The Magnificence of Rome

Rome, Italy

Day 1 - 08 September 2023, Arrival 7:00AM

Arrived in Rome at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport with private transfer to our hotel about an hour away. Arrived too early to check into the room at the Hotel Forum, which is located just beside the Roman Forum, so we stored bags with the concierge desk, ate breakfast in the hotel overlooking beautiful views of the area around the Forum (we loved the view so much that we had breakfast here daily), and went out exploring the immediate area. The convenience of this hotel for what we wanted to see cannot be understated. Plus, it was directly beside one of the main restaurant roads by the Forum.

When returning to check in to the Hotel Forum, opening our 3^rd floor window facing the Roman Forum to take a picture would find even more passers-by snapping photos of us (our hotel). The elevator entrances and overall size are much smaller than average and operate separately. The hotel staff were both friendly and efficient. One pleasant surprise was the lack of road noise. Our travel report (that we give to our clients as well) recommended upgrading to a deluxe room to avoid the road noise below. We walked outside to the area of people taking pictures of our hotel and then we discovered why - the view of the ruins of the Forum of Nerva with the Hotel above it!

But first. we started the day walking past the Roman Forum for the first of many times, stopping frequently for pictures. The Forum contains the remnants of grand palaces, temples, monuments, and the homes of Rome’s rulers and leading citizens over thousands of years. The Forum is flanked by the Colosseum on the South, the Campidoglio and “Vittorio” or more formally, the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuel II, the 1^st King of Italy and to Italian veterans of World War I. 

In the evening, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, where crowds had gathered in the warm evening, just as sunset was starting to cast its orange glow over the rooftops. Continuing to the Spanish Steps, we enjoyed the beautiful view over the rooftops with the glow of the setting sun beyond Saint Peter’s Basilica and surrounding area!

We stopped for pizza and lasagna on the walk back. I will be kind and not discuss the name of this regrettable choice, but sometimes the off-the-beaten-path restaurant with no guests is that way for a reason. It was definitely microwave lasagna and not the most expensive kind. Fortunately, there was not much of it. It’s not all perfect and it felt like we may have been on a hidden camera with Chef Gordon Ramsey right around the corner. In all, we found Italy, as expected by reputation, is an incredible culinary experience and all other experiences in Rome were excellent. We had fun tasting and comparing, particularly with “lunch” being the different versions of gelato and Tiramisu throughout Rome!

Rome, Italy

Day 2 - 09 September 2023

The morning started with a walk up to the hotel rooftop, where a bar opens in the evening (you can go to Eileen’s YouTube channel to see a video of the rooftop and all the destinations we visited), and then a quick walk past the Roman Forum to get some Euros from the bank on the street, Quattro November, then a walk back to the hotel. After a quick taxi ride from the hotel to the tour group meeting point with a delay for all the group to arrive, and then a short walk, we left Italy and entered the Vatican Museum in the country of Vatican City. Remain reasonably close to your guide and listen for directions as the audio devices are blocked by some of the thick walls and sharp angles as you pass displayed works of art created over centuries, in the buildings, rooms, and halls that at times both compete with and brilliantly frame the displays. 

The tour began with an introduction of the history of the Vatican and the creation of the Sistine Chapel, then moved further into the Vatican Museum, which is also a work of art. Crowds flock to the site and rather than being only a museum, is currently used for its original purpose. The feeling one gets is not only the reverence of those who had constructed it, but that of awe in being so small in comparison to the greatness of God.

The Sistine Chapel was one of the surprises for Mike, as he pictured a quaint quiet place of prayer at ground level in a little village. Well, it is one of the highest points in the Vatican complex and while it is quiet, it is only because the guards caution the large crowds flowing through and pausing that there is no talking. The colors are vibrant, and the paintings have life in them. No photos are allowed within the Sistine Chapel, so it must be experienced in-person. When our tour guide had assembled us, we exited into St. Peter’s Square, near the entrance to our next stop, St. Peter’s Basilica. 

St. Peter’s Basilica is huge and reflects a refinement and feats of Engineering, design, and craftsmanship over a sustained period. From the statue ‘Pieta’, of Mary holding the body of Jesus, to the countless statues, selection of materials, and simply a scale that is unmatched for that era and has stood the test of time. New Paragraph

As we exited St. Peter’s Basilica, we happened upon the changing of the Swiss Guards. As we stepped further away from the Basilica into St. Peter’s Square we entered the massive arched colonnades on either side, like outstretched arms from the Basilica. These colonnades were capped with many statues. From this vantage point, the Basilica dome could be seen, as could the Papal Apartment and the Sistine Chapel high over the other administrative buildings. 

