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Published: January 23rd 2018
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Rome was a wild ride. It felt like an amusement park with its enormous, unreal buildings filling the city with all kinds of colors. Even the trees looked fabricated. It was such a short trip made up of long days, it is hard for me to gather my thoughts. Initially, my first thoughts regarding Rome were; it’s busy, it was built for giants, I miss Florence. As I reflect on the trip, I learn to appreciate the history and culture embedded within Florence, much of it originating from the Roman Empire (empire being a good word to use).
Saturday began extremely early with us arriving at the train station at 7:45 in the morning, and ended extremely late, not getting back to our hotels until about 9 in the evening. It was possibly one of the most exhausting days of my life, mentally and physically. My head hurt from all the knowledge Elizabeth shared and my feet hurt from all the sites Rome shared. We began our tour at the Vatican Museums located within the gates of the Vatican City.
With the busy crowds and the extensive history involved with the Vatican City, it is hard for me to
remember what I saw and learned that day. We shuffled through crowded hallways of statues and art, specifically a hallway decorated with floor-length painted maps of Italy. This was my favorite part of the tour because the gallery was filled with blues and greens, along with an intricate ceiling. The maps represented different regions of Italy, which were commissioned by one of the previous popes, each one adding on to the Vatican City.
After endless rooms of art and sculptures, each identifying a specific point of history, we arrived at the Sistine Chapel. Except, I did not realize I was in the Sistine Chapel until I recognized the Creation of Adam in the center of the ceiling. It was not what I was expecting, and maybe I was expecting too much, but I was surprised at how insignificant it seemed compared to the other buildings of Rome, and even Florence. When put into perspective, the Sistine Chapel is an extremely impressive work of art, especially considering the fact that Michelangelo hand-painted the ceiling. But there wasn’t much else besides art within the chapel and it felt like a cardboard box (granted it was crowded). There were no impressive architectural
features, as I have seen in other churches, including St. Peter’s, which we visited immediately after the Sistine Chapel.
St. Peter’s Basilica was one of the most massive, beautiful buildings I have ever entered, decorated with golds, grays, and tans. It did not feel real. It seemed as though it was created for giants, measuring at 448 feet from the floor to the top of the dome, and stretching as long as two football fields. The church was filled with giant arches, statues, and columns, with smaller domes surrounding a center dome, the highest dome in the world, which is placed right above the tomb of Saint Peter. The tomb is decorated by a four-post, 10 story tall canopy, detailed with intricate engravings and designs.
The church was breathtaking. Like I have previously mentioned, the Vatican was extremely crowded that day, but once we were in the church it was hard to notice because there was so much space available. I could have honestly spent a day in there, looking at all the sculptures and paintings on the walls. Michelangelo’s famous Pieta resides in the church behind a bulletproof glass, due to a damaging incident years
ago.
St. Peter’s Basilica wasn’t the only building fit for giants. On our walk through town that night, we saw massive buildings and fountains created with antique architecture and art. On Sunday we visited the Coliseum, another massive monument rich with Roman history, as well as the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum blew my mind with its giant remaining buildings and ruins. Even with the remainder of some buildings, you felt the vast presence it had when it was whole and serving a purpose within the ancient Roman city.
The two days in Rome were exhausting, and by the end of the trip I was ready to go back to Florence, or anywhere honestly. The crowds and streets did not welcome me the way they do in Florence. I know I am biased when comparing the two since I have spent the past two weeks in Florence and it has become a temporary home for me. I have learned my way around the city, by foot of course, and am familiar with the local shops and restaurants. In Rome I felt lost and drained by the crowds. But please do not misunderstand my comparison as ungratefulness towards our Rome trip. Rome is a fascinating city that I honestly cannot comprehend. Its history is deep and complicated, impossible to retain in just a couple of days. The trip gave me the opportunity to visit a city I would struggle to visit on my own (navigating through those streets and crowded museums alone would take years off my life), and I am extremely thankful for this! But I am truly happy to be back in my temporary home with my familiar streets (though I do miss the hotel beds and pillows).
STEPS:
January 19: 16,172
January 20: 20,588
January 21: 18,592
January 22: 17,593
January 23: 19,510
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