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Friday 13/08/2010 107
So once again I ended up in St Peter's Square, simply because I had to go through there to get to where I wanted to go, which was the botanical gardens. I wandered back and forth across the Tiber River, on the many bridges that traverse it however you don't walk along the river as such, but along the roads that are raised up on either side. The edges of the river itself are a bit of a waste land full of empty bars and disused cycle paths.
My attempt to find the botanical gardens proved fruit-less with indecipherable maps, signs that led nowhere and roads that were called different things in different places. However I did manage to walk to the top of one of the 7 hills that Rome is built upon and stumbled across a memorial to Giuseppe Garibaldi and some more beautiful views of the city.
Thursday 12/08/2010 108
After a lazy start to the day (leaving the hostel only shortly before the shut out begins at 11am) I headed to Termini station again...and had a coffee at the same coffee bar as the last 2 days, but with a €1 Americano why would I go anywhere else? I then decided to drop in at the bookshop...as brilliant and interesting as Shantaram is, it's sheer size makes it a pain to carry around. Expecting a small (1-2 shelf) selection of English language books I was pleasantly surprised to find a large and varied selection...feeling cheap however, so I purchased Persuasion. FYI anyone wanting books in Rome: Borri Books in Termini Station.
I then headed to what is definitely NOT the part of Rome that tourists usually see, I was in search of the Capitoline Museums southern, industrial outpost. First I decided to visit the nearby Basilica di San Paolo Fuori-le-Mura. It is the 3rd largest church in the world and is built over the alleged tomb of St Paul. Located in a rundown and shabby part of Rome, the church is beautiful and imposing. While not on as grand a scale as St Peter's the decoration rivals it and the lack of tourists and tonnes of open space allows you to experience the splendour more fully than when competing for space with hoards of camera wielding maniacs, and yes I include myself in that category...sometimes. A quick stop at the modern gift shop...appropriately run by nuns and I was on my way.
I successfully found the museum I was looking for after walking along a street lined with Chinese takeaways, graffiti and a university campus. The Centrale Montemartini is a former power station (much like the TATE Modern.) But unlike the TATE it is full of Classical Roman Sculpture. The juxtaposition of dark metal turbines and engines against the shiny white marble of the artefacts, for me at least, highlighted how both are quite beautiful, in their own way, and both are perfectly designed and constructed to serve their purpose.
After more gelato (lemon again cos fruit= healthy), I decided to visit the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary for a little feline loving. Located in the ruins of a temple, this volunteer run organisation receives no government support and provides food and shelter for about 200 cats and kittens. Italians are reluctant to sterilise their cats and so many kittens are simply dumped at the sanctuary, and sadly they also receive many adult cats in August when their owners go on holidays and don't want to pay for them to be cared for. All of the cats are sterilised, and most are adopted by people from around the world. I spent a happy hour or so playing with the cats and was even scratched by the sp-ed one. A little black kitten with half a tail had me wishing I could take him home, but after leaving a small donation to help the volunteers, I headed back to the city for the long stroll home.
Wednesday 11/08/2010 109
Thankful that I had purchased my ticket yesterday at the Palatine, I avoided most of the queues at the Colosseum and was able to enter quickly. The Flavian Amphitheatre (as it is also known as it dates to the Flavian period of Roman history...I didn't know there was such a thing until today) is probably the most famous image of Rome, but unlike the leaning Tower of Pisa, which was a little underwhelming, photographs simply do not show how massive and impressive it is.
A mass of arches and the remains of a sophisticated system of trenches that were under the stage to allow sets and props to be quickly erected and dismantled are simple amazing and while gladiator fights were common, the loser was not always executed (they were often pardoned as to have one killed was the loss of an investment for their 'owner.') Also rumours of Christians being eaten by lions are highly exaggerated, while Christians were certainly persecuted and put to death there is little evidence of it happening at the Colosseum.
