Rome Part One: Piazza Venezia, The Forum, Colosseum and Vatican.
Hello from the Forum. Just under two thousand years ago this was the political, cultural and commercial hub of Ancient Rome. From my perch on capital hill, I have a perfect view of the Forum and the Colosseum. I’m in awe, staring at two thousand years of history. The very setting for so many of the things that I’ve learned about in class. I can see the exact spot where Julius Caesar was cremated. ET TU BRUTE, BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH, JULIUS FREAKING CAESAR. His many adoring fans gathered around the fire and threw all sorts of tokens of affection on to it as it burned. The fire then grew so large they had to call the fire department to put it out. I can see the house of the Vestal Virgins (think the nuns of Ancient Rome). They were vowed to chastity, and if they were found to have broken that vow they were buried alive and their partners were whipped to death. I’m a stones throw from the Arch of Titus. Basically, when the Romans conquered people they generally let them keep living as long as they showed allegiance to the emperor by worshiping him as a god. For the most part, the people they conquered were already polytheistic so adding another god wasn’t an issue. However, the Jews of Israel refused to recognize the Roman emperor as God and revolted. After being defeated in a short and bitter war 50,000 Jews were taken as slaves. They brought them back to Rome and forced them to build the arch to commemorate their own defeat. Classic Ancient Roman move. All in all highly inspiring place, hence my reasoning for bringing the iPad out here to write.
It’s been a wild week in Rome. I feel so at home here I can’t even begin to explain it. I don’t miss home, I just feel so happy here. Everything is historic and has an incredible story. The piazza in front of my Airbnb turned out to be the Campo de Fiori where the Vatican had heretics burned at the stake for a century. Later, Italian’s erected a large statue in honor of Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake. The statue of Bruno was built defiantly facing the Vatican. Also, it is a spot used in the Lizzie McGuire movie. The scene where Paolo takes Lizzie to a market? Yup. That’s Campo De Fiori.
You’re probably wondering where I have been the last the last week. My last days in Rome where a whirlwind of activity so I am going to split my recap into two blogs. That way it doesn’t end up looking like a dissertation.
On Thursday, July 11th I started my day the Forum. On my walk there I accidentally ended up at the Piazza Venezia. As a general rule of thumb, when I stumble upon something beautiful I hit up google for a backstory. The Piazza Venezia was originally the embassy for the Republic of Venice in Rome. It is now the site of Italy’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame burning in the center of a courtyard being watched over by two guards.
Just behind the Piazza is the Roman Forum. I took the Rick Steves audio guide (for free 99 cause we are balling on a budget) from Capital Hill behind the Forum so that I wouldn’t have to pay to get in, but I could still see everything being talked about on the tour. It was definitely my favorite place in Rome as it checks all of my boxes. Away from tourists? Check. I only ever saw 10 people here at any given time. Historically significant? Check. We established that up there ^. Beautiful? Check, I could stare at the senate ruins and Colosseum all day. Shady places to sit? Check. Y’all should see the bench/shady tree that I’ve claimed as my spot. Used to film the Lizzie McGuire Movie? Check. Thirty seconds ago I was standing in the same spot as Ms. Ungermeyer was when she told Ethan and Kate to separate lol (see side by side photos below).
From the Forum I walked back down the hill and around the corner to the Colosseum. I didn’t want to pay and or wait in line to enter the Colossuem so again I found a nice shaded vantage point on a hill and took the Rick Steves audio guide from there. The walk up the hill to my Colosseum viewing spot went right by a gelato shop. Despite the fact that it was 10am, I got myself a cone of lemon and cantaloupe sorbet for the walk. When it comes to the gelato/sorbet debate I am staunchly team sorbet. It’s just so much better than gelato! I ended up sitting in front of the Colosseum for about three hours taking the tour, taking pictures, vlogging and just enjoying the white noise and view.
