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Published: April 3rd 2018
With a very early start, we began our last day in Rome. The alarm sounded at 4:45 and all 44 of our group was on the bus by 5:50. Since we were unable to view the Basilica of St Peter yesterday, we chose to start extra early to be there before it opened so that we could see it and admire its grandeur. It did not disappoint.
Since it was so early, traffic was fairly light but the skies were dark. The bus was able to drop us off fairly close, but it still required walking. We all gathered in front of the fountain at the Basilica and then joined the line that had already formed - before 7 am. We went in and was immediately impressed by the structure and the statues. One of the statues on everyone’s list was the Pieta. The Pieta is the statue created by Michaelangelo of Mary holding Jesus, body after the crucifixion. But we were disappointed when we saw that it was covered and blocked off. We asked one of the guards if we would be able to view it, but we were told no. They had it covered for the Easter services.
After the church, we walked to a local cafe for a quick bite and found all other businesses were closed since it was so early. The rain began to fall so we took shelter under a an open structure in the square. Many others joined us until our next meeting time and then we began the trek in the rain to our bus. Street vendors began to come out mostly selling umbrellas and ponchos. I resisted the urge to buy one.
We arrived at the Coliseum to find a huge line. When we departed the bus, the rain began to fall more and I gave in to the urge for an umbrella. My first souvenir from Italy was a small blue umbrella that cost 5 Euros from a Nigerian street peddler. What were the odds of that? We had pre-purchased the tickets for the coliseum, had a reserved time and guide and still had to wait nearly 2 hours in line before even getting to the security check. So my 5 euro umbrella came in most helpful for it started to rain steady and hard - all while waiting in line. We did have to walk a ways
to find the end of the line and everyone that was the Vatican City yesterday was at the coliseum today, plus some. And half of them had umbrellas which became a little dangerous. Imagine tens of thousands of people walking in the rain carrying umbrellas and none of them are considerate to others. That is one of the hardest things to get use to - crowds of people all pushing and shoving. Trying to break line when we are trying to keep our group together. And keeping an eye out for pickpocketers - for that is when they are most active. I was poked several times by umbrellas and just knew someone was going to get seriously injured. We were exhausted before we even started.
We met up with our guide and learned all about the Roman Coliseum. The Coliseum is the largest amphitheater ever built. It was used by gladiators, animal hunts, dramas, and other events. It had 80entrances and accommodated over 80,000 spectators. The center of the arena was a maze of tunnels used for the animals in the various fights/races. It was covered by a stage with elevator type rooms to bring up the animals during
the events. The area was so big, that I think there was more structure under the seating than above the floor. The structure was made of stone with hundreds of arches which gave it a unique appearance that is still easily recognized today. It was a masterpiece itself.
After the Coliseum, we walked to and through the Roman Forum. The forum was located in the center of the city and it was the hub of day to day activity. One of the most famous happenings at the aforum was the burning of Julius Caesar,s body. There are many monuments, temples, and other buildings located there.
After our tour was over, we had a picnic type lunch containing a rice ball and cannoli from Sicily that Mimmo had arranged for us. The rice ball was ok but the cannoli was wonderful. Fortunately we had a break in the weather and were able to eat without the liquid sunshine. After our quick meal we ventured on towards the square in the middle of the city. We were schedule for a walking tour of a few sites but it was decided that we could go to them ourselves and enjoy some
free time so that our group could help out the Italian economy. A few of us went to view the Trevi Fountain dodging umbrellas the whole way. It was packed with people and their umbrella. We managed to wiggle our way to one side of the fountain and threw our coin in. Legend has it that if you throw a coin in the fountain that you will return one day. If we do return, I hope that it is at a time with less people and no umbrellas. We then moved on the Pantheon.
The Pantheon is a unique structure in that it is a circular building with a dome roof that does not have supports. Instead the center of the dome is actually open and when it rains, like it did today, it rains inside. But the floors are created in such a way that they are concave and the rain water runs off and dries quickly on the marble floor. The Pantheon contained statues of the Greek gods and was a popular spot today as well. We then took the opportunity to spend some of our Euros and purchase a few momentos from our trip. We walked
in and out of stores, dodging umbrellas the whole time. We stepped for gelato for you have to have some gelato when in Italy. It did not disappoint. We walked a bit more, found the Spanish steps and walked some more and spent a little more. We met back up at the Spanish Steps at our appointed time and just in time for the thunderstorm.
We walked through the streets through the thunderstorm for our last dinner together. We were soaked. It was at a small Italian eatery and was ok. The tour preordered our meals so it lacked a bit of pizzazz. After dinner, Mimmo announced that we had 1 1/2 hours before the bus would arrive to pick us up so we had more free time. Yeah, more walking. So we walked a bit more. To the point that I just couldn’t go any further. There were several cafes and restaurants with tables on the square but you are not allowed to sit there unless you pay their service fee. So we went back to our meeting spot and stood and waited.
Another oddity of Europe is the bathrooms. There are no public restrooms (water closets).
We tried to arrange our visits and meals at places that did allow use of their restrooms. Each restroom was different. The flushing mechanism was always a learning experience (on the toilet, on the wall, a quarter size button to push in, a choice of 2 tabs to push). Some had toilet seats, some did not. Some had separate men’s and women’s toilets, some did not. Some had one stall, some had 5. But they all had one thing in common - they smelled. Americans are a bit spoiled with their restroom availability.
After our time to meet again finally arrived, we all headed back to the bus for the ride to the hotel. Everyone had to get packed up and make room for their souvenirs. Today’s total walking distance was over 8 miles. And that doesn’t even account for all the standing and waiting we did. Everyone had sore feet and were ready for their bed. I certainly was.
This was our last day and we head home tomorrow. We have seen a lot and my daughter stated that she learned more about Greek and Roman history on this trip than she has in her classes. I
would have to agree with her. Her graduation present is complete.
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