On Tuesday, at 3:45am, Alicia, AnnCatherine, Will and I departed Dublin for our European adventures. Elisha was headed to Barcelona, Will to Barcelona and then Amsterdam and finally, AnnCatherine and I to ROMA!
We arrived in Rome at 10am and I am truly convinced the travel gods were on my side the entire trip. We lucked out with an entire row on the plane, then cleared customs without a single glitch allowing us to make it on the first bus out of Ciampino Airport and into Rome. We arrive at Termini Station and after only minor confusion we learned where to purchase a bus ticket (at the kiosk where they sell newspapers and cigarettes). We then boarded bus 64 in search of the hotel.
Researching a hotel to stay in while in Rome was a daunting task, considering we have no money and no idea what is a good place versus a bad place, everywhere was either too expensive or in a horrible neighborhood outside the city. Until, and I am really convinced it was an act of God, I stumbled upon Casa di Santa Brigida; a gorgeous Italian convent in Piazza Farnese in the heart of Ancient Rome on the Tiber River.
The convent is run by a group of the sweetest nuns. They greeted us upon arrival, showing us the sitting area, dining area breakfast is served, then showed us to our quaint room with two twin beds and a bathroom, while small it was exactly what both AnnCatherine and I had been hoping for. We were then shown the television room (like anyone would want to watch TV in Rome!) and finally, the best part of all, a rooftop terrace that spand the entire roof of the convent looking over the entire city of Rome. It was absolutely amazing with small sitting areas to sit and enjoy wine and cheese.
Casa di Santa Brigida!
Rooftop Terrace
Piazza Farnese
After my first Italian lunch of eggplant and mozzarella with a glass of delicious red wine, looking out over the Alter of the Fatherland, we headed to Ancient Rome to explore the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Julius Caesar's Temple. The road that leads you from Palazzo Venezia where we had lunch is called the Via Dei FOri Imperiali. It was created by Mussolini as a direct tree lined path to the Colosseum. The Colosseum was incredible, all I kept saying was "I cannot believe I am here." Thinking that this structure was built in 80AD blows my mind. It is a massive architectural anomaly. The Colosseum still holds its original oval shape and tourists are able to walk around the entire inner edges of it. The bottom still holds the original cell structures where animals were held until they were released to battle. It is positively breathtaking.
Alter of the Fatherland
Next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum and the paths to the Arch of Constantine, Julius Caesar's Temple and the Palatine Hill. I saw more arches on that day than I can remember, Titus and Constantine being two, but bar far my favorite was the arch of Septimius Severus sitting at the top of the Roman Forum. Touring the grounds of the Roman Forum was amazing. You can literally feel the history oozing out of the ground. Completely amazing. There is a lot of construction and upkeep currently underway, but that in no way undermined the beauty of the ruins we were exploring.
Septimius Severus
Constantine
After a long day of traveling and site seeing AnnCatherine and I bought a bottle of wine and amazing cheese totally a whopping five euro and retired to our roof terrace to relax and watch sunset over the city. Next to the convent is a small square filled with restaurants. We decided on a nice quiet outdoor table at Magnolias. It was the perfect choice. I had an amazing pizza called Capricciosa topped with mushrooms, artichokes, olives, prosciutto, and hard boiled eggs. Sounds crazy, just trust - AMAZING. We decided to forgo dessert at Magnolia's and found an amazing bakery where we had chocolate filled pastries, mini tiramisu, a very alcoholic sweet cake and then the most delicious coconut chocolate cream pastry I have ever had. Bliss.It was an incredible day topped by the ultimate part of laying in bed at night and listening the nuns sing their nightly prayer songs. Mesmerizing. It was so unexpected and absolutely beautiful. An amazing experience to end an incredible day.
DAY 2 - VATICAN.. Oh and the Pope.
On the second day of my Rome excursion AnnCatherine and I again lucked out and received "reparto specialle" tickets to hear the Pope speak. Upon first receiving the tickets from the nuns in the convent we were a bit confused and quite frankly skeptical about what the day would entail; lots of waiting in line, seeing the pope for 2 seconds while he comes out onto the balcony to wave, we were wrong, very wrong. When we arrived at the Vatican we were immediately struck by the pure beauty of it all and then quickly rushed through security and escorted to the front of the inner Vatican Chapel, where we watched the cardinals come enter and then the pope. We were sitting ten rows away from the Pope. It was amazing. I have never really felt an affinity towards the pope, not being Catholic and all, but sitting there among thousands of people, listening to his blessing I truly felt touched.
After hearing the pope which I thought would be impossible to top we entered into Saint Peter's Basilica; a structure I don't know if I can even given justice to with a description. It is positively breathtaking. The structure itself is just of such enormity that it seems impossible that it was built so long ago, although that is the way I felt about most of what I saw in Rome. I actually laughed thinking of the pictures Scott had shown me and saying something like, "Oh, that's nice." and then standing there and literally having the breath taken out of me looking at the absolute beauty of it all. It was amazing, truly I cannot describe how awe-inspiring it was.
We then headed to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Walking through all the different rooms of the Vatican, one painting is more beautiful than the next. The hall of maps is incredible. The entire ceiling is covered in paintings with gold frames giving a glow to the entire hall. I cannot imagine someone not experiencing all that I saw in just two short days. Rome is incredible. The Sistine Chapel is overwhelmingly beautiful. Seeing these paintings that were done by one man is unbelievable. The entire room is just breathtaking.
We arrived back at the Convent on Wednesday night after a full day of site seeing with a small plant from the market to thank the Nuns for the tickets to hear the Pope. A small gesture for such a grand gift. They were so appreciative it made laugh thinking I should be more appreciative. I have fallen in love with Rome. All I kept saying the entire day was I am meant to live here. Rome is where I belong.DAY 3 - PANTHEON, TREVI FOUNTAIN and SPANISH STEPS
As if this trip could not get any better Thursday we started off with breakfast at the Convent - deicious rolls, yogurts and delicate meats and cheeses- we then beaded back to the Basilica because I could not just see it only once. I am forever amazed by the Basilica. The sheer vastness of it, the amazing beauty of all the statues and sacrifices. It is mesmerizing. Rome is mesmerizing. I still cannot believe I was there. This is the historic place I have learned about all my life and now I have stood in the Colosseum, the Forum, the Basilica, the Sistine Chapel. Incredible.
After the Basilica we headed across the Tiber River to Piazza Navano where we took in local art, more fountains and ate delicious pizza and gelato. After lunch we visited the Pantheon which is massive and just appears in the middle of Rome, with a 30 foot hole in the ceiling. It is incredible. It didn't rain, but I can only imagine what it is like when it does.
Then only steps away was the Trevi Fountain. I cannot believe in just a few steps, mere moments, I was at one amazing monument, fountain, structure, and then another. The Trevi Fountain seemed to be the most crowded place we visited, but we were still able to capture pictures tossing coins in.
We then weaved our way through the streets of Rome to the Spanish Steps. While beautiful, they pale in comparison to everything else we had seen in the past two days, in fact most in my life will pale in comparison to this trip. The Spanish Steps were displaying a tribute to the Berlin Wall, so we were not able to see them in all their splendor, but we did climb to the top!
Later in the afternoon we walked back to the Basilica for one last look at it's beauty. We sat on the steps in Piazzo di Santo Pietro writing post cards and enjoying the memories we had made.Finally, we walked over to Trestavere. A small little Italian village. The streets are windy and the shops are small. It was wonderful.
I have fallen in love with Rome. It was by far the most amazing three days of my life. The food, the wine, the history. It was perfect.
