Monday 7.5: Bones of Monks

Finally, it was the last day in Rome. We said goodbye to our hostel, and our host, who was super nice and helpful with all of our questions and gave us food and everything and set out.

Maria's flight was about two hours before mine, so I had some time to mill about Rome for awhile so I decided to use my metro pass to the fullest and go the Capuchin Crypt, under the Church of the Immaculate. It was harder to find than I expected because the church didn't really look like a church from the side. Even though it was right in front of the metro station, I missed it and walked a whole circle around before realizing where it was.

What had happened was that the Capuchin friars, so named for their capuche (hood) attached to their habits, left their friary in St. Bonaventure in 1631 and came to live at the current one. They then transported the bones of the deceased friars from the old cemetery to the new one and instead of just burying them, they arranged them along the walls of the crypt.

There are six rooms:
1) The Crypt of the Resurrection, where parts of the skeleton frame a picture of Jesus being resurrected.
2) Mass Chapel, the only room free of bones; for a quiet prayer, where people can have Mass
3) The Crypt of the Skulls
4) The Crypt of the Pelvises
5) The Crypt of the Leg and Thigh Bones
6) The Crypt of the Three Skeletons

The last four are exactly what they sound like. Along with many, many skulls, pelvises, etc. where also some full skeletons that were surrounded by these pieces. And it's not just a random conglomeration. These are fully arranged, thought out decorative art forms. The experience was really surreal and worth the little detour. It only takes a few minutes because the rooms are very small and while you may be there awhile just contemplating the bone structure of all these skeletons, it's a simple corridor that would only take a little while out of your time in Rome. Definitely a must see. There wasn't much I could do in terms of picture taking, since you're not supposed to take pictures inside the crypt, but I do have this for you.

After this detour, I took the Leonardo Express and slept my way to the airport, onto the airplane, and, after a two hour delay, back to Athens. It was a truly an epic weekend. I saw many things I did not think I would get to see for a while to come and I saw them with someone I can relate to, who can remember these things with me. The weekend left me physically and mentally exhausted; my brain is still recovering, even now, but I'm sure in August, when all my international adventures have come to a halt, that I'll look back on these moments and be able to synthesize everything that happened over the past couple of months. Nevertheless, the adventures don't stop here.

Buona Notte,

Angela

Sunday, 7.4: Gladiators and Grappa

How can one go to Rome and not see the Colosseum? As we were on the Metro, Maria and I contemplated whether or not the Colosseum would be bigger than expected, especially since the Vatican had been so much bigger than we thought. We decided eventually that the Colosseum would probably seem smaller than we thought on the outside, but bigger on the inside, kind of like the Tardis [plug for Doctor Who]. The moment we stepped off the Metro and suddenly came upon the structure, we turned to each other and said at the same time, "It's bigger on the outside."

Because it was. I'm not sure exactly how big I thought it would be, but it was bigger. You really can't tell the scale on these things from pictures, but I'll try.

See all the little itty bitty people next to the giant arches? It's still going to be bigger if you go to see it.

We wandered the Colosseum for around an hour before finally moving on to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Both of these were bigger than I thought they would be and more walking, but in comparison to the sheer vast size of the one building that was the Colosseum, they didn't have quite the impact on my sense of size. Palatine Hill consisted of the house of Augustus, in Maria's words, the hottest emperor ever, his wife's house, some other people's houses, and a garden overlooking the Roman forum. We didn't get the audio guide here so I didn't really have a great perspective on what was going on on Palatine Hill. All that I knew was that it was really hot; the sun was beating down on us and my upper lip was getting all tingly. Every part of me would have been drying up had I not been sweating out all the ions in my body. But with the few areas of shade and water fountains to refill, the trek up the [what was probably not a huge] hill was worth it.

Roman Forum from above:

From the front, with awkward hands and an awkward guy in the background:

The temple of Saturn, which was super epic (one of my favorites from the Forum):

Then, though we were super sleepy and tired, we dropped by the Campidoglio, basically the Capital Hill of Rome, but also a museum with art from many periods of Rome's history. I can't comment too much on the quality of the art there partially because we went through it very quickly and partially because I was half asleep, but since I was using the Roma Pass for this museum, I didn't mind too much that the quality wasn't as great overall as compared to the Vatican or the epicness of the Colosseum. There were some pretty great sculptures though, including:

A replica of Marcus Aurelius (the real one was also inside but this one actually looked more epic since it wasn't as degraded

Romulus and Remus with their wolf mother

And a gigantic body parts of Augustus (these were originally cast in bronze, but there were more of the body parts in the courtyard so I used all of those)

Also, because I do realize it's really hard to tell the scale of these things (even with the window in the background of the foot, here's a picture of his hand, for comparison.

