TRAVELING THE WORLD 365 days/year. You can visit us on Instagram at whereintheworldaremikeandjan. Do not hit “Reply” to message us – Use Contact Tab, above.
ROME: The Eternal City. ROME: 2,777 years old. ROME: One of the World’s Most Desired Destinations. ROME: On every block, there are museums, churches, archaeological ruins, monuments, shrines, arches, columns, villas, fountains, art galleries, palaces. ROME: By far, the most crowded, busiest city we have ever visited, ever, ever. We were forced to walk in the street many times due to the mass of people headed toward us on the sidewalks. Many people just plowed forward, not moving an inch (as most people do as a courtesy) as we passed. Crowds almost removed our arms at least a dozen times. Subways and buses were sometimes like sardine cans, just packed and jammed with people – and sometimes, barking dogs. It was the most crowded location on earth – and this was in late October/early November, formerly the “shoulder season,” never as busy as summer. We wonder what summer was like?? We assume this craziness is due to the fact that people simply are traveling more these days. But hotels in Rome were running $400-600 per night, so we don’t understand how so many people are visiting. (Gone from the US since early September, our entire two months of hotel stays in Europe have been absolutely free – thanks to the millions of points we earned with Hilton stays.)
All of that aside, Rome. Is. Fabulous. There is so much to see! Just walking down a random street, you come upon ruins and ancient buildings. On the winding little streets in the heart of Rome are thousands of cute restaurants, cafes, and small retail shops. Most of the restaurants serve Italian food – of course. When we tired of pizza and pasta, we sought out Japanese, Turkish, Mexican, Thai, American, and Chinese restaurants – to name a few. They are there if you search for them.
Probably the most noteworthy thing about the city is its sheer history and the age of its most prominent attractions. We have provided the ages of some of the attractions in the photo captions. It is jaw-dropping to stand inside the Pantheon, for instance, mouth agape, as laborers built it before Christ roamed the earth. Maybe it is even more thrilling for an American, as our cultural monuments date only to the late 1700s.
Visiting the Vatican was interesting, although it is another country and is only surrounded by Rome. We published a separate blog on Vatican City last week. We also wrote a separate blog for Ostia Antica, the ancient port of Rome. Included in this post are the areas around the Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Appian Way and Trastevere districts. Trastevere is quite lovely, as we discovered on our first visit to Rome 20 years ago, but for some reason it has attracted more graffiti than any one place deserves.
Another area we explored was the very south of Rome in the area of the Appian Way. It took 45 minutes by bus (for €1.50!), and we went to the Parco Dell’Appia Antica. Here, we found the Felice Aqueduct and some beautiful ruins of arches and old monuments – it was like walking through an archaeological site. It was not at all crowded, like the tourist areas of Rome. Here, the crowd was mostly locals walking their dogs and playing ball with their children. It was very peaceful and quiet.
So, given the busy-ness, would we return??? Yes, in a heartbeat. There was so much to see and a lot of places we haven’t yet gotten to, even after a solid three weeks in the city. We left some sights – and tastes! – for the next visit. We just hope it isn’t as crowded in the future, but who knows?
The Colosseum, which has stood for 1,953 years – not totally intact, but still a contender. Notice the “statues” in the niches just below the top row of arches??…
…they aren’t statues at all, just cardboard images!
The beautiful Trevi Fountain, which will be 300 years old in 2032. Appearing in many movies and throughout popular culture, it is named after its location, where three (tre) roads (via) meet.
Our favorite Roman building- the astounding Pantheon, which is 2,050 years old! We also wanted to note: sadly, there is now an admission charge (to which we do not object), accompanied by the longest lines through the plaza and wrapping around the building (to which we do object). Other times, we would stop in to enjoy the interior whenever we walked by, as there were never lines, and it was free. Now, even if you buy an online ticket, you have very long lines, and then a ton of people inside. Objection!
The Pantheon’s most famous feature – its Oculus, 25 feet in diameter and providing the only light in the building. Yes, when it rains – it rains inside the building! The floor is concave, i.e., raised beneath the Oculus and sloping down in all directions. At the perimeter of the slope are small drainage holes that carry water away through an ancient underground Roman drainage system. For good reason, this is one of our favorite buildings in the world.
Part of the ancient Temple of Minerva in the Roman Forum, dating to 97 AD…or, 1,928 years old.
Largo Romolo e Remo in the Roman Forum.
The Arch of Constantine, still standing, built in 312 AD to commemorate 10 years of Constantine’s reign as well as his victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Melvina Bridge.
