Roman Sabbatical

Day 4: The Vatican

Of course this is THE Pieta

A 10am “tour” of St Peters Cathedral meant an early start and a crowded train but by now we felt like locals.  We took the Metro through to Ottaviano San Petro and walked the length of Via Ottaviano to our meeting place under the columned arcade of Bernini’s famous Piazza San Petro (1667).  The space is vast and even at that hour of the morning, tourist numbers were increasing and temperatures rising.  The obelisk in the centre was brought to Rome by Caligula and used for a time by Nero in his circus as a turning post for chariot races.  Why ever not?  Priceless antiquities with benefits.

We met our guide, skipped the line (entrance to St Peters is free but numbers are controlled, so the ever present queue cannot be avoided) and fronted for an audio guide.  Let me tell you, the Vatican has gone modern.  We downloaded an app on our phones using free Vatican wifi and were given an earpiece.  All this sounds awfully cosy and convenient, however the app was not user-friendly (far too complex for us low tech over 60’s) and there was way too much information. GS didn't make it passed the Cardinal’s introduction!  Then the earpiece threw a wobbly.  

By this time our guide had mysteriously disappeared and we realised exactly what we had paid for - no guide, no answers to questions and shuttled along a conveyor-belt line with a mass of humanity.  (We could only imagine what profits the Vatican is reaping daily from the masses). 

Still, we were inside and so out with the trusty guide books and off on a tour of our own making, wandering for 1 ½ hours through this cavernous space; highlights were Michelangelo’s Pieta (now behind glass after being attacked by some crazy person), Bernini’s elegant dome and writhing High Alter Canopy and a spot on the floor where Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope.  One can only begin to imagine the pomp and ceremony of such State occasions.

Vatican Museum painted ceiling

Then it was time for round two – a yellow guide and quick march past a very lengthy queue waiting in the sun for tickets to the Vatican Museum.  This time, an audio guide was not included, so we had little to moan about except to consider that the profits from our entrance fees might be used at Christie’s Auctions to obtain yet more valuable art works (when donations were slow that is).  Cynicism aside, the Museum is vast and to ensure an expedient flow of visitors, the complex is designated with one-way routes (not clearly marked but evident by the human drift and encouraged by security staff). 

The Sistine Chapel was the end of the line, so we shouldered bags, filled our water bottles and joined in.  Be warned!  You will incur the wrath of the security guards if you take photos or make noise in the Sistine Chapel.  GS missed the notice, so was warned off.  The fellow next to us was not so lucky - he even had to delete his photos and show proof to the guard who stood over him until his mission was achieved!  We stood for as long as we dared gaping at Michelangelo's famous artworks, and then escaped via the exit, lined with bookshops, religious memorabilia and regular tourist tat.  In all, a thriving business!

Walls on the map room

What a stairwell!

We finished our day with the Omni Bus ride.  It may well be a 24 hour ticket that we had, but the offer was for one ride (round trip only).  The earpieces didn’t work so we sat up-top with the breeze in our faces and feet finally up to take our last look at this extraordinary city.  At its conclusion, we stayed on board (oh, we are so naughty!) and hitched a ride to the main train station, Termini.  Then it was back to WJ3 with a few odd jobs to complete before our departure scheduled for the following morning. 

One of these would have come in very handy down the Museum's corridors

 

Roman Encounter

Day 3: And our Best of the Rest... of Rome

The Spanish Steps are closed!  What do we do now?

Back into the city and our Metro stop was Spagne (said "sparn yah").  Can’t you always tell a tourist by their pronunciation of names….  From there it was only a hop down to see the Spanish Steps.  All closed off to the public in the height of the season for restoration!  Yes, that’s just Italy for you!  Tourists stood in a daze, waiting perhaps for something to happen.  We took brief note of the boat shaped fountain (by Bernini’s father) and Keats’ House where he died in 1821. 

