Rome- Roman Ruins

Without a phone I have no notes from this day.  I will add in what I can remember but most will just come from Greg.  It was hard to turn up the street away from the colosseum in the distance, but I was determined to get our Covid tests out of the way early so we wouldn’t have to worry about them.  Getting the test was pretty straightforward outside of a pharmacy but the 15 minute wait turned into an hour.  Lisa and the boys had headed down to wait for me at the colosseum.  The gal doing the paperwork got Andrew’s birthdate wrong once, and when she corrected that after my pointing it out she redid it with the wrong passport number.  There were a lot of people waiting and I felt bad for her so did my best to be patient and grateful.  It felt good to have 4 negative tests in my hand.  I headed down the street towards the colosseum and was fortunate when a police van parked on the street forced me around the other side that Lisa looked back after going around the other side and noticed me as she was on her way back to find me.  I’m sure glad we didn’t unknowingly pass each other. 

As we approached the throng outside the colosseum there were numerous guides offering their services and telling us that tickets had to be bought on line so we should just take their tours.  I had looked the night before on my phone during one of the rare moments when the internet worked (they boys said the internet at the hotel didn’t even qualify as “mid”) and from what I could tell you had to buy the pass online if you wanted to tour the floor and basement of the colosseum but regular tickets looked to be available.  When I got to the ticket booth I learned otherwise.  Of course my phone had no signal so I had to walk up a hill and restart it before I could get a signal.  You could see the number of tickets available at each time slot online and they were going fast but each time I tried to purchase them my phone erred out.  I figured out it was a cookie issue and resolved that but then had a credit card issue.  Our entry time kept pushing further out as I failed.  Eventually I succeeded in purchasing tickets—much cheaper than had we joined a tour, but we had 2:45 before our entry time.  We decided to see the Forum first since our tickets covered entry there too. 

While Greg attempted to buy tickets the boys and I tried to entertain each other- this move by Andrew was pretty epic.

The Forum is immense and grandiose.  It sure seemed to cover more than the 5 acres we were told.  The magnitude of arches from the ruined temple stunned me. In the millennium after Rome’s fall many buildings collapsed, much of the stone was repurposed for other structures and much of the art was stolen, lost, or relocated to more important or secure places.  Over the centuries the site, surrounded by small hills was nearly buried under rubble.  A copy of a painting from the 1700’s showed how much of the triumphant arches were submerged.  The boys wandered at their own pace while Lisa and I stuck together.  Andrew may have been more impressed and excited by the cats, lizards, and parakeets.  We teased him throughout the trip about pigeons whenever he made exclamations about a bird.  We had just enough time to climb Palatine hill for the scenic view down over the Forum before we retuned to the colosseum.  

We made it through the now common vaccination, security, then ticket checks and found ourselves inside the iconic colosseum.  There wasn’t a lot of opportunity for self-directed exploration as you kind of just follow the generally one-way flow of traffic.  When we exited at 2:30 we were more than ready for lunch.  It’s hard to beat pizza and pesto with a view of the colosseum.

Andrew hitting the gritty all over Italy.

About a quarter mile away we found the Church of San Pietro in Vincoli tucked in a non-descript corner.  Inside we were excited to see the final Michaelangelo of the trip—a Moses done for Pope Julius II’s tomb.  His carving is mesmerizing. 

We backtracked to the Forum and headed south towards the Circus Maximus, a gigantic race track off the backside of Palatine Hill.  We took another entrance into Palatine Hill to give us a better view looking down onto the track.  This spacious part of the park had mature trees and relatively few people so we took our time exploring the ruins and views.  We saw some ancient baths and fountains while opera played in the background to our amusement.  (You know I like baths)

On the way back we took a bit of a detour to the Tiber River.  After crossing a street to the temple of Hercules we pulled up my iphone map to identify the adjacent temple and learned that the church on the other side of the street we had just passed held the Mouth of Truth from Roman Holiday.  We hustled back across the street and got in line to take our pictures with our hands in the mouth.  By the time we exited they had closed the church for the evening—perfect timing! 

Our last site-seeing stop for the day was the Ponte Sisto bridge which we reached after walking along the Tiber’s island.  The Ponte Sisto foot bridge offers dramatic views of St. Peter’s as the sun sets.  We couldn’t waste any daylight on our last night.  I had just enough Euros for a final gelato for everyone so we had to find the right spot.  We passed some new ones and some we had seen before but finally landed at The Gelatist, an upscaling looking place on the corner of a busy intersection.  Inside I saw Coconut, Mango, and Melon and I knew we had found the place.  The boys went straight Mango and we posed for our final picture.

