Italy: Rome
Rome was our 6th stop in #FLeuro2016, my backpacking trip across Europe.
Rome was probably one of the most beautiful and artistic cities I visited during my trip. Like Greece, they were not the best at preserving historic sites, but they blew me away nonetheless.
The first thing we did when we arrived to Rome was get into contact with a family friend’s relative, Auntie Pansy, who has been living in Rome for over 30 years. She took us to eat some good pasta and recommended for us to take the metro to the Colosseum, which was nearby the restaurant.
We didn’t go inside the Colosseum because looking at it from the outside was nice enough. There were also a lot of tourists around and soldiers, as there were recent terrorist attacks in Paris a few months ago.
The next day, Fatima and I (tried) to wake up early to go to St. Peter’s Square, which was absolutely stunning. The square was decorated with luxurious fountains and high pillars and a beautiful open square.
Fatima’s family is Catholic so we actually spent some time looking around for a priest who would bless her souvenirs. I’m not Catholic so I had no idea but I was on the hunt for a man with a black collar. There were many nuns and priests who came to Rome to see the pope. Luckily it wasn’t a Sunday so there was no pope and we wouldn’t have to be quiet and surrounded by even more tourists.
We weren’t sure how to get inside the Vatican, so we ended up joining a half day tour and we are so glad we did. The Vatican museum and gardens were ginormous and there was so much art and history to take in that without a guide, it would have been a little too much and I would not know what pieces to focus on. There’s also a huge lineup if you’re not part of a tour group, so I would recommend joining one anyways. The tour guides speak excellent English, unlike most of the Italians in Rome. Please note that you do need to be wearing appropriate clothes to enter (cover your legs and shoulders).
The thing that blew me away the most inside the Vatican was definitely the Gallery of Maps, which is a hallway. Just one damn beautiful hallway filled with drawn maps of the world. The ceiling is decorated with hundreds of paintings and the light just made the hallway glow. For the first time in my life I thought yes, this is art. This is what it feels like.
The next day, we met up with Auntie Pansy again, who took us to her country club where we enjoyed some sandwiches and a pool. The Italians are very strict about wearing a swimming camp in the pool, so there’s that little nugget of info for you.
Afterwards, Fatima and I went to see the Trevi fountain, where my inner 13-year-old self couldn’t stop singing Lizzie McQuire’s “Hey now, hey now this is where dreams are made of” song. We tossed our coin in so hopefully we will return to Rome again!
Rome’s art and culture was off the charts and I was so happy to have seen some historic art pieces with my own eye- including the famous one where god and man touch fingers recreated by memes.
If you are Catholic, I think this is an especially meaningful place for you to visit (if you care about your religion). Even for a non-Catholic, it was fun and interesting to see and learn. Pope Francis is cool too.
Sincerely, Loewe