Roma e Città del Vaticano
Day 18, 19 (May 21-22, 2006).
Roma is the ultimate city for sightseeing. The city is large and crammed with ruins, piazza's, and monuments among modern buildings that stretch for entire blocks. You could spend an entire week in this ancient city and still miss out on something. But you may not want to stay that long. In two days, we managed to visit the most well-known sights (i.e. Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica). Rome is definitely a must-see in Italy. The ancient remains are awe-inspiring by the sheer fact of its age and history. But as a city, it did not impress me. Speaking in terms of vibe and ambience, Rome is essentially one big tourist trap. All the large attractions involve extremely long lines. I felt like I was at a Six Flags theme park. The large herds of human cattle can induce cases of claustrophobia. And this was not even considered peak season yet! The public transportation system in Rome is pathetic. The subway system is inefficient, poorly planned, and old. And the buses were infrequent when we had to ride the bus because the metro closed at the ridiculously early time of 10pm. The worst mistake was purchasing a public transportation pass (Roma pass)... complete waste of money! I heard it just gets worse and more run-down the further south you go in Italy.
On the second day, we visited Vatican City. The Vatican is its own state... a city within a city. Inside includes the Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel) and Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica). We arrived outside the Vatican Museum at 10am. The never-ending queue stretched for several blocks along the walls of the Vatican. We we were not admitted until noon! Two hours in the sweltering heat! And to exacerbate the suffering, the Vatican enforces a dress code of no exposure of knees and shoulders. But once we got in, it was all worthwhile. The Sistine Chapel is one of the most amazing displays of unimaginable artwork. Paintings on the ceilings were done with such three-dimensional realism. Long stretches of what appears to be intricate stone carvings are actually ingenious use of shading and the perception of light and shadow. Michelangelo is unbelievable! His masterpiece on the ceiling made me need a chiropractor. Although he needed one more than me. I only endured less than an hour of staring up. He had to this everyday of over the several years!!! We then visited the St. Peter's Basilica. Gargantuan! Even the marble statues inside are grand and commanding. I was most excited to see Michelangelo's famous La Pieta. But to my disappointment, they had it barricaded off to where no one could get a close up view. In addition, it is guarded behind layers of bullet-proof glass because some maniac attacked it with an pick a long time ago.
Roma isn't a meca for great cuisine. I didn't find any local specialities to indulge in. Of course, there's pizza and a gelateria on every corner. My favorite is the typical Italian breakfast. Go to the bar and order an espresso/capuccino and a oh-so-delicious! sweet pastry with cream or chocolate (Nutella) fillings. Eat and drink it at the bar. And then leave. Simple, fast, and very cheap (~ $2). This is how we got the day started each day!
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more photos: roma
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next: Pisa e Firenze
Roma is the ultimate city for sightseeing. The city is large and crammed with ruins, piazza's, and monuments among modern buildings that stretch for entire blocks. You could spend an entire week in this ancient city and still miss out on something. But you may not want to stay that long. In two days, we managed to visit the most well-known sights (i.e. Colosseum, Forum, Spanish Steps, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica). Rome is definitely a must-see in Italy. The ancient remains are awe-inspiring by the sheer fact of its age and history. But as a city, it did not impress me. Speaking in terms of vibe and ambience, Rome is essentially one big tourist trap. All the large attractions involve extremely long lines. I felt like I was at a Six Flags theme park. The large herds of human cattle can induce cases of claustrophobia. And this was not even considered peak season yet! The public transportation system in Rome is pathetic. The subway system is inefficient, poorly planned, and old. And the buses were infrequent when we had to ride the bus because the metro closed at the ridiculously early time of 10pm. The worst mistake was purchasing a public transportation pass (Roma pass)... complete waste of money! I heard it just gets worse and more run-down the further south you go in Italy.
On the second day, we visited Vatican City. The Vatican is its own state... a city within a city. Inside includes the Vatican Museum (Sistine Chapel) and Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica). We arrived outside the Vatican Museum at 10am. The never-ending queue stretched for several blocks along the walls of the Vatican. We we were not admitted until noon! Two hours in the sweltering heat! And to exacerbate the suffering, the Vatican enforces a dress code of no exposure of knees and shoulders. But once we got in, it was all worthwhile. The Sistine Chapel is one of the most amazing displays of unimaginable artwork. Paintings on the ceilings were done with such three-dimensional realism. Long stretches of what appears to be intricate stone carvings are actually ingenious use of shading and the perception of light and shadow. Michelangelo is unbelievable! His masterpiece on the ceiling made me need a chiropractor. Although he needed one more than me. I only endured less than an hour of staring up. He had to this everyday of over the several years!!! We then visited the St. Peter's Basilica. Gargantuan! Even the marble statues inside are grand and commanding. I was most excited to see Michelangelo's famous La Pieta. But to my disappointment, they had it barricaded off to where no one could get a close up view. In addition, it is guarded behind layers of bullet-proof glass because some maniac attacked it with an pick a long time ago.
Roma isn't a meca for great cuisine. I didn't find any local specialities to indulge in. Of course, there's pizza and a gelateria on every corner. My favorite is the typical Italian breakfast. Go to the bar and order an espresso/capuccino and a oh-so-delicious! sweet pastry with cream or chocolate (Nutella) fillings. Eat and drink it at the bar. And then leave. Simple, fast, and very cheap (~ $2). This is how we got the day started each day!
...
more photos: roma
---
next: Pisa e Firenze
posted by a(-_-)c at 5:23 PM
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