Rome - Vatican, Robbery, Pantheon

Thursday - "To make our 9:00 entry time at the Vatican we had to get an early start.  Our hotel included breakfast at a local café which didn’t open until 8.  We tried to time departure in order to grab something on our way past but failed to find the café (turns out it was down the street, not up the street from our hotel).  We found the train to the Vatican and then discovered a bakery with numerous tasty looking treats.  It turned out the lady behind the counter was a better saleswoman than chef. The waffle was fabulous, but the rest were as the boys would say, “mid.”  Lisa and I learned a few new words and phrases as we struggled to understand the boys over a week of traveling together.  Their adjectives require a modern dictionary.  We must be getting old😉 "

"We found the right line for pre-sold tickets, had our vaccination cards checked and then got the devastating news that I had once again bought tickets for the wrong date—February 24^th. (He did this for the Last Supper as well).  The security guard looked at me with a mix of incredulity and compassion.  He walked us inside where I bought new tickets and he didn’t make us get back in the other long line outside."

Getting inside the Vatican Museum early made me want to hurry to the Sistine quickly to avoid the crowds - may have been a bad choice because we later realized that it was a one way walk to the Sistine.  We did turn on our Rick Steve's audiotour on the way and caught a bit of this and that.  I don't think the boys were disappointed by our rush but I know Greg was after the fact.

We took our time enjoying the Raphael rooms, especially the School of Athens.

Then the Sistine which did not disappoint although my neck got tired of looking up.  Greg may have snapped some illegal pics 🤫.  We were all awed by Michelangelo's masterpiece.

The long trek to St. Peters was even more discouraging when we saw the long line to get in.  Luckily the line moved steadily and we were in less than 30 minutes.  

The cathedral was incredible. "To help appreciate the sheer size of St. Peter’s, there are markings on the floor of the nave to show the relative size of the other great churches of the world."

Our audio tour took us to the Pieta last.  Such an incredible piece of art.  How does he capture so much emotion in stone?

"We continued to the cupola tour which felt a bit like going to the top of the duomo in Florence.  There must have been a dozen different types of steps on the route.  At one point as you climb the dome the passage was too short for me to stand up straight.  On the dome’s interior the close-ups of the mosaics give a better appreciation for the intricacy and detail of the medium. The views of Rome were worth the effort.  The symmetry of the “square” is best appreciated from above.  We noted the Tiber, Pantheon, Forum and other landmarks in the panorama."

"We found a café with seating on the street as is common in the country.  The pizza was tasty, but Andrew was disappointed that what he thought would be a cheese pizza was actually more like cheesy bread.  When we stood to leave she asked, “Where’s my purse?”  You could feel the tension and anxiety rapidly escalate as we looked under the table at our feet. It was gone and we knew we weren’t going to find it or get it back.  We told the waiter and he immediately asked if it had been the African who had tried to sell us some knick knack while we had been eating.  His feelings about the immigrants were clear.  He was likely right, that while Lisa had been distracted responding to the salesman, someone had slipped her purse off of her chair.  I had my back pack under the table at my foot and would have put her purse inside had I noticed it on the chair’s back.  I quickly activated my phone plan for the day and called to cancel Lisa’s American Express and Debit Card.  In hindsight we would have immediately turned off her device via my phone but we didn’t really know how that was supposed to work until we got home a few days later.  The boys stepped up and took the map to lead us to the Pantheon while I continued to work on the phone.  

By the time we reached the Pantheon we were in pretty good shape.  Both cards were cancelled and the $3,000 of charges had been disputed so we would likely only be out the $100 of cash I had insisted she carry for emergencies, her cell phone, and the hassle of getting new cards and a driver’s license.  Most importantly, her passport was in my pocket so we didn’t have to worry about getting home or wasting the next couple of days trying to get a temporary replacement.  Lisa was feeling terrible of course but we did a good job of staying positive all things considered."  

Kicking myself and feeling weird without the purse I'd been protecting the whole trip the boys found the Pantheon.  This incredible building was one of the things I was most excited to see and it did not disappoint.

"The approach from the back to the Pantheon exposes a large structure made of ancient rough brick. It seems unremarkable until you round the corner and get a view of the front.  I don’t think there’s a more stunning building from the ancient world.  It is simply gorgeous.  Perhaps the greatest compliment to its beauty is Raphael’s granted request to be buried there.  The enormous columns stand unperturbed after 2,000 years.  The interior dome is a feat of architecture and art even without the typical paintings.  The oculus in the center bathe’s the inside in natural sunlight and exposes the interior to whatever the weather brings.  Holes in the floor drain any rain that falls within."

This building ended up being one of the boys favorite stops.  Its age and engineering success is remarkable.

From there we listed to the Rick Steve's walking tour to take in the Piazza Navonna's massive fountains and gelato.  Andrew reminded us that we hadn't had any gelato in Rome yet so..."We couldn’t abstain.  There was an actual salesman behind the counter who gave out samples and an extra taste of a flavor you didn’t order with yours.  They had a bright blue flavor they called Viagra and he was giving it to some college age students and teasing them about it."

"Our path led by the parliament building and it’s obelisk then to Trevi’s fountain.  This may be the most crowded place we visited but the atmosphere was electric in front of the spectacular fountain.  Nearby we were led to a viewpoint of a Roman aqua-duct then up an incline to St. Mary’s column and Bernini’s leaking ship fountain at the base of the Spanish Steps.  Sitting on the bottom flight was prohibited but near the top we were able to sit and rest and enjoy the views."  