After the Colossuem I was starving, so I googled “best trattoria in Rome”, got directions to the first recommendation and started walking. I arrived at Trattoria Monti about five minutes before opening and found a line of locals with reservations waiting to get in. An Englishman and I were both solo and sans reservations so we were seated together in the back. I asked the waiter for a pasta and wine recommendation. He responded with a dish and a wine in Italian and I just nodded and said okay. It was a little like playing restaurant Russian roulette. One of the menu options had sardines and as I waited for my surprise dish I was praying this man was not a fan of seafood lol. When my food arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the giant, size of my face, ravioli that was on the dish in front of me. No obvious sign of sardine on the plate so I was very happy. After the waiter put down my plate he came back with a boat of Parmesan and a spoon and just left it on the table. LOVE IT. So I threw a bunch of parm on the ravioli and cut right down the middle. I unwittingly popped an egg yolk that was hiding in the pasta pillow. The egg yolk mixed with the sage and the ricotta filling and it was delicious. The only downside being that I am a big person and one ravioli isn’t going to do it for me. So to fill the vacuum that is my stomach I ordered dessert. The house special was a ricotta and mixed berry cheesecake. It was good not great and I didn’t end up finishing it. When the waitress came to collect my plate she chastised me for not finishing my food lol.
It was about a forty minute walk back home and by the time I got back I was exhausted so I took a nap. When I woke up I felt more tired than when I laid down. Luckily, the one feeling stronger than exhaustion is hunger. So my stomach pulled me out of bed and I began my walk across the river to Dar Poeta for another pizza. I was going to get the parma pizza I mentioned seeing in the last blog, but I saw something else on the menu that caught my eye. Gun to my head I could not tell you the name of the pizza, but I do remember the ingredients! It had spicy salami slices, mozzarella, and they blended spicy peppers (possibly pepperoncini?) in to the sauce. It was delicious and it had a nice kick. I refused to pay for water so I was sweating and my mouth was trying to put out a fire without water. I almost broke half way into the pizza, but ultimately I held my ground.
With my belly full of pizza I began to walk around Trastevere. For my San Diego friends, Trastevere is the “North Park” of Rome. For my non San Diegan readers it is a trendy, up and coming neighborhood that is a foodie paradise. Walking in the Roman sun can be exhausting so I treated myself to two scoops of sorbet solely to combat the heat. Purely logical decision here. I went for lemon and cantaloupe again. I was making my way back home when I came across a guitarist (@lucaguidiguidiluca on Instagram) putting on a show in front of a large set of stairs so I took a seat. He was a great performer! I ended up staying for half an hour. The sun was beginning to set so I made the short walk back to my Airbnb and ended my day. I didn’t go out at night much while in Rome. The walk back to my Airbnb went down a few sketchy alleys and as a solo traveler I didn’t feel comfortable making the trek back in the dark.
On Friday, July 12th I woke up early to hit the Trevi fountain so I could get good pictures without people in the background. THEY CAME OUT SO GOOD. Well actually, the first twelve people I asked to take my photo did a terrible job. Genuinely thinking of making collages of all the unusable photos strangers took of me. Anyways, the last girl I asked took the BEST photos. I saw her walk up to the fountain alone with a super nice camera. THIS WAS MY SHOT! I ran up to her and offered to take hers if she took mine. I took hers first and if you’ve never seen me take photos for a stranger then check the photo below. That’s how hard I go for people who ask for photos. Generally, people don’t do the same for me. BUT SHE DID. Thank you random girl who laid down on the steps of the Trevi for me! All I wanted from Italy was cute Trevi photos so I was very grateful. After my photo shoot, I walked past the Pantheon on my way home (WHAT A COMMUTE RIGHT?). I got home switched outfits and started walking towards the Vatican.
