After Pisa, we took the train to Rome, my sister, Janki’s favourite city. She loves Greek and Roman history, and with how much there is to see, I can see why. Rome is like the bedrock of ancient Western civilisation, with the Roman Empire still influencing our modern-day political structures. Even now, it is the centre of the Catholic Church. One thing to know about Rome is that it was more crowded right now because the Pope had just died, and a new one was appointed, and it is a Jubilee year. Luckily, it wasn’t that hot in May, so it wasn’t miserable. We barely scratched what there is to see, but let’s get to it!

Trevi Fountain

Early in the morning, on our way to the Pantheon, we went to the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain was built in the 1700s. We got there in the morning, and it was already crowded. The first time I heard of the fountain was probably due to the Lizzie Maguire movie. Which is funny, to be honest. We took some photos and made a wish, as is the ritual. When we first went there, you couldn’t go down to the fountain basin as it was cordoned off. But when we walked past again, we could take some photos. Some busy cafes are nearby, and we brought some cornettos from there. It was cool.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is an ancient Roman temple built in the 2nd century and was later repurposed into a catholic church. The continuous use is probably the only reason it survived and isn’t in ruins. You could easily look through all the displays. It is also the burial site of some esteemed Italians, like the painter Raphael. As it is a place of worship, they also have pews to sit and pray. We did take a minute to sit there as it was peaceful despite the number of people.

Vatican Museums

If you go to the Vatican Museums, you must book tickets early, ideally for the morning. They don’t like you lining up around the entrance early. I think they start lining you up 30 minutes before the entry time. You also need some photo ID and have to go through security. There is more walking in the Vatican museums than I expected, even if you don’t try to see everything like I tried to. I also think there is no point in going on a tour because you won’t be able to hear your guide, and with the audiovisual guide, there are 400 points. That’s just information overload. So, the Vatican Museums include many things, including Greek and Roman artwork, many Church paintings, and a stamp collection commemorating the different popes. The carriages used by the pope in the past, and gifts given to the church by various cultures and their historical interactions with the Catholic Church. The walls and ceilings are also covered in paintings, so you must always have a 360 view, or you would miss something. Some of my favourite parts were seeing still-life paintings, the vehicle collection, and the “gifts” from different cultures. But the part that left me speechless was visiting the Sistine Chapel; it is so big and beautiful. I just kept slowly spinning around in awe.

Honestly, I felt like you could spend a lifetime there and still see something new in the paintings. The artists who worked on it outdid themselves; hats off to Michelangelo. The Sistine Chapel, being the museum’s last part, is significant because nothing could top that.

Borghese Gallery

The Borghese Gallery is in a garden that reminded me of Auckland Domain. We hadn’t pre-booked tickets, so we arrived early in the morning, like one of the first five people. When busy, they usually let the first 13 people lined up inside. There weren’t any cafes nearby, so we went to the museum café. It was good. Then we went through the art gallery, which has two floors and holds a mixture of sculptures and paintings.

Some of the most famous works in the Borghese family collection are included in the Louvre. But there is still a lot to see here, some of Bernini’s work and the walls and ceilings are also painted here. I noticed that there seem to be a lot of Madonna and child paintings in all the galleries and museums I have been to. It was a nice way to spend the morning.

Spanish Steps

From the gallery, we decided to walk to the Spanish Steps. Before going there, we read the history. We found it interesting that the steps were created in the 1700s, and how many times they had to be restored since. The latest renovation done by Bulgari. The Trinita di Monti Church is at the top, and the central square (Piazza di Spagna) is at the bottom. You can’t sit on the steps, eat on them, and definitely not drive a Maserati down them (actually happened, I kid you not). But you can take photos, which is precisely what we did. After taking some pictures, we roamed some of the stores nearby.

Colosseum and Roman Forum

In the afternoon, we took a tour that included the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The Colosseum is massive, way bigger than I thought it would be, and it’s been here for all these years, that’s so cool. I liked the tour because we saw the Colosseum and learned some of the place’s rich history. I didn’t know that a lot of it was covered in marble, and then the stones were taken to be used elsewhere. Our tour guide was also good at helping us visualise how the shows would have worked in their heyday. I can’t believe a structure like this was completed in only eight years. That would not occur in this day and age.

From the Colosseum, we went to the Roman Forum; the ruins of Ancient Rome, where Caesar was buried. Something I also didn’t know before! Learning about ancient Roman customs was interesting, like how they wouldn’t pray inside the temples they made, but from the outside. One interesting thing I found was a Church, which was among the ruins, and they didn’t know there was more to the structure until later. They painted over the walls in that Church at this same place, so you could see the artistic styles of the different time periods. We also saw a snake, I didn’t realise they had them here. We had the choice of going up Palatine Hill to see everything. But honestly, I felt overwhelmed by how much I had already noticed. I thought going up there seemed too overwhelming for me. Maybe another time.

Final Thoughts

I am with Janki. I enjoyed seeing Rome. I feel like we barely scratched what there is to see. But I think my time in Rome was really educational. I learned much more about the ancient Romans and the Catholic presence in the city. I also learned and became more appreciative of art, as the artwork is truly nothing like what we have at home! It made me want to learn more about European art history. If I were more familiar with ancient Roman history, Roman mythology and some basic Bible knowledge, I would appreciate my sightseeing in a different light. Maybe if I am lucky enough to go again, especially to have one of those Maritozzi buns. But for now, I am content. roaming through Rome is exhausting but worth it!