The Eternal City

       Here we have Johanna enjoying an ice cream cone in Rome. I think it might be near the Pantheon, maybe outside a really famous gelato shop galled Café Giolitti. Café Giolitti is so famous, in fact, that it is on the map of Rome that came with our guidebook. I'm not sure, however, that this is the famous café, because gelato eating happened in many parts of Rome during our trip there. We probably broke some kind of record for cones eaten in the most locations in the Eternal City. The interesting thing about ice cream in Rome is that they won't give it to you until after you pay. The way it works is you go to the cash register and say, for example "five piccolo" (which is what most places call small cones), and then you hand over your 12 euro. Then, and only then, can you tell the scooper what you'd like and take possession. 

      The ice-cream procedure illustrates the difference between Rome and Geneva. In Geneva, no one asks you to pay for your ice cream until you've eaten it and are leaving the restaurant. In fact, if you find that you don't have enough money to pay, the person at the cash register will tell you "pas de problème" and to come back anytime next week to pay. In Geneva, the expectation is that most people are honest about things like ice-cream bills. Not so in Rome. Furthermore, if you are in Rome and you are waiting to pay for your gelato, you need to stick your elbows out and shove yourself assertively into line. Otherwise . . . no dessert for you. I definitely feel more comfortable in Switzerland.

      That is not to say that I didn't like Rome. I've never been anywhere with such a powerful sense of history and with so much wealth wrapped up in antiquities. There are triumphal arches along the street that no one even bothers to put on the map, because so many dot the city. This is side by side with garbage, graffiti, and more aggressively driven cars than I've seen outside of New York City. Rome is an interesting place.

       Our trip began inauspiciously. We took our trademark crack-of-dawn flight (those are the cheapest on EasyJet), so we arrived at our apartment in a state of fatigue and burgeoning irritation (me, anyway). The apartment owner, whom we will call Flavia, sent me into full-blown (though silent) wrath by criticizing my plan to walk on the Appian Way that afternoon. ("Why would you want to do that?") I explained to Eric (after she left) that I had spent many hours planning this trip and while the schedule was flexible . . . it wasn't. So off to the Appian Way of Ecce! Romani fame we went. It was a lovely, sunny day and we had a beautiful walk (so there, Flavia), despite the fact that the bus driver refused to stop where we wanted and we had to walk a good half mile along what seemed like a superhighway to reach our real starting point.

Original paving stones on the Appian Way

Not-original sign.

I think this is part of the ruined Temple of Jupiter. The Appian Way is mostly ruined temples and tombs.

This is the tomb of a man named Hilarius. Obviously, I had to take a picture.

The family treading where the centurions trod.

       We ate that night at the ridiculously early (for Romans) hour of 7:30 p.m. The more adventuresome family members tried octopus. Lucas and I went, "Eeew, you can see the suction cups." Which was true, but faint-hearted of us.

        According to THE SCHEDULE, Day Two was More Ancient Rome. We saw the Colosseum, which was probably as packed with tourists as it used to be with spectators. The only gladiators, though, were the ones wanting to pose with us for pictures -- for a fee, of course. Their armor looked plastic.



Inside the Colosseum

Outside the Colosseum

       We then visited the Palatine Hill, which was lovely, peaceful, and covered with fascinating ruins of emperors' palaces. I can understand why the emperors would want to live in such a pleasant place. We also walked around the Roman Forum. More ruins, including the location where Marc Antony gave his famous speech and where Julius Caesar was creamated (also the Curia, where Augustus Caesar's daughter, Julia, apparently misbehaved. Along with other indiscretions, this eventually led to her banishment. Kids could be trouble to their famous parents even then.).

The Stadium on the Palatine Hill

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Forum. The pillars were part of the original temple, which Emperor Antoninus Pius dedicated to his wife, Faustina. And all I got for Valentine's Day was dinner out. Of course, Faustina was dead, so maybe a temple was more appropriate.

