Bella Roma

Hello Everyone!

Semi-unrelated to this post, but probably appropriate for the topic of Italy: I learned the word swashbuckling today and it has such a fantastic definition that I simply had to share it here.

Ruins of a marketplace

Swashbuckle 

- verb - 

to engage in daring and romantic adventures 

with ostentatious bravado or flamboyance

See what I mean?!  After all, Casanova did plenty of swashbuckling in Italy.  However, while my own adventures were hardly comparable to Casanova's, we encountered plenty of ostentatious and fabulous people and sites.

Once again, we were greeted in Rome by the most exciting Italian taxi ride!  Believe me when I tell you that the rules of the road in Rome are anyone's guess.  We zipped between cars and buses, stopped in the middle of intersections, rounded corners at record speeds, and somehow made it to the hotel in one piece ... all while our cabbie sung to his Italian music very loudly.  Ben and I both agreed that this guy was the happiest person on earth.  I almost asked him what the music was that he had on in the car, but didn't - I really wish I did.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Rome

In any case, we arrived in Rome on Thursday afternoon, and our flight back home was on Sunday.  We had a lot of ground to cover not much time to do so.  But, before the sites, I wasn't going anywhere without a slice of Roman pizza first; we 100% ate our way through Italy.  Afterwards, we walked with no particular destination, but in the direction of history.  On the way, we passed people speaking many different languages, some tourists and some natives.  One woman, about 50ish, tugged on her husband's sleeve, pointed up at Ben with an open palm and exclaimed, "che bello!" All of this, ladies and gentlemen, over a hat!  All we could do was laugh because we had no idea just how much attention this hat was going to get.  "It's a great hat," said London Santa. "I could forgive anything in that hat."  For the purposes of this magical mystery tour around Europe, Ben's bowler was the equivalent of Flat Stanley.  (Don't know about Flat Stanley? Read about him here).

Rainbow over Rome

The hat and I continued on our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Not only was this place absolutely massive, but there was also an entire interior with a full museum.  For a small fee, we could have taken an elevator to the top for a great panorama of Rome, but what we saw from the highest "free" level was really spectacular!  We even spotted a fantastic rainbow (dare I say, double rainbow) against the dark gray clouds - what a treat that was!  And, once the rain stopped, pockets in the cloud layer opened up to allow soft rays of sun through to illuminate the wet surfaces of Rome.  It was spectacular in the truest meaning of the word ... quite the spectacle!  Just look at those clouds!

Rome after Rain

Of course, while wet stone reflects in the prettiest way, it is also the source of one of my biggest fears: slipping down stairs, of which there are many in Rome.  But, I emerged unscathed and determined to soak in (pardon the pun) as much as possible.

The Colosseum and the Arches of Titus and Constantine were our next stops.  The Colosseum is probably the most iconic site of Rome, and can be seen in the movie Gladiator with Russell Crowe ... perhaps you've heard of it?  I'm not sure how much historical accuracy was poured into that flick, but here are some reliable figures.  The Colosseum was built in just 10 years (can you believe that?!), between 70-80 CE, initiated by the Roman emperor Vespasian and completed by his son, Titus.  We walked around the whole outside perimeter and, let me tell you, it is absolutely massive!  AND, it's not even as big as it used to be when it was first built.  A common misnomer is that the amphitheater is circular; it's actually an ellipse (oblong).

Colosseum

Colosseum

But, wait, why does the name Titus sound so familiar?!  That may be because there is a very famous arch right beside the Colosseum named after him.  The Arch of Titus depicts the famous scene of the golden menorah, and other Temple artifacts, being carried out of Jerusalem by the Romans; to this day, Jews do not walk under the Arch (the only exception was on the day Israel declared her independence - Roman Jews gathered at the Arch of Titus and walked under it backwards!).  In fact, that is the last time that the menorah from the Temple was seen in recorded history and is now considered lost.  It's one of those objects, along with the holy grail and Mt. Sinai, that some people devote their entire lives to finding.  Ben, on the other hand, maintains that the menorah is not lost at all, but rather in the vaults of the Vatican, where it has been since the church's construction in the 4th century (more about that soon).  But, since only cardinals are allowed down there, it is unlikely that we will ever find out.


I'd say that my first day in Rome was a success.  Come back soon to read about my OUTRAGEOUS adventures in Rome's Jewish quarter and our trek through Vatican City!