Ever since I was a little girl I have been obsessed with Roman and Greek cultures. Hercules is still one of my favorite Disney movies, and while I’m pretty sure that movie was supposed to be based on the Greek Hercules, he was still a big hero to the Romans. Gladiator is still one of my favorite movies to watch with my dad. As I got older, I have to admit that I started to romanticize Italy. Everything I had heard about Italy was a grown woman’s fairy tale. Grape vineyards, beautiful countryside, good-looking Italian men, breathtaking architecture, and an incredible history were just a few of the things calling my name before I had even left the States. I mean, Shakespeare was even inspired enough to chose Italian cities as the backdrop of some of his most famous plays. Saying that, I don’t feel like the hype which Italy received was all on me. Which is why I am not taking the blame for the somewhat mediocre time I had there. Maybe I did have Rome put up on a pedestal and if that’s the reason why I found it somewhat lacking then let me make myself clear when I say that I have learned my lesson. I no longer have any expectations for the cities I visit. Maybe if I had felt that way before Rome, it would have been a little better.
In short, the city was kind of dirty and there were homeless people everywhere. The architecture was only pretty around touristy sights. Even though the city in its majority was a little lacking, I can say that the Trevi Fountain was breathtaking. I threw two coins in. Tradition says that you can throw three in but that can be bad luck. I’ll explain. One is so that you’ll come back. Another is to meet someone new (that’s not ambiguous at all) and the last is to either get married or divorced. How I understood it was that if you were already married it meant that you already had that special someone and the only thing you could possibly want is to return to Rome one day, but if you threw in an extra it meant that maybe you weren’t so happy and the wishes would take care of that for you by giving you a divorce (haha). So like I said, I threw in two coins. One, so I would return to Rome one day (and hopefully have a better experience) and another in hopes of meeting someone new. I currently had no desire to throw in a coin for that last wish and thought it best not to tempt fate : )
I have to admit that the Pantheon was very cool. You definitely felt like you were in a different time when you walked in. People don’t just makes building like that for the heck of it these days. The Coliseum also gave off that affect. Times ten. We walked out of the metro thinking it would take us a minute to find it and walk to it but we were mistaken. As soon as we excited the metro and walked onto the street, there it was staring us in the face. It was incredible! Just imagining the things that took place there and the people that witnessed it was enough to give me chills. It was sad to think about how such a great monument had somehow become a ruin. Half of the top layer of walls had fallen down and all of the columns were eroded. Still, the only things that took away from the experience were the cars passing literally 30 yards away and the metal bars surrounding it. We didn’t get to go in but I’m sort of glad we didn’t. It keeps some of the mystery alive for me.
The coolest thing about Rome wasn’t even technically Roman. It was the Vatican City. Fun fact: The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is also the country where the Pope resides which is surrounded by Rome on all sides. Rocio, Jensen, and I took a tour of the museum which was incredible. I’ve never seen so many works of art and important pieces of history in one place. Michael Angelo is definitely my top respected artist. He had multiple Popes wrapped around his finger. He was just that good. I mean, the man drew naked people on the ceilings of this sacred place and they paid him for it! That’s impressive. When I was younger, pictures of the Sistine Chapel just looked like this ugly jumbled mess to me. Now, after seeing it, I can see just what a genius Angelo was. Every single object, person, and color represents something. Our tour guide told us an interesting story. He said that an adviser to the Pope, who had commissioned Angelo to do the Sistine Chapel, complained about the nudity and tried to have Angelo fired. When Angelo found out, he painted the adviser's face on one of the people he had placed in his depiction of Hell. I have a feeling Angelo was a funny guy = P
Saint Peter’s Basilica was stunning to say the least. However, I did feel a little sacrilegious going inside and taking photos. I’m not Catholic or anything but it still seemed a little weird. The basilica was really high on my list of things to see while we were in Rome, or should I say the Vatican, but after I found out what it was made of I was a little heartbroken. Our tour guide informed us that when Pope something something decided to have the basilica built, he ran out of money. That was when priests began charging money in exchange for forgiveness. Then to lighten the costs even further, the Pope ordered that they were to remove all of the marble from the Coliseum and use it to make cement for the marble columns that were to go inside the basilica. So when you watch Gladiator and you see that the Coliseum is all pretty and white, don’t think it’s a lie. It really was that stunning when the gladiators fought and the Romans watched. Just know that you can thank Pope What’s His Face for the reason it doesn’t look like that anymore.
The most important and best thing about Rome was the food. It was great everywhere we went. It was better than great, it was amazing! And if I never have crappy Pizza Hut pizza again for as long as I live, I’ll be okay because at least I can say I’ve had the best and that’s Italian pizza.
All in all, my trip was worth it because I got to see some of the greatest monuments of all time. I just wish the Italian men hadn’t been so creepy, that the homeless hadn’t been so scary, and that the old men had kept their hands to themselves. That’s all I’m going to say. Ciao!
Kaitlin
No comments:
Post a Comment