When in Rome

With a name like Chiara Pelizzari it was almost embarassing to admit that I’d never been to Rome. Though my Dad is Italian and I’ve visited Italy more times than I can count, I’d not once made it as far as the country’s capital. It has always been something which I thought I should fix but it wasn’t until my year away, whilst we were learning the heritage behind all sorts of other places, that it suddenly became imperative to understand my own.

My flight arrived late in the evening so it was difficult to form an immediate first impression of Rome aside from my swanky hotel room that my Dad and his partner had booked. It was amazing but of course I was keen to see the real city as soon as possible so we woke up bright and early the following morning.

Wandering through the streets of Rome is like being in an enormous open air museum, as ancient ruins appear around every corner. Some are found deep within excavated crevices whilst others sit high up on the hills where more modern constructions have been built atop them. To give you an idea, we passed one block of red brick flats which use the old archways of a Roman amphitheatre as their basement garages! It’s incredible the way that architects have incorporated these ruins into the modern day city, maintaining the connection between today’s locals and their ancestral roots.

The other aspect of Rome which instantaneously hit me was the sheer number of churches throughout the town. There are of course the famous few but in fact, there seems to be one on every single street! I find it completely baffling how this ever came about.  At what point, when there were already close to a thousand churches, did somebody think: ‘Oh I know what this city needs; another church!’ What’s more is that the churches of Rome are unlike any others found throughout the world. Each one has a grand air of extravagance about it with high ceilings coated in gold, and masterpieces covering the outer walls. The first church we entered casually had a Caravaggio painting hanging inside; an artist which you’d otherwise pay hefty entrance fees to see in a gallery.

On our way to the Colosseum we passed the Trevi Fountain which is usually an iconic part of the city. Sadly, however, it was under reconstruction and so we could barely make out the statues beneath the scaffolding. Nevertheless, I threw in a coin over my left shoulder, which if the legend is to be believed, will ensure that this won’t be my last visit to Rome. Magic or no magic, the Trevi fountain has kind of ensured that anyway as I feel I must return one day to see it in all its glory.

After some interesting navigating (using a map as old as my dad) we eventually stumbled across the Colosseum. Of course I’ve seen it a hundred times before in photographs but being in its presence was entirely different. I was truly taken aback by its size which is impressive even now but back when it was built, must have been completely incomprehensible. 

Gazing out across the Colosseum from inside its walls, it was suddenly much easier to piece together how it would have looked all those centuries ago. Something about being there set light to my imagination and I could see the gladiators, sense the death and hear the uproar from the thousands in the stands. It’s despicable what went on here, and yet after seeing it for myself I can understand how crowds could have been swept up in the excitement, allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the games.

Having marched through Rome for most of the morning, it was more than time for lunch! We were spoilt for choice in terms of brilliant restaurants but we always find that the very best are those off the beaten track, hidden away down narrow lanes and little side streets. In the end we followed our noses and settled for one which smelt incredible and had a great outside area for dining alfresco. It was barely midday but we ordered a round of refreshing apperitivi to start and a carafe of wine to accompany the meal.

Rome is famous amongst Italians for its brilliant pasta and although we realized we’d picked perhaps the only restaurant in the area which was in fact Sardinian, the food was excellent. So excellent, that we were still ordering and eating three hours later. I’m not sure how many carafes of wine we went through but by the time we stood up again we were most definitely drunk. When in Rome, right?

That said, there was still more sightseeing to be done so we staggered off in search of an ice cream to sober us up. Still a little tipsy, it didn’t feel right to be roaming around churches so we soon abandoned the centre of town and climbed to the top of the Pincio Hill for sunset. Having only finished lunch at four o’clock, Stefy and I weren’t hungry but we stopped off on the way back so that my dad could somehow squeeze in dinner. I ordered a hot chocolate, stupidly forgetting that in Italy this translates to 'giant mug of thick melted chocolate’ so in the end, I may as well have had a three course meal.

We turned in relatively early that evening which was rather fortunate as the next morning we were awake early on an unintentional but highly energetic power walk through Rome! We’d booked tickets to enter the Vatican City so that we could skip the queues but it was further than we thought and we were concerned about missing our slot. In the thirty degree heat, the frantic journey there wasn’t exactly a highlight of my trip but once we arrived it was completely worth it.

The inside of the Vatican is essentially an enormous museum which showcases everything ever donated to the Church. This includes artifacts from ancient Egypt, grand Roman sculptures and incredible works of art which in some cases, cover entire wings. You need to be in the right frame of mind to take it all in and truly appreciate what’s in front of you. After endless rooms of old pots and coins, it would be easy to zone out but I kept reminding myself that there’s a story behind every item. With that in mind, what might otherwise have been a mundane rock with a lost language inscribed became a letter once written to a loved one, with a message so important the author spent hours laboriously carving each word into the stone.

The Rafael Rooms were amongst my favourite sections. This young artist spent up to four years just painting one room and did such an amazing job that he was continually commissioned to do more! Along one hallway, another artist has transformed the long walls into maps of Italy that are so accurate they even include tiny villages such as my Dad’s on Lake Como. It may not sound particularly fascinating but if you consider the timing of this project, it’s incredibly impressive. There weren’t any satellites or Google Maps to copy from! Someone would have to physically have travelled to these places, keeping a track of their route before putting it onto paper.

The more exhibitions we passed through, the more apparent it became that the wealth of this church is simply insane. One room alone could abolish world hunger! It’s an odd concept and one which I’m still trying to get my head around.

In the lead up to the Sistene Chapel, there are a couple of small showcases of contemporary and modern art. Usually I’m a big fan of more abstract pieces but having just spent the last hour with the likes of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, it was a little difficult to show any real interest.

After another fabulous lunch we wandered over to Piazza de S. Pietro which is of course where the famous Basilica is found. The square is surrounded by dozens of white columns, each topped with a sculpture of a historic figure. Unfortunately these noble Romans were greatly outnumbered by tourists and the queue to enter the Basilica was ridiculously long. Not wanting to stand for three hours in the heat, we admitted defeat and made a mental note to ensure I see it next time. 

So what to do instead? Before I left I asked a good friend of mine who lived in Rome for a year what I should do whilst here. She told me that her favourite building was the Pantheon which is indeed beautiful but later went onto explain that it’s situated near to the best gelateria in the whole of Italy, hence it being on her list of must sees! This unbelievable little place had over one hundred and fifty flavours of ice cream and was so cheap, I felt like trying every single one. Arguably Italy is as famous for its ice cream as it is its Roman ruins, so really I was just being cultured.

Our last supper in Rome was at an another superb back street restaurant and again involved an awful lot of wine. It was great to reminisce on our favourite parts and plan out how we’d spend our final morning. We decided it would be best to head over to Tiber Island and take a look at the richest part of the wealthiest city in Italy. It’s only a small area and we ended up wandering into the Jewish Ghetto which is situated just behind and a drastic contrast. It’s sad to see that there are so many police stationed there because even today there is still often trouble with backwards thinking people who are racist for no reason.

In three days we packed in a lot but still only touched the surface of what there is to see in Rome. Of course I hope to return one day, and if the Trevi Fountain keeps its promise that shouldn’t be a problem! Let’s just hope it doesn’t take me another twenty four years.