Day 3: Roma
Today we learned why Italians are so happy. They get to have Nutella and fresh bread for breakfast everyday. You would be in a good mood too if you had this instead of Bran Flakes to start your day.
We got a late start due to a late evening walk throughout Rome yesterday. We started around eleven and took the subway to the Spanish Steps. The name of today’s blog post starts after this subway ride as we pretty much continuously walked around Rome and all of its sights for the next seven hours. Seriously. We sat down for about a forty-five minute lunch that was surprisingly leisurely, but the rest of the day was on the go. Beth and I are thinking this trip will help to keep our school legs in shape—we both do quite a bit of walking around the classroom during the school year.
The Spanish Steps was a pretty hefty start to our long day of walking. It’s good we put it at the beginning. At the top we saw yet another beautiful church where details were again not forgotten. So far Europeans clearly know how to decorate their cities (1 pt Europe).
Beth and I agreed that the Trevi Fountain was our favorite site so far despite encountering the biggest crowds we have seen (see our pictures) and a police officer who would not let me put my feet in the fountain (side note from Beth – now that Jesse is drinking water from the fountains, she’s kind of unstoppable. The girl wants to put her feet in the fountain, dunk her head under water, swim some laps – thank goodness for the Italian police who blow their whistle at her when she goes too far.) Why was the Trevi Fountain so impressive to us?? Sheer size, detail, quantity of water, and if you throw a coin in it, you get to return to Rome some day. We’ll be back! After lunch in a side street café, we meandered down the Rodeo Drive of Rome. Gucci, Prada, La Perla, and Valentino were just a few of the windows we passed by. We noticed these were different from American fancy store windows because they placed front and center beautiful, yet fairly simple leather bags, dresses, and suits as opposed to products dripping with labels. Italians seem to be more conscious of quality and class over flashing a big name. We think this is why Europeans usually appear more fashionable and simple than their American counterparts. While this is not always true (we did come to understand the phrase “Euro-trash” last night) we do find ourselves constantly commenting on how beautiful many of the men and women of Rome are.
After window-shopping, we were caught with our noses pressed against the glass of a cute boutique we thought was closed. Our new, handsome, Lebanese designer friend, G, came and let us into his shop. It was full of beautiful and label free leather goods, unique jewelry, and interesting t-shirts. As we picked up many of the handbags and wallets, G said, “that one is my design, and it’s on sale!” I was hooked: kind eyes, well crafted leather goods, and a sale price? How could I resist??* G told us the story of his endeavors in the fashion industry. He’s worked his way from Rome to selling his goods in Switzerland and Prague, and he has a meeting tomorrow in Paris where, if all goes well they will sell in France. His genuine passion for his craft made me feel all the better about my purchase, and when G goes big I can say, I knew him when (I’m pretty sure he’s going to remember Beth and I as the two chatty Americans).
And now is the part in our story where Europe gets a point in our game. Today we visited the Pantheon…twice. As we were walking toward the Pantheon, we saw an awesome building/ruin and decided to wander in (with the crowd). There were several signs that said “Basilica di Santa Maria and Martyres”. We were impressed, took a short look around and then decided to continue on to the Pantheon. At this point, I said, “Could this be the Pantheon?” To which Beth replied, and I quickly agreed, “there would be a sign.” We wandered into the street and Beth pulled out the map (and by the way, Beth has earned many points for her mad map reading skillz throughout Rome…But, you can’t win ‘em all) and said to me “
Wait a minute, this is the Pantheon!” We then decided to go back in to appreciate the Pantheon and pay it the respect it deserves as the oldest most continuously functional building in Rome. Again, it’s pretty massive, made of huge amounts of marble and granite(note to Houston: build things out of marble and maybe it will survive longer and not have to be rebuilt after 30 years) and striking to look at. We both decided it would be really interesting to be inside the Pantheon when it rains due to the huge, and impressive, hole in the ceiling.We then hit up Piazza Navona and the Four Rivers Fountain. Another picturesque plaza perfect for socializing, eating gelato, and drinking wine with friends. Well-done Europe. We continued our stroll through Rome and toured the Mammertine Prison, which once held Peter and Paul. Great recommendation Mama Brey! Beth’s parents, like mine, have enjoyed Rome several times over the years and gave us some great tips on sites to see. ** I had never heard of this prison and was fascinated by our Italian tour guide’s description of this tiny and far less crowded archeological, historical, and spiritual site. In the last three years they uncovered several frescoes of Paul, Peter, and Jesus in the prison cell where Peter and Paul once stayed. The paintings were difficult to make out as there had been several layers painted over them throughout the years, but you could see faces in the chipped paint. There was also a small trickle of water in the bottom of the cell f
rom a subterranean river which prisoners could drink from and also had a Holy Grail status at one point in history. This was the smallest site we saw but rich in detail and fascinating history. (We are honest individuals and feel the need to inform you that this is also a location that earned Europe a point. We wandered through Rome’s streets to find this tiny treasure. Through our wanderings we reached a point where we needed a break and sat down on a bench to examine our map. After about five minutes of map reading (and wondering where this prison was!) I turned around and saw a small sign that said “Carcerate Mammertino”. I turned to Beth and said “Incarcerate…carcerate…that’s like a prison! Is this where we want to be??” She said, “Yes…yes, it is,” rolled her eyes, and we visited the prison.)Rick Steves did not mention Circus Maximus in his book (-1
point for Rick Steves) which up until this he has done nothing but guide us well. We hiked a decent distance around the Coliseum, Palantine Hill, and Roman Forum to see it and found what looked like a large field, about 200 yards long, with a drum circle and one tree. We are going to research this later on to find out the significance. Sorry Aunt Tara—you mentioned this as being cool and I forget why. Clearly it is important because in the middle of it there was a HUGE group of Chinese tourists. Our brilliant and kind hotel manager pointed us in the direction of a local, family owned eatery about two blocks away from our hotel. Beth and I agreed it was our best meal yet—fresh tomatoes, pasta, and good house wine. *** After dinner we enjoyed gelato on the piazza near our hotel. I know, gelato, huge surprise.
Our last full day in Rome proved to be a good one. Great characters, amazing food, and we agree that it was time, money, and ENERGY well spent. We’ll be coming back at some point in the (hopefully near) future. On to Firenze tomorrow via the train. We’ll check in with you then!
Ciao!
Beth and Jesse
*To this day I still regret not buying a leather bag in Hong Kong—Adele, if you are reading, you know this story and still carry the beautiful leather bag you bought to this day. Four summers ago on another adventure my dear friend Adele and I were whisked to the third floor of a back alley shop where they had beautiful leather goods. Adele bought a GREAT leather bag and I decided that I had spent enough money earlier in the day on an awesome pair of earrings that I truly love. I still regret not buying a bag. Today I bought a beautiful yellow and grey leather bag in Rome and believe I will sleep better because of it (the sleep might come easier because of the ten mile walk). Thanks, G.
**While this blog has been written from the “voice” of Jesse, Beth has sat beside me through the typing (and also typed a great deal of today’s blog herself because Jesse was temporarily paralyzed from the ten mile walk) of the entire blog. We discuss, edit, and construct the blog together. It is a culmination of both of our thoughts, reflections, and witty observations of the city and people of Rome. We are simply too exhausted to figure out how to make the blog in both of our voices simultaneously without being confusing.
***Beth would argue that I had too much wine at this fine establishment because (Beth is saying she is right, but I ultimately control the keyboard) I for a brief moment while in the restroom was pretty convinced there was a security camera filming the toilet area. After close examination I realized it was a burned out light bulb. Phew. I was about to deduct major points from Europe for being creepy.
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