Walking east out of St Peter’s Square toward the San Angelo Fort, we stopped at Universal Bar Pizzeria for Gelato and Tiramisu with some mineral water on the main entry road. Mike said, “Best Tiramisu I’ve ever had!” The staff was engaging and while not being intrusive, made the service a part of a great experience as we enjoyed our desserts in the shade on an outside table watching the crowd. After a long day on our feet, we chose to get a taxi back to the hotel from the taxi stand across from the San Angelo Fort back to the Campidoglio, then walked over to eat.

Rome, Italy

Day 3 - 10 September 2023

In the morning, after eating in the hotel we ventured out again to the city past the Vittorio bound for a dress shop we had seen from a taxi, and found it closed since it was Sunday morning. So, we walked with no destination in mind other than a vague idea that we wanted to see some of the architecture. Eileen stopped to rest in the shade on a low wall next to a large brick structure and as I was looking up our exact location to see what was nearby, a couple walked by mentioning to each other that they were going to the Parthenon but wanted to see something else before going to the entrance. Eileen got up to follow them to the Pantheon, then we stopped at the small, but ornate Basilica of St Eustace located in a small piazza nearby. The Basilica had an active congregation, a nice change from so many of the churches we had seen in other places that were essentially museums filled with only tourists. When we returned to the walk to the Pantheon, we were surprised that Eileen had sat down on the low wall behind the Pantheon!

Knowing now that the distance on the map was not a significant obstacle, we headed to the Piazza Navona, with three magnificent fountains, where we stopped at Ristorante Tucci, and enjoyed Gelato and Tiramisu. While relaxing in the shade and enjoying our early lunch (desert), Eileen noticed visitors entering an ornate building on the other side of the Piazza. Walking over to the entrance, we entered and found the Church of Saint Ages of Agone. The choir was practicing or participating in some sort of service, and the perfectly blended voices raised in song were ethereal.

After listening for a few minutes, we continued our walk, eventually reaching the bridge across the Tiber River in front of the impressive Italian Supreme Court of Appeals. This is one of the iconic night photography spots of the Vatican over the St Angelo Castle foot bridge across the Tiber River. On returning to start our afternoon tour, we passed the Palazzo Venezia and entered its atrium and courtyard, but this would have to wait as our next tour was to begin shortly.

In the afternoon, we joined a walking tour of the Colosseum and into the Roman Forum, site of the ruins of temples, monuments, Emperors’ homes, fortifications, and palaces from Rome’s earliest days. Our tour guide explained that the Colosseum was not built in a day, but that by the standards at the time, was built in record time as a massive public undertaking, The walls are concentric circles made of arches stacked one level on top of another and connected to each other by sold walls and arches on the outer ring. A massive shade was hoisted over the seats with poles locked in place with holes in the top row of stones. Beyond the vast scale of the structure, the steps here are quite steep and tall. To go back down, we had to use the elevators, which were almost on the exact opposite side of the gift shop, so it took a little while to get there and then to find the group again at the exit. 

Our guide clarified that while Christians, criminals, and slaves were fed to the lions, brutalized, and killed in barbaric methods in large numbers in the Colosseum, the vast majority were unceremoniously slaughtered in the woods outside of Rome’s northern city limits. It was in the book “Gospel on the Ground” by Kristi McLelland that Eileen learned of man named Telemachus that who brought the gladiator entertainment to an end. We learned the end of the gladiator games did not come from acceptance of Christianity, it came from Telemachus who walked into the area, not as a combatant, but in protest that death was viewed as sport. He stood inside the area and said, “In the name of Christ Stop!” A gladiator killed Telemachus as an answer to his words. On his death, unarmed, even the jaded spectators turned to each other in shock and crowd fell over the crowd that triggered the end of the mortal combat; a realization that they have become desensitized to this form of entertainment and therefore, the last battle of the gladiators. Billpetro.com/history-of-telemachus. As we left the grounds of the Colosseum, we passed the Arch of Constantine and our walking tour continued to Palatine Hill. 

Palatine Hill, or Palatino, was the home of the emperor and the original site of the fortified city of Rome. What was once the Flavian Palace, the epicenter of the greatest empire the world had known, now has only portions of a wall with a stone plaque and a small stone in the dirt where the Roman Emperor’s throne once sat and only the base of columns left of a huge structure that displayed Rome’s power to visitors.  A wonderful view atop the Palatine Hill displayed all the ruins below.

As this was our last night in Rome, we ate at the restaurant, Angelino ai Fori, which was located just after leaving the Forum, and on the corner of the street we passed going to and from the Hotel Forum each day. 

We could have easily spent three more days exploring and streets, sites, and tastes of Rome, and every picture changes with the position of sun in the sky, casting light and interesting shadows, but our next stop tomorrow would be the port of Civitavecchia, for a cruise through the Greek Isles and to Malta aboard the Celebrity Reflection.  Another blog coming soon aboard Celebrity Reflection!