Day 68 Some days are diamonds...

On a trip that has now lasted for over 2 months most days have met and far exceeded our expectations, yet there have been some days when things didn’t quite go according to plan. Day 68 was one of those days.

Using Rome as our base our plan was simple; to visit the bustling city of Naples (Napoli) about 200 kms south of Rome. Naples comes with an interesting reputation including being noisy, smelly, rife with pickpockets and controlled by the Mafia. However it is also the town that invented pizza and Neapolitan ice cream so our stomachs were anticipating enjoying the day.

At 7.23 am we boarded a fast train from Rome which arrived on time at 8.52am. We had originally planned to explore Naples and, if we had time later, to visit the historic sight of Pompeii; a city trapped in time when Mt Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 and buried the city under 6 metres of volcanic ash. Because it was already hot and we had arrived early we changed our plans and instead caught the local train, to Pompeii at about 9.30am. We figured that we could visit the site quickly, before it got too hot, and then return for our day in Naples.

Our first problem occurred at the entrance to the site at Pompeii. A sign on the locked gate informed us that the area was closed until 10.30am because of a stop work meeting. As we appreciate a worker’s right to protest, we simply waited with the growing crowd and read our books in patient expectation. By 10.45am the crowd of several hundred people was beginning to get agitated. After a lot of shouting and gate rattling by the more vocal members of the crowd, the word came that the gates would now open at 11.40am (maybe). We could see our morning slipping away so we decided to abandon Pompeii and head back to Naples. As we were leaving a couple of other backpackers asked us if we would like to join them on a visit to Mt Vesuvius itself. Without any thorough investigation into the details of the trip we decided to catch a bus at 11.30am up to the mountain.

The bus took about 40 minutes and arrived at the mountain at about 12.10pm and we immediately began our ascent. It was now over 35 degrees and as we climbed up a steep path, which was literally covered with volcanic rocks and ash, our feet slipped and slid backwards and each step was quite a struggle. By about 1.30pm we reached the edge of the crater- now plugged since its last eruption in 1945. The view of Naples, the sea and the tiny Pompeii below was panoramic if somewhat hazy and visiting a live volcano was certainly a unique experience despite the unpleasant conditions. We descended the hot, dusty and slippery track and caught the bus back to town at about 2pm. Then for some Italian reason the bus took a different route back to Pompeii, and took nearly twice as long which meant that we didn’t get back until about 3.20pm.

It was now too late to enjoy the site of Pompeii so we decided to return to Plan A and head for Naples. However we had just missed a local train so we did not finally make it back to Naples until about 4.20pm.

After leaving the station, at 4.25pm feeling hot, dusty and dry we took one look at the huge urban sprawl of Naples and decided it was just too hard (plus we knew our train options for returning to Rome were running out). As we decided to head back to Rome we noticed that the station was becoming a riot of agitated people because all the fast trains were massively delayed (we guessed another strike).

At 4.38pm we were pleased to catch a slower regional train back to Rome despite having had very little food and of course no pizza or Neapolitan ice cream. However this train was much slower than we had planned…not sure why but lets say that Italians don’t seem to run the most efficient or clean trains in Europe… and we didn’t get back to Rome until about 8.30pm. The last straw came when we were almost crushed by the crowds trying to get on this very late train, as we tried to get off.

All in all it was not the day we had planned but as they say, “Some days are diamonds- and some days are…volcanic rocks!”

Day 67 The Power and the Glory

On day 67 we arrived by metro at the Vatican City, to visit what is really the head office of the Roman Catholic Church. After seeing outposts in the most remote parts of the world like Peru and Bolivia it was interesting to arrive at the seat of papal power.

