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The Colosseum
Quite happy with this shot.I'm usually a nervous wreck before Champions League finals involving Manchester United but I think the fact that this is United's third final in four years coupled with the fact I was walking around a city I've never been to before, kind of took my mind off the game.
The last time United were in the final, they played Barcelona, and the final was in Rome. It would've been great to have been at that final (despite United losing) but alas, I stayed in London. This year, they were playing Barcelona again - this time in London. Where am I now? Rome. About two years too late then.
Walking into the hostel bar, I see a guy in a United shirt. I greet him with a smile and ask him where he was going to watch the game.
"They're showing it right here!" he exclaimed excitedly. "they're going to project it against that wall" he said as he pointed at a big empty wall.
Sorted - we might as well watch it here then.
Just like the final two years ago, United started well - moving the ball about
The Oculus
The most famous feature of the Pantheon. quickly and keeping possession. After ten minutes however, Barcelona found their rhythm and hogging the ball like they always do, they started to create chances. Eventually they took one of them when Pedro - totally unmarked and with the whole goal to aim at - scored inside Van der Sar's near post.
It seemed that all the Barca fans were at the front of the bar - I felt a bit outnumbered.
As the game went on, I started talking to the Americans next to me about the game and football in general which actually annoyed me at first because they didn't really seem to know what they were talking about. One guy seemed have a bit more knowledge than the rest and he seemed to deplore Barca's constant diving, Sergio Busquets in particular.
I was drinking McEwans, a Scottish ale that I recognised as being on the Glasgow Rangers shirts in the 90s. It was really good and was surprised that it was on tap here in Rome of all places, and not even in a British bar. Anyway, I had had a couple of them by now and was becoming just as vociferous against Barcelona's "diving twats" as
Trevi Fountain
Surprisingly impressive. my American friend next to me.
Then just before half-time, seemingly out of nothing, United put together a lovely move and Rooney scores! I was in full stadium terrace mode now and realised that all the United fans seemed to be congregated at the back of the bar. United were back in it!
I talked to the guy in the United shirt at half time and we both acknowledged that although United were back in the game, Barcelona still looked the much better side.
"We're gonna need luck" he tells me. That was certainly true.
We didn't get any unfortunately. In the second half, Barcelona stroked the ball all over the pitch and we just couldn't get hold of it - and they were creating chances too. Patrice Evra then allowed Lionel Messi too much space and he shot from just outside the box - Van der Sar should probably have saved it but it was 2-1. Things didn't change too much after the goal and before long Barca got a third through David Villa with a magnificent curling effort. Game over - there were to be no 1999 heroics this time.
I had no arguments with the result which
Senatus Populus Que Romanus
The official emblem of Rome - and it has not changed since the start of the Roman Republic in 508 BC. may have been why I didn't feel too gutted. I had no real expectations of United winning the game and Barcelona were by far the better team.
Wanting to drown my sorrows, I got myself a Long Island Iced Tea with my free drink coupon - might as well get as much alcohol as I could out of it! And it was
strong - I think the whole glass was made up of spirits except for a dash of Coke on the top. I then joined Sags at table outside the bar where he was sitting with the two American girls who were in our dorm, Hannah and Danielle. Everyone agreed that this was the most potent Long Island Iced Tea any of us had ever tasted.
We were then joined by Adam, from our tour group and two other American girls.
Everyone in this hostel - and indeed all the tourists in town - were American. Rome is a very popular holiday destination for Americans, it seems.
It was a good group of people though and we were all having a good time - the bar was closing though so we would need to move
Cerasi Chapel
Probably the most impressive chapel in the Santa Maria del Popolo. on. So off we went to where most of the clubs in Rome are located - Testaccio.
As we got out of the metro station we encountered a pyramid! The Illuminati are everywhere!
We walk for awhile before coming to a road of clubs set against a hill full of trees and shrubs. We approach one club and the bouncer doesn't seem to like the look of us. Step forward Adam, who goes up and talks to the bouncer. Suddenly, they're getting on like best mates and we get in for free! What a champion! We never found out what exactly he said, but from the facts gathered I think that Adam is some sort of American Football pro - I remember him mentioning the fact that the bouncer had a Miami dolphins sweater on and Sags reckoned he showed the bouncer a ring...like those ones you get after winning a Super Bowl. But then why would he be staying in a hostel and hanging with us? Who knows...
