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Walking on History
Like a blast from the past, Paul and I made it to Rome! It was only last spring break Paul and I had toured one of the most famous and historic cities, only this time, we could do it on our time.
The Pellegrinaggio was amazing because it gave us the chance to se
e things most tourists can’t, but because of this set schedule, Paul and I hadn’t been able to see some of the most iconic and historic structures in the world, i.e. the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circus Maximus. With 5 nights in Rome, we not only had time to revisit the sights we saw last spring and see new ones, but also take a day trip out to Pompeii. And I must say, the weather could not have been more perfect. It was the first time I could walk around in shorts in months. Not to fill this post with fluff as it will be long enough as is, Paul and I got straight to walking around the city once we checked-in to the hostel. The first two main attractions we stopped at, mainly bec
ause they were on the way to Castle de San Angelo, were the Trevi Foutain and Pantheon. Although we’d seen both of these last time, it was still fun to just chuck a penny over the crowd of tourists as there was no way of getting remotely close fountain’s edge. As for the Pantheon, I’ve just always wanted to see the inside. It was pretty cool. After this we headed straight for the Castle de San Angelo, which again, we had seen before, but never got to climb to the top. It was alright, but not spectacular. As we gazed upon the city from the roof top, we were greeted by the nostalgic view of St. Peter’s just down the street. With nowhere else to go, as we were saving the next day for the Colosseum, we took the extra hour of daylight and strolled over to St. Peter’s Square. After a bit reminiscing and a gelato from a place I’d remembered from the Pellegrinaggio, we made the trek back to our hostel. Our second day in Rome can be summed up with one phas
e, “Dream come true.” 
We made sure to wake up early to get to the Colosseum before the hoards of other eager tourists. When we arrived, the gates had just opened and Paul and I were probably two of 30 people in the Colosseum at this time. I just don’t know where to begin in describing my excitement of finally walking where hundreds of past Romans had walked. To think about what took place and who were in the attendance where I was taking pictures just blows my mind. I couldn’t help but sit back in a seat that was probably filled hundreds of years ago and just think about how sophisticated and ground breaking this structure was for its time. After a solid two and half hours of exploring every inch that was available for the public, a quick picture with the Arch of Constantine, Paul and I moved on up the road to the Roman Forum. 
However, much to my dismay, Paul wouldn’t leave the Colosseum without a picture with the Gladiators outside. After some hefty bargaining, as they wanted 10 euro, I got the price down to 4 euro and they accepted. 
Now that Paul was satisfied, we could continue to on
e of the most famous and sacred roads for its time in the world. Now to some, the Roman Forum is just a pile of rubble, however, if one has ever taken a Western Civ. class with Prof. Ford, they would know both where the buildings stood as well as their purposes. Just think how in ancient times only the highest priests and authorities could walk where we walked. Yet again, making sure not to miss a thing, Paul and I continued to the Circus Maximus, home to the famous chariot races. Now, unlike the previous areas, the Circus Maximus no longer stands. The only remaining portion is the rocky outline of the track. What did we end doing at the Circus Maximus you ask? Paul and I raced of course. I won easily. And the other tourists got a good laugh out of it. With our main goals for the day completed, we wandered for a bit before stopping in to see the Ara Pacis, a monument build by Augustus to recognize his wartime victories (if I remember correctly). From this point, we hit the Piazza de Popolo for only 10 minutes at most before heading over the Spanish Steps which conveniently led up to the last destination of the day, the Villa de Medici. All four of these were worth visiting, but not vital to my stay in Rome. After paying 11 euro just see the Ara Pacis, I was not going to pay another 25 euro to see the Medici gallery, even if it was supposed to be good, the lines were insane. Satisfied with the amount we covered, Paul and I returned to our hostel to find out how to get to the ancient city of Pompeii. 
