When in Rome — ALEXANDRA.MBK

(yes?…continue) - Anchorman

There is something so magical about Rome. For me, I think it is the balance between seeing a vibrant, modern city interspersed with structures that are thousands of years old. The blend of the extraordinarily old with a bustling city is mesmerizing, and I could not wait to take Matt there. Luckily, Rome was our first major weekend trip and we planned the perfect itinerary to expose him to as much of it as possible.

We took a late flight on Friday night and took the airport bus from Fiumicino Airport to central station, and then took the (very interesting) Metro to our AirBnB. We had an amazing host who gave us a ton of recommendations and we loved our space. If you are ever going to Rome, ask me about the AirBnB and the airport shuttle - they were so inexpensive and absolutely perfect for our needs.

We woke up early on Saturday, excited to start our Roman holiday (yes, a definite Audrey Hepburn reference). We decided to splurge a bit and schedule an actual tour of the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, so the whole experience was well worth it. To get to the Sistine Chapel, we went to a courtyard with a beautiful view of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica and the gardens. Designed by Michelangelo towards the end of his life, it is the largest dome in Rome, and one of the largest in the entire world.

We then walked through (portions of) the Vatican Museum. Thanks largely to Pope Julius II in the 16th century, the Vatican commissioned and collected (sometimes stole or “appropriated” as they like to say) some of the most incredible works of art. Michelangelo and Raphael in particular were responsible for some of the most famous pieces. While the Sistine chapel is famed for the incredible ceiling which depicts scenes from Genesis and “The Last Judgment,” all by Michelangelo, my favorite piece of art is “The School of Athens” by Raphael (see pictured). Unfortunately, it is not possible to take pictures inside the Sistine Chapel (unless you pay HUNDREDS of euros for a morning breakfast tour), but I really recommend googling the art in the Sistine Chapel. Standing there in silence admiring the incredible work and detail, seeing the stories you’ve heard about from the Bible, and realizing this is where the papal conclaves take place is extremely surreal and emotional. For me, this and St. Peter’s Basilica were definitely my favorite parts of the trip.

(click the images to see more pictures, including “The School of Athens” and “The Thinker”)

The tour ended with St. Peter’s Basilica, which is indescribable (but I still will). It is extremely ornate and absolutely massive. Every piece of art in the Basilica is perfection and a reflection of the Vatican’s history, but my favorite sculpture here is the Pieta. Unfortunately, it is enclosed in a glass case after a mentally ill man chiseled at the structure with a hammer, but you can still see the emotion and pain in the piece - it is the Virgin Mary cradling Jesus’s dead body. It was also mesmerizing to see Bernini’s work within the Basilica (the baldacchino and Cathedra Petri). Overall, it was an incredible and highly spiritual morning.

(click the images to see more pictures)

(click images for more pics of the outside of St. Peter’s Basilica)

After I was done fan-girling the Vatican, it was Matt’s turn to be blown away. In the afternoon, we went to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, which overlooked the Roman forum. The Colosseum was, at its time, the largest amphitheater in the world and construction finished in 80 AD. Throughout history, it was used for religious purposes, animal hunts, theatrical reenactments of how amazing Ancient Rome was, and most importantly, gladiator fights. While the interior is largely in ruins, preventing it to still be used for gatherings, parts of the outside are still perfectly intact, and it is breathtaking and difficult to grasp how many thousands of people went inside for different spectacles. Our trip to the Colosseum quickly prompted two things for us: 1) Matt had to send a picture to his friends in front of the structure with the caption, “Are you not entertained?!; and 2) we had to rewatch Gladiator as soon as we got home. For Matt, this was his highlight (not the Vatican - what is it with guys?!)

(click images above for more pics of the Colosseum)

After the Colosseum, we walked up Palatine Hill and had a spectacular view of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. The Roman Forum is comprised of ruins of several ancient Rome government buildings. This history of Ancient Rome is absolutely fascinating, from the rise of extremely important governmental institutions (the Senate and Republic government) and the twisted history of Caesars and imperialism, overlooking the Forum felt like a trip back in history. This ended an absolutely perfect first day in Rome.

(click images above for more pics of the Roman Forum and Colosseum from Palatine Hill)

The goal of our second day in Rome was to “do as the Romans do.” We wanted to walk within the city of Rome and appreciate the culture. We started the day at the Trevi fountain, which of course was crowded with tourists. Still, we threw coins with our right hands over our left shoulders and made wishes and admired how truly massive it is. I am feeling particularly deceived, as I did not immediately become an Italian pop star after throwing mine like Lizzie McGuire did, but I’ll get over it eventually.

(click images above for more pics of the Trevi Fountain)

After the Trevi fountain, we ate amazing homemade pasta and went to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is one of the best preserved buildings of Ancient Rome, and that is largely because it was used throughout history for various purposes. Now, it is used as a Catholic Church and is also the burial site of two kings (and one queen) of Italy and the infamous artist Raphael. We spent the rest of the day walking ALL over Rome, venturing into different piazzas, shopping, and ultimately ended up at my mom and sister’s favorite Roman piazza, Piazza Navona. We ate another amazing Italian meal overlooking the piazza, drank Bellinis, ate gelato (YAS), and watched all of the street entertainers and musicians.

(click images above for more pics of the Pantheon)

(click images above for more pics of Piazza Navona)

(click images above for more pics of beautiful Roma)

Our day of culture was perfect, and capped off an amazing weekend in Rome. Unfortunately, our flight out the next morning was SO early, and we both had to go to work right after we landed, but Rome was so good to us.

Until next time! Ciao!

Alexandra