to buy things and ignoring to bring back the change after paying the bill. Anyways, we are not going to let one bad experience ruin the rest of our great time; however, we are not going back there ever again.
- Afterwards, we rushed to the metro station and head towards our hotel. In the morning before we left, we were told to leave our bags in the room and they arranged the taxi to take us back to the airport.
- We left hotel around 4 o’clock for our 7 o’clock flight back to Valencia. On our way, we noticed more works of arts including the Four Fountains by Domenico Fontana: the Tiber, Fortitude, Fidelity and Nile next to the Church of San Carlino by the Piazza del Quirinale.
We have probably seen many more works of arts without knowing their importance. In Rome, everywhere you turn your head there is some thing phenomenal stands. Possibly to the locals these objects are background banalities passed by unnoticed everyday…
- Afterwards, we rushed to the metro station and head towards our hotel. In the morning before we left, we were told to leave our bags in the room and they arranged the taxi to take us back to the airport.
- We left hotel around 4 o’clock for our 7 o’clock flight back to Valencia. On our way, we noticed more works of arts including the Four Fountains by Domenico Fontana: the Tiber, Fortitude, Fidelity and Nile next to the Church of San Carlino by the Piazza del Quirinale.
We have probably seen many more works of arts without knowing their importance. In Rome, everywhere you turn your head there is some thing phenomenal stands. Possibly to the locals these objects are background banalities passed by unnoticed everyday…
An ordinary office building!
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