An opera singer serenades us

Italy was of course, incorporated in the Grand Tour when young men of good fortune came to study the classics and find themselves.  Perhaps the closest we (Australians) ever came to such a literary epiphany was the artists colonies on Hydra, Greece ("Peel Me a Lotus” by Charmian Clift & yes, I’m probably being rather mean!). Now a museum dedicated to Keats, Shelley and Byron, it’s on every trail of every literary buff in town.

Our jaunt took us down Via Frattina, deep in fashionista heartland.  Big Names kept popping up and so did price tags too.  Even the buskers kept the experience up a notch; an opera singer serenaded us with great gusto.  We did stop for brunch; delicate sandwiches and teeny coffees, right opposite YSL in nearby Piazza San Lorenza in Luccina.  The people watching was well worth it.  

Someone (a very rich someone) was buried in this once.... Museo Nazionale

Hercules looking grim

From there it was a reasonable stroll to the Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Altemps**.  Just to confuse you, museums seem spread over a number of buildings, making good use of the available palazzo (palaces).  The Palazzo Altemps was a fantastic combo of palace and museum so we were able to see how the other half really lived, as it were!  You also find yourself wondering about the might of the Church too as many of the pieces are from the Ludovisi Collection.  He was just one of many Cardinals, wealthy families & others who amassed significant private collections over the years.  Aside from the quality of the collections in the Palazzo Altemps, its best feature (for us anyway) was that it was not crammed full of visitors.  This meant the First Mate could have a quiet chat with Hercules; there were several renditions of him, so it took a while….

Odysseus - at last a portrait
(Ulysses to Romans) 

Our next move was those Omni Tickets** to the Vatican.  As previously mentioned, finding the Roma Cristiana office was quite a quest but we knew it was our only hope of getting into the Vatican Museum in August (this year!).  We decided to walk via the Tiber River, passing Ponte Sant Angelo wondering if we would ever have time to call at the mysterious Castel (we didn’t).   Eventually we found someone who pointed us in the right direction and with tickets (not for Wednesday, that’s the Pope’s Audience Day) confirmed for Thursday, we jumped the #40 bus (said to be pickpocket central) to the Station.

**Our Roma Pass gave us discounted entry to Museo Nazionale Romano Museum.  Aside from using the Pass on our first day, this was the only other paid entry fee we used it for (given our very full but time-poor  schedule!)  We certainly got great value for money when calculating everything including our transport costs.  As to the Omni Passes, the included bus ride gave us a quick overview of Rome (all stops churches) though luckily, a stop for us at the nearest church to the station.  I doubt I would ever use these again.   However, paying for skip the line"" into the Vatican was most certainly worth it ! 

Castel Sant' Angelo built in 135AD for Hadrian
with Bernini's angels ceremoniously lining the bridge

Roman Sojourn

Day 2:  Centro Storico, Rome

Largo de Tritone

Next day's itinerary was Centro Storico, the historical centre, the downtown of Rome; a charismatic area full of cobbled streets, magnificent mansions, ancient monuments and medieval churches.  We used the Lonely Planet walking tour for this area too, but expanded it a little to include a few other “not to be missed” features that were close to Metro Barberini, thus conserving our energy – vital at this stage! 

Palazzo Barberini is home to a large & recommended art gallery, however, our sights were set on seeing the Trevi Fountain and a host of other things, so with a brief nod to the Barberini Largo de Tritone (a fountain) off we marched to discover the hoards surrounding the Trevi Fountain, all throwing coins.  Why did we do it too?  A phenomenon known as “group-think”….  Anyway, we’ll be back, but only in another life.   The vast sums collected daily are given to various charities.

Trevi Fountain & the crowds

The fountain looks fantastic thanks to its recent restoration.
What are you wishing?

Through narrow back streets, we crossed Via del Corso into the historic centre finding our way to the Piazza Colonna, Rome’s political heart.  The impressive residence of the Italian Prime Minister (Palazzo Chigi, 17^th c) and the 30m high Column of Marcus Aurelius, carved within an inch of its life loom large in this fairly quiet area.  A little further on, and in competition, is the Palazzo di Montecitorio and its equally tall, Egyptian obelisk.  Games of power!

