I had no idea what was in store for me upon arriving in the "eternal city." The train station and first glimpse of Rome was similar to that of any other large European city: bustling tourists, traveling businessmen and vendors selling everything from sunglasses to scarves to tiny replicas of the Coliseum.
But, the second our bus pulled away from Termini, I was hushed by views of enormous buildings that were older than any architecture I'd ever seen, colorful vespas wrecklessly zooming in and out of traffic and then boom - ruins of the ancient city - right there, carefully built around yet smack dab in the middle of the city. 5 minutes into our stay in Rome, I was hooked.
Alex and I stayed in a cute little apartment in the Campo Marzio neighborhood, which was right around the corner from Piazza Navone. Because I'd never been to Rome before, I didn't realize that Alex picked a prime spot for our home base. The tiny cobblestone streets and narrow passage ways gave Rome and our little neighborhood in general, a homey, small town feel which I loved. Though we were in a huge city, I was delighted by how tiny and quaint it could feel. Here's our little apartment nook...
Alex and I arrived in Rome early enough our first day that we hit the ground running. We went straight to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Bastilica...
Michaelangelo's Pieta
My favorite part of St. Peter's was the special Scavi tour that Alex arranged for us. We were able to tour the Necropolis (ancient toombs under the church) with a small group of 10 people and see where the apostle Peter was buried. I'm still not sure that I can wrap my head around the fact that Peter, a disciple of Jesus, was buried in the ground that I was walking on. It is fascinating to me that excavators have even found what they believe to be Peter's bones, which are displayed on the Scavi tour. Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed, but, to give you an idea, we were down here - under the grates in the church floor...
After an amazing dinner and a good night's sleep, Alex and I headed to the Pantheon (built in 126 AD).
The Pantheon's lovely dome and source of light (thank goodness it wasn't raining :)
Next, the Trevi Fountain...
Another one of my favorite places in Rome was the Coliseum. Its heartbreaking to think about the cruelty that took place in the Coliseum a few thousands of years ago yet its amazing that so much of the structure is still in tact. Our tour (we did a Rick Steves' audio guide) was helpful and kept my attention. The tour started at this huge cross, which was powerful and beautiful, as if it whispered, "all of what was here is forgiven..."
A view of the underground tunnels in the Coliseum where gladiators and animals were walked through prior to battle
Another one of my favorite things to see in Rome were the Roman Ruins located just beside the Coliseum. Its amazing how many structures, columns and other parts of buildings they've excavated (and continue to uncover) in this area alone. Another cool thing about this area is that they let you walk on and beside everything. Alex and I walked right up to Caesar's palace and even inside the ancient Roman senate building. Wow.
Other highlights of our trip to Rome included cycling on a 2-seater bike through Villa Borghese, exploring Trastevere, a cool neighborhood across the river, dinners at Matricianella and Antico Arco (quite possibly the BEST restaurants in Rome - thanks to Alex's Italian collegue) and the endless scoops of gelato that we treated ourselves to continuously for 5 days :)
Biking through Villa Borghese
Antico Arco
Before leaving Rome, there was one more thing that I just had to see. The Scala Sancta, or Holy Steps, are supposed to be the very steps that led up to Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem. The steps were brought from Jerusalem to Rome in about 326 by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. If these are indeed those steps, Jesus would have walked up them on his way to his trial before he was condemned and crucified. The thought of seeing with my own eyes something that our Savior walked upon before he died for me literally took my breath away.
So, Alex and I ventured to the outskirts of Rome to the church where the steps were housed. We'd heard that anyone could see the steps but the only way to climb the stairs was on your knees. I'll never forget the picture in my mind of these marble stairs, covered in protective wood, filled with people ascending them on their knees...
This is the beautiful, final picture of Rome that I wanted to leave with. It will be forever sealed in my heart.
Love until next time...Melanie
