ITALY - ROME

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ROME

We walked through the huge central station of Rome in anticipation of our 4 night visit. The hotel we had booked was 9 stations from the centre but only took about 15minutes to get there. Our room was on the 3rd floor so we were a tad disappointed when the receptionist told us that the elevator was out of order. The usual routine ensued, I gave my backpack to Net and carried both our suitcases up the stairs. I didn't mind too much as I figured it was a good workout. The room was small but had all the comforts we needed. I was happy that it had a bar fridge which we used to store drinks and food in. The bathroom though had a bad sewerage type smell which we couldn't get used to. All of this was in the reviews on the website when we had researched earlier so we knew what to expect. There wasn't a great selection of affordable hotels in Rome perhaps due to the 8000 Aussies that were here for the canonization of Mary McKillop on Sunday.
We explored the local streets that night and went to bed early in preparation for a full couple of days touring Rome.
After a light breakfast of bananas, yoghurt and mueslie bars that we had brought ourselves, we caught the train to the centre of Rome. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain and it was easy to find by the increased number of people on the sidewalk of one particular street. It was a sight to behold and a great start to our touring.
Next we went to the Monument of Victorio Emmanuelle II which we actually thought was the Pantheon for a while. It was a huge building which dominated the surrounding blocks with great big statues and carvings adorning it. As with most of the landmarks in Rome there were a couple of guys out the front dressed up in ancient Roman gladiator garb that would let you take their picture for a small fee.
A short walk down the street and we spotted the Colosseum in the distance and our pace picked up in expectation. We passed the ancient ruins on our way and stopped for a few photos. At this point there was a statue of a golden Tutankhamen but when someone dropped a coin at its feet it bowed in thanks. We later saw an Indian fella take off his mask and climb out of the golden robes.
The Colosseum was huge and packed with people. We could easily picture the Romans of old times making their way towards it in readiness for the blood and violence that it showcased. It reminded me of a medieval MCG. We ate lunch with the Colosseum as our backdrop, a good deal for 10 euro that included bruscetta, lasagna, a free drink and a cappuccino.
Over the first two days we also visited the Spanish Steps and a couple of other monuments including the Pantheon which was half covered in scaffolding due to restoration work. The beggars were out in force but they also included in their mix the scarred or maimed people that sat on the side walk with their maimed foot or leg stretched out unreservedly in front of them in appeal.
The last place we went to was the Vatican and St.Peter's. As we approached we spotted a monk who Netty stalked until she had a suitable photo. Nuns also started to appear along the streets. When we got to St.Peter's square which was actually circular shaped, we were stunned into silence with the sight of the huge cathedral and the surrounding columns that represented God's embrace. Atop the two walls of columns were 140 statues of saints. The central part of the square had chairs set out in readiness for the pope's appearance in two days time. We immediately noticed a framed photo of Mary McKillop standing on the ground and a guy with a camera lying down taking pictures of it with St.Peter's in the background. He even had the smallest nun I've ever seen walking behind the picture as part of his photo plan. She walked to and fro in front of him like a duck in a shooting gallery and showed good patience with his constant directing.
Unlike St.Paul's Cathedral in London, it was free to get in so we grabbed an audio headset and ventured inside. We were awestruck by the decadence of the place. Statues and murals sat in every corner and niche. Again, unlike St.Paul's, people were allowed to take photos so we happily snapped away until, regretfully, our camera ran out of batteries. The audio headset provided us with the story behind every statue, tapestry and chapel. We soon made our way through a barricade and attended the mass that was taking place at the head of the cathedral. The priest spoke slowly in Italian which was good for me as for once I could actually understand some words .The setting sun shone above him through the western window above the alter, bathing St.Peter's huge chair and alter in heavenly light. It gave us goosebumps to see, especially when the choir started to sing. It was only after we left and arrived back at our hotel that we realized we had forgotten to see the Sistine Chapel while we were there.