Column of Marcus Aurelius

Palazzo di Montecitorio

The Pantheon (GS noted this as her favourite destination!)

Deeper into the back streets, it is almost possible to miss the enigmatic Pantheon.  Built in 27 AD as a pagan temple to “all gods”, the Pantheon was not declared a Christian church until 608. 

The dome, an example of one of Rome’s most significant architectural achievements, is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built.  Even understanding its brilliant engineering, it is still a sight to behold. 

Inside is an understated tomb to Renaissance artist, Raphael.

Magic of the light streaming in from the "eye" in the centre of the dome

The Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva to the side of the Pantheon was sadly closed** however we were still able to admire Bernini’s very cute baby elephant, Elephantino.  At this point, we rested at the back of the Pantheon with large tubs of gelato.  Just to keep our strength up, mind!

Bernini's Elephantino
with a cheeky grin

Of course gelato is good for you!
Another cheeky *Grin*

Revived and rested, it was time to tackle the Piazza Navona, a huge serving of Baroque’s flamboyancy.  Bernini created the exuberant central fountain representing the rivers of the four known continents of the world: Ganges (Asia), Nile (Africa), Danube (Europe) and Plata (America’s).   The site of the square is over an ancient monument, an arena for public games, hence its shape.  The arena fell into disrepair, finally resurrected in the 15^th c as the central market.  Now, with Bernini's help, it’s Rome’s showcase piazza.

One of Bernini's four rivers

Nearby we met Pinocchio

The Ecstasy of St Theresa (by Bernini, of course!)

Rather than continue on down to the Tiber River via the fruit & veg market, we headed back to Barberini, with a stop at the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Vittoria.  This delightful church contains Bernini’s “The Ecstasy of St Theresa” hailed as one the finest examples of European Baroque.  Hardly anyone else was in the church, so we had St Theresa almost all to ourselves.  One of the great joys of Rome is that you don’t always need to fight the crowds to see superb art.  It’s all there and available up close and personal.  The difficulty is that you really need weeks, years even, to see it all!

**When planning itineraries, check your guides for church opening times.  They all, along with shops, generally seem to observe Italy’s famous 3 hour (or more) lunch time “siesta”. 

Fanciful creatures and fountains full of character on every street corner...

Roman Theatrics

Day 1:  Exploring Ancient Rome

What better place to start our little Roman adventure than with its very beginnings.  We turned our walking tour on its head, simply because the nearest Metro stop was the Colosseo.  Stepping out from the dark station tunnel to see the Colosseum (80 AD) in all its glory at close range was a heart-stopper.  Also, the crowds weren’t too bad, all things considered.  It was August & peak holiday season after all!  From the time we found the Roma Pass entry (near the tour groups) it took us about 10 minutes to get inside.  Way to go!  This wonderful structure, said to be capable of holding some 50,000 Roman citizens, is understandably, one of the city’s most popular sites.  Nothing quite conjures up images of Sparticus, Ben Hur or even our boy, Russell (though he did make “Gladiator” in Morocco!) like this impressive stage setting.  Here, gladiator fights, wild animal hunts and even naval battles (the floor was able to be flooded) were staged for blood-thirsting crowds; perhaps a precursor of London’s gin principle to keep the masses happy?  Even so, it’s hard to imagine Trajan’s 117 day extravaganza in 107 AD,. featuring 9000 gladiators & 10,000 animals. 

The bowels of the Colosseum were a hive of cells for storage, animals etc

Capitoline Wolf with twins, Romulus & Remus

From here, it was only a short hop to the Roman Forum & Palatine Hill entry point (& ticket combined with the Colosseum).  The Palatino is the seed that in 753 BC sprouted Rome.  Here, truth and legend mingle to fashion the myth of twins Romulus and Remus.  Historians also believe the village may have grown due to its strategic position along the salt road.  Conquering Etruscans further developed the site, transforming villages into a town and constructing a citadel on the Capitol.  By the time of the Roman Republic, Palatine became the most sought-after residential address for emperors and aristocrats.  Its popularity continued for over 300 years. 