And who knows really what happened inside the club? All I'll say is that there were Jaeger bombs, a crowded dancefloor and Top 40 music involved. Move along people, nothing to
Standard Colosseum Pic
My first sight of it was on a drunken bus ride back to the hostel. see here...
On the way home, this dude comes up to me and sort of starts humping my leg. WTF? Danielle then tells me about this pickpocketing scam...hang on where is my camera? I chase after the guy only to find out Danielle has already managed to get it off him. How did...never mind. Bless you Danielle. It was quite an interesting incident.
The bus on the way back to Termini drove past the Colosseum.
"Hey it's the Colosseum!" I shout.
My first sight of the Colosseum is on a drunken bus journey back home - good times. What Champions League final?
On the way to the Colosseum the next day Sags and I stopped for breakfast at a cafe in a lovely little square. We were pretty much zombies. Mmmmm...Italian espresso - I'll have two please.
The square was almost rustic-like - cobblestoned, with a fountain and with vines growing over the cafe awnings, it was a lovely alfresco breakfast. Almost the quintessential Italian village square. I probably would've enjoyed it even more had I not been so hungover.
Arriving at the Colosseum (after passing another Critical Mass), we were immediately approached by a woman selling tours.
Colosseum Interior
Revealing the tunnels that ran underneath the arena. They were 27€ each and included entry to both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum as well as allowing us to skip the two-hour queue. We weren't really in a state to sort things out ourselves and the last thing we felt like doing was waiting in a queue for two hours so we bought. them.
The Colosseum is pretty impressive - but I did find it difficult to imagine what it would've been like back in the day as none of the seating existed any more, but it was still pretty cool to be walking around such a well-preserved ancient structure. In the film Way Of The Dragon, Bruce Lee totally kicked Chuck Norris's ass in the Colosseum.
Also in the Colosseum was an exhibition that showed what Nero's old palace looked like - Weston was right, it was totally bad-ass.
The tour guide did give us some history and background to the place, but I didn't catch any of it - I was too busy sitting in the shade trying to stay alive. Unfortunately my overriding memory of the Colosseum was how hot, tired and hungover I was. I did catch the finish of the tour though,
Hippodrome Of Domitian
The remains of an old stadium on Palatine Hill. and that we had to meet at the gate at 3pm for the Roman Forum part - unlike an annoying, Hawaiian-shirted, socks-and-sandal wearing American tourist in our tour group.
"Is the tour over? Where do we meet? What time?" (in nasal, longwinded, American accent). So many Americans.
America!....F*ck yeah!
After a refreshing gelato, our now massive tour group took a walk up to the Palatine Hill, where our guide told us the old tale of Romulus and Remus and how they founded Rome on Palatine Hill.
Also on Palatine Hill, are the remains of the Hippodrome of Domitian of which its grounds looked superbly maintained, as well as Mussolini's old house, now a museum. There are other old ruins on Palatine Hill where the rich all used to build their houses - the word "palace" is actually derived from "Palatine".
We were then led to a lookout that looked over the Roman Forum where our guide gave us more history and pointed out some of the different buildings and ruins and explaining what they were. I wasn't paying too much attention though - I was just trying to survive.
That was where our tour finished, so we ventured down
Roman Forum
From a lookout overlooking the Forum. In the foreground are the remains of the House & Temple of the Vestal Virgins. into the forum itself, exploring some other ancient ruins and tunnels along the way.
Ruins are ruins - just really old pieces of rock that were once something very significant. I just wasn't in the mood to appreciate the history of the place unfortunately. Some of the ruins looked nice like the Temple of Saturn, and the Temple of Romulus which is now a basilica. Otherwise I was just over it.
On the way back to the hostel we spotted loads of Inter Milan and Palermo fans (in their famous pink kits) who were both in town for the final of the Coppa Italia (Inter won 3-1) as well as stopping by at a gelateria which had about fifty different flavours of gelato - man I miss gelato.
We really wanted to have dinner in Trastavere, the bohemian part of town where the locals all go to eat, but we were just too tired to make it there. So we ate again at the restaurant next to the hostel. Sorry Monica.
We met up again with Hannah and Danielle for a drink at the hostel bar to use up our last free drink coupons but it was pretty subdued -
Tiber Island
Sags poses with a small island in the middle of the Tiber River near Trastevere, on which lies a basilica. we were all knackered.