Sunday arrived and we caught the train to Naples. The city was filled with cheap high rise apartments, laundry was aired on nearly every balcony. We walked into the underground part of the Naples train station to catch the train to Pompeii. When the train arrived we were one of the first onto the train to ensure we got a seat for the 45 minute trip. As we sat down we observed a jostle of people trying to get on board. I could see a balding, middle-aged guy caught up in the jam of people. Later, a woman pointed out to the bald guy that his wallet was hanging below him on its chain. He checked the contents and I heard him say to his wife in an American accent that his credit card was missing. I now realized that what I had witnessed was a deliberate set-up to pick pocket him. In hind sight, I recall an Italian bloke blocking the internal doorway to the carriage and asking if this was the train to somewhere, which it was obviously not. His accomplices in the meantime had entered the train and squeezed against the American while one picked his pocket. It had the marks of a well practiced scheme and I felt sorry for the bald guy but at the same time relieved that it was not us that were the targets. I've been very conscious of my wallet for the entire trip, always giving it a pat or putting my hand in my pocket to feel that it is there. Lately I have been cramming my pocket with maps, camera etc so that it is a tight fit and harder for anyone to get into to. The chain on the wallet is a catch 22 in that you will never lose your wallet but it makes it easier for thieves to extract it.
We arrived at Pompeii and walked past a series of shops where I haggled for the first time to purchase a map and guide to the ruins. I had researched the need for this earlier on the internet. We made our way through the front gates of the ancient town with Mount Vesuvius standing tall in the background. There were loads of tourists and it was handy to eavesdrop on some of the guides talking about the ruins at times. The ruins themselves were 80 percent uncovered from the 4 metres of ash that had buried them back in 70AD. It was easy to picture how the town was back then, most likely due to the Rome DVD series we had watched before we left. It wasn't long before we discovered the first body, and the second, and the third, and even a dog. Most of the bodies were lying prone, some in fetal positions, others lying beside children. It was ghastly and riveting at the same time. Every now and then we would spot a dog sleeping in the sun. The stray dogs of Pompeii are welcomed and there is a charity set up to support them much to Netty's relief. As the sun set we made our way back out, grateful for the chance to see such an ancient civilization preserved even though it had a such a morbid history. The motto that was written everywhere in the town though was “Pompeiviva” or Pompeii Lives. The fact that the town was so popular and still had a story tell gave it life in the eyes of everyone who went there.
Rome had its highs and lows in our eyes. The monuments and history of the city were the highs. The rudeness or unwillingness to give a smile of some of the people were the lows.
The toilets were explosive when you flushed them. You had to stand a good metre away or else you could be sprayed with the contents. The zebra crossings had to be mastered too. I stood at one for 30 seconds or so waiting for a gap in the traffic when a local walked past me looking straight ahead. The traffic stopped for him. When I tried it on the way back to our hotel, I couldn't help but look if the traffic was going to mow me down, and they kept coming. There's a certain trick to it that needs mastering but I guess you need to live there or experience it for a while until you get the hang of it.
Lynette said the coffee and cappuccinos were the best she had had. I loved the language of course but often got myself into trouble when I asked a question in Italian and got a response that sounded like a machine gun going off which was impossible for me to understand.
We got to the train station with 4 hours to go until our train departed for Florence. We stood in a queue to hold our baggage for ¾ hour so we could do some last minute exploring but discovered that our Metro train ticket had expired so we ended up exploring the train station instead which was bigger than Melbourne airport. Lynette shopped and I drank beer and people watched. In Italy, and most of Europe, you can drink alcohol in public (or station in this case) so I often stopped in at a supermarket, bought a beer, and then walked the streets sipping happily away.
We boarded our train in 1st class (thanks to the Eurail ticket) amongst business men in suits, sat back in comfy seats and either slept (Net) or drank beer (me) while we awaited our next destination, the city known for its art, sculptures and the Renaissance, Florence.

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Photos

St.Peters
You can see the little nun in this photo