The Roman Forum grounds looking up to the
Capitoline Hill.  You could easily spend a whole day here!

Given the spread of the Palatine’s ruins, we limited our walk through the ruins to a vantage point overlooking the Roman Forum.  The Forum is sited on what once was a marshy hollow between the Palatine and the Capitol and began its life as a humble place of trade (along with other things that such market places attract).  As the city grew, so too did the Forum evolve to become the centre of ancient Rome - its ceremonial, religious, political and commercial core.  It is here that the famous Vestal Virgins kept alive the eternal flame at the heart of the “Eternal City”.  To quote one of my equally ancient guide books, the Forum’s “splendid fame runs the entire history of Rome’s first thousand years”.

Having found the tricky (and only?) Forum exit on Via dei Fori Imperiali, we staggered on (in the heat & through crowds) to find ourselves in front of Il Vittoriano (1885), a vast & imposing structure of blinding white marble celebrating Italy’s unification and to honour its first king, Vittorio Emanuele II.  In a city of “look-at-me” superlatives, this just goes one, or perhaps twenty, steps too far. 

Bernini's Medusa 1630's

There were far more than 20 steps up the Cordonata to Capitoline Hill. Santa Maria in Aracoeli, a 1250 AD church is said to be built on the spot where the Sibyl of Tibur announced the coming of Christ to Augustus. Thankfully, it was given over to a private wedding, so we bypassed those extra steps and found ourselves welcomed to Michelangelo’s redesign project (of the ancient citadel) by giant statues, Castor & Pollux.  They pointed the way to the Capitoline Museum’s tidy café saving us from desperate thirst & hunger….  

 

Then it was back to the Piazza del Campidoglio to take in ‘the most beautiful piazza in Rome” before hitting the Capitoline Museum (the world’s oldest public museum since 1471) with a big” wow” moment in every room.   (This used up our Roma Pass second and final entrance - on day 1…now we were nervous!)

A wall fresco depicting Hannibal

Some of the truly monumental bits of sculpture in the courtyard makes
it easier to understand the grandeur of the Colossos of Rhodes (300 BC).  

We retraced our steps back to the Metro, planning to stop at a bar we spotted for a refreshing ale along the way.  An imperious waiter waved us away from the table we had chosen, pointing to a line of eager customers, who also watched our every move.  Given that there were 5 people waiting and at least 15 tables free, we wondered about the necessity for a queue.  We voted with our feet and made it back to Ostio and WJ3 where the beer was probably colder, served with a smile, and certainly much cheaper…

Free-Wheeling Rome

Rome, Italy.  Touristico Essentials

Given that Rome is spread out, and there is so much to tempt the visitor, we made up our minds to follow history and art rather than fashion and food.  It’s a tough choice indeed, but start somewhere we must, so with a trusty “Lonely Planet Rome” (offering a series of self-guided walks), and a selection of passes** (see info below) we had purchased in hand, we hit the road.   

From the marina, we took a bus to Ostia Lido Station; then a train to San Paolo (the end of the Lido line), changed here for the Metro Line (where the Metro name is Pyramide) then sallied forth into the bowels of Rome to the Metro stop nearest our quarry – a good couple of hours travelling each day and a hearty after breakfast walk along the marina and back to the bus stop to keep these figures in trim. 

Although there are restaurants a-plenty near to the marina, we shopped daily at the 24 hr supermarket opposite the Ostia Lido station.  All we wanted to do when we arrived back was put up our feet and have a recovery beer or two.  Neither of us could be bothered dressing up to go out; indeed our only day eating out was the second on-board work day.  Then, we treated ourselves to a huge bowl of mussels in garlic and wine served with freshly made focaccia followed by very delicious (home-made) pasta with tuna, olives, capers and cherry tomatoes.  A southern Italian dish we were told by the friendly owner.  We wished we had eaten there more often!  Now, what was that about losing weight?



We need to work on the selfie poses, as you can see!