Quickly, we stumbled back to the hostel to clean up and get ready for Mass (Maria's Catholic and St. Peter's Basilica was right there) and we made it...a couple minutes late. This was my first Catholic Mass so it was a really interesting experience for me. Earlier in the summer (and I should have blogged about this, I realize), I had gone with Max and Kelsey to a Jewish service and it was very interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two. Both were very ceremonial; the order in which things were done and way certain parts of the service were carried out had their time and place. Though I had no one to explain what was going on to me during the Jewish service, I was lucky enough to have Maria whispering in my ear during Mass. Because all Catholic masses are conducted the same (in different languages around the world), it didn't matter that the service was in Italian (not Latin; I was mildly surprised, but not really). I knelt when they knelt, stood when they stood, sat when they sat, and everything the priest was doing was translated to me. When everyone stood to take the communion wafer, I went and got blessed and I was very glad that I took part in this experience. The mass was very peaceful and there was an atmosphere of concentration and piety. And when we came out, the sun had dipped behind the church, putting everything in a glow. Hastily thrown on church outfit:

After wandering around the courtyard for awhile, we went back to the hostel and took great naps. And then, we went out looking for some fun.

We had heard that Trastavere, across the river, was a really happening place at night, so we took the tram and crossed the river, but everything seemed very sketch. This may have been because it was only 10 PM and nothing was happening yet, so we grabbed a bite to eat and headed down to the bank of the river where there were booths of people selling jewelry, clothing, food, and even 5D movies!

As you can see, the bank is lit up with these little shops and there were a lot of people milling about there which gave the place an energetic glow. What made it all the more awesome was this guy.

Yeah...not sure what he was advertising for, but very entertaining nevertheless.

We then went on one of the many bridges connecting the two banks and just people watched for a while. We found that there were many more groups of single guys walking around then there were groups of girls. And it wasn't just groups of teenage guys. There were men of all ages, those in their 20s, their 30s, even their 40s and 50s crossing the bridge looking for a good time. There were also couples, holding hands, deep in conversation, which begged the question: where were all the hot chicks, man?

Maria and I hypothesized that because it was only around midnight that the girls were already somewhere drinking, or something because there just weren't that many single girls crossing the bridge. There were also the guy couples crossing the bridge together. Most of them probably weren't couples; they didn't look it, but probably had a solid bromance going on, and would probably being each other's wingmen when the time came. The only questioning bros we found were these two guys that seemed straight at first, then started taking pictures of each other on the bridge holding a soda can. There were also jump shots. Don't know what that was about. Also, there were two corn vendors on the same bridge that started getting into a pretty heated "bro"-like conversation. People watching is fun.

We then hit up Campo del Fiori again hoping to run into all the college kids now that it was our last night in Rome and there really wasn't anywhere for us to be besides the plane in the morning. But the plaza was unusually empty. We think perhaps that the Italians don't party like the Greeks do on Sunday nights, and that the rest of the kids on summer vacation had probably split as well. It was rather sad, so Maria got a glass of grappa, a traditional Italian spirit made from pomace, the seeds, stalks, and other discarded parts of the grape vine and we sat and watched the plaza and the people in it for awhile. We then got approached by Antonio, an Italian-American and met his friends, Paolo and Ben and had some great conversation with them. They were working in the US Embassy in Rome for the summer, so that was pretty cool and we learned that Antonio was 1) a dinosaur 2) a vampire and 3) Jamaican. Hmm....

As the night wore down, Antiono split to go to Mood, this discotech club that we had found one night but didn't seem that interesting, Paolo split to go to sleep, and we followed Ben and some of his friends to what promised to be an Irish pub, but was closed. So Maria and I just wandered the streets of Rome until 4 in the morning talking about civilizations and whatever else you talk about in the wee hours of the morning. The really cool thing was that we saw all the monuments that we saw during the daytime under the glow of the lights and the dark of the sky. If it weren't for the fact that the night ended with us rushing back to the hostel because we walked through a sketch park and everything was way too quiet, it would have been the perfect last night. See for yourself:

Gorgeous.

Saturday 7.3 Part 3: Temples made into Churches

The Pantheon [not to be confused with the Parthenon, in Athens, or the Panthernon, which doesn't exist], was an ancient Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. All of them. Thus "pan" = every and "theon" = gods. When the Christians took over the temples, they converted many of the them into churches, and thus, the Pantheon is now filled with Catholic religious icons, rather than Roman deities. But it's still really impressive, not only for the time it was built, but even now. Relucantly, we left St. Peter's Basilica, so we could rush to see it before it closed (many things in Rome close around 7:30). However, we took a slight detour to San Minerva, the only Gothic style church in Rome. After seeing the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, no other church could be quite so grand, but the bright blue sky on the ceiling of San Minerva was still a sight in itself. And I feel that way about many things in Rome. When you're there, in the moment, it feels like nothing can top that feeling of wow, that was awesome. But you move on and you find something else maybe just as, maybe a little less, maybea little more awesome than what you just saw, but perhaps in a different way.