We ended up going to Trastevere the next morning - but with a lot of Rome still left to see I'm not sure we really gave it a thorough exploration.
We ended up having brunch at roadside cafe in the area which was really nice - succulent roast beef served with a delicious asparagus risotto washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice.
We then returned to St. Peter's Basilica where we skipped the elevator queue (and saved 5€) to walk up all 320 steps to the top of it's dome. About halfway up, you get a close-up view of the dome's interior which is pretty cool. But not as cool as the view from the top - it was pretty rammed up there as everyone fought their way to the eastern part of the dome that looks over St. Peter's Square. Leaning against the curve of the dome while climbing up it was quite amusing - there were also parts of the ascent that were pretty claustrophobic. It was a pretty fun thing to do.
It was then time to see the best of the rest in Rome.
First stop was the Campo de Fiori
The Pantheon
In my opinion, the most impressive sight in Rome. which is supposedly quite lively but unfortunately for us, the markets that had taken up the whole square were just packing up. Next, we made the short walk to Piazza Navona which is quite vast and where there is yet another obelisk. There are all sorts of artists selling their wares here and the buildings that surrounded the square were old and cute. We decided to complement our pleasant surroundings by enjoying yet another pleasant gelato.
We then came to what was probably one of my highlights of the city - the Pantheon.
Although the building is more than 2000 years old, it is superbly preserved and the dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The twenty ton bronze doors are the
originals. The most famous part of the Pantheon is the
oculus - basically a hole in the centre of the dome. Such is its mathematical perfection, that the width and height of the place is equal and no engineer today would ever build anything like this without support structures - the only thing holding up the dome are the perfectly circular rotunda walls, as it has done for 2000 years. Incredible.
Walking across the
Inside The Pantheon
The sloping floor, mathematical perfection and the fact that it is still so intact is amazing. floor, you feel the floor slope up into the middle, but you don't feel the floor slope down again into the very centre - these subtle slopes allows any rain that comes in through the oculus to trickle down into the tiny drains that exist in the middle and around the side of the rotunda. Everything has been thought through.
The Pantheon has had many uses over the years, but today it is a Catholic church (which means that the Vatican owns it). Also inside the Pantheon is the tomb of Raphael (not the ninja turtle).
We then walk across a couple of blocks to the Trevi Fountain. It is probably the most popular sight in Rome as demonstrated by the hordes of tourists hanging out around it. With all the other things that you could see in Rome, I couldn't quite understand why this fountain was so popular - until I saw it. It was surprisingly impressive, in size, design and detail. I chucked in a coin for good luck but found out later that I had chucked it in wrong. OH WELL.
The last of the big sights we saw was the Spanish Steps. Now this was something
Piazza Navona
Picturesque square that was once a stadium in ancient times. that I really couldn't understand what the fuss was about. Yes they are quite pretty and I suppose they are romantic but do they really deserve the reverence that they receive?
We then move on to the Santa Maria del Popolo, the church where the first bishop in Angels & Demons is killed (yeah, a bit sad that I am even making this reference). The square outside it though, is pretty impressive. Like St. Peters Square it is round, vast and has an obelisk in the middle of it - all it lacks is the significance of
Piazza San Pietro.
The interior of the Santa Maria del Popolo is also very impressive. The Chigi Chapel - just like in Angels & Demons - was undergoing restoration and was hidden behind a tarpaulin curtain. It was just like in the book - uncanny. There are several works of arts in here by some of the most famous artists, sculptors and architects in history - Raphael, Bernini, Carvaggio and Bramante included.
An unusual feature of the church was the presence of several skull and crossbones, either etched into the floor or mounted onto the walls - there is also a life-size skeleton
Spanish Steps
I guess it's romantic... in a cloak. Not something you expect to see in a church.
And that, concluded our long weekend in Rome. I was almost expecting to be let down by the city when I arrived since it is such a tourist magnet, but it is a tourist magnet for a reason. There is lots to see -
lots and lots to see - so much history as well as good food, decent night-life and great weather. I feel I have only scratched the surface. Will definitely have to come back one day.
As for my next destination, it is at the time of writing, not confirmed. Turkey? Cyprus? Slovenia?
Wherever it is, you'll get to read all about it...but until then...
Ciao!
Derek
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SIngha
non-member comment
nice
great blog bro - good intel for when I hit Rome. Can't believe that dry-humping incident though... did you get off on it tho? :-) Holla.