On arrival we found ourselves in the line to visit the ‘cupola’, which allowed us to climb up into the dome of St Peter’s Basilica, which met our expectations as being the finest dome in Christendom. This huge dome is a mosaic masterpiece. After appreciating this grand artwork we then continued to climb up some very narrow, steep stairs until we arrived on the cupola at the top of the dome. The view looking down on St Peter’s Square was both impressive and familiar as we have previously seen pictures of it many times. After enjoying the 360 degree view we descended into the Basilica to walk its interior and to gaze upon classic art works such as Michelangelo’s ‘Pietra’ statue which is even more beautiful and emotive than we could ever have imagined.

We then undertook a hot and lengthy walk around the corner to visit the Vatican museums and of course the Sistine Chapel. By this stage we were quite exhausted, yet again the temperature had soared well into the 30s. We had expected a short walk but before entering we were ushered through the huge papal palace, which is full of the most incredible artwork collected by popes throughout the centuries; paintings, sculptures, embroidered rugs, tapestries and floor mosaics. After room after room of masterpieces we finally arrived at Michelangelo’s great masterpiece the Sistine Chapel. Although it was crowded with people and angry guards yelling “No photo!” and “Be quiet!” (this was ironic as they were the ones making a lot of the noise) the Sistine Chapel eclipsed all that we had previously seen. We found a seat along the edge of the room and stared, opened mouthed at the ceiling for at least 30 minutes; amazed at the size, the colour, the symmetry, the imagery and the way the whole fresco seemed to be both three dimensional and alive. We were overwhelmed by the beauty and timeless nature of such an extraordinary artwork.

Although we were thoroughly impressed by all that we had seen at the Vatican we are also left with nagging doubts. The medieval theology of ‘indulgences’ (i.e. paying for the salvation of yourself and your family, both past and present) provided much of the cash for the artistic treasure house that we had seen today. In the end it was the poor people of Europe who had paid for all of this, because of a wrong theology based on expediency rather than truth. The whole place reeked of power and one impression was hard to ignore – that the church demands its temporal place in the world of kings as an equal player. Having said that, the crowds (including us) still queue to see such splendour and wealth but in some way it is challenging to reconcile all this with the Gentle Nazarene and the faith of humble fishermen.

The Vatican represents the enigma of the church and its founder. Its strength may yet be its weakness and its weakness may yet be its strength.

Day 66 ( afternoon) Fresh fruit and Spanish Steps

Some one once said that Italy is as old as it is new and as beautiful as it is ugly. This is a good description of the city of Rome. Later on Day 66 we explore the old and the modern city beginning with one of Rome’s finest ancient buildings, the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a huge round Roman temple to which was added a more modern 16th century, open dome. This completed the building’s transformation from sun worship to worship of the Son. From the outside the building is old and imposing – from the inside it is beautiful and engaging.

After leaving the Pantheon we spent the rest of the day purposefully wandering past many, many fountains and through the beautiful piazzas that are unique to this intriguing city. With our three-day metro ticket we were free to come and go. We continue to enjoy the flexibility of a good public transport system and the opportunity to walk and explore at our own pace.

Probably our favourite piazza in the whole of Rome is Campo de Fiori, which is primarily dedicated to a fantastic fruit and flower market. The market is a living oasis of bright colours and wonderful aromas. In one stall we discovered one of the secrets to Italian cooking. It was a stall dedicated to the spices which make up the pasta sauces of Italy which are loved by people all over the world; bolognese, amitracia, napoleon, carbonara etc. Nearby we watched with quiet wonder as two old men chatted as they sat next to their vegetable stall and stripped beans. In this piazza we loosened the restraints on our tight budget and bought cherries, rockmelon, pears and glace fruit. Despite the lack of a common language, we didn’t have any trouble explaining what we wanted and the vendor’s delight of a sale was matched by our joy of purchase.

At one end of the piazza was a fountain that for a couple of minutes became a canine swimming pool. Locals and visitors alike were amused when a small poodle ran confidently up to the beautiful fountain and jumped in for a quick swim. In a minute he was finished, he jumped down, shook himself and trotted away happily. At 35 degrees creativity was needed to survive the heat.

