Italy - Rome

Got into Rome early by taking the high-speed train from Minturno to Rome's Termini station (again, find rail info at viRail.it). Literally called "multiple terminals," it is so named because almost all train tracks going to Rome end right here. It's also one of the relatively small number of locations where you can almost always find a taxi. One thing to know about Rome is that taxis don't travel around nearly as much as they do in other big cities. The drivers are generally content to wait at the airport, the Termini station, and some other places around the city, so don't count on one driving by unless you've called for one, which I did when I went to the Vatican.

I've highlighted on the Google Map below a number of the places visited, although I definitely didn't do all of them in a day. What I would recommend is using the app I mentioned in the first post - Triposo, and researching the places you want to go ahead of time. Once you've done that you can use one of the functions on there called "City Walk," which allows you to select a number of the places you want to see and then have the app create a walking tour for you (which it will do without Internet) so you can visit them all most efficiently. You can also read up on them while you're there to find the "things to see," and even find some ones that weren't on your initial list but that look intriguing when you walk by, which end up being some of the most memorable visits. Another good site for information is rome.info.

This is the relic of the Basilica of St. Prassede, which is believed to be a fragment of the column to which Jesus was tied when he was flogged before the crucifixion. Whether it is or not historians debate (although probably not), but it has been believed to be for a long time. More importantly though, we only visited this beautiful basilica because we happened to turn our heads at the right time en route to St. John's Lateran and read what was inside on Trioposo!

 

 

 

 History is everywhere in Rome. As one of our guides pointed out, part of the reason that Rome only has two subway lines is that every time they dig something up it becomes an archeological site.

Case in point - some work being done close to St. John's Lateran while we visited exposes some Roman brickwork. You can't spit in Rome without hitting something that's been around longer than the United States has been in existence.

 

Here's a map of the places visited, including some restaurants, churches, and places inside the Vatican. Seeing everything took about 3-4 days, although I stayed in the Hotel Canova for four nights and took a day trip to Florence. I liked the Hotel Canova, although my only complaint was that the WiFi went out the night before I left and the complimentary continental breakfast isn't worth skipping a chance to eat in one of the city's cafes. Go up and grab a yogurt to go if you must, but then head out to a local cafe up the street along the Piazza dell'Esquilino for a real Italian breakfast and a cappuccino!

You can create your own map on Google Maps. For perspective, I could walk everywhere on here from the hotel, Canova, in under an hour. In fact I walked to everything here at one point or another during the stay. I only took a cab to the Vatican (not pictured here, but to the West) to get there a bit earlier in the morning, but it would have been about an hour walk from the hotel.

 

I'd also recommend watching the following Rick Steves' video. Check out my post on Planning & Tips for Travel to find audio tours and maps of a lot of the destinations I've mentioned below so you know what you're looking at when you see it!

 Ancient (and not so ancient) Roman Sites

Best to get the most "touristy" stuff out of the way first was my thought. After arriving in Rome I went straight for the hotel, dropped off my stuff, then went to see the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. At the Roman Forum you can see things like the Roman Senate house of Julias Caesar and much, much more. It's helpful to visit the Coloseum first and get a guide who will take you over there after the tour, as there's so much to see and you don't know what you're looking at without someone telling you or researching it in detail ahead of time. I'd definitely recommend downloading Rick Steves' Roman Forum Tour and map ahead of time to bring with you.

View down into the Colosseum. A stage would have covered this.

A pano of the Colosseum still doesn't do it justice. It's huge and still rivals our own stadiums today.

I'd highly recommend a tour guide. Most of what they tell you is stuff you've read before, but if it's your first time it's nice hearing someone explain it why they point it out to you so you can see it for yourself. Much different than looking at pictures. You'll see some people swarming around you offering you tour guides you when you get there. It's OK, they're legit, and you can believe them when they say that if you join their tour that you'll get through the line quicker... much quicker, in fact. They charge you the ticket price and a fee for their service. The second of those things is negotiable, and if you walk past the louder ones at the entrance to the Colosseum you'll find a better deal (as much as 10 Euros in our case).

View of the Colosseum and Constantine's Arch from the Roman Forum, which a good guide will take you to after you visit the Colosseum. Ask your guide before you pay to make sure this trip is a part of your deal first. They may ask for tips later, and 5 euros is pretty generous.

View from Palatine Hill of the Roman Forum. The Forum was where everything converged in Rome - religion, politics, and economics. The market was here, the Senate met here, and there were many religious sites here as well. Have your guide tell you about them or check them out before walking past everything or you'll miss the significance.

Some of the ruins of the Emperors' palace(s). It's called Palatine Hill because it's where the Emperors lived... in their Palaces. It's one of the more famous of the seven hills of Rome.