I then walked past the enormous ruins that form the Roman Forum to the Piazza Venezia which is home to Il Vittoriano, a marble monstrosity of steps, columns and heroic sculpture, originally built as a monument to Italy's first King it now also houses the Italian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A much more beautiful square is just around the corner-the Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michalangelo. Here I took some respite from the heat sitting in the shade on a cool-ish marble step and indulged in a little people watching (Italian policewomen are impossibly glamorous - no boxy pleated pants for them) and a highly nutritious lunch of chocolate cream filled wafers (THANKS MUM!!)
The Capitoline Museum was my next stop, located in the Piazza is it one of the oldest public museums in the world dating back to the 15th century. I discovered that it is possible to escape the hoards of tourist that clog Rome, no line for tickets and I was able to enjoy the incredible collection of Classical and Renaissance sculptures and Painting (including works by Caravaggio and Rubens) in nearly deserted galleries where in some cases the security guards outnumbered the patrons!!
On the walk back to the Metro I was enticed to visit the Basilica di SS Cosma e Damiano by a rather modern looking statue of a monk reaching to the sky (perhaps it was a relief to see something other than classical marble busts of long dead philosophers!) Inside I was greeted by a beautiful mosaic of the Second Coming of Christ, which although being 1400 years old looked very modern and had incredibly vibrant colours...I think this may be the true beauty and appeal of Rome...the unexpected.
Tuesday 10/08/2010 110
Today was originally going to be 'Roman Empire Day' but after meeting up with Karen (who I met on my trip to Turkey) at the Colosseum I discovered that she had been there the previous day. She very generously agreed to return to the nearby Palatine and Roman Forum with me (a ticket for all 3 venues is valid for 2 days and I took the advice of every guidebook I had seen about Rome and purchased my ticket from the office at the Palatine which had a substantially shorter queue than the Colosseum.) The Palatine is the 'Snob's Hill' of Ancient Rome, a sprawling complex of villas and gardens, it is adjacent to the Roman Forum which is an equally confusing jumble of columns, temples and inscriptions in Latin.
Deciding to save my ticket for the Colosseum until tomorrow, Karen and I headed for the Spanish Steps, which I had been to twice but she had not seen. We also went to the Pantheon (a temple turned church famous for it's dome that hundreds of years later still confounds engineers as to how it was constructed. The dome is exactly as high as it is wide, meaning a perfect sphere would fit inside it and it has a large hole in the roof to let in light (and water when it rains-but the forward thinking Romans provided drainage holes.) The dome was the inspiration for the Duomo in Florence (which apparently sparked the Renaissance and the dome of St Peter's Basilica that was built towards the end.)
We then walked to the Piazza Navona, which was a market place and features an enormous fountain with figures representing for rivers...the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Tiber I think but I'm too lazy to look it up and check so don't quote me!!
We then went to the Trevi, which I was at last night, but I actually threw a coin in thus ensuring I would return to Rome...I wanted to throw in Aussie coinage but was unable to find any so it was euros that got chucked...apparently €3000 gets thrown in every day!!
After a stop for gelati (fragola and limone as I like to pretend that it is healthy if I eat fruit flavours) we headed up to Villa Borghese for a sit and relax and a little respite from the heat.
I headed back to hostel nursing a shin splint caused (I guess) by 3 days of non-stop walking in havis!! So I had a night of nanna-ness and Deep Heat...
Monday 09/08/2010 111
Today Jamie (a fellow traveller who I met at the hostel) decided to embark on the monumental task of tackling the Vatican. We arrived in the line for the Vatican museums shortly after the opening time of 8.30am and already the line stretched back around the corner of the Vatican walls. After a wait of about 90 minutes we finally succeeded in buying our tickets and made it inside.
An enormous museum with an amazing collections of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan relics (although I am sure various governments would like them returned), it is a little whelming. As we navigated our way through the crowds one thought struck me...what did they do with all the penis' broken off the statues during a fit of decency? Is there a room hidden somewhere just full of stone willies? The highlights for me were the Gallerie delle Carte Geografiche (a long hall will maps painted on the walls) and the 'contemporary' art collection. Featuring works by the likes of Dali and Leger, this collection is mainly composed by vaguely religious work or works that have been gifted to the pope over the years by various countries and individuals. Most people and groups simply sped through this area on the way to the main star of the museum (The Sistine Chapel) so space was available to enjoy the work.
