My first day here was spent walking - but unfortunately walking much further than I had hoped. I've been using a mix of hard copy map and google maps and have arrived at something that pretty much works - but this system took some honing down. This first day in Rome was a case in point. Using the map I can identify where I want to go but I found that when I thought I was heading for a particular place I was at times heading in the opposite direction. On the last day I found a shop that sold compasses, something I wish I would have had from the start.
Anyhow, I ended up literally walking around the Colosseum - via the related roads - hate to know just how may kms that was and I wouldn't mind seeing my face when I realized I was back where I had started. Anyhow, I walked a lot on that first day but I got to see massive war memorial - the Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele - the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I had hoped to see the Trevi Fountain but with the heavy downpour that later set-in I dumped the plans and set off to m hotel - walking that is. The next day was luxury, I managed to get a bus to the Vatican Museum.
Vatican Museum, now, that's another story, for anyone who has been there you won't be surprised. I had seen Roman statues at other, earlier galleries and museums, but the collection here was exceptional. There was an extensive array of heads, busts, and many full length statues. There were pillars with writing and items such as a large marble item that looked like it would have been pond.
The building was filled with murals that decorated the walls and ceilings throughout. There were very large tapestries depicting historic scenes, a collection of religious art that mirrored collections I'd seen in earlier galleries and there was a collection of modern religious art, though I must say these generally weren't impressive. Finally after visiting numerous galleries we were led into the Sistine Chapel.
The whole time I was mindful of an earlier trip to Rome with Barry when Joey was about two years old. Barry says he remembers the pain he was in with his back but because, at the time we held the understanding that the museum closed at 1.30 pm I vividly remember being in a stream of mostly Italians who were practically running to see the recently restored chapel (I think now they stopped letting people in after 1.30). Nevertheless, we were caught in the stream, Joey in the pram, we were carrying, one at the front and the other at the back running with the stream. I was thinking I could go back once we'd seen the chapel only to find that at that time it wasn't possible to retrace your steps, we just had to leave. So needless to say I was keen to see all the riches that I'd earlier missed.
Needless to say I was appalled by the wealth that is stored here that I am sure must run contrary to christian belief?!
Later when I got to the Trevi Fountain only to find probably a thousand people thronging to get a selfie or snap of what has become an icon of Rome.
I had one more day left as my flight back to Australia wasn't leaving until 10.30 the next night but I just couldn't bring myself to visit another museum or gallery so I decided to simply take it easy, to type up my blog, to read and to watch another episode of Mary Beard on Rome.
I should mention here that I've supplemented my trip with documentaries, or travel guides on youtube, something I found helpful in identifying what I should see in each city. The two I'd like to highlight here are the BBC Rome a history of the Eternal City, a three part series, with Simon Seabag Montefiore and the second Meet the Romans, another three part series, by Mary Beard.
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