CMYK

No journey in Italy would be complete without visiting Rome, and so in November I did so, along with all the Arcadia Students. We got up early in the morning and boarded a bus, and after quite a drive found ourselves entering through one of the old city walls. We stopped briefly at the hotel and then quickly made our way to the Vatican. When you stand in front of it, you know even without entering that this is quite a lavish building.

From there, we went to the Vatican museum. Within a few minutes of entering I found myself in a courtyard with original neoclassical sculptures such as Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Canova — sculptures that I had learned about in an art history class and never dreamt I would see in person. It was also nice to see that the collection included religious art beyond the classical sphere. I remember specifically a painting of the crucifixion painted in what I would describe as an art deco style (I’m not sure if that’s entirely correct). It was a novel, powerful way to depict a scene that I have seen in artwork hundreds of times before. The museum also included works by several notable artists, such as Dalí. However, the art on the walls was not the only kind to be found. The building itself was a work of art, with countless frescoes and mosaic floors with immaculately complex patterns and images.

Finally, I reached the high point, the Sistine Chapel. One cannot help but be struck by a sense of wonder when standing within that chapel. The amount of time it must have taken and the attention to detail are incomprehensible. However, I once again felt as though the place had been robbed of some of its beauty as I did during my stay in Venice. The constrained space, constant movement of people, and shouts of “no foto!” became very distracting at times. And yet how can a problem such as this be solved? Everyone should be allowed a chance to see such a beautiful place, so you cannot limit the entrance, and trying to pace visitors’ entrance into the museum would create extremely long queues. It seems that with increasing international travel, this sort of thing will simply become inherent to the experience.

Following the Vatican Museum, a few friends and I went to the Trevi Fountain. The beautiful sculptures seem to break free from the rock and water to take form. The way the figures seem to be in constant motion parallels the water that is constantly running over them. While we were there we also made our way down to the bottom and each threw a coin over our shoulder and made a wish.

After walking back to the hotel and taking in the city along the way, I was certainly hungry. For dinner that night, we went to a typical pizzeria in the area — the sort of place families and friends would go to have dinner. Once again, the food was delicious, although it wasn’t quite as good as the pizza I had in Sorrento (I’m unsure if I’ll ever find one as good). Some like it hot, and I definitely do, which is why I ordered a pizza with a spicy salame.

The following morning, my friends and I decided to go out on our own so we could see things at our own pace. We took a quick ride on the metro and then went to the Colosseum. The scale of the thing is immense, not just for its own time, but also in ours. I can only imagine how loud the roar of the crowd must have been when it was in use. In some sense it was eerie to stand in such a silent place where countless men must have met their end. Nevertheless it was interesting to learn about the different uses of the structure over time. During one period, they would flood the arena and use it for naval exercises.

We visited the nearby Palatine Hill as well. This hill is believed to be where one of the first imperial palaces was, and according to Roman Mythology, where Romulus and Remus were found by a wolf. Standing next to the massive structures and peering out over huge courtyards, you get a feel for how grandiose these rulers wanted their palace to be. The courtyards and gardens are beautiful today, but they must have been much more so when they were in use. From there we walked to the Roman Forum. This area was central to the ancient Roman civilization. As I passed through I saw remains of countless temples and basilicas, as well as other more common structures. The forum must have been an incredibly busy place during its time.

We continued on and saw many more landmarks, such as the Spanish Steps. However, as the day came to a close it seemed like no matter how many places we had visited within Rome, there was always more to see. It is a truly immense and fascinating city, and it takes more than two days to see everything. Although it was crowded in parts, there were still some interesting people to be found here and there. Near the Roman Forum, there were a couple of well-dressed gents, each with his own style. Also, near the Pantheon there was what I can only describe as a bright-red gypsy lady (although I’m not sure she was a gypsy). Rome is a one of a kind city, and no matter where you go there is always something new to discover and interesting people to meet.