The Sistine chapel really is a masterpiece and quite spectacular to see in real life. It is a staggering achievement as Michelangelo spent four years on the ceiling alone (craning his neck...not lying down as is commonly believed). However, the effect was somewhat spoilt by the hoards of tourists and security guards constantly shushing, clapping hands, calling for silence an verbally reprimanding people for taking photos.
Next stop was St Peter's Basilica, and after getting into another long, but much faster moving queue (for security and dress code checks) we were in. A massive space that can hold 60 000 people and covers 6 acres, it is simply staggering in it's scale. The current Basilica was built around the old one which was then dismantled and carried out through the front doors. Michelangelo has his hands all over this building as well, taking over as the architect and his famous Pieta (the only work to bear his signature) is inside, sadly behind bullet proof glass after some maniac attacked it with a hammer.
We the climbed the cupola (dome). By paying extra to use the elevator we cut the journey from 550-320 steps but it was still a long climb and occasionally nerve wracking, with sloping passageways and at one stage a rope acting as the hand rail on a narrow spiral staircase. The 360 degree views of Rome were, however, worth it. Weary and footsore we headed back to the hostel, via a quick stop for gelati, to have a little lie down.
In the evening we headed out to meet up with Carolyn and her friend Jodie who were also in Rome. We had excellent pizza at the Lonely Planet recommended 'Gusto, and then embarked on a fruitless and ultimately aborted search for a pub. We did however pass the Trevi Fountain, which is beautiful at night but thronged with tourists 5 and 6 deep all queuing for a photograph and wanting to throw in a coin.
Sunday 08/08/2010 112
A fairly lazy day to allow myself to get oriented in Rome. A stroll from my hostel up to the beautiful park Villa Borghese, once the estate of a cardinal it is now open parkland and I discovered that maps were of little use once inside the park with it's disorienting pathways and winding roads.
I found my way out and headed into the main part of the city where I walked past the Spanish Steps and down the poshest shopping street in town the Via del Condotti, complete with Louis Vuitton, a bouncer and a velvet rope.
After wandering around for a while I made my way to St Peter's Square at the front of the Vatican, more a squashed circle than a square it is a huge open space complete with curved, columned colonnades (which as far as I know is the only way colonnades come, but I quite like my alliteration so it's staying in) and an obelisk stolen from Egypt. On the return from the Vatican to my hostel I had an only in Rome moment...a nun window shopping...closer inspection revealed to window display to be bikinis and men's underwear.
An evening walk including visit to the Colosseum with a girl I met at the hostel completed the day. The Colosseum is magnificent at night, it is beautifully lit and although there were still a lot of people around it was eerie and peaceful, that and an entertaining Michael Jackson busker in one of the larger squares (complete with a little girl impersonating the impersonator) was a lovely way to finish the day.
Saturday 07/08/2010 113
After travelling to Malpensa airport in Milan with mum and dad from our digs on Lake Como in a hire car it was time for me to once again enter the world of Mass Transit. After farewelling the olds I caught the express shuttle bus into the centre of Milan and the main train station. Unable to get a ticket on the first train to Rome, I had to wait to the second and despite not being assigned a seat I was lucky enough to fluke one that had not been reserved for any of the journey from Milan, through Bologna, Florence and onto Rome. Despite the Fressica Rossa being the 'fast train' it still took 3 ½ hours and was crowded and stuffy.
Upon arriving in Rome, and eating a Big Mac at Termini station (They really do have good Macca's in Italy-it must be all the red wine the cows drink) I boarded the simple Metro system bound for Ottavino-San Pietro and my hostel. After finding the address (and what looked to me like an office building) a rather embarrassing phone call to the hotel reception assured me that I wasn't looking at the buzzers correctly and I was at the right place. 5 floors up in a rickety, formerly coin operated lift, and I arrived at the Hostel Happy Days...a party hostel (that's what happens when you book in a rush!) Thankfully the staff shut the party down promptly at midnight and the young'un's either went to bed or continued elsewhere.
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