Ravishing Rome

---

Hi again, all you lovely peeps. Today's entry I've been holding off writing because, Rome was just so darn awesome, and I want to do the city justice in trying to convey all of it's awesomeness. We stayed at a local camping ground just outside Rome central for our Rome excursion. I rather enjoy staying at camp grounds, being in an outdoors environment with your own space is quite nice. Basically immediately, I managed to lock our single swipe card inside the cabin, so had to embarrassingly go and get one of the camp staff members to open our door to get the neglected swipe card. Such a typical absent minded thing for me to do, but by the sounds of it, this event seems to happen quite commonly. Our first experience involved going to get our Skip-The-Line tickets to get into Vatican City. We were constantly harangued by people trying to tell us where to go or to book a tour. It happened every ten metres or so it felt. Eventually we went to our designated meeting point which was near a rather flash Basilica by the Vatican grounds. The line into that was horrendous, so we gave it a miss, sadly. We soon got inside the immense Vatican walls (and past the long and snaking lines) and proceeded to see some exhibitions. They included some of the most significant Renaissance art of the period including religious frieze's, sculptures and scenes. The paintings and sculptures were created by true artisans I thought. There was also some Egyptian pieces there which made me happy as Egyptian history and archaeology is of immense interest to me. Egypt is number two on my country bucket list, right after Machu Picchu. I got to see some mummies too, which was macabre yet oddly fascinating. It is so intriguing seeing the various ways a human body can be preserved over great lengths of time. The desire for immortality is such a potent force for many, back then and even now. Later we went into the gardens which were well kept as one would expect of such an esteemed place. After eating and melting in the heat we went back inside to head to the place I was most excited to see, the Sistine Chapel. Funnily enough it was the long and grandiose hallway just before the stairs which led to the Sistine Chapel that was the most awe inducing. I was transfixed by the absolutely mind blowing detail and golden luminosity of the curved ceiling. The hallway was quite long and adorned with various hand drawn maps of countries, sculptures and frescoes. The Capella Sistina, or Sistine Chapel itself is a largely rectangular space with six arched windows which lined each side of the longer walls, and with two at either end. Various frescoes depict life scenes of Jesus and Moses and other biblical events. Michaelangelo and Botticelli influences can be seen everywhere, being that they were commissioned for much of the art. What a legacy to leave! Upon leaving Vatican City we headed for other attractions. We decided that the Rome map we had, had been somewhat non-helpful, many streets had been omitted and sometimes there was a lack of street names to orient yourself in relation to other places. We thus decided to forgo our map and rely on our un-trustworthy internal navigation skills. We chanced upon the good stuff merely by walking around and following signs when they popped up. I am sure through a few serendipitous encounters, we found other nifty places and sleepy, quaint side streets by virtue of doing this. Not knowing what is around the next corner can be quite fun. We found a central square full of old buildings, a grand cathedral and some impressive water features. Speaking of water features, the large and boastful Trevi Fountain was superb. It was simply massive and possessed various sculptures in various states of repose. Such posers haha. The fountain was set into a impressive foundation and wall behind it. A fine example of Baroque architecture. We also saw the Pantheon which was bloody brilliant. The exterior of the building is circular and features a portico. It is composed of grand looking granite and Corinthian columns. The interior is palatial. The large unreinforced dome seems to open up to the heavens themselves and makes you feel rather insignificant in stature when standing inside it. We eventually headed in the direction of the Roman Forum. We went up the Altare della Patria, the monument created in celebration of Victor Emmaneil, the first King of the unified Rome. It was the quintessential example of Roman architecture. Nice views from the top too. In time, we ambled along to what we were in a state of excitement to see, the Colosseum. Boy, did it not disappoint. Walking up to the Colossal Colosseum, it was a surreal feeling of actually seeing this much revered amphitheatre in the flesh. It was indeed, very large. Hard to believe such an impressive structure was made of stone and sand. The inside seemed unsurprisingly spacious. The little tunnels and maze looking passageways looked neat from afar, I imagined little rats running through them. Instead it was probably gladiators, lions and other bloodsport type scenarios unfolding down there back in the day. I am glad modern sport has evolved to slightly less barbaric stadium events, such as Rugby haha. After an extended admiration for the place we ventured not too far away to an Italian restaurant and proceeded to eat the best pizza I've ever had. My tastebuds rejoiced. A nearby wasp must have coveted the pizza too as it kept hovering around my dinner plate. Needless to say, it bugged me. We then went to watch the sun set over the Colosseum. Was a beautiful day to end what was essentially our "Rome in a Day" experience. My parting words to you all, Roam to Rome.

Regards,

The Semi Regular Blog Writer.

---