How do you describe a dream? Well, you can start with our first impressions of Rome. Large, sprawling, a mixture of classic and renaissance as well as modern and artistic. It seems as if the
best of everything was placed down and put right there in Roma.
We got there in the early afternoon. As with the rest of the tour – Rick Steves did not disappoint when it came to the crown jewel of the trip.
Checking into our hotel we didn’t bother to unpack, just drop our bags
off, take a deep breath and Dimitri led us to the wonders of the Italian underground subway for our first attraction.
best of everything was placed down and put right there in Roma.
We got there in the early afternoon. As with the rest of the tour – Rick Steves did not disappoint when it came to the crown jewel of the trip.
Checking into our hotel we didn’t bother to unpack, just drop our bags
off, take a deep breath and Dimitri led us to the wonders of the Italian underground subway for our first attraction.
It’s been said that one does not know what man can accomplish until you see the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.
After a brief subway ride, we walked to Vatican City. The entrance was modernistic and gleaming. After being briefed (dress code and how
we were leaving Italy – Vatican City is a separate country), we took a short walk and ended up in a court yard that seemed as if the hands of had turned back and we were in another, much earlier, century.
Vatican City, we found out, relishes the old. Even though there was a modernistic sculpture there, our
guide explained to us how within the walls were countless millions of dollars of prized art works and statues – none of them modernistic.
And so we began our trek down corridors and into rooms filled with murals, marble, statues and treasures that staggered our imaginations. Each room, almost every corner, was filled with precious and beautiful treasures. We walked looking everywhere (on the walls, at the floors, beyond the open windows – even the ceiling frescoes were staggering in both their depth and beauty).
After two hours of beholding priceless pieces and beauty beyond description, we climbed a short
staircase and were in the Sistine Chapel.
How to explain the magnificence of the room when you can only use words? Everywhere one looked – the Last Judgment above the altar, the ceiling – was artistic majesty beyond comparison with anything we had previously seen – and we had seen quite a lot since we landed in Paris!
Michelangelo’s work was all around us. The Creation of Adam, another of the world’s most recognizable pieces of art, was above our heads. The Last Judgment, a fresco that took four years to create, was so beautiful I found myself smiling through my tears. And all of this was there for us.
After a brief subway ride, we walked to Vatican City. The entrance was modernistic and gleaming. After being briefed (dress code and how
we were leaving Italy – Vatican City is a separate country), we took a short walk and ended up in a court yard that seemed as if the hands of had turned back and we were in another, much earlier, century.
Vatican City, we found out, relishes the old. Even though there was a modernistic sculpture there, our
guide explained to us how within the walls were countless millions of dollars of prized art works and statues – none of them modernistic.
And so we began our trek down corridors and into rooms filled with murals, marble, statues and treasures that staggered our imaginations. Each room, almost every corner, was filled with precious and beautiful treasures. We walked looking everywhere (on the walls, at the floors, beyond the open windows – even the ceiling frescoes were staggering in both their depth and beauty).
After two hours of beholding priceless pieces and beauty beyond description, we climbed a short
staircase and were in the Sistine Chapel.
How to explain the magnificence of the room when you can only use words? Everywhere one looked – the Last Judgment above the altar, the ceiling – was artistic majesty beyond comparison with anything we had previously seen – and we had seen quite a lot since we landed in Paris!
Michelangelo’s work was all around us. The Creation of Adam, another of the world’s most recognizable pieces of art, was above our heads. The Last Judgment, a fresco that took four years to create, was so beautiful I found myself smiling through my tears. And all of this was there for us.
Before we could catch our breaths, we were in St. Peter's Basilica. And there, to our rights, was the Pieta - another Michelangelo masterpiece. I had not seen it since the New York World's Fair. Even as a child, I appreciated the piece of art. The young Madonna, the folds of her cloth, the body of Christ in her arms - all made an impression then, and is did now, and it will for you when you see it.
We saw Vatican Swiss guards in their uniforms rumored to be designed by daVinci.Walking through the Basilica was one of the many moments during our tour where I wished I could freeze time.
Then it was onto dinner, al fresco and then a walk in Rome by moonlight. And what walk would be complete without a visit to the famous Trevi Fountain? So, with coin in right hand we tossed our coins over our left shoulders so that we could be assured of returning to this magical place.
After a few more blocks of this enchanting city, we returned weary but happy to our hotel and were all set for our Saturday in Rome and an adventure that would mix the old and the new.
We saw Vatican Swiss guards in their uniforms rumored to be designed by daVinci.Walking through the Basilica was one of the many moments during our tour where I wished I could freeze time.
