Rome - In a Word: Colossal

Rome. It is an ancient city. Impressive, colossal, grand. Rome is associated with the Colosseum, pasta, scooters, grand mythology, and characters like Julius Ceaser, Cleopatra and Marc Antony. We went on a walking tour and our history lesson of the city began in 753 B.C. as we sat on the ruins of Nero's home. For some reason, Rome doesn't seem too interested in preserving Nero's legacy. I can't imagine why. Perhaps it for setting the city on fire to clear way for his grand development projects. Perhaps it is because of his legendary ruthlessness. According legend, Romulus and Remus were abandoned as infants and raised by a she-wolf. Therefore, the symbol of the city are of two babies sucking on a she-wolf. The statue is everywhere and decidedly odd. The brothers built cities on neighboring hills but tragedy struck when Romulus killed Remus during an argument and then decided to name the entire city after himself and decreed himself king. The city grew from a small settlement on the Palatine Hill on the south side of the Tiber River. Kings ruled over Rome from 753 to 509 B.C. and historians believe that Rome was under Estrucen rule during this time. There was an intense period of strife and the Estrucens were rebelled against and a new republic was formed.  The Republic became increasingly more powerful during the 3rd Century B.C. Julius Ceaser entered the scene and transitioned the government from a Republic to an Empire but was assassinated in his quest for power in 44 B.C. The Roman Empire thrived and Rome depended on the rest of the Empire for its survival to provide for such a large population, estimated at 1-2 million at the time. Despite being replaced by Constantine as the capital of the Roman Empire and getting sacked by the Goths of Alaric and Vandals of Gaiseric in the 5th Century, Rome has maintained its status as a major world city to current history. It is a city rich in history and fascinating to explore.

The Ancient City
Our wanderings took us to the Colosseum. I was actually prepared to be disappointed by the Colosseum. There is just SO much hype. But it is pretty amazing. Melissa and I visited it during the day and then went again at night. It was beautifully illuminated and we sat in awe as we ate Swiss chocolate, soaking in its grandeur. It is perhaps one of my favorite landmarks on this trip. It was built during the Flavian Dynasty and completed in 80 A.D. It was completed in a record eight years. Its amazing what can be accomplished with slave labor. It could hold an estimated 50,000 people , separating all of the classes of course, and could empty out in five minutes. The area below the arena was an impressive labyrinth of 15 corridors and had two stories. Animals, gladiators, and props could be introduced to the arena. It could also be flooded for the reenactment of sea battles. It was used for about 500 years and hosted gladiator battles, as well as reenactments of battles (in which slaves and condemned prisoners played the role of the losing side). All of the shows were free to the public and financed by the emperor. It is actually quite terrible to think about the many people who were executed by the Roman Empire. A cross now stands in the Colosseum honoring the many Christians who were persecuted in the Colosseum. Despite a foundation measuring 14 meters, the structure did not withstand two earthquakes in the 6th Century, mostly due to the fact that two different soils were used in its construction. The Colosseum was then viewed as a used parts shop and columns from the Colosseum can be found throughout the city, usually in a Catholic church or statue. When the Catholic Church gained power in Rome, they simply put crosses atop statues, columns and pagan temples.
The Palatine Hill is also quite remarkable. It was home to the Roman Elite and the ruins there show an interesting glimpse into history. The Forum is situated at the bottom of the Palatine Hill and was the political center of Rome. The Curia still stands were the Senate met. Temple remains are located throughout and were dual purposed as places of worship as well as site of government offices. One can also see where Paul was imprisoned as well. Very impressive. You feel quite small sitting on fractured columns surrounded by ruins. You also become quickly dehydrated and hungry. Luckily, it isn't a terribly far walk to the Pantheon which is surrounded by some of the best gelatorias in town. The Pantheon was built in 126 AD as a temple honoring all of the gods. It is the oldest free standing dome and a remarkable structure, despite having half of its face shrouded by scaffolding. The inside is phenomenal. It is illuminated by a single sky light open to the air at the top of the dome. Rain water is drained by a system built into the dome. Pretty great engineering.

Fountains
Rome is a city of fountains. The Trevi Fountain is huge. It takes up much of the piazza while tourists take up the rest. Legend says that you can throw one to three coins in, but it must be done properly, with your back to the fountain as you toss it over your shoulder. The first coin is for when you will return to Rome, the second is for falling in love in Rome and the third is for marring that love. Many people choose to throw only the first two coins in. The money collected from the fountain goes to the maintenance of the fountain and to charity. My favorite fountain is probably the one at the base of the Spanish steps. It is of a sinking ship and is set within the piazza. I like it because it is simple, accommodates the low water pressure and is still quite beautiful.

The Vatican
The Catholic Church is very present in Rome. You cannot escape its presence and its power. The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, encapsulated within one square kilometer. Despite its small size, it is very overwhelming. Upon getting off the metro, we were hastled by tons of people. ''Tour, skip the lines, we get you right in!'' ''Lunch? Hungry? This place is close by!" And then the inevitable beggars and hustlers at all tourist traps. We walked to St. Peter's Square, saw the line for the Basilica stretching across the square and promptly turned around and headed for the Vatican Museum instead. We were advised to go after 1200 and breezed through security, hardly waiting at all. To view the Sistine Chapel, you first must go through the Vatican Museum, past 53 galleries full of statues, busts, paintings, frescoes, crucifixes, chalices, and tapestries. It includes statues from Greek and Roman antiquity and paintings created in my lifetime. The crown jewel is the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo, Rafael, Bernini and Botticelli all contributed to the masterpiece. Michelangelo is the best though. Again, I thought it would not live up to the hype, but it's pretty incredible. My neck hurt and my mouth was dry after looking up with my mouth wide open in awe of the beauty. If I were the Pope, I would reserve the Chapel for an hour each day, lie on the marble floor and stare up at the phenomenal artwork.

Men
Shortly after our arrival in Rome, I had my first experience with Italian men. The waiter for our first dinner in Rome was named Alex. He was a stereotypical Italian male in every way except for his looks. He was not inhibited by his appearance. He wanted to know where we were from and to help him with his English and he would help us with our Italian and he wanted us to hang out with him and his friend after he got off work. He kissed my hair several times, let his hand linger on my lower back and called me beautiful repeatedly. He had several lines, including "Ah, you must have Italian in your blood!" Which is interesting because Mediterranean spice is the one thing lacking in the European melting pot that is my genealogy.  Alex employed the classic techniques of bringing us free drinks, an appetizing wine and a desert lemoncello - a tasty lemon liquor, in addition to the bottle of wine we split in hopes that alcohol would impair our judgement and make him more handsome, or maybe just handsome, or at least semi-good looking. He also brought me a love note, lacking only the 'check yes or no' boxes. ''Are you ready to spend the night with me? You are a splendid girl.'' Yeah, no. Melissa enjoyed the experience immensely since she benefited from the free drinks and watching my face turn a variety of shades of red.

Things I Did Not Expect When I Woke Up
Rome Edition
-Take a metro ride resembling a game of sardines. When the doors opened, people spilled out with the release of pressure
-Be circled by a flock of pigeons as we ate breakfast in front of Santa Maria Maggiore
-Learn how disgusting barley coffee is