Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Italian Trip Report / Part Uno

Thanks for your nice comments, everyone. Yes, jleone, I am a writer. Only nobody pays me for it.

Let me starrt this report out by saying that I know that the smart traveler designs trips in such a fashion that they should culminate with some sort of climactic event, but I thought that we might have peaked with our 2.5 hours at the Colosseum, and we still had 3 days to go in Rome! A tip for the traveler who doesn't particularly enjoy waiting in line to enter the Colosseum, go to the ticket booth on Palatine Hill (beyond the Arch), and purchase tickets for both the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. We got this heads up from our hosts, and it easily saved us 45 minutes of waiting in line at the Colosseum. The other piece of good news is that you can use your ticket the next day (check with the ticket issuer to find out at what time it expires). We did this, and went to the Palatino the next day. The booth is fairly nondescript, but is worth the short uphill walk. Any local can properly direct you there.

By this time, we have done the full cavity search of the Colosseum, and I have taken a disproportionate number of pictures, so we reward ourselves with some pistachio gelato and ease back to Via Cavour to begin our search for a restaurant. I am uninterested (and unskillled) in providing a lot of eatery reviews, but we did have a nice meal at Il Colonnes, which was just around the corner. Good Italian fare at reasonable prices, and definitely a locals favorite. After this, we moseyed back to the Nicolas Inn to settle in for the night.

When we arrived at the B&B, it was a bit past 9:00 PM. We started the evening ritual of getting our very tired 5 year old in the tub, and ourselves squared away for bed. Our location, so far from St. Peters probably precluded this, but at 9:37 PM, we were told that the bells pealed throughout the city announcing the passing of "Il Papa", Pope John Paul II. I wish that I had heard the bells. It would have been indelible, but moments later I turned on the TV. (more comments later on Italian television - anybody need a rug?). CNN International was reporting the death and virtually all of our staions had gone to coverage. I know this overstates it, but it was kind of llike being in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. Not that I am trying to equate the two men or the impact of their deaths, but we had come 4,000 miles to visit this country for the first time in our lives, and found ouselves in the thick of the spiritual and geographic capital to for over 1 billion Catholics, awaiting the certain death of this beloved man.

They say much in life is being at the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time. I had offhandedly predicted a month before we left, that the Pope would most certainly die while we were in Rome, thus creating a snarl in the city of epic proportions. Boy, I felt like Nostradmus that night! Anyhow, we found ourselves in Rome at a time in history when there was an unprecedented convergence of events. What were the odds? In retrospect, it made us feel that we were front and center to a pivotal event in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, and the city of Rome. We felt strangely privileged to be a part of such an outpouring of love, grief and tribute to a man whom I - as a Protestant - had greatly underestimated. The impact of his Papacy was remarkable I don't presume to speak for Roman Catholics, but the greatness and the impact of the man was so visceral during that time in the city. He was adored by the people of Rome, and even the influx of so many people, which had already begun, was somehow not bothersome to us as tourists. It seemed perfectly appropriate and fitting. We thought it would be selfish to complain about our style being cramped when so many millions had made a heartfelt effort to make a pilgrimage to Rome to express their love for this man. Suffice it to say that it was a special time to be in Rome.

Day 2, Sunday morning in Rome began with Melissa's very nice breakfast, which she served to us in our room. The food was delicious, including a different yogurt and fruit each day, fruit juice, very robust coffee, croissants (slightly warmed),and a nice selection of jams, jellies, and real butter pats. If they only served grits in Italy, my life would be complete. Maybe a business opportunity.....

We were convinced that our private tour - scheduled on Monday - of St. Peter’s and the Vatican with Sean, of Angel Tours, (recommended) would be cancelled. Melissa made contact with him, and he was unsure what the outcome would be, but prospects were dim. Now I know that I mentioned earlier that I didn't want to be selfish, but I was slightly bent out of shape that I might miss my potential once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Sistine Chapel. All we could do was hope that things would break our way.