Just around the corner from the piazza we found a patisserie where we bought biscotti, and delicious almond cookies. We spent the princely sum of $6 and feasted like kings.

Later in the day we visited the famous Spanish Steps. These steps were a gift given to the city by the French but so named because they are near the Spanish Embassy. Like the Trevi Fountain, the steps are a landmark, where people of all ages gather to meet, chat and sun themselves on their wide expanse. As we spend time exploring Rome its mysteries and hidden charm reveal themselves to us at every turn.

Day 66 (morning) Rome wasn't built in a day

Probably Ancient Rome’s most famous building is the Colosseum. Entering this huge old stadium today was in some small way like entering into the life and excess of the Roman Empire.

For a building that we had seen so often in pictures there were many surprises in real life. Firstly it is huge. Historians guess that the stadium held between 60,000 and 80,000 people and the dimensions reminded us of Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.

Like modern stadiums the best seats in the Colosseum were for the politicians (the senators) and the business elite. Mid ranking people enjoyed the middle and the plebs literally got the wooden bleaches at the top. Yet to have been in this stadium it its heyday must have been quite a spectacle. Unlike today the price of seats in the Colosseum was outrageously cheap as events were normally staged for free, funded by politicians and emperors keen to satisfy the masses and in so doing further their own careers.

The sport too was a little more colourful than your average football match. Gladiators would fight not just for victory and a trophy, but literally to the death.

With the help of audio guides we learnt about the hunts and animal slaughter, which also took place. We learnt that bulls, bears and hippos and even alligators were bought into the Colosseum. At times thousands of animals were put to death for a weekends ‘entertainment’.

Finally, we were confronted by a cross, which is a reminder that the strange Jewish sect called Christians were also part of the ‘entertainment’ in this bloody theatre. Ironically it was after the decline of the mighty Empire that this once maligned minority (the Christians) took a centre stage in the history of Rome.

The Colosseum reveals some of the many layers of history in Rome’s colourful and complicated past.

Day 65 Rome and ruins

In many parts of Europe and the UK we have been impressed to come across glimpses or reminders of the once great Roman Empire. To be in Rome is another thing altogether. Rome is a modern noisy bustling contemporary city but the shadow of its former glory haunts a visitor at every turn.

On a rainy and muggy day we visited the historic remains of the showpiece of the Roman Republic the Palentino and the Roman Forum. To walk around the significant remains of Rome’s glory days is a huge visual reminder that all empires rise and fall. To think that in it’s hey day Rome boasted a population of 2 million only to see this drop to 20,000 reminds us of that old phrase; “ how the mighty have fallen”. One can only imagine what that sort of population decline did for property values! We passed the ruins of a round monument, which in its day was considered the centre of Rome. As Rome was considered the centre of the world this round edifice was therefore considered to be the centre of the world. Now it is just a harmless humble ruin and again we are reminded that “One era’s peacock, is another era’s feather duster”.

Today the ruins seem overrun not just by tourists but by something we struggle with, the ubiquitous tour guide. Everywhere we go in Rome we are offered a guided tour and told not only will we be entertained and educated but we will not have to stand in line for three hours. We try to avoid these guides and find them and their groups often a little hard to stomach. However we have discovered a tactic that seems to work.

Sometimes we stand close to a monument or ruin that a guide is describing to a group. We stare innocently at the ruin taking in just about as much commentary as we can cope with and our feet can stand. Then we move on while the poor sheep-like groups wait for their shepherd guides to move them on- often holding their trademark extended portable umbrellas in the air. By which time we are at the next highlight and listening to the commentary of the guide in front – and after hearing their wisdom we move on to the next group. The young might call this ‘guide surfing’.