Now, if I thought walking the Colosseum and Roman Forum was awesome, then walking the roads of Pompeii was indescribable. But I’ll try and convey how it felt anyway. I hate to say it again, but just once more, think about how this thriving community was going about their daily routine and suddenly covered in ash. Nothing destroyed or completely burned down, just covered. You almost forget you’re walking on such an ancient road because how intact and well preserved it is. Compared to the Roman Forum, it’s like a newly paved road. The one thing that impressed me the most was how in the middle of the street, as there were no cars during this time, there are stepping stones from one side of the road to the other so one does not have to step down and then up again (if that makes sense). It was just something I’d never seen before, but made life so much easier. In addition to these minor details, the main structures for all the houses, columns, temples, and even an amphitheatre are still intact which lets one see how these ancient people lived their lives right up until their sudden demise. However, I will say that once you’ve been down one or two side roads, you’ve seen them all. I didn’t know this at the time, but just a heads up for those who aspire to see it for themselves, the community is pretty uniform in its layout. Regardless, it was a fulfilling and gorgeous day and when we returned, Paul and I went right to sleep out of sheer exhaustion. The next morning Paul and I had wanted to get over the famous Amalfi Coast for the day, but when I looked at the clock, which read 10:30am, and realized we would have to take the same route as the day before, we agreed to just go to the top of St. Peter’s instead. However, we had no idea the surprise that awaited us when we arrived in St. Peter’s square. You want to talk about good timing, how arriving at St. Peter’s square not having a clue why so many people were there only to suddenly hear then all start cheering! It was the Pope himself! I stood stunned, mouth agape. 
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing (nor could I understand it). After a solid 30 minutes he receded back from the window and the flag that was draped over the window sill was pulled up. I’m just going to say it one more time, I, Phil Sabelli, witnessed the Pope! Ok, so after the madness within St. Peter’s square calmed down, I made my way over to the line to enter St. Peter’s. Like previous sights, I had already seen the inside of St. Peter’s, but that doesn’t mean it still wasn’t amazing. Walking in and looking up just brought a smile to my face. It’s just so much bigger and more ornate than anything you’ve ever seen before. Of course I took some pictures, never getting the whole thing in the shot, as well as revisiting the Pieta, which I hadn’t gotten a clear picture of the last time. After this, it was time to climb. Electing to take the stairs, I was stopped multiple times by those who couldn’t hack it. Once at the top, I started making my way around the dome to get a shot of every part of Rome. Not a place to hang out as it gets crowded up there, Paul I descended back to ground level in search of gelato. Paul wanted to get over to the Vatican seeing as it was so close, but when rounded the corner we found ourselves in the line. Not in the mood to wait around, we would save the Vatican for tomorrow and just stick to what we do best, wander around. As we’d done to avoid the lines at the Colosseum, we got over to the Vatican before it even opened. L
ike St. Peter’s, I had already been through the Vatican because of the Pellegrinaggio, but we didn’t get to see some of its most famous pieces. We saw the giant golden orb in the courtyard (still don’t get it), the statue of Augustus, the Laöcoon, the belvedere torso, Rafael’s School of Athens, the car the Pope rides around in, and of course the Sistine Chapel. The day only got better in that as we exited the Vatican Museum and got some gelato, we spotted the Swiss Guard in their goofy uniforms! This was a perfect photo opportunity. Sadly, the guard wouldn’t let Paul get any closer than the gate, but it was still a crowd pleaser. It was a great way to end another great stay in Rome. The rest of our last day in Rome was taken up by packing and making sure everything was set for the last leg of our excellent adventure, Egypt.
Like a blast from the past, Paul and I made it to Rome! It was only last spring break Paul and I had toured one of the most famous and historic cities, only this time, we could do it on our time.
The Pellegrinaggio was amazing because it gave us the chance to se
e things most tourists can’t, but because of this set schedule, Paul and I hadn’t been able to see some of the most iconic and historic structures in the world, i.e. the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Circus Maximus. With 5 nights in Rome, we not only had time to revisit the sights we saw last spring and see new ones, but also take a day trip out to Pompeii. And I must say, the weather could not have been more perfect. It was the first time I could walk around in shorts in months. Not to fill this post with fluff as it will be long enough as is, Paul and I got straight to walking around the city once we checked-in to the hostel. The first two main attractions we stopped at, mainly bec
ause they were on the way to Castle de San Angelo, were the Trevi Foutain and Pantheon. Although we’d seen both of these last time, it was still