A Rocking Time in the Eternal City

Roma.

Do you hear the gladiators' swords clashing, the church bells ringing, the people bustling? Yeah, me too.

Oh, where to begin?

One thing that struck me about Rome was how present and visible the Roman ruins are. There are excavation sites right in the middle of everything. You never know when you round that next corner if you'll find an ancient temple. Sometimes the ruins find you, and sometimes you need to know where to look to find them.

San Clemente is one Church among thousands in Rome. However, what sets it apart is its unique history, which is still visible. Underneath the building you enter is another church, and then underneath of that is a ancient Roman house. Talk about old.

The Roman Forum covers the entirety of the Palatine hill, and houses tons and tons of ruins. It's a nice stroll, if you're into rocks and have a vague idea of what things are. Erin and I were fortunate enough to have Michael, the classics major, there to tell us about everything. And sometimes we even listened to what he had to say! Your ticket to the Forum also gets you into the Colosseum, but, alas, it had closed for the day. I'll have to save it for next time.

The Forum continues across the large Via dei Fori Imperiali with Trajan's column, etc. Normally Italians want to save every piece of their long and illustrious past, but then there are others who have no problem with slapping a road down on top of Roman ruins. Thanks, Mussolini.

Friday night found us three Americans in the Hard Rock Cafe. The menu is just about the same as in the US, and burgers and brownies have never tasted so good. We forgot, for a while, that we were in Italy at all. The really loud group of Italian girls having a birthday party next to us brought us back to the reality of the situation, however.

Sometimes places don't live up to all the hype, and sometimes they do. I would put the Spanish Steps in the first category (granted, however, there were no flowers because it was November) and the Trevi Fountain in the second. It is absolutely beautiful, and if you can find a spot to sit down, after getting all your pictures taken and such, I would definitely recommend just pausing for a while to listen to the water and to watch the people and to admire the art.

Rome is filled with piazzas, notable among them Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo, which are filled with people. Actually, there isn't much of Rome that isn't filled with people, except maybe churches on Sunday mornings. Speaking of which, let me tell you about all the churches we saw!

Ok, maybe not all of them. That would be a lot. We saw each of the big shots: the Pantheon (yes, it's a church now), Saint Mary Major, Saint John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and, of course, St. Peter's. First of all, the Square is huge. And not a square... After getting through security (tip: get there before 9:00 AM), Erin, Michael, and I went up the dome. It is an opportunity not to miss. However, that being said, prepare yourself, because it's not actually a walk in the park. The stairs become narrower and narrower, and the spiral tighter and tighter as you ascend. The first stop is inside the Basilica, and offers you a stupendous view of the largest Catholic church in the world. Then you keep climbing until at one point you have to lean sideways to account for the curvature of the dome you're inside. And, if you can make it through all of this, you are rewarded with an incredible vista of the vastness and beauty of Rome.

Inside St. Peter's is amazing. As you can imagine, every surface is covered with mosaic, sculpture, painting, colored glass, and gold. It's hard to believe that you're seeing the real Pieta, and that you are standing over St. Peter's grave, the rock on which the Church was built in quite a literal sense. One thing you need to appreciate how well-lit it is, especially compared to the standard dingy-ness of European churches.

Then we explored the Vatican Museums. Fantastic, but pace yourself. It takes a long time (at least three hours) to get through because of all the treasures it contains. Michelangelo's works were stupendous, and I personally enjoyed the hearty collection of Egyptian stuff and the animal room. I am sure I undervalued things because of my ignorance of art, but it was all very pretty! Well, not all of it. Some of those Roman busts were pretty ugly...

One of the most blessed experiences I had the whole weekend was going to the Vatican on Sunday morning for the Angelus. Turns out the Pope wasn't there, but then guess who was? Katie, Christen, and Lenore! Along with the entire group of Franciscan students. Now, if that's not God's grace, I don't know what is: running into three of your best friends in St. Peter's Square on a Sunday at noon. It rocked.

Signed, the Sengenblogger

P.S. I forgot to mention the freak ten-minute hail storm that occured when we were near the Colosseum, which was followed by the Jonas brothers walking by, five minutes later.