Since I’ve been in Italy, I’ve probably visited more
churches than I have just going to Sunday service throughout my 20 years of
life. I’ve always thought churches were beautiful, but the ones here are
breathtaking. I find myself in awe at the detail and craftsmanship and wonder how
on earth they constructed anything so spectacular hundreds and thousands of
years ago? But I guess with such religious devotion you’d want only the best
for places of worship. Religion still seems to be of great importance in Italy –
almost everyone who is religious is catholic. Good luck finding a protestant
church! I wonder, though, the ratio of visitors who go to attend mass compared
to those who just visit it as an art museum and historical site?
I attended mass at the Duomo with a few friends because I
wanted to experience the church fulfilling its purpose, how it was meant to
serve the people. The mass was in English and it was wonderful being in a
church after not going for so long. I’m not catholic so I didn’t know the
prayers, but they sounded similar to the ones I’d heard when I went with my dad
to mass in the states. The sermon had a great message – something along the
lines of not worrying about material goods and possessions because in the end
they don’t matter and aren’t the sum of your life. The priest also talked about
not burdening yourself with past events – something I struggle with all too
often. At the time I was still pretty frustrated about what happened with my
sublease in Austin. I kept praying about it and realized that I needed to just
accept the cards I’d been dealt and move on. God wouldn’t put me through
anything I couldn’t handle. He never has.
I’ve always loved classical music and dressing up, so I was
excited to attend my first Italian opera! It was at the Teatro Comunale, a
beautiful theater with rows and decks of seats all in the royal Florentine red.
We saw the performance “Tosca”, a play in three acts by Giacomo Puccini. The
music was lovely and I recognized one of the songs from when I studied classical
music for music memory competition in middle school. The story was about a
political rebel who was fleeing from imprisonment and his singer girlfriend. I
was pleased with myself because for the most part I could understand everything,
even though it seemed they were speaking a mix of Italian and Latin (I think).
The story, of course, had a fatal Romeo & Juliet-type ending and received applause
from everyone, even a few “bravos” and standing ovations.
The next morning we left bright and early for Rome! We stayed
at the Hotel Portamaggiore, which was pretty far from the center of the city
but had its own interesting ruins surrounding it. Something I found quite
interesting about Rome was the mixture of old and new. I had seen pictures of
the famous sites but never thought about what surrounded them. You walk down a
narrow, winding street of cafes and shops and suddenly you turn a corner to
find Trevi Fountain or Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps). It felt like finding a
hidden treasure or taking a step back in time. There were people everywhere and
I loved feeling anonymous, being lost in the crowd in another huge city. It
wasn’t overwhelming; I could see myself living there and loving it.
Our first day we didn’t waste any time and saw a ton of
sites: lots of churches and lots of art. My tour guide, Peter, was hilarious
and had a joke for everything. He’s one of those quotable people, saying things
like, “Okay we enter this church, steal your pictures, and run like hell” or “You
see this ancient roman bath? It’s very similar to the one I have in my hotel.”
He’d say “come along children” and by the end of the tour he was more like our
really awesome grandpa instead of a tour guide.
The second day in Rome was dedicated to the Vatican. We
waited outside the huge walled city for a while before finally being herded
inside along with the other curious tourists. We made our way through gorgeous
rooms of artwork and relics, down long hallways of frescos towards the Sistine
Chapel. The only thing I knew about it was that it was one of Michelangelo’s
most famous works. Our guide explained the meaning behind the paintings, that
they represented God’s creation and the fall of man. Luckily I got a good long
view of the paintings with my neck craned to the ceiling, taking baby steps.
That’s how fast I could move. The entire place was packed with people and
guards shouting for us to move along. No pictures were allowed, but I guess I
could have snuck a few. Other people certainly did. Something that has become a
pet peeve of mine on this trip is when people use their flash to take pictures
of art work. I don’t know if they realize what it does to a painting over time
or if they don’t think their one flash will make a difference - similar to how
one would think their vote in an election doesn’t matter. But it all adds up
and the eventual outcome can be drastic. I’ve tried to lessen my random photo
snaps and try, instead, to really study the art and just remember how it made
me feel – something some quick photos don’t always capture.
St. Peter’s Basilica was next and it was just as beautiful
as the Duomo in Florence. There was a ray of light shining through one of the
windows that made people look like glowing angels or spirits when they passed
through – it looked pretty hilarious. Another odd sighting was one section of
the church that had the body of a dead pope on display in a glass casket. It
was his actual body covered in wax. It still puzzles me how the bodies or body
parts of saints and popes are preserved and worshipped. I’ve always believed
that the body is meaningless without the spirit. But I guess they can be symbols
of remembrance of the good deeds you’ve done?
On our way back to the hotel my roommate and I took the
right bus in the wrong direction and found ourselves on the complete opposite
side of Rome. Oops! Even though it took us an extra hour to get back, at least
we got a “tour” of a side of Rome we might not otherwise have seen. Besides
that minor error, the transportation in Rome was fairly easy to figure out.
There were the buses, trains, and, my favorite, the subway. I don't know what it's like to teleport, but I think subways are man's closest invention to it. You descend into the subway in one neighborhood, you
see nothing but darkness and flashing lights throughout the journey, and then
you ascend into a completely different looking place!
The last oober famous site we visited was the Colosseum,
on our third day in Rome. It. Was. Amazing. The funny thing was it is surrounded
by modern streets and apartments, so it was so unexpected when we came upon it.
Part of it was under construction so I didn’t make the complete circle around,
but I did climb as high up as possible – talk about a work-out. There were even
guys dressed up as Roman warriors outside. How cute! Not. These dudes are one
of the many tricksters out to rob tourists of their money. They ask if you want
a picture with them (with your own camera) then charge you for it. Another
trick I saw partially played out was a man giving his camera to a girl, asking
her to take a photo of him. When the camera “doesn’t work” the man comes over
to try and figure it out while you get pick-pocketed. There were about fifteen
of us staring at the situation, so fortunately nothing happened to the girl.
After the day’s sightseeing some friends and I decided to
just roam… Rome. It’s was nice to give the camera a rest and just live. We
grabbed some gelato and stretched out by the river to rest a while. It was a
perfect sunny day and the weather was fantastic! By the time I got home I was
dead tired and slept through dinner until our departure the next morning. Some
of us woke up earlier than the others to make an extra stop in Tivoli on our
way home. It was so worth it! I’m such a sucker for European romanticism and
fairy-tale like dwellings, and that’s exactly how I’d describe Villa d’este and
the remains of an ancient roman estate we visited. The estate was in the Tivoli
countryside, just outside Rome, and had paths of trees, ponds surrounded by
goddess statues, and the fantastic remains of buildings that once served as a
Roman ruler’s home.
Villa d’este was my favorite. The villa had rooms full of
paintings and frescoes and there wasn’t much light except for a few windows
that gave us a sneak peak of the gardens outside. The views were spectacular
and once I stayed a while on the balcony, I raced down the steps to explore the
garden. It was a work of art in its own with perfectly and creatively trimmed
shrubbery. It was maze-like and definitely fulfilled my desire to just run around
in gardens or a vineyard - kind of like how Lizzie in Pride & Prejudice
runs away to the desolate countryside to escape. I love when life here is so
comparable to a book or movie I love. J
Every turn housed a magnificent water fountain, some
tucked away in caves. There were steps leading to even larger fountains,
including one known as the organ fountain where we heard an organ playing music
by the fountain’s water pressure. There was also a row of large ponds with
fish! I still think this place was one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen
in Europe so far and I felt such a connection to it. It was a nice way to
wind down after a crazy few days in massive Rome!
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