In the after noon we visited the impressive Trevi Fountain made especially famous by the movies Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita. No amount of tactics could save us from the touristic crush that greeted us at the very beautiful fountain. We decided to return to the fountain at another time in the hope that we might get within 30 metres of it. After all you can’t visit the Trevi Fountain without throwing a coin over your left shoulder…it’s one of the reasons to come to Rome. Isn’t it?

Rome is not the simplest of cities to understand or engage with. We are glad we chose to stay here for 6 days and look forward to unlocking more of Rome’s glorious past and fascinating present.

Day 64 When in Rome

When you think about it, there are many sayings that mention Rome. Probably the most famous is the saying “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” We were excited about getting to Rome and consistent with our trip’s philosophy we were keen, to not only see the sights, but experience a bit of what it is like to actually live in Rome. With quite a bit of research and planning we found and booked an apartment to rent. It was advertised as being in walking distance from the station and also to the major sights. Compared to hotels, the price was very reasonable and we were quite excited about staying in ‘Walter’s Studio’.

When we arrived there were a couple of surprises. Firstly we buzzed the doorbell and were ushered into the building by Walter himself. It seems that this 60 year old man, who lives alone in his studio apartment, is letting out his place for the first time – and he seems more nervous than us. Nonetheless he shows us around his place and then heads off for 6 days to his country retreat.

The second surprise was that when we went for a stroll around the neighbourhood later in the day we found that this part of Rome is not quite what we expected. It seemed that there was more Indian and Pakistani being spoken around us than Italian, and curry seemed to be more common than pizza. The streets are lined with cheap jewellery and sunglasses shops and we have a building supply store next door. Still this is modern Rome and, like most modern cities, it has a diverse ethnic mix.

Finally after unpacking we visited the local supermarket, which again was a real treat. Local pasta, cheese, coppa, ice cream, bread and baked pork filled our trolley. On the way back to our place we saw a sign outside a street side ristorante that really made us laugh–“Turistic Menu”. We are much happier when in Rome to do as the Romans do (rather than the Touristico’s).

Day 63 Art that continues to speak

Going to church has been difficult in Europe, as we have not found many English-speaking congregations. However, every time we visit a city or checked out an art gallery in Europe we are surrounded by Jesus, the Madonna, the Apostles and an ancient faith being proclaimed by long dead artists. Our last full day in Florence was a chance to wade into Florence’s deep well of artistic treasure.

We began the day at the Baptistry, a chapel attached the main cathedral. This building with its huge dome was built to remind the locals of the significance of baptism, a rite celebrating that in Christ they had passed from death to life. With artistic and gilded brilliance the interior, especially the dome and the exterior doors of the chapel tell story after story from the old book. Later we visited the main cathedral with its famous dome, which of course is even grander and more majestic.

Later in the morning we visited the Medici Chapels, the burial place of the famous Medici family who ruled Florence for many generations and were responsible for collecting much of Florence’s fine artistic treasure. Here we meet for the first time the artistic brilliance of Michelangelo with his huge marble sculptures, ‘Dusk’ and ‘Dawn’, and ‘Night’ and ‘Day’. We are not art experts by any means and to be honest we sometimes find the medieval religious art, which is so prevalent in these parts, rather overwhelming. However standing in front of these marble masterpieces was a moving experience

After lunch it was back to complete our day of art history. At Galleria del ‘Academia we were again exposed to hundreds of years of Florence’s artistic masterpieces but Michelangelo’s ‘David’ seems to be in another league. Arguably the most famous sculpture in the world and the reason many people come to Florence ‘David’ up close was magnificent. Two other artists had begun work on this particular block of marble only to give up as the marble was too flawed and too difficult to work on. We marvelled at a masterpiece created from a block of stone that was twice rejected by others.

Finally we ended the day at Galleria del Uffizi the largest gallery in Florence with over 2000 pieces on display. Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ and ‘Allegory of Spring’ as well as Michelangelo’s ‘Holy Family’ completed a day where even we could appreciate the mystery and brilliance of art and its ability to continue to speak powerfully through the centuries.