The Pantheon ceiling had a giant hole in it to let in light. However, it also let in the rain, which started just as we entered the temple. The floor was roped off so tourists wouldn't get caught in the rain or step on the mosaic in the middle of the floor, slip and break something.

Finally, after a day of walking we headed back to the hostel, cleaned up and headed out to dinner. By this time, it was around 10 PM, and we didn't really start eating until 11. This was to be a trend for the next couple of days. But we made our way to the Piazza Navona (5), with the three famous Bernini fountains (6).

To finish the night, we traveled to Campo del Fiori (6), where the night life was actually quite crazy. There were Americans everywhere and the bars and dance clubs were packed. Because we had to get up quite early the next morning (to visit all the Roman ruins), we decided to call it quits at around 2 AM, opting to come back the next night. Walking back to the hostel at 2 AM was a great experience because the streets are cool and quiet and we got to see stuff like this (Victtorio Emmanuell II's monument, by the way).

Saturday 7.3 Part 2: The Largest Church in the World

For Roman Catholics all over the world, a visit St. Peter's Basilica is the pilgrimage of choice, and for non-Catholics, the experience is just as holy. This was one of the things that I had on my "Bigger than I thought it would be" list, and boy, it was much bigger than I thought it would be. At 220 m long, 150 m wide, and 138 m tall (730 x 500 x 452 feet) it was a big deal just to get into it.

A nonbeliever (of Catholicism, of religion, etc.) would be hard-pressed not be impressed by the interior of the church. Especially, if, upon walking in, you saw two beams of light streaming in from the windows, shining directly on the alter. There was a sense of great peace in the building, that was not really felt in the Sistine Chapel (because of too many feet walking around), as well as an atmosphere of religious piety. It's easy to see how people could convert upon walking into a place such as this. It was that kind of wow moment. (Also, church outfit: day 2)

One of Michelangelo's masterpieces, the Pieta, is also featured in St. Peter's Basilica. The sculpture depicts Mary, holding Jesus after the crucifixion, and is one of the few things on the "smaller than I thought" list. This may be because the statue was placed behind glass, a couple meters away from the public, so it seemed smaller. It may also be because the rest of St. Peter's was just that vast that it overshadowed the Pieta just a little bit. 

Another thing we later discovered, after coming back the next day to 5:30 PM Mass, but I feel like I should put in this section, was the discovery of bronze casts of popes who had been super important in the history of church. Now there were many marble statues of popes and such, but it was a little weird to see bronze casts of popes lying there as if interred. What was much weirder to find out was that the actual remains of Pope John XXIII were also on display in the church.

I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. Comments appreciated.

There is really no way you can have your fill of St. Peter's Basilica, but we wanted to make a couple more stops before leaving. One of which was to the ROOF! Yes, for a nominal fee, you too, can climb the dome of St. Peter's. After so much walking though, we opted to be not as hardcore, and took the lift up. This took us to an area of the dome where we could see everything that was going on below, including the 5 PM mass services.You can see all the people sitting there and also, I think, the chorus, who were serenading us with sweet, sweet music. It was very interesting to see mass from above, especially because I had never seen one before, but everyone was so small that I could not really tell what they were doing [we were really high upppp]. What I did get a great view of though, was the inside of the dome, and the mosaics on them.

And we walked up and up and up and for those who are claustrophobic, I would recommend you think twice about doing this because the spaces for you to walk up the dome are pretty narrow.

But the view from the top is worth it.

Saturday, 7.3 Part 1: The Smallest Country in the World

Amongst other things, Rome is home to the only country in the world still actively keeping the dead language of Latin alive. The Vatican houses some of the most amazing collections of art, architecture, and literature in the world, and though it is the smallest country in the world, there is so much to see that it is overwhelming. To get into the Vatican Museum, we had to wait in this loooong line that curved around the wall of the city/country/whatever. Luckily, in Rome, there are the occasional water fountains on the street that one can use to keep one hydrated in the heat of the summer sun. Though the water is clean and clear and actually tastes alright, it's kind of a waste of water because the water just keeps running all day and night. Also, many times, these fountains are parked next to cars and it's a little inconvenient to get any water. That being said, free water >> 2 Euro water.

