Rome

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Upon setting foot in Rome again, I realised I had forgotten how much I didn't enjoy being in this filthy city, as all I recalled from my previous visit was the wonder and awe that had washed over me as I wandered the grounds of the Roman Forum, the incredible structure that is the Colosseum and Michelangelo's deft touch with his paintings and his marble creations, 'Moses' and 'Pieta'. I was unsure whether I would enjoy the sights as much a second time around; however, I discovered how foolish a notion this was when I stepped into the Vatican Museum. This is largely due to the fact that over the four years that have ensued since my last visit, I have become more aware of the Renaissance period and its artists (mainly through teaching a unit called Medieval History last year back in Australia). One such example was seeing Raphael's 'School of Athens' fresco, as I had previously only seen this painting in a very small reproduction in a text book and took quite a liking to it, so to see it with my own eyes was incredible. I spent some more time wandering through this museum than on my past visit, taking in the Etruscan and Egyptian artifacts, as well as some impressive Roman sculptures from ancient times. As for the Sistine Chapel, we managed to secure ourselves a highly prized seat againt one of the walls and were able to spend a great length of time taking in Michelangelo's masterful creations. To fully appreciate this wondrous room, you would have to spend an entire day within its walls, which would probably still not be an adequate length of time. Therefore, having now spent time in there on two different occasions, I am gaining a greater appreciation of the artwork upon its walls and ceiling, marvelling no less than the first time I laid my eyes upon its colourful interior.

Another significant highlight from Rome was visiting the Pantheon for the first time. This building was recommended to me by a colleague from the school I was working in back in Essex and I was a little disappointed when I approached the crumbling brickwork at the rear of the building. It was not until I stepped inside the enormous bronze entrance doors that I was truly struck by this place. It was originally built as a place of worship to the classical gods, but has long been a place of Christian worship. To put it bluntly, this building is something to behold. The interior does not have a single supporting beam and has a dome which is the largest masonry vault ever built - and it was constructed in A.D. 120! This dome is a perfect semisphere, which means that the diameter is equal to the interior height of 43.3 metres. At the centre of the dome is a 9 metre oculus which lets light (and rain) pour in. In the case of rain, the floor has gentle slopes with 22 small drainage holes. Considering this building is nearly 2000 years old and still in use as a place of worship, the immaculate condition of the interior is quite mind-boggling and certainly leaves modern construction methods with a lot to answer for. My visit was made all the more enthralling by seeing the final resting place of Raphael, whose artwork I had so admired throughout the earlier part of the day.

The other highlight of Rome was definitely the time spent dining, whether it be the mouth-watering gelati, hearty calzone or superb coffee, I was one happy camper on every occasion. From here, we head to Naples for a couple of nights to visit what has been uncovered of the city of Pompeii.

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