With full tummies and optimistic hearts we made the short walk to the Roman Forum. More magnificence, opulence and decadence all laid out before us. What a scene it must have been some 2000 years ago. The engineering, excess, imagination, and architectural skills of the Romans was stunning. We loved all the ruins, and I thought that the temple where Julius Caesar was cremated was particularly poignant. Yeah, that's right. I am standing where Julius Caesar’s body was laid 2000 years ago. Very few of the nearby tourists appreciated my video narration to the effect of "I have come not to bury Caesar, but to cremate him", but not everybody has a sense of humor. I also didn't get a lot of response when I asked where the Caesarian Section was in the Colosseum. Anyhow...we soaked up the history on both sides of Via dei Imperioli, and decided that being a Roman Emperor, Senator, or highly placed public official would have been a pretty good gig. It did sadden me to see how the area, including the Colosseum, had been so stripped of the beautiful marble facades that adorned everything. Maybe it is the unique Italian way of recycling that most of the marble ended up in Duomos and other great works of Renaissance art. Mind you, I didn’t object to the beauty of the Duomos in Pisa, Siena and other treasures throughout the country that were the lucky recipients of this pilfering, but it seems a shame, nonetheless. One of my favorite posters in Rome was that of the recreation of Ancient Rome. I can see why Rome was viewed as the center of the universe. What a metropolis it must have been!

After eavesdropping a bit on a guided tour (come on, don’t deny that you have done it), we continued our relentless walking to the former high rent district known as Palatine Hill. Our imaginations were fully engaged and we were in jaw drop mode as we toured the grounds. Our little one loved the Hippodrome (although we could not get down to it). My suggestion would be to pony up for a guided tour of the Palatino and the Forum. The Frommer’s book that we had was informative, but incomplete. We didn’t do it because we were concerned about our young one being a distraction to a group, but I think we missed out on some good trivia and juicy, decadent gossip. The view of Circus Maximus from the Palatino is priceless, although the Circus has been almost completely reduced to a pile of rubble. It doesn’t take the imagination of Lewis Carroll to recreate what must have been an amazing spectacle of 250,000 people cheering the chariot races. And understandably, the view from the Palatino must have been one of the best seats in the place. A side note, we went to the Circus Maximus the next day just to say we did, and it was lightly populated with young boys playing soccer, folks walking dogs, and people jogging. Boy, the place has really fallen into disrepair since Charlton Heston chariot raced there in 1959...

The only trip glitch in Rome (if you don’t count the Pope dying) was an unsuccessful wait at the Circus Maximus fermata for the Lago Negro #82 bus that was to take us to the catacombs and the Appian Way. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday, or maybe it was because there was a mass diversion of mass transit to the Basilica, but after waiting 45 minutes, we bailed, jumped on the Metro (much to the delight of Samuel), and headed to the Spanish Steps to be honest to goodness tourists. One side note, if you venture forth to the catacombs (recommended) and the Appian Way (strongly recommended), be advised that the San Sebastian catacomb (average to good) and the San Callista catacomb (better) both have 90 minute (I think) afternoon lunch shutdowns. Plan accordingly. If you do get out there, and they are closed, hoof it up and down the Appian Way until they re-open. It is spellbinding (if you like 2700 year old roads bordered with villas and the like, that is).

Anyhow, we made the necessary connections on the Metro, and walked to the Spanish Steps, which were 1) beautiful, and 2) mobbed. After carving out a bit of space for ourselves, and enjoying the fabulous Sunday afternoon weather, the inevitable “I have to go to the bathroom” mantra was chanted, so my son and I made the short walk to the classiest McDonald’s I have ever seen. The place was so ornate it almost made me want to eat there – almost.

Oh well, I am probably as tired of writing as you are of reading, so I will continue Sunday’s and Monday’s adventures - which include the Trevi Fountain, dinner at the Pantheon (very cool), a successful trip to the catacombs and more good stuff – with my next installment. I will reveal what the future had in store for our Vatican Museum plans. I know that you can’t wait.

gravysandwich