La Citta Eterna

I went back to Roma and it was amazing, but tiring!  Rome has a much different feel to it then Florence.  It's bigger, busier, and louder!  There is just SOOOO much to do, that it's impossible to even scratch the surface in just 2 days.  I had to make a choice about what I was going to focus on, so I decided on the Vatican and Ancient Rome!  Of course, that doesn't mean that I saw everything, but I did see all the most popular sights and works of art.

The Vatican is intense- full of masterpieces that are so overwhelmingly beautiful it's hard to take it all in.  The museums are so full of paintings, sculptures, maps, sarcophagi, and other treasures that you'd need weeks to see everything.  Being obsessed with mythology, I especially liked the different sculptures of the ancient Greek gods, goddesses, and heroes.

The Sistine Chapel was breathtaking, but not at first.  Actually, I was a little underwhelmed.  I think that that's because I've been waiting to go for years and when I finally got there, the suspense was over.  I spent a lot of time looking at each panel on the walls and ceiling and, although impressed by the beauty, I wasn't floored.  And then I stood in the back and looked up at the chapel as a whole and that was when I realized exactly what I was looking at. I was mesmerized, not only because of the fame of what I was seeing, but also because of the sheer skill and talent it took to complete the Ceiling and the Last Judgement.  I spent about 15 mins just staring at everything in awe.... it was an odd experience but incredible.

The Last Judgement is really intense and kind of frightening!  I suggest everyone read about the history behind the painting. There's some rather funny bits of info behind certain people depicted in the painting.

Saturday night was a fun experience.  After the Vatican, Robin and I met up and walked around the ancient city for awhile.  We went to a Salvador Dali exhibit (AHH-MAZING!) and then chilled in the Piazza Venezia drinking wine and looking out on Rome.

Later, we met some girls from Australia, consumed a LOT of wine, and laughed the night away ;D

On Sunday, I decided to spend time in Ancient Rome!  When I was younger, I always imagined myself as an adventuring archeologist like Indiana Jones, and I was obsessed with Ancient Egyptian and Classical mythology and history.  In high school I had to decide between pursuing a degree in Classics or Music and I ended up choosing Music (which led me to languages).  However, after spending 7 hours walking around the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum, I'm considering starting over with Classics again..... maybe when I finally finish my undergrad degrees, I can go back! lol

Anyways, it was an awesome experience and though I was hot and a bit dehydrated, I couldn't stop looking at everything and imagining what life was like for people in ancient times.  How different were peoples' perspective of their world?  Exactly how did their culture shape their ideas and desires?  When walking around Rome, the center of the Catholic Christian world, it's an interesting exercise trying to understand the world the way a pre-Christian would understand it.  Our Western history and traditions have been shaped so much by Christianity and other monotheistic religions so that, even if you are non-practicing, it's hard not to be influenced by over 2000 years of certain religions!  How strange it would be for us to participate in a world where certain ideas and traditions were unknown!?

..... I'm a but of a nerd as these are the kind of things I think about a lot....

All-in-all, I liked Rome.  Yes it's packed with people (even in the shoulder season) and it can be annoying having to fight off vendors, but the city is so FULL and ALIVE.  I'd love to spend some time of my life living there!  One day!