Rome, Day 1

Saturday, 7 July 2012

Saturday morning, we continued our journey through Spain and Italy by boarding a train to our last destination, Rome. There is so much to do in Rome, and with only two days, there was no way we were going to be able to see everything. But we did our best

When we got to the train station in Rome, we got on the metro and took it to the end of the line, where we caught a bus that dropped us off near our hotel. The hotel in Rome was definitely the furthest out from the city center of all the hotels we stayed at. It took us nearly an hour every time to commute into the city via a combination of metro and bus.

Roman ruins on the Bus Tour

After we dropped off our luggage, we headed back to the main train station so we could get on the Trambus 110 Open, a sightseeing bus tour of Rome. We were able to get discounted tickets that were valid for forty-eight hours, so we were able to use the tour bus as our mode of transportation while we were in Rome. The bus tour was a great way to start our time in Rome because it let us see what the major tourist attractions of the city are and decide what we wanted to get off and see. Also, it was good because Rome is so big; there is absolutely no way to see all of it, especially not in two days. The first time on the bust, we rode it all the way through and saw everything so we could make a list when we were done. All in all, the bus tour took us about two hours.

Arc of Constantine and the Colosseum

When the bus tour got back to the beginning, we just stayed on the bust and rode it to the Colosseum. We didn’t go in because my friend didn’t wat to, and I’ve already been in the Colosseum before, so it wasn’t a big deal for me to go again. So we just walked around outside and took pictures of the Colosseum and the Arc of Constantine, whih is right in front of the Colosseum. Interestingly enough, whil we were there, we saw at least five couples, if not more, take wedding pictures. Evidently, the Colosseum is a popular spot for that, and I don’t blame them. If I lived somewhere with a great landmark, I’d want my wedding pictures there too.

The Mouth of Truth

From there, we got back on the bus and rode down the line to la Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth). The Mouth of Truth is a large mask-like structure that looks like a bearded man. The legend behind the mask is that it is a kind of “lie detector.” To tell is someone is telling the truth, you have that person put his hand in the mask’s mouth. If he is telling the truth, he has nothing to worry about. But if he is lying, the legend says that the mouth will take off his hand. I really wanted to see it because I knew it from seeing the Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday.

Il Vittoriano

After the Mouth of Truth, we got on the bus once again and rode to la Piazza Venezia, which is where the Il Vittoriano is. The Il Vittoriano is a large statue dedicated to the first king of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II. The thing is absolutely mammoth. Evidently, the local Romans aren’t that fond of it because of its large size – they call it “the wedding cake” or “the typewriter.” I understand calling it a wedding cake because it definitely looks like a wedding cake – it is white and tiered. However, I don’t really understand why they call it the typewriter. Maybe I’m missing something.

The Parthenon

The Oculus

From the Piazza Venezia, we took off on foot for the Parthenon. Despite the size of Rome, we did a much better job navigating there, so we were able to find the Parthenon with relative ease. The last time I was in Rome, the Parthenon was undergoing restoration, so a lot of the façade was covered up. This time, there was no restoration work on the outside, so we were able to see everything. We tried to go inside, but we got there right as they were closing, so we didn’t get to. However, before they closed the doors, I was able to get a picture of the oculus in the roof, which is really all I wanted to see.

Some wine with dinner

By that time, it was around 7:00, so we decided it was time for dinner. We ate at a restaurant near the Parthenon. I got pasta, and we decided to do as the Romans do, and have a bottle of wine with dinner and just people watch. It’s really interesting to watch people in Rome because it’s so easy to tell just exactly who is a real Roman and who is a tourist.

Fountain of the Four Rivers

After we finished dinner, it was still light, so we walked over to the Piazza Navoina, which is known for its fountains. Despite the small size of the piazza it houses three different fountains. The most notable fountain in the piazza is Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. I think the statue is cool because of the myth behind it. The fountain stands in front of a church whose façade was designed by Bernini’s rival. Four statues decorate the base of the fountain, and the one that faces the church across for it is shielding his eyes, as if he cannot bear to look at the façade. However, it is a myth that Bernini designed it that way for that reason, for the façade of the church was built several years after the fountain. Nonetheless, it is a neat little story.

Trevi Fountain

From the Piazza Navona, we decided to walk to the Trevi Fountain. The walk there brought us back through the Piazza Venezia, so we were able to get pictures of the Il Vittoriano all lit up, which was really pretty. After walking a ways, we finally found the Trevi Fountain, which, as is usual, was absolutely covered up with tourists. But we walked down to the fountain anyways and took our pictures. We decided to save our coins to throw them in the next night so we could get rid of all the extra euro coins we had accumulated.

Spanish Steps

After the Trevi Fountain, we were pretty much done for the day. Plus, it was getting kind of late, so we decided to head back to the hotel. The closest metro was the Spagna stop, which is right by the Piazza di Spagna, which is where the Spanish Steps are. So we were able to get pictures of the Spanish Steps and the Fontana della Barcaccia at the foot of the steps while they were all lit up before getting on the metro and starting our journey back to the hotel.