The Arch of Titus, which straddles the Via Sacra (or Sacred Way) that runs through the Forum. If you look at the other side you'll see one of two things that are all over Rome - the abbreviation S.P.Q.R. This stands for Senatus Populusque Romanorum, or "The Senate and People of Rome." As an institution it pre-dates the Roman Empire (as it is the dominant institution of the Republic) and outlasted the fall of the Roman Empire. It's also on a lot of man-hole covers thanks to Mussolini's attempt to legitimize his dictatorship.

Santa Francesca Romana, (previously St. Mary's). Probably belongs in the holy sites section, but you can see its facade only from the Forum. Would have liked to have gone inside, but will have to save that for the next trip.

According to our guide, those marble columns outside what used to be the Temple of Romulus (and is now known as Santi Cosma e Damiano, a Christian church) are made of the most expensive purple marble that was only used by emperors. It's extremely dense and heavy. Now the Roman Catholic Church owns most of it, including Nero's bathtub, which is housed in the Vatican Museum. A picture of that is forthcoming in the Vatican post. Also, the lock and keys to this door still work. The Vatican owns those too...

To be honest I forget which one this is... comment below if you recognize it.

A view looking down the Via Sacra as we walk through the Roman Forum.

Stuff like this is everywhere.

The Senate House, or Roman Curia, the construction of which began under Julius Caesar but was finished by Augustus.

After the forum, check out the Campidoglio, which is the square designed by Michelangelo on top of Capitoline Hill, another of the seven hills of Rome. For a good description of the buildings and monuments to be found there, check out this site. You can also see (can't miss, really) the Altar of the Fatherlands, a monument honoring Italy's unification. After that, stroll across the street to Trajan's Column and Marketplace, both of which are very cool.

Like I said... hard to miss. Lonely Planet has a good short description if you're interested in the Altar of the Fatherlands.

Trajan's column, which depicts his victories in the Dacian Wars. Definitely worth seeing.

A closer view of Trajan's Column.

After that it's not a long walk up to see the Masoleum of Augustus, although while we were there it was undergoing some archeological excavations and closed to the public. We did get a decent shot of it though.

Masoleum of Caesar Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome... unless you count Julias Caesar.

The Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps are not too far away, although unfortunately the fountain was undergoing construction as well... I did manage to throw a penny I found over my shoulder though (and the construction fence) while we were there, which according to tradition means I will return again some day! Watch out at the Spanish Steps in particular for people trying to sell you stuff. It wasn't enjoyable having so many people shove water bottles or roses into your face asking you for money, so I didn't stay there long. You have to see them both though whenever you visit Rome. It's a rule or something dictated by Rick Steves.

Another stop to see is the Pons Fabricio, or "Bridge of Fabricius." It's a good stop for after you visit the Great Synagogue (described below) as it's right across the street.

Built in 62 BC, it's right across from the Jewish Ghetto, an area which was occupied by Jews even during St. Paul's time, so it's very conceivable that he walked across it as well given its proximity to the Jewish area in Rome.

View of the bridge, which spans the Tiber river.

One thing I didn't do but that I wanted to try was biking in Rome. Rick Steves recommends Top Bike Rentals and Tours, which he bills as being run by Romans "who love their city and love showing it off." If someone does this, let me know how you liked it!

Holy Sites

There are more churches and holy sites in Rome than you'd be able to visit in a lifetime. If you feel like you're missing out, just remind yourself that even the Pope hasn't visited all of them! Below are some of the ones we visited.

All the sites have something unique, so it's more about what you're interested in seeing. This person has done a good job of listing their own top ten and why they like them, it's worth checking out. My favorite stop, for example, was seeing the place where St. Ignatius of Loyala lived, who was the founder of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic order that began after the Reformation and which spearheaded the Counter-Reformation. He's famous for his spiritual refocusing of Christianity, particularly the spiritual exercises he instituted and his "daily examen," which is literally a five-step approach to examining yourself each day. Perhaps in Ohio though his right-hand-man, St. Xavier, is more famous. He has a famous university or two named after him. Jesuits are also known for their commitment to education and missions and are referred to as the "Pope's Marines." Read this story from CNN to find out why. I could go on, but here are some pictures...

This is a shot from inside the beautiful and ornate Chiesa di Gesu (Church of Jesus) in Rome, the home of the Order of the Society of Jesus.

Another view from the inside.

Close by you can visit the recently renovated Rooms of St. Ignatius, where he and his closest advisors lived and worked to enlarge the order's reach. This is his room.

This is me in his room...

A sign pointing out that it's his room...

An Ignatian relic - his cloak.

Some of his shoes, which people used to come and carefully cut in order to take a piece home with him on pilgrimages to his residence. Amazing how much of them are still left!

You can see some of the original primary documents of his spiritual exercises there as well.