The walk was about thirty-five minutes in direct sun so it was a little rough. I handed over my skip the line ticket (NECESSARY TO BUY AHEAD OF TIME BECAUSE THE LINE TO GET TICKETS WAS WILD), threw on my Rick Steves walking tour and followed him around the museum. It should be noted that my Dad bought my Vatican ticket for me because I was struggling to find a cheap one. I know if I don’t shout him out I’ll get a text along the lines of “WHO BOUGHT THE SKIP THE LINE TICKET?!”. I’m pretty sure we’ve established it by now, but I’m a huge nerd. So all the stories about the pieces in the museum were really exciting for me. BUT THE HIGHLIGHT WAS THE EGYPT ROOM. Okay so odds are none of you know this about me, but for a large chunk of my childhood I was OBSESSED with all things Egyptian history. I loved it and I was a sponge for obscure Egyptian knowledge. When Rick Steves said “It’s not part of the tour but if you want to see a mummy then pause the tour, turn around and go down the stairs.” I DID AN IMMEDIATE 180 and walked in to the Egypt room. The minute I walked in the little 10 year old inside me started geeking out. There were hieroglyphics and really dope artifacts that filled the walls of the exhibit but in the back were mummies. REAL PRESERVED HUMAN BODIES. I know everything there is to know about the mummification process and burial traditions (fun fact they would use a large hook to mush up your brain and pull it out of your nose) and seeing a real mummy was a huge deal for me. One of the mummies had a gold scarab beetle on its chest and I just couldn’t get over how cool everything I was seeing was. I didn’t get any pictures because these were real people and their real possessions and it is just bad juju. All in all a very cool experience. After the mummy exhibit I got back to the Rick Steves tour which ends at “The Creation of Adam” in the Sistine Chapel. I am not a religious person and I can’t remember the last Sunday I spent in a church. Despite that, the Sistine Chapel was still an outstanding experience. I’ve seen that fresco a thousand times in textbooks and photos so seeing it in person was awesome. Someone painted that. By hand. ON SCAFFOLDING. Oh and that someone was a guy named Michelangelo. Maybe you’ve heard of him?
After the Sistine Chapel I exited the museum and began walking towards St. Peter’s Basilica. FUN FACT, the Romans took stones from the Colosseum and used them to build St. Peter’s. By this time, I had yet to eat and I had walked about seven miles in sandals. My feet and I were very done. I found a shady spot on the far side of the square and FaceTimed my parents. I told them I didn’t want to go in and they said that I absolutely had to go inside. All Meegan’s suffer from AMS (afraid of missing something). So, I mustered up my last bit of my energy, trekked across the square and got in line. The inside was a perfect example of the financial corruption that was the church. After all, St. Peter’s is the reason they began to sell indulgences. When the church wanted to build St. Peter’s they needed money so they began to sell indulgences to rich people. Basically, you (a rich person) would pay the church a certain amount of money and they would absolve you of your sins. If memory serves, I am pretty sure the amount money varied on the severity of the sin. It’s probably my favorite move the church ever made for two reasons. One, it is just so outwardly sleazy and forked up. Two, the indulgences/ St. Peter’s were the straw that broke Martian Luther’s back and prompted him to write his 95 theses and spark the Protestant reformation. I stopped by the gift shop and got some Holy Water for my mom and did a lap of the Basilica before dropping into the crypt to see the dead popes. As soon as I got in to that room I got a really weird vibe and IMMEDIATELY wanted to leave. Some definite weird juju going on in there. On my way out and turned and looked for my boy Pope Francis’ room. Again, I’m not religious, but Francis just seems like such a genuinely wholesome person and I am a fan. The Swiss guard have some pretty rad outfits and look mad scary with their javelins. Definitely don’t look like men to be trifled with.
The thirty-five minute walk back from the Vatican was aggressive. My face was sunburnt and everytime I had to leave the shade I felt like I was on fire. I finally got to Trattoria Moderna (the restaurant recommended by my Airbnb host Viktor). I ordered a caprese salad and pasta bolognese. The salad was a little salty and the pasta was okay. I wasn’t mad at it, but it wasn’t somewhere I needed to return. I went straight back to the Airbnb and knocked out. I woke up around eight and decided to make another pasta run and try my luck elsewhere. I was on a mission to find the perfect pasta. I looked up some spots in Trastevere and found one with GUSHING reviews. Cajo & Gajo’s recommended dish is the Carbonara. I ordered it and again good but not great. I knew Italy could do better. After the waitress collected my plate she returned and made me review the restaurant on Trip Advisor in front of her. Hence the gushing reviews. I told her I didn’t have signal and I would do it later. I don’t write reviews unless I want to. The sun was beginning to set so I made my way back to the Airbnb and hit the hay.
Thanks for reading four days in Italy part one! In part two we cover the best pasta I had in Rome so stay tuned for that later this week.
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Ciao,
Allie *PASTA EMOJIS*
