 |
| A view of Rome |
Rome is a city I've long wanted to visit.Seeing such a historical city in person seemed especially cool because Tyson loves ancient Roman history and would often talk to me about it. We're both huge fans of the show "Rome" as well. Unfortunately for us, we did not see Vorenus or Pullo in Rome, but we did see many fascinating ancient sites.
First Impressions:
Before we even got to Rome, we had some ideas in our heads about what it would be like from stories we had heard. We had heard that you had to be careful for pickpockets and scam artists. We didn't end up having any problems, but as in any large city you have to be careful and aware of your surroundings. The people can be quite in-your-face with selling roses, umbrellas and the like. I would describe Rome as being "aggressive". At one point during our trip it started raining and an umbrella seller got pushy; Tyson came to the rescue by yelling at him in Italian. I think Tyson yelling at someone in Italian and defending our group was probably the highlight of the trip for me! Haha. Funny how he sounded fluent at that moment. Despite the city's aggressiveness, is it still absolutely lovely and filled with amazing pieces of history. Now let's move on to my favorite part about traveling anywhere--the food!
The Food:
The first dish I wanted to try when we arrived in Rome was the
Bucatini all’ amatriciana or as it's known in the Roman dialect, the
Bucatini alla matriciana. The dish was recommended to us by an Italian friend and it consists of bucatini pasta (thicker, hollow version of spaghetti) covered in a tomato sauce and served with pecorino cheese and guanciale (cured pork cheek). This pasta tasted delicious and fresh! The guanciale basically tastes like bacon.
 |
| Bucatini all'amatriciana |
Honestly, I don't think we got a chance to sample the best of Rome's cuisine because we were so busy seeing all the sights and we were in a rather touristy area. We did get to try many versions of Roman pizza, pasta, and gelato. If Tyson and I ever go back to Rome, we'll probably try to go outside of the tourist area for dinner.
The Colosseum (Wonder of the World):
Built in 80 AD, the Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world. When we saw it, we all had different reactions to its' size. Tyson said "This amphitheater is smaller than I imagined it." Lindsay said "This amphitheater is larger than I imagined it." Then I said, "This amphitheater is about the size I imagined it." Though my imagination seemed fairly accurate for the Colosseum, I would be in for a surprise when we later saw the Pantheon. Anyway, the Colosseum is quite impressive in size. It's fun to look at it and imagine all the gladiatorial contests that took place here. If Rome can be called an aggressive city today, it could be called a violent city yesterday.
 |
| The Colosseum |
|
|
 |
| Inside the Colosseum |
 |
| The Colosseum |
Palatine Hill and The Roman Forum:
The Palatine Hill is one of the Seven Hills of Rome and according to Roman mythology, it is the location of the cave where Romulus and Remus were found and kept alive by a she-wolf. Several Roman emperors had palaces here, including Augustus and Tiberius. It's also a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy the scenery.
 |
| Palatine Hill |
The Roman Forum was one of my favorite things that I saw in Rome. There was just something about walking around in all that history. The Roman Forum is a plaza that contains the remnants of ancient government buildings. It was a venue both for speeches and for criminal trials. People even came there to gossip! Fun Fact: not all of the temples in the forum were built for gods--some were dedicated to people. The Romans believed that by
dedicating the temple to themselves they became a deity. No wonder Tyson likes these guys! ;)
 |
| Roman Forum |
 |
| Roman Forum |
The Pantheon:
The Pantheon is the building that was different than I had imagined it. I thought it would be much larger for some reason. The Pantheon was commissioned by Agrippa and was a tribute to all the ancient gods. This is one of the best preserved of the buildings in Rome, so it gives you a good idea of what the Roman Forum may have looked like at one point.
 |
| Pantheon Oculus |
 |
| The Pantheon |
 |
| Inside a crowded Pantheon |
St. Peter's Basilica:
St. Peter's was absolutely breath-taking. It's one of the largest churches in the world and it feels like it. Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, is buried here. Seeing Michelangelo's Pietà in person was awe-inspiring. I only wish it had been less crowded so I could have gotten a better look!
 |
| St. Peter's Basilica |
 |
| Inside St. Peter's |
 |
| St. Peter's |
 |
| Pietà |
Pictures don't do it proper justice!
The Trevi Fountain:
This is one of the most famous fountains in the world and it is lovely in person! I threw a coin into the fountain so that I would be ensured a return trip to Rome.
 |
| Trevi Fountain in Rome |
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
Hopefully the coin toss really did ensure a return trip to Rome, because we never got to see the Pope! I would really love to see Papa Francesco. We also need to check out the Spanish Steps next time.
Until next time ragazzi!
-Susie