Then it was onto dinner, al fresco and then a walk in Rome by moonlight. And what walk would be complete without a visit to the famous Trevi Fountain? So, with coin in right hand we tossed our coins over our left shoulders so that we could be assured of returning to this magical place.
After a few more blocks of this enchanting city, we returned weary but happy to our hotel and were all set for our Saturday in Rome and an adventure that would mix the old and the new.
Our last day!
How did it happen so fast? It seems as if only a few hours ago we were strangers in Paris and now we were about to have our final day together.
We hit the ground running. In the early Saturday hours, while Rome slept, we were wandering through the beautiful city. And what a way to start – finding a Michelangelo masterpiece that most have forgotten exists.
On a quiet, nearly forgotten street, Dimitri took us to the Church of S. Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). A large, empty church housing Michelangelo's Moses who is depicted with horns, connoting "the radiance of the Lord", due to the similarity in the Hebrew words for "beams of light" and "horns".
Fascinated (and remember, we were Michelangelo experts by this time having seen, among other works, David and the Pieta) it looked like it would be a tough haul to get us away. But other sights awaited us!
How did it happen so fast? It seems as if only a few hours ago we were strangers in Paris and now we were about to have our final day together.
We hit the ground running. In the early Saturday hours, while Rome slept, we were wandering through the beautiful city. And what a way to start – finding a Michelangelo masterpiece that most have forgotten exists.
On a quiet, nearly forgotten street, Dimitri took us to the Church of S. Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains). A large, empty church housing Michelangelo's Moses who is depicted with horns, connoting "the radiance of the Lord", due to the similarity in the Hebrew words for "beams of light" and "horns".
Fascinated (and remember, we were Michelangelo experts by this time having seen, among other works, David and the Pieta) it looked like it would be a tough haul to get us away. But other sights awaited us!
Rick’s tour took us to many off-beat spots that were like hidden jewels that we, eager children, were anxious to discover. But one of the joys of the tour were the iconic spots that we did get to visit – places one reads about or sees in movies.
The Colosseum is one of those treats that, at least to me, symbolized Rome if not all of Italy. In the morning light, it was a marvel of architecture that is over 1,900
years old! Anxiously, our guide took us through it and we were held captive by the stone masonry as well as the fact that such a structure could have withstood everything the elements have to offer. But there it was, greeting us.
The Colosseum is one of those treats that, at least to me, symbolized Rome if not all of Italy. In the morning light, it was a marvel of architecture that is over 1,900
years old! Anxiously, our guide took us through it and we were held captive by the stone masonry as well as the fact that such a structure could have withstood everything the elements have to offer. But there it was, greeting us.
With our heads still fixated on the wonders of the Roman Colosseum, we were ushered down the ancient streets of Rome where we truly felt we were following in the footsteps of Caesar himself.
We went past the Roman Forum and saw the remains of once important Governmental buildings. Even in ruins, the architecture was a startling example of beauty and genius. Then, it was off to the Pantheon – a magnificent structure erected for the gods. Everything, from the columns to the circular interior was a sight to behold. We walked through the city and saw the shops, piazzas and outdoor cafes teeming with smiling local faces. Then it was a bit of shopping and, finally, our last meal together.
We went past the Roman Forum and saw the remains of once important Governmental buildings. Even in ruins, the architecture was a startling example of beauty and genius. Then, it was off to the Pantheon – a magnificent structure erected for the gods. Everything, from the columns to the circular interior was a sight to behold. We walked through the city and saw the shops, piazzas and outdoor cafes teeming with smiling local faces. Then it was a bit of shopping and, finally, our last meal together.
A group of people – drawn from the East coast, West, Canada –had all arrived in Europe strangers and now we were sitting down to our
final meal together. Although we enjoyed ourselves (who wouldn’t with this fantastic meal?) it was with a bit of bittersweetness that we came to terms that this was truly “good-bye” but we were saying it as friends, not strangers.
The sights we saw, the experiences we shared and undertook together, bonded us in a way that I did not think was possible. And the next morning (very, very early) I walked out of the hotel with my bag and a heavy heart only to be greeted by people who could have slept late. They came to see off the early departers! Thank you wonderful friends (and thank you Rick!)
final meal together. Although we enjoyed ourselves (who wouldn’t with this fantastic meal?) it was with a bit of bittersweetness that we came to terms that this was truly “good-bye” but we were saying it as friends, not strangers.
The sights we saw, the experiences we shared and undertook together, bonded us in a way that I did not think was possible. And the next morning (very, very early) I walked out of the hotel with my bag and a heavy heart only to be greeted by people who could have slept late. They came to see off the early departers! Thank you wonderful friends (and thank you Rick!)