Some of the key founders of the order.There's also a really cool room next to his apartment that's painted in such a way that it really plays with perspective. You have to see it though, I can't describe it and do it justice.

As a former Roman temple and a current church, the Pantheon straddles the line between Roman history and Church history. Read more about it here.

The Pantheon was 'converted' into a Christian Church, although originally it was a site for all gods of the Roman Empire, hence the name.

I always wondered what happened when it rained at the Pantheon. We found out on our visit - the rain falls onto the Pantheon floor, obviously...

Another view inside the Pantheon.

St. John's Basilica is another must-see stop. This is actually the highest ranking church in Roman Catholicism, as it's the seat (literally and figuratively) of the Bishop of Rome, whom most people know by his more preferred nomenclature - the Pope. If you're wondering which St. John (the one who dunked people or the one whom Jesus loved) this is named after, so was I. It's actually both. For a good history of it check out the Catholic Encyclopedia's historical explanation. For better pictures and a virtual tour (and organ music), check out this Vatican website.

View from Transept 1 looking towards the altar.

View of the ceiling, adorned with the Keys of St. Peter, which you'll see everywhere in Rome. They symbolize the Roman Catholic belief that the Pope is the successor to St. Peter, whom Christ gave "the keys to the Church."

 The apse and throne (or 'cathedra,' which is where we get 'cathedral' and literally means 'seat') of St. Peter. This is literally and figuratively the Seat of the Bishop of Rome, currently occupied by Pope Francis. Better view here.

Beautiful mosaic above the cathedra.

Believe it or not, St. John's is actually one of the less gaudy churches in Rome...

This is a working church, and service was taking place in the Colonna Chapel while I visited. I'm guessing they're fans of Vatican II, as they had an acoustic guitar accompaniment.

View of the altar.

Apostles line the naves of the Church. This is St. Peter.

Down below the altar you'll find St. John. Pretty sure it's John the Baptist. People throw quite a lot of money down here.

You can also go to confessional at the churches in your native language. The larger basilicas like St. John's and St. Peter's have priests on hand who speak multiple languages and signs telling you which one you can go to. This one is Spanish. I thought it was cool that you could also choose which religious order you wanted when at St. Peters (e.g. Benedictine, Franciscan, Jesuit, etc.)

The altar (or what I'm calling the altar) sits above St. John.

I think this one is St. John, the one known as the disciple whom Jesus loved.

A smaller basilica behind St. John's is Constantine's Basilica, which is in honor of the Roman Emperor who made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire. Personally I'm not a fan of the emperor (although the basilica is beautiful), as he turned Christianity into a state religion and used it to justify his military victory over a rival to the throne, but there's no doubt that he played a huge role in the development of the Christian religion.

Chapel inside Constantine's Basilica.

Remember those expensive columns I talked about from the Temple of Romulus? Same kind of marble here too...

Constantine saw a vision of the cross (allegedly) before going into battle at Milvian Bridge in 312 AD, which he won. From then on he became a follower (or new leader, depending on how you look at it) of the Christian faith, attributing his victory to the Christian God. Christianity's long tradition of pacifism and non-violence began to quickly fade soon after. In my opinion it's one of the most tragic events in Christian history. Read more about Constantine's impact on Christianity here. A good book about Christianity and non-violence in the pre-Constantine years is Nonviolence: the History of a Dangerous Idea, by Mark Kurlansky, which I highly recommend.

Altar inside Constantine's Basilica.

From there it's a short walk to Santa Maria Basilica, which is another beautiful basilica. If you're a University of Dayton graduate you'll be happy to know that this is much more Marianist than the Church of the Gesu. Much more information can be found at the Vatican's site.

View from outside the basilica.

There are beautiful marble floors inside. We noted that there is a lot of that purple marble everywhere. When you walk across it inlaid next to other types of marble, it's notably higher due to its higher resistance to wear... or at least that's our theory.

Fresco ceiling.

High canopy over the altar. Note the purple "emperor" marble again...

View looking towards the apse.

Beautiful apse mosaic.

The relic here is (believed to be) four pieces of wood from the manger that held the Christ child.

Pope Pius IX kneeling before the altar. When you commission a basilica you often get to have your likeness in it. 

A short walk from St. Mary's you will find the lesser basilica of Santa Prassede, which supposedly houses the relic of the flaggelation column I mentioned above. It's an interesting spot because it is named after the daughter of Pudens, a man whom supposedly housed St. Peter in his travels to Rome and whose daughters suffered persecution for burying early Christian martyrs. Much more to learn about. A good site for this one is Sacred Destinations.

Below the altar you can find collections of the bones of martyrs, including St. Pudenzia (Prassede's sister).

View of the altar and apse behind it.

Mosaic in the Chapel of St. Zeno. This picture doesn't do it justice, as the mosaic covers the entire room.