"We continued the trek homeward walking past Piazza Quirinale and yet another obelisk.  Rome is home to 13 obelisks from 2-4,000 years of age.  8 are of Egyptian origin while the other 5 were built in Rome after the Egyptian style.  Carrying these massive monoliths from Egypt to Rome was a testament not just to military conquering but to the wealth and commitment to art of the empire."

"For dinner we tried the other local recommendation from the hotel.  It did not go as well.  They had called and made a reservation for us so we were quickly seated outside.  When we looked at the menu we probably should have just decided to move on but felt bad with having a reservation and I’m often too prideful to choose discomfort over regret in those situations.  We ordered and when the food came we knew we had made a mistake—we could smell the unmistakable scent of seafood.  For some reason it hadn’t registered that dried mullet eggs were fish eggs, not fowl eggs.  I asked them to take it back and make the pasta dish without the eggs.  It smelled better, but still didn’t taste good.  Mack responded, “I guess it’s my turn to order bad food next.”  Mack’s potatoes were better than his steak.  We tried some adventurous for us bruschetta which wasn’t exactly bad, but with the other failures we weren’t exactly filling up.  We tried to compensate by ordering desert so we had crème brule and another dish I can’t remember.  It was our most expensive meal of the trip but rivalled our microwave dinner for disappointment.  Mack summed it up best when he said to Lisa, “If you made that for dinner at home, I’d have stayed upstairs.”  It’s always good to end a day with a laugh, but especially after 26,000 steps!" (and a stolen purse 😩) 

Florence - Art Day

Wednesday was the day Greg was looking forward to most.  He had been to Florence as a teen but he didn't go inside any of the art exhibits so now was his chance - and what a day it was.  We found our best patisserie of the trip on our way to the Uffizi Gallery (I wish I would have bought several more tasties).  The building itself was pretty cool and the view of the Ponte Vecchio was incredible.

The museum was filled with incredible art.  Our Rick Steves tour pointed out the most important works in 50 minutes, Greg would have spent much longer here but the boys were done after the audio tour ended.

Some memorable works were Botticelli's Birth of Venus and several works by Michaelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo.  Before the trip I read a fictionalized work about the life of Michaelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy and a biography about Leonardo called simply, Leonardo di Vinci.  Those books really helped me appreciate the pieces we viewed in the Uffizi.

Leonardo’s Annunciation 

"Some of the paintings clearly had protective systems while others were exposed to the air and whatever else.  I looked closely and couldn’t see the glass enclosure protecting the Annunciation.  Andrew leaned so close that he bumped the glass, confirming its existence.  Fortunately it didn’t set off any alarms or bring security running.  I didn’t see it at the time, but when Lisa and Andrew told me later I had a good laugh as I had tried in vain to see the glass barrier."

Leonardo's unfinished Adoration of the Magi

Michaelangelo’s Doni Tondo

Every inch of the building was a tribute to art, the ceilings, sculptures and walls.

"There was no line to enter the Palazzo Vecchio next door when we exited the Uffizi. This town hall was the seat of government, where the Council of 500 met.  Had history taken a different turn it may be the most famous site in Florence as Michaelangelo and Leonardo were commissioned to paint massive murals on opposing walls celebrating Florence’s military history.  Michaelangelo only made it so far as developing some preparatory drawings before being called to Rome by the Pope.  Leonardo’s Battle of the Anghiari filled the wall but he had experimented with a new technique and ultimately the fresco didn’t hold and the painting was ruined.  Some say that the remnants have been preserved behind a façade but no one know for sure.  Our vision of the painting rely on several Leonardo sketches and a copy of the central section by Rubens.  The walls instead host a massive work by Vasari." 

In one of the rooms at the Palazzo we discovered this treasure and had to send it to Emmy in honor of her tradition of counting all pooping animals in Africa.

We stood in line for 20 minutes at the Galleria dell Academia to see the David by Michaelangelo.  It was neat to see the unfinished Michaelangelo Prisoners in the hall leading up to the David.  The Prisoners, were left at different levels of completion revealing the process of the artists work.

We gave in and let the boys eat at McDonalds while Greg and I held out for some yummy pasta.

The Medici Chapel was next where we saw Michaelangelo's Day and Night, and Dawn and Dusk.  

Our train to Rome didn't leave for a while so we got some gelato, sat on the steps of the basilica and enjoyed watching people.

On the train I saw some groundhogs and deer as I listened to my audiobook and enjoyed the view.  It was dark when we arrived but we wandered to our hotel and got a a recommendation for a restaurant near by.

This dinner was probably the best of the trip.  The fried artichoke and my spinach ravioli was delicious.  We enjoyed observing the other diners as our tables were rather clothes together.  

Unfortunately, our hotel left a little to be desired.  The beds were quite hard.  Each of our three nights I tried different ideas to soften things up, like more pillows and towels, but to little avail.  However, I was worn out enough that I still slept well.