       That afternoon we saw the Pantheon and passed up a gelato shop advertising 150 flavors (much to the kids' dismay) in favor of Giolitti. After our sightseeing, we definitely had a sense for Ancient Rome. I was surprised, though, how difficult I found it to believe that Nero, Caesar, Hadrian, and the rest had actually been there. I thought the history would seem more real having visited the places where it happened, but my imagination seemed to be on an entirely different vacation. The sites were fascinating, but dead.

The dome of the Pantheon. Hadrian designed it between AD 118  and 125.

Outside the Pantheon.

        The next morning took us forward in time as we boarded the crowded metro for the Vatican. Pope Benedict had resigned (shockingly, it seems) just the day before. We were interested to see if the Vatican was more crowded than usual as a result, although how would we know what was usual? I know almost nothing about the papacy, so I am probably making some kind of major gaffe when I say that if Benedict felt that he could no longer do the job, resigning seems like a wise idea. He had to deal with a lot of difficult issues during his time, and I can see how it might have worn him out.
      The Vatican Museums were astounding -- the buildings themselves as well as the works of art inside. It was visual overload for about two hours as we wandered through rooms crowded with treasures. We saw Greek statues, paintings by da Vinci and Giotto, frescos by Raphael (and his students, whom we felt were quite talented as well), Roman mosaics. The Sistine Chapel was as impressive as promised, although almost too much to take in. The Renaissance was not exactly a time of restraint in art.

The ceiling in one of the Vatican Museums -- the rooms themselves almost overpowered the art in some cases.

The Gallery of Maps, which were painted in the 16th century to depict all of Rome's holdings, was my favorite room.

       We left the museums to visit Saint Peter's Basilica. The church, like the museums, is jam-packed with treasures. While overdecorating isn't my taste, I couldn't help but be impressed. At the same time, the visit to the Vatican made me think. On the one hand, I know that God loves beauty and he gives artists skill to create wonderful things to his glory. Having so much of the world's great art collected and kept safe is important. On the other hand, I couldn't help wondering how many people could be fed with all the money that goes into making, preserving, and guarding all that. Not an easily resolved dilemma.

A list of Popes inside St. Peter's

Drew said that his main reason for wanting to come to Rome was to see Michelangelo's Pieta. The kids all studied it in fifth grade and have been intrigued by its beauty ever since.

     
      That night, we set out to find the Spanish Steps, so called because they are in what was once considered the Spanish section of Rome, due to the fact that the Spanish representative to the Vatican lived there. The steps join the Spanish Plaza to the church of Trinitià dei Monti, and it is an impressive and lovely place. It's also apparently Rome's ritziest shopping district. From the displays in the shop windows, it seems that pink is the color this season, in case anyone is interested.
       

The Spanish Steps and Trinitiá dei Monti

        At this point, we did what we should have been doing all along and gave Lucas the map. He loved directing us through the narrow streets of the area around the Piazza della Rotunda, I was glad to give up being chief navigator for a while, and best of all, Luc led us to a great restaurant. We were the only guests, as it was barely 7 p.m., so the waiter was very attentive. We accepted all of his suggestions, trying artichokes boiled and fried, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, and even dessert.
        The next day Eric headed to P&Gs Rome office, having decided that this was an opportunity for him to meet some of his Italian coworkers. The kids and I visited the Villa Borghese (beautiful grounds, sort of boring art gallery, talented accordion player to whom we gave many euro for his amazing renditions of Vivaldi). In the afternoon, we walked along the Tiber, trying to remember the words to "Horatius at the Bridge," a poem the kids all memorized in third grade.

The Tiber -- according to the poem, it is supposed to be yellow, although it didn't seem very yellow to us. 

Of course Lucas found a place to climb.

This is the Castel Sant'Angelo, which has been a mausoleum, citadel, prison, and papal residence. 

        We tried the 150-flavor gelato place at the end of our walk, and it really was the best gelato we had in Rome (although the place at the train station put whipped cream on top, which was a nice touch). We ended the vacation with fast food, as Drew insisted that he needed "the Italian McDonald's Experience" to make his trip complete. The experience was underwhelming, but inexpensive.