Again, the column believed to be what Christ was chained to when he was flogged.

The chapel was built by Pope Paschal I to bury the bones of martyred saints (and his mother).

One place you'll definitely want to stop is the Jewish Ghetto, which dates back to the 1500s. It was during that time that the Pope decided Jews needed to be separated off from the rest of Rome. This is after the 1442 expulsion of Jews (and Muslims) from Spain, so its official beginning as a legally separated area (which was fenced in from the rest of Rome) came during a particularly anti-Semitic period of Church history. The Jews of Rome thrived though and their presence in the city predates Christianity's arrival in Rome, and Christ. You should definitely visit the Great Synagogue of Rome and do the tour of the Spanish Synagogue and Great Synagogue. No pictures allowed inside the Spanish, but you can take pictures of the beautiful (and fairly young) Great Synagogue. Security is tight though, as this was the site of a tragic PLO assassination of a young boy in 1982. With everything going on in Israel/Palestine during our visit, security seemed particularly cautious, and understandably so. The museum is inside and you can go through that and then tour the synagogue with a group afterwards.

View of the outside of the Great Synagogue of Rome. It looks like a Church by design, as Rome has only relatively recently begun to celebrate and recognize the Jewish community at its heart.

Inside the Great Synagogue of Rome.

View of the beautiful rainbow ceiling, which recalls God's promise to Noah after the great flood.

You do have to wear a yarmukle when you visit if you're a guy. Also, women must cover shoulders, torsos, any exposed cleavage, and usually knees when visiting most churches (and synagogues), so women can wear short sleeves but carry around a shawl for their shoulders for when you go inside places. Some churches have shawls for you to cover up with, but others simply turn people who are inappropriately dressed away.

View of the altar. It's an enormous building with two floors. Women sit on the 1st floor, which we'd call the second or the balcony.

Across the street from the synagogue is what I thought was one of the most fascinating churches, at least from an "interfaith" perspective. San Gregorio della Divina Pieta is a small church where Jews used to be forced to attend. The story we heard was that the Jews would put wax in their ears to avoid hearing the sermons, so during a redesign of the church a painting of the crucifixion was placed above the entry along with an inscription from the Book of Isaiah about Jewish obstinacy (written in Latin and Hebrew).

View of the painted crucifixion and Isaiah passage above the entry to the church.

Closer look at the inscription. The passage from Isaiah 65:2-3 reads as follows: "All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick." In other words, just a bit passive-aggressive...

The message here was pretty obvious... read more about the history of anti-Semitism in the Church at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's website.

These were some of our favorite and most interesting holy sites that we visited, but there are so many more... So much to see and so little time!

Food

You have to eat in Rome too. Here are some of my favorites. Check out Trip Advisor or Yelp for reviews of a restaurant before you visit though. We had one bad experience that we could have avoided had we done so. The following are in no particular order, but they're all some of the places we visited for food and drinks that I'd recommend.

I can't find the address for this cafe, but it was a good one right up the street from us at the Piazza dell-Esquilino between Via Urbana and Via Cavour. Great cappuccino and pastries.

I highly recommend Ristorante Tema. The service there was excellent and it was a laid-back fine dining experience. The restaurant made you feel like family, especially when I kept going back! I loved it so much I ate there three nights (although one just for dinner). The mussel appetizer was great.

This is from La Taverna Del Ghetto in the Jewish Ghetto. The most amazing hummus and felafel I've ever had!

I also got a pasta dish there. While I can't remember the name, I remember it tasted great.

 

One place I forgot to get a picture of in the ghetto was Forno Boccione, which is a Jewish bakery that is famous for their pastries. You should definitely stop in and get one of the ricotta pastries (and as much of their other pastries as you can eat) for breakfast before visiting the Great Synagogue. Just be careful if you try to take it across the street to the Kosher cafe. Apparently this restaurant is not considered Kosher, although my Italian wasn't good enough to ascertain exactly why.

This is from a pizzeria I ate at on our way back from St. John's basilica, La Cuccuma. Only weird thing for me was eating cold pizza, as some they prefer not to heat up. They will (grudgingly) though if you ask them to. I recommend the one with all the tomatoes on it.

On the corner of Piazza degli Zingari and Via dei Cappocci is a great little store called the Minti Beer Shop. If you're into microbrews or just want to try something different, stop in here. Oddly enough one of the girls who works there was an international exchange student in Ohio. Small world! This was my favorite beer name.

This is easily my longest post, and there are many more things I could add to the list of things I did in Rome. The list of things we didn't have time for is much longer. There's simply too much to see.

In terms of the bigger cities I've been to this was at the top of the list, right behind Dublin. The laid-back vibe you get here helps you relax while visiting all of these amazing places, and the people were some of the friendliest I've ever met. I definitely can't wait to go back!

Up next - Vatican City!