This piazza has Trajan’s Column, the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at the Forum of Trajan (how’s that for a mouthful??), and part of the Forum itself. In the rear left is the monument to Victor Emmanuel II.
The elaborate Church of St. Ignatius. Anywhere else, this would be a major tourist attraction! Here, it is just another “neighborhood church.”
The church’s ceiling is magnificent.
We like the translation, “A Help,” asking for a donation. We always provide “a help,” as buildings need maintenance and use electricity for our visit. They provide photos for our posts, so we feel obligated to assist.
The Tiber River, as taken from the Ponte Umberto I.
Castel Sant’Angelo, now 1,890 years old. Originally the Mausoleum of Hadrian, it was subsequently used by popes as a fortress and castle, and now is a museum. It achieved pop culture notoriety when used by Dan Brown as a location in the book and movie, “Angels and Demons.”
Ponte Sant’Angelo, the bridge over the Tiber connecting to the Castel, with statues of angels and saints.
On the bridge, the angels hold items from Jesus’ crucifixion – whips, nails, cross, dice, crown of thorns. This angel is holding the Sudarium (Veronica’s Veil).
An autumn Roman street scene.
The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. This is enlarged several times; from our perspective, it was a very tiny painting, very high above our heads.
The very colorful El Tiburon Navona Mexican restaurant in Rome. We tried it, craving a taste of home after so much pasta and pizza. Our opinion? Meh. It was Mexican-ish, but not very authentic. A good tip is that if you are craving Mexican food in someplace like Reykjavik or Rome, have fajitas at a Hard Rock Cafe. They won’t be especially cheap, but have always tasted good to us.
A small and pretty restaurant whose name means “Homemade.”
Ruins in the Parco Dell’Appia Antica, near the Appian Way, in late afternoon.
The Felice Aqueduct, near the Appian Way. It took about 45 minutes by bus to get here, yet it was still Rome, and blissfully peaceful.
Very inviting passageway.
A cute shop – we liked the floor inlay display of items for sale. Its name translates as Aromas and Flavors.
Galleria Sciarra, looking up. The ground level is covered in scaffolding and blue tarp, so this is its best side right now.
Little shrines like this were found on lots of corners of buildings.
A nice building – and accompanying covered arch – just opposite the Pontifical Gregorian University (whose steps provided a welcome respite as a bench – we watched students, priests, and nuns going in and out to class, relieved that we are past that!)
On many, many streets, like this – there were no sidewalks. The cars and motorcycles (and even trucks, if you can believe it!) passing through were patient; they didn’t beep, just waited for people to scurry to the sides as they squeezed by.
Another pretty retail store.
An old-time newspaper stand, once holding newspapers from around the world. Now, they sell souvenirs, sunglasses, snacks, and drinks.
Teatro di Marcello, 2,037 years old. At a quick first glance, it is almost like you are back at the Colosseum!
In the wonderful area of Trastevere was this wall mural of Madonna and Child. Mary looks more like the current Madonna, with heavy eye makeup and blonde hair. But isn’t she pretty? (And check out the astonished, adorable baby face on the extreme right, on a sign for the adjacent business.)
An outdoor garden patio in Trastevere.
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere – it has everything: stunning dome, pipe organ, canopy, and candles for ambiance.
Ivy covered homes in the narrow streets.
More foliage taking over the houses.
The chef was making fresh pasta in the window, inviting children to “help” her. We had dinner here, and it was just okay for handmade pasta. The best handmade pasta we had was in Florence!
A pretty store, with foliage. But notice the graffiti. It was worse in Trastevere than anywhere else in Rome, making everything seem scruffy and cheap, even though, as you can see in the photos above, it is a very pretty area otherwise.
A WWI memorial on a wall along a random street near the Pantheon depicting a sad, yet glorious, angel. Names are inscribed, with the dates 1914-1918.
Our daily view at breakfast, taken from the rooftop breakfast room at Cosmopolita Hotel.
A very, very green, healthy building!
A still life. Hotel Artorius.
…and the answer is…..
A very busy “porchetta sandwich” standshows off the pig’s head, as well. Nobody wanted it on their sandwich, though.
Yep. Just like ALL women!
🔹🔹 If you enjoyed reading our post, you can subscribe to our website to automatically receive every blog we publish. Just go to our “Contact” tab. In the gray box at the very bottom, it says – SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL.Just put in your email address, and we will appear in your Inbox! Also, right above it, there is a small form to send us a message, if you wish. (But please note, you cannot hit “Reply” on the post emailed to you to send us a message. You must use the Contact tab.)