Back to designing that punishing schedule!  With 4 days for touristico-ing we planned to spend a day each given over to:

1. Ancient Rome,
2. The Historical Centre,
3. A day for anything we felt we had missed, and then
4. The Vatican.

This worked in well with our various collection of passes, remembering that the Vatican required times be booked for our visits.  Book a few days earlier to ensure you get the times you want (See below for Omni Office details).

We were also warned about pickpockets, so made sure our backpacks were well secured (not wishing to repeat our Athens experience).  We also avoided illegal and aggressive vendors selling everything from iced water to squidgy things that squeak.  We carried water bottles too, which could be topped up from any one of Rome’s many ancient street fountains. We'll give it a try!

La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) in Trevi Fountain.
I wonder if she was just filling her water bottle too?

** Passes:  Not nearly so organised (or generous) as our Venice Card, a three day Roma Pass (€36 each) included only 2 skip-the-ticket-line admissions from 38 choices and 72 hrs unlimited bus & train transport.  We later added a one day Omni Pass for the Vatican (€50 for skip-the-line St Peters & the Vatican Museum & one round of the Omni Bus) and purchased a separate 24 hr transport travel pass (€7 each) to cover bus and train for our last day.  All are well worth it, especially when you see the lines waiting (in the sun & for hours) for admission tickets at popular spots.  The Roma Pass did offer reasonable discounts for the other 36 choices; our entry to the Museo Altemps was only €7 for both.

The only Omni Office (look for the yellow windows) we could find was on the left of St Peters Piazza (as you face it).  They also sell a combined 3 day Omni & Roma Pass but you are limited then to 3 days.  Roma Tourist Information Offices did not know anything about the Vatican.  “It’s a separate country!” they said bluntly.  Be warned too, that the Omni Bus really connects the dots between major churches spread over Rome - it's not really a sightseeing jaunt, unless you want to overdose on churches that is.  I gave up trying to find an on-board audio guide on the bus that worked, so just relaxed and enjoyed the drive through the city highlights instead!

Galloping up the Coast

Porto Turistico di Roma, Ostia, Italy

Originally, our float plan allowed a few days to wallow about the attractive islands off Naples.  Rome called to us however, and to ensure there was time to rest and tour there, WJ3’s nose was headed north for another two long days of motoring.  It was also August, peak holiday season, so we hoped for a spot in the marina that would allow us easy access to Roma!

So, I guess we are not stopping at this one then.  Its even got a castle...sigh!

We did anchor overnight at Ponza, a delightful island just begging to be explored but ….

Ponza's cute main village in the evening light

Ponza's dramatic coastline
(note village at top & yachts at anchor)

So, yet another early morning start, and a fine southerly pushing us along with time even for a bit (4 hours) of sailing, meant we headed into Porto Turistico di Roma at a reasonable hour.  We even had time to gather our wits about us to plan for a 7 night stay from berth #600. 

This marina is quite some complex!  The staff were obliging; the marina itself is part of Rome’s closest beach scene (Ostia Lido) with shops and restaurants dotted along the corso and it’s not too far to find a mini market for some fresh food.  Yes, we even found a 24 hr laundromat at the marina, our first since Greece - heaven!!  So a day at either end of our stay was given over to boat duties leaving 4 days to cram as much as we possibly could of Rome’s best – without wilting in the heat and humidity or tourist crush.  Coffee or lemon gelato would be called on regularly to provide staying power!  The marina is also a stones throw to the south of the famous River Tiber. Perhaps we could dingy up the Tiber rather than take the train?  Anyway, on with Roma, La Dolce Vita then!

Wikipedia Attribution

(Roma, La Dolce Vita is Fellini’s satirical 1960 film.  Most certainly a highlight of a young “arty” misspent youth, was catching up with Fellini’s take on Rome.  Having said that, we did resist the Lonely Planet guide book walk in Fellini’s honour as somehow the city could never be quite the same – and dancing in Trevi fountain will most certainly get you arrested!  Traffic is somewhat tamed, though I doubt the drivers are!  And many streets closed, especially on Sundays, to make way for pedestrians. So the city is alive with ogling tourists, just like us!)