After Florence, it was off to Rome. I had my doubts about the Eternal City, as many people had told me that it was a crowded, dirty city full of pickpockets and tourist traps. But it ended up being my favorite of the three cities we visited. As with Florence, we had a lot of time to wander around, so I couldn't begin to list everything that we did. But here, again, are my top five moments:
5) Tartuffos at Tre Scalini
If you're going to eat as much as I do, you have to be serious about it. That means researching, reading reviews and remembering every restaurant recommendation you ever hear. Case in point: Four years ago, my Italian French teacher mentioned what (in his words) was "the best gelato in Rome." His words could not have fallen on more attentive ears. Four years later, I finally got the opportunity to visit Tre Scalini, a crowded gelato shop overlooking the Piazza Navona.
We discovered that the restaurant isn't famous for just any gelato, but for a creation known as the tartufo. This most genius of desserts consists of dark chocolate gelato, covered in chocolate and whipped cream, hiding a maraschino cherry at its center. Needless to say, they were delicious, and cured whatever pastry withdrawal I was going through.
(I swear, they were the same size. Mine is just closer to the camera).4) The creepiest church in the world
Eunice and I each had certain responsibilities during the trip. I somehow ended up with the map, but it was Eunice who asked for directions whenever we got lost. She had brought along a handy guidebook, but I was the only one with a purse, so I was responsible for carrying it around. While perusing the book one afternoon, I noticed a short but strange entry about a Capuchin church decorated with the bones of dead monks. I didn't think much of it until my mom mentioned that she and my dad had visited the church on their honeymoon. In her words, it was "kind of weird." The Lonely Planet guidebook promised that we would be "gobsmacked."These descriptions did not prepare me for the sights that confronted us when we descended into the five-room crypt. Here are some photos (stolen from Eunice) to illustrate my point:
Yes, my friends. Those are indeed bones. Real bones, taken from 4,000 dead monks, and arranged over almost 400 years. But it gets worse:
SKELETONS. Entire skeletons. And these aren't even the worst ones. Some of them still had SKIN ON THEM. And in the last room, we were greeted with the following cheerful message: "What you are now we used to be; what we are now you will be." Lonely Planet, you need to check your dictionary. Because the word you are looking for is "terrifying," or maybe "horrible." But certainly not "gobsmacked."3) Wandering
Some people were shocked when they found out that Eunice and I were only visiting three cities, even though we had over two weeks to travel. We certainly could have seen more, but we made the decision to see fewer cities--but to really see them--rather than rushing through Italy with no time to absorb anything. Since we had 5 to 6 days in each city, we were able to hit the main tourist attractions as well as some of the lesser known neighborhoods.
Of course, one of the great things about city life is that there's always something going on, plays or movies to see, museums to visit, restaurants to try. But what I love most are the moments when you turn a corner and see a completely empty street before you. Even in the biggest, busiest capitals, you can find small snatches of quiet, when you're alone with the whole city. We got a taste of that in Rome. Whether it was walking the deserted streets to Vatican City on Christmas morning, or wandering the residential Trastavere area, Eunice and I were able to experience a Rome stripped of distractions. And it was beautiful.
2) Colosseum/Palatine Hill
The Colosseum is possibly the most iconic symbol of Rome. So Eunice and I braved a rather rainy day, and many middle-aged, pot-bellied faux gladiators to take a combined tour of the arena and the Palatine Hill. Even though the Colosseum has been pretty badly treated over the years (even the popes used it as a quarry to construct St. Peter's), it's still impressive. What made the visit especially memorable was our tour guide, aka "the most philosophical man in the world." He spent about 30% of the tour telling us concrete facts about the Colosseum, and 70% of the time trying to convince us that although we may think of the Romans as bloodthirsty and barbaric (thanks a lot Russell Crowe), we are actually just like them. He asked us to contemplate a return to the Roman system of justice, under which the CEOs of AIG and Merrill Lynch would be forced to fight to the death. The tour ended with life advice from Seneca, after which we were free to wander around the arena on our own.
After a lunch break, we headed over to Palatine Hill, where Rome started. Our new tour guide offered less in the way of philosophy, but made up for it with a voice that was evidently modeled on Robin Leach. The site is beautiful, a secluded green space in the middle of Rome. And it's full of ruins that are about eight times older than the United States. I'm a bit of a history nerd, so I love walking across a 2,000 floor, or seeing the interior decorating choices of ancient emperors. There's one ancient temple in the Forum that has the original door, lock and key, all of which (incredibly) still work.The idea that these ruins have existed for so many years makes you think about the civilization that constructed them, and whether we'll leave behind anything half as interesting for future fanny pack-toting tourists to snap pictures of.
1) Christmas Day
As I've mentioned before, I really like planning trips to coincide with celebrations. Some of my favorite memories from first semester were event-specific: All Saint's Day in Krakow, the Christmas markets in Munich. When scheduling our trip, Eunice and I knew that we wanted to be in Rome on Christmas Day. Obviously most tourist attractions were closed. But there was one experience we weren't leaving Rome without, and that was seeing the Pope's address on Christmas Day. Christmas itself was a stunning day, 60 and sunny, with the bluest sky I'd seen in months. There were no crowds when we arrived at 10:00 (the address was scheduled to start at noon), so we went to stand against the barricade separating the balcony from the rest of the square. About an hour before the address, the police moved the barricade directly in front of us, so we were able to snag two chairs about 10 rows from the balcony.
The atmosphere is what I imagine a Super Bowl or World Cup must be like. There were crowds of people, waving flags and holding up signs. There were bands and military troops marching past. A particularly loud group of schoolgirls were seated to our left. They spent a good 30 minutes yelling out "We are here to see the Pope!" and singing their own modified version of the Remember the Titans chant.
Now I'm not the best Catholic in the world, and I wouldn't say that the Pope's teachings have a huge impact on my daily consciousness. But the excitement was contagious, and by the time 11:59 rolled around I was watching the curtain as intently as everyone else in the square.
So how excited were we?
That excited.When Benedict XVI (whom Eunice very reverently named "Benny") finally emerged, he did not disappoint. I'm not sure we were as solemn as we could have been, since we couldn't stop rhapsodizing about how adorable he was, and how cheerful he seemed even after a rough night. But both of us realized how privileged we were to be having this experience.
(I really wanted a picture of him with the pope arms).We finished our day off with a stroll around the Jewish quarter, and nighttime visits to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. I didn't miss home for the simple reason that it felt nothing like Christmas to me. There were no presents, no carols, no egg nog or stockings. I guess in some ways I was robbed of a Christmas, but I don't regret it in the slightest. It was an experience that most people will never have, that I will never have again, and that will always remain one of the highlights of my year abroad. Plus, I think there must be some sort of holy rule that you are guaranteed a great year if the Pope blesses you in person.
Bonus: I fulfilled a life-long dream of seeing the Swiss Guard in person. And yes, they do look even more ridiculous in real life.
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As I said, Rome was my favorite of the three cities we visited, and possibly my favorite European city outside of Paris. Great food, tons of history, and the adorable earthly representative of God, what's not to like? At the end of six days I was eager to board our Venice-bound train, but I'm glad there are two coins in the Trevi Fountain guaranteeing my return visit.
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