Last weekend I took my first trip outside of Viterbo to ROME! The day trip on friday was planned for all students interested, but a small group of us decided to stay the weekend. There are truly no words for the beauty and depth of history I experienced in Rome...but I will do my best to tell you about it.
The day began with a 2 hour train ride and a short metro trip to our first stop. The Colosseum was the first thing I saw walking up the stairs out of the metro station. I had another "I'm actually in Italy!!!" moment. It was so massive! It's really hard to
believe that it was built more than 2,000 years ago and once had marble decoration.
Next we moved on to the Roman ruins between two of Rome's hills; Palatine and Capitoline. Walking through the porta gave me a breathtaking view of the layered ruins. Ruins in this valley date back to centuries BC to renaissance times. They are still finding more in this area. Temples that were turned into churches are in the best conditions. Temples that weren't were mostly destroyed. Pieces of columns lay everywhere. I saw what is believed to be the cremation site of Julius Ceasar...
Also that day I visited Trevi Fountain; the most beautiful fountain I have seen yet. The Pantheon is one of my favorite things I saw in Rome. The structure is amazing and seems almost perfect, like it hasn't changed all these years. Painter Raphael is buried inside.
Saturday was spent in Vatican City. This was a place I underestimated. St. Peter's Basilica is definately a sight to see. I could have spent hours looking at the artwork there. Michelangelo's famous Pietà rests there as well as St. Peter's tomb. The Piazza San Pietro is lined with statues of saints. (This is the area where people gather to listen to the Pope) The Vatican Museums hold paintings, sculptures, artifacts, etc. After walking through a maze of museums we ended up at the Sistine Chapel...marvelous. That evening I went to my first opera titled Tosca. We were in the nose-bleed section, but it was great to be there.
Rome is much busier than Viterbo and quite touristy, even this time of the year. It was nice to come back to quite Viterbo, but Rome is a must see!
The day began with a 2 hour train ride and a short metro trip to our first stop. The Colosseum was the first thing I saw walking up the stairs out of the metro station. I had another "I'm actually in Italy!!!" moment. It was so massive! It's really hard to
believe that it was built more than 2,000 years ago and once had marble decoration. Next we moved on to the Roman ruins between two of Rome's hills; Palatine and Capitoline. Walking through the porta gave me a breathtaking view of the layered ruins. Ruins in this valley date back to centuries BC to renaissance times. They are still finding more in this area. Temples that were turned into churches are in the best conditions. Temples that weren't were mostly destroyed. Pieces of columns lay everywhere. I saw what is believed to be the cremation site of Julius Ceasar...
Also that day I visited Trevi Fountain; the most beautiful fountain I have seen yet. The Pantheon is one of my favorite things I saw in Rome. The structure is amazing and seems almost perfect, like it hasn't changed all these years. Painter Raphael is buried inside.
Saturday was spent in Vatican City. This was a place I underestimated. St. Peter's Basilica is definately a sight to see. I could have spent hours looking at the artwork there. Michelangelo's famous Pietà rests there as well as St. Peter's tomb. The Piazza San Pietro is lined with statues of saints. (This is the area where people gather to listen to the Pope) The Vatican Museums hold paintings, sculptures, artifacts, etc. After walking through a maze of museums we ended up at the Sistine Chapel...marvelous. That evening I went to my first opera titled Tosca. We were in the nose-bleed section, but it was great to be there.
Rome is much busier than Viterbo and quite touristy, even this time of the year. It was nice to come back to quite Viterbo, but Rome is a must see!
1 comment:
Julie, it all sounds amazing and wonderful. Thanks for posting your adventure so that the rest of us can live vicariously through you!
We miss you here in Umberger and can't wait for you to get back.
You be careful and don't forget to go to school once and a while! ;-)
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