A Weekend in Rome

It's finally here - Details on my weekend in Rome! After a late-night flight, an over-priced taxi ride, a warm welcome by our hosts at the hotel, and a good night's sleep, two of my housemates and I woke up to this sight outside our window. The sun and the warm weather were a welcome change to the frigid temperatures we'd been having in Austria - and after two weeks of planing, we were ready to hit all the major sites of Rome!

Laundry drying outside our hotel window - and it's SUNNY!

Our first stop was the Colosseum, the place where all the fearless Roman gladiators fought to the death - either each other or exotic animals from all the neighboring regions of the globe. It was a spectacular sight, and it felt like I had stepped back in time. (I kept saying all weekend - "it feels like I'm inside my middle school history textbook!")

The view from the park

Look, mom! I'm at the Colosseum!

My two friends - they wanted to be gladiators, too!

View of the interior. The aisles and small rooms below the arena floor were used to keep the exotic animals at the Colosseum. They even flooded the lower level occasionally when they kept such animals as hippos there.

Our next stop after the Colosseum was the Roman Forum. This was a large "park" where you could wander around and look closely at some of the famous historic ruins. Columns and arches were EVERYWHERE and it was hard to keep them all straight. Monuments were dedicated to several different gods, and some plaques that we could loosely translate from Italian told us of their architectural history. Some had been burned or torn down, only to be rebuilt again. Below are a few pictures from the Roman Forum and the Imperial Forum (which we passed by on our way to the Pantheon):

Inside the walls of the Roman Forum

Some intricate sculptures inside the Roman Forum

The view from the street of the Imperial Forum

Next on our list was to visit the Pantheon (the famous building with the hole in the roof dedicated to all the gods). This building acted as a religious center and also as a burial place for famous individuals such as Raphael. Here is also where we met up with a friend of mine from back home who is studying abroad in Rome this semester. (As a classics major, Rome was a perfect place for her to make a semester abroad.) She showed us around the interior, and then spent the afternoon and evening with us just chatting and educating us on some of the historical aspects of the ancient city.

The exterior of the Pantheon

The interior ceiling of the Pantheon

After a quick stop for gelato at "the best gelato place in Rome" (with over 200 flavors! Oh boy!) we were off to spend a half an hour at the Spanish Steps:

The widest stairway in Europe (The Spanish Steps) and the Trinita de Monti church at the top

After we had eaten our fill of gelato and taken a short rest from running around and sightseeing all day, we headed off in the direction of the Trevi Fountain. Crowded with tourists (and I assume some pickpockets) it seemed a popular shady spot to relax and enjoy the cool running water.

It is traditional to throw a coin into the fountain when you visit, and if you do, you are, according to legend, ensured another trip to Rome. The coins that are thrown into the fountain are used to fund a supermarket for Rome's needy, and it's a fun activity to do, no matter how old you are :)

This is a picture of me and my friend studying in Rome. She promised me she'd come visit me in Vienna sometime in April, so I hope to be seeing her again sometime soon!

This picture is for my mom - a lover of pigeons and statues.

"Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue."

The Tiber River at night as we walked to our excellent gluten-free restaurant. (One of my housemates is lactose and gluten intolerant, as is my friend studying in Rome, so we got this restaurant as a recommendation.)

After dinner we stopped by a tourist stand. One of my friends was interested in a sweatshirt, and I bought a new piece of luggage - perfect for an overnight or small carry-on, and easily collapsable! That evening we returned to our hotel slightly sunburnt, wiped out, full of some great pasta and pizza, and ready for a good night's sleep.


The next morning we woke up early ready for a day in Vatican City! First up was St. Peter's Basilica. The line was incredibly long, but it moved quickly, and soon we were inside one of the holiest Catholic sites in the world. We spent a few hours there, and eventually made our way up to the dome to look at the beautiful scenery around Vatican City. Below are a few pictures:

The inside of the dome

The outside of the dome. I went up to the very top! (It was a LOT of stairs and also very claustrophobic.)

It was cloudy in the morning, but the sun finally came out so I could snap this picture of the front of the Basilica before going to lunch.

After some delicious pasta, we were ready to go to the Vatican museum. We went through what felt like hundreds of rooms full of sculptures, paintings, and other various forms of artwork. We easily could have spent the whole day there - maybe even SEVERAL days. It was amazing how much was in the museum.

This is the gorgeous courtyard of the Vatican Museum

Just another casually decorated ceiling... (There were many rooms where everything felt like a piece of art - even the floors!)

The last thing we saw was the Sistine Chapel, and by that point we were so tired that we sat for over a half an hour and stared at the ceiling. It was beautiful, but after hearing about it for years and years it was almost too built-up in my mind for the real thing to satisfy what I had in my imagination. But, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a very worthwhile experience.

After we were completely through the Vatican Museum we got some more gelato and headed over to the Piazza del Popolo, an old gathering place where public executions used to be held.

In the center is this Egyptian obelisk of Ramesses II. In the background are two similarly-constructed churches. 

Me on a fountain at the base of the obelisk

Altar piece inside the Santa Maria del Popolo Church. This is one of the most famous paintings of the Virgin and the child Christ. There were also works by Michelangelo, but I wasn't allowed to take pictures of those...

That evening we ate dinner at a place that was recommended by our hotel owner. When we got there we saw him standing in the restaurant, and after we were seated we heard him ask the waiter in Italian to order us an appetizer and a desert. (This guy was the nicest host I've ever had at a hotel!) He then came over and explained that his son still wasn't feeling well so he had ordered him a pizza. After we had chatted a while, he got his pizza and left us to a fantastic dinner. We left feeling very full and sleepy, and the next morning we woke up to more sunshine!

We attempted to go to the Borghese Gallery, but they are actually quite serious there about people making reservations before they arrive. (Well noted for the next time I go to Rome.) So instead, we wandered back toward Vatican City. We passed by the capital building and this famous bridge.

St. Angelo Bridge

Our last activity in Rome was actually very exciting - we got to see the Pope make a world address! He spoke in many languages and made a different blessing for specific people from each country where that language was spoken. In english he blessed American college students who were studying abroad (that's me!) and it was a really exciting moment to be standing there and watching him - the oldest Pope in history - bless my generation. It was a very spiritual moment, and I'll remember that for a long time to come.

The Pope giving his address! (He's in the open window above the red banner.)

After another quick stop for some gelato, we took the underground back to our hotel. After quick goodbyes to our hosts (who really by that point just felt like a host family) we ran down the stairs and took the a taxi (at the regular price this time) to the airport. I absolutely loved Rome and hope someday to return to see everything that I missed - because, as Rome wasn't built in one day, it's impossible to see everything in one weekend!