As the Romans do

Friday May 1st is an Italian national day, meaning all classes are cancelled. My Australian friend, Kelvin, and I decided to make the most of our long weekend with a trip to one of the most history-packed cities on the globe, Rome. In order to maximize our time in the city without having to pay for additional nights at a hostel, we took an Intercity Night train after classes ended on Thursday night. This got us to Rome in the early morning on Friday. We set our bags down at our hostel, grabbed a coffee and pastry, and headed towards the first activity of the day, a free walking tour of Rome*. We met the group near the Spanish Steps and began our trek through the city heading towards the Vatican, all while our guide explained the historical significance of everything we saw along the way. Literally everything in Rome seems have a rich history dating back hundreds and hundreds of years (except for maybe the selfie sticks being sold every 10 meters on major streets). We worked our way through the crowded streets and eventually arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica. I honestly couldn’t find the end of the absurdly long line waiting to get inside. Kelvin and I agreed to try again sometime later in the weekend. After tipping our very well-deserving tour guide, we set off to find a non-overpriced lunch and some gelato. We then headed back towards the Spanish Steps for free walking tour round 2, this time heading the opposite direction towards the Colosseum. Again we battled the crowds through the streets, stopping occasionally so our guide could tell us some fascinating history of the piazza or street that we were walking through. Rome is awesome, but it would be 10x better if it had only 1/4 of the people. Eventually we made it to the Colosseum and concluded the tour. We tipped our guide and then set off for some dinner before calling it an early night.

May 1, 2015: Roman street leading towards the Colosseum.

May 1, 2015: Arch of Constantine- Triumphal arch built between the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum commemorating a 4th century Roman battle victory.

May 1, 2015: Horse and carriage standing outside of the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine in Rome, Italy.

May 1, 2015: Romans marching down the street attracting tourists.

May 1, 2015: Pasquino- Talking Statue dating back to the 3rd century BC. During the 16th Century, Roman citizens would post satirical messages critizing the Pope or the government on the statue.

May 1, 2015: Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi- Fountain of the Four Rivers standing in front of the Sant’Agnese in Agone church in Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy.

May 1, 2015: One of Rome’s best preserved buildings, the Pantheon, stands in Piazza della Rotonda.

May 1, 2015: Moses depicted on the Colonna della Immacolata (Column of the Immaculate Conception) located in Piazza di Spagna in Rome, Italy

May 1, 2015: The Trevi Fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, undergoing cleaning and renovation.

May 1, 2015: Altare della Patria- National monument to unified Italy’s first King Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome, Italy. Also referred to as Mussolini’s wedding cake.

The following morning we awoke early in order to get to Piazza Popolo and meet up with another tour group (this time not a free one). Our group boarded a bus and began the couple hour drive towards Pompeii. In case you aren’t familiar, Pompeii was an ancient city near Naples that was completely buried in ash and pumice in the 79AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Portions of the city have since been uncovered and studied. Solely because I would have regretted not doing it, I had to sing “Pompeii” by Bastille whilst exploring. After exploring the ruins, we then had a Napolitano pizza and then headed off towards Mt. Vesuvius itself. The bus took us pretty close to the peak so it was only a ~15 minute hike up to the crater. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. It didn’t feel like much of an achievement arriving at the summit, considering the bus took us most of the way there. Nevertheless, we collected some souvenir pumice stones and then headed back down to board the bus back towards Rome.

May 2, 2015: Training Grounds for gladiators in Pompeii, Italy.

May 2, 2015: Phallic symbol carved into the stone road pointing in the direction of the Lupanar (the most famous of Pompeii brothels)

May 2, 2015: Plaster casting of a crying boy killed in Pompeii during the 79 AD eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius.

May 2, 2015: Ruins unearthed of the historic city of Pompeii destroyed by a Mount Vesuvius volcanic eruption in 79AD

May 2, 2015: Warning sign atop the volcanic crater of Mount Vesuvius.

May 2, 2015: View of Naples from atop the volcanic crater of Mount Vesuvius.

Day 3 began with an early morning trek back to St. Peter’s Basilica trying to get there before the line became absurdly long. We barely waited 10 minutes before passing the security checkpoint and getting into the church. The inside is absolutely stunning. Kelvin and I then began the climb up to the top of the basilica. A sign at the base of the stairs states that there are a total of 521 steps to the top…I counted 541. We enjoyed the view from the top and then set off to find a café somewhere off the beaten path for some coffee and pastries and to waste some time before returning to St. Peter’s Square. Every Sunday that the Pope is in Rome, he addresses the crowds gathered in the square from his apartment window to give the Papal Blessing. Unfortunately, I only had a wide angle lens on my camera so I couldn’t get a great photo of him, but I promise that’s him up there in that window.

May 3, 2015: St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the largest churches in the world and is regarded as one of the holiest places in Catholicism.

May 3, 2015: From of St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican State from atop the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica.

May 3, 2015: Interior of St. Peter’s Basilica.

May 3, 2015: Pope Francis giving his Papal Blessing from his apartment to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

After seeing Pope Francis, we then headed towards the ancient Roman Forum. Luckily, it was the first Sunday of the month, meaning that our ticket to enter was free. We wandered the ruins for a while before heading to the Colosseum. Using a tip we had learned from our free tour guide a couple days prior, we were able to avoid the long lines and expedite our entrance into the massive amphitheater. After exploring the ancient complex and reading every information sign possible, we grabbed some dinner and wandered around killing some time before our night train back to Torino (set to leave at 11:43PM).

May 3, 2015: Overview of a section of the historic Roman Forum.

May 3, 2015: Arch of Septimius Severus- 3rd Century AD triumphal arch located in the historic Roman Forum.

May 3, 2015: Interior of the Colosseum built during the Flavian Dynasty in Rome, Italy.

May 3, 2015: Interior of the Colosseum built during the Flavian Dynasty in Rome, Italy. The theater now features a large cross in the center.

Apparently, we were very effective at killing time. Somehow by the time we had gathered our bags from our hostel and made it to the metro station, it was already well past 11:30. The doors to the metro opened at 11:45 and we sprinted at full speed through the station hoping our train was still there. We found our platform and to my glee, the train was still there! As I descended the stairs two at a time running towards the train, it began rolling. My banging on the walls of the train only seemed to speed it up until I eventually gave up and collapsed, out of breath. To make matters worse, because we had missed a night train, the next train wasn’t set to leave the station until 6:45AM the next morning. We reluctantly spent more money and bought tickets on the next train out and then wandered around looking for a comfortable spot to try and catch some sleep in the station. We were informed by two security guards, however, that the station was closing and we wouldn’t be able to stay. At this point, it wasn’t logistically worth it to try and find a way back to the hostel and pay for another night (as we would only have to leave it in a couple hours). Additionally, the metro and bus systems closed around midnight so transportation would have been more difficult. Seeing no other option, Kelvin and I settled for being homeless for a night and chose a nearby corner to take turns trying to catch a little sleep. Morning could not have come soon enough. We endured the mostly-sleepless night and finally caught the first train out in the morning, arriving that evening back in Torino.

*I highly recommend the free walking tours through Rome. The guides are very knowledgable and, while you don’t actually go into the Vatican or into the Colosseum, you get to see a lot of the city on the way and learn about its history. If you find yourself in Rome, definitely check out Romefreewalkingtour.com.

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