When we finally got into the museum, we and got our tickets and got over a bout of losing one another in the crowd [note: when traveling with a friend in a foreign country where neither of your phones work, always stick together, even in a place as small as the area before the ticket check in the Vatican Museum], and purchased the audio tour for the museum. Normally, I don't much like tours because you can't move at your own pace, and more of then not, someone in your group forgot to put on their deodorant in the morning, but the audio tour gives you a little walkie-talkie like thing where you press in the number of the exhibit and it gives you some information about it. You can move at your own pace and pick and choose the pieces you like to learn about. Now, I also don't like spending money on things I don't need, but this was really a lifesaver. The Vatican museum has so many things and so many people visit in a day that there is neither time nor space to really loiter and read the plaques for each of the statues or paintings. You get pushed around by people wanting to take pictures of read the plaques themselves and it was so great to be able to be able to put a piece of art in context, while taking it in at the same time.

Reiterating a statement: the Vatican Museum is HUGE. It contains rooms with Egyptian, Etruscan, ancient Roman, ancient Greek, Renaissance, and Contemporary paintings, tapestries, and sculpture. And one really does not know where to begin. That and the fact that the museums in Rome don't come with free maps of the place. But since we bought the audio guide, it came with a map and pretty much led us through all the rooms in the Vatican. Because there were so many, I'll post a brief list of awesome things we saw.

The Fontana della Pigna (5) [The Pinecone] - A giant pine cone once part of a fountain near that Pantheon that got moved to the old St. Peter's Basilica, then to the Vatican Courtyard in 1608. It no longer spouts water through its top but it's still pretty cool. :)

Lots of naked men in the Octagonal Courtyard, including (in order) Apollo, Perseus, a sad Hermes, and two wrestlers (one of whom cheated and forfeited to the other guy). Also, Apoxyomenos and his two sons fighting snakes. And the Belvedere Torso.

In the Hall of Maps, a lot of gorgeous maps. Such as this one. I had never really been into maps until I saw this room. Wow.

In the Raphael Rooms, the piece that had the most surprising impression on me was Raphael's School of Athens. I had first learned about this fresco in middle school, probably in the 7th grade when we were doing European history and I had seen it and it was cool, but I never really thought about it again after that. Then, when I first saw the original, it dawned on me that I was seeing the actual painting of something I had just heard about. I'm not an art major and I've never taken an art history class, so when I went to ruins in Greece, or even saw monuments from afar in Rome, I never really geeked out about anything, even though everything was breathtaking. But suddenly now, I understood why the Classics majors had stars in their eyes when we were going to visit Delphi or Olympia. What I had only seen on a screen or in a textbook before was right there, right in front of me. And although the Raphael was a gorgeous painting full of artistic and philosophical implications, I think it was the first piece that I was able to intellectually connect to. And so, it had a much greater impact on me than expected, especially since we were moving so quickly through the rooms. Really, it was only after we left the room that I realized I had been holding my breath, and though the picture below doesn't do the artist justice at all, I feel like I must include it.

Of course, the art wasn't all on the walls. There were some fantastic ceiling pieces as well. I'm not really sure who had time to be appreciating the ceiling art all the time (perhaps when they get a mental block, like when I do during exams and I just stare at the ceiling of SSS).

Kudos to anyone going to Rome in the future who can find these ceiling arts. There are a lot of ceilings in the Vatican.

Before we hit the main attraction of the Vatican Museum (the Sistine Chapel, of course), we went through these 55 weird rooms of modern religious art. Small taste:

And finally, the main event: the Sistine Chapel. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the chapel (although plenty of people were sneaking them not so sneakily) but let me just say that it was one of the most amazing whole-body experiences I've had. There's no wrong place to look, and although some of the murals on the back wall were not as good as Michelangelo's works, the whole thing was a great experience. It's not an experience I can relay though words or pictures, but I'll try.

There was a staircase to ascend to the chapel, then suddenly, with one turn, the lights dim and you're in a huge room with more than a hundred other people. The room was abuzz with awe. Fingers pointing. Mouths agape. But it isn't silent. The soft murmur of chatter grows until a guard shushes everyone, pointing to the sign that encourages silence. Flashes of light are all around as people try to take pictures without getting their cameras taken away, because really, this is a one time deal for a lot of people. [Personally, I would have turned my flash off if I were them]. People are sitting on the steps, with their necks craned, some listening intently to the audio guide, some praying, some just staring in awe of the majesty before them. For what must have been at least a half hour, Maria and I just stared at everything around us. It was that intense. And it wasn't just the ceiling. The Last Judgment also had a great impact on me, much like the School of Athens did, in a surprising way because I had not expected to be so affected by it. And that was another one of those moments that I was glad I had gone to Italy.

Picture above is just to remind you what the Sistine Chapel is famous for. After dragging ourselves away, we hit the library rooms, which were nothing compared to what we had just seen, and after some souvenir buying, we doubled back to St. Peter's Basilica, which really, deserves a whole entry in itself.

Ciao for now,

Angela