We decided to finally explore Rome. We took the train up, the Monday after Christmas. We ended up on the fast train; the cheaper ones were already sold out. It was amazing. You could barely feel the train moving and we were there in an hour and ten minutes! (Driving takes 2 ½ hours) We got off at Termini train station and walked down Via Cavour to our hotel. It was so cool as we crossed one street Howard said, “Look girls!” As we crossed the street the girls got their first look at the Coliseum. It was really neat to see their faces! Once we found out hotel, we got settled, and headed down to the Victor Emmanuel monument. The Van Gough exhibit was there and Blythe really wanted to see it. There was a long line, so I waited and Howard and the girls explored. At one point, I looked up and saw them peeking over the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument. They got back in just as I was getting close to the door to get in. The Van Gough exhibit was really nice. It was neat to hear my third grader telling us about the artist. It was a really cool exhibit because they showed his inspiration by other famous artists and then his version of their painting. Delaney had fun after a while trying to guess if it was a Van Gough or someone else. She got pretty good at picking out Van Gough’s work! This was a fun trip tying in what Blythe is learning about in school!
After that museum, we headed to Trevi fountain. I think Howard’s reaction was best. He couldn’t understand why all these people were standing around this big building. I told him it was the fountain, he had no idea. He thought it was just a small fountain, he had no idea it was huge and that so many people would be there. It really is a display of Roman engineering. They wanted to show off that they created aqueducts and show they could have as much water as they wanted! The girls made sure to throw in a coin so that they will return!! We then continued walking to the Spanish Steps. They girls kept asking why Spanish steps were special since we were in Italy. And once they say them, all they could say were “So what they are steps!” We kind of agreed since it was chilly and they were really cold to sit on. We tried to explain that people like sit on them and people watch. They still were not getting it, so we continued on. We wandered on to the bone crypt. This crypt has the bones of all the Capuchin monks on the walls. The walls are covered with bones used to create an elaborate ornamental design. It is very strange seeing backbones and skulls lining the walls. The monks meditated and prayed in these crypts. We happened to run into an English speaking tour inside. So we learned a lot about this little place. It was really interesting but also a bit creepy!
We had dinner at a little place our hotel recommended. Nothing special but they allowed us to eat early, so we appreciated that, not that 6 is really early but it is in Italy. After dinner, we took a stroll to the Coliseum to see it at night. It was so pretty with all the lights shining on it. It was the perfect ending to a busy day!!
We got up Tuesday morning and walked to the Forum. Howard read from the Rick Steves' book and the girls listened as if he was reading a novel. They loved hearing the stories about what this place was used for and how it was built. The size of the structures was amazing to all of us. How could people without machines make such massive structures that are still standing today? It was just incredible! The Forum ends at the Coliseum, so we headed over to go inside. It was really neat to go in this Coliseum since it is modeled after the one in Naples.
We then hopped on the Metro and headed to the Vatican. The girls thought it was funny that we were heading to a different country without actually getting on a plane. There was a huge line to get in the Basilica so we first went to the post office and sent some post cards to friends! I waited in line while Howard took the girls to lunch. They had pizza and quickly learned that once you are out of Naples you do not order pizza, it just isn’t the same =) They made it back just in time to end the church. They were all memorized by the size of the Basilica. It is just enormous! All the gold is just amazing. The paintings on the walls and up on the ceiling are really just unbelievable. We walked around the entire Basilica and then had to make a choice, to go up the cupola or go down into the catacombs. The cupola won so we headed to the top of the church. You could take an elevator and walk 330 steps or you could just walk the 551 steps to the top. We opted to walk. It was really neat because you got to walk around on the inside of the dome of the Basilica. Here you could see that all the paintings on the ceilings and walls were not paintings at all. They were mosaics, which makes it all the more impressive!! No wonder this took so much time to create and Italians are never in a rush!! They realize what patients can get you!! We then had to head outside to get to the stairs to reach the top. As we headed back into the building, there was a strong musty smell. As soon as Blythe stepped inside she said, “This smells like the boat!” I had to laugh because she was right, it did smell like Mr. Cummings boat! The walls started to slant and the walkway got very narrow but we made it to the top! What a view! So worth all the walking!!
After we made it back down, you would have thought we would have stopped walking. But we didn’t. We walked to the Castle San Angelo which is just up the road. From there we walked to Piazza Navona and then on to the Pantheon. Piazza Navona had its own Christmas market with lots of stalls selling goods for La Befana. At the Pantheon, we stopped for some gelato. We checked out a place from Eat, Love, Pray but we just didn’t like the gelato. We opted for another place and we quite happy. It was chilly outside but the gelato was so yummy!! We just couldn’t resist!!
From the Pantheon we walked all the way back to Via Cavour. One of the tings we have noticed on our travels is all the different door knockers. So we take pictures of them as we wander the streets. We got a bunch of really neat ones in on our walk today!! At this point we were completely exhausted and hungry. We stopped at a restaurant that had views of the Forum. It was priced right and was open early! We had a delicious meal! What a way to end the day.
Wednesday we got up and were pretty tired. We wondered around the city just looking at the sites one last time. We did a little shopping, had a nice lunch and headed for the train back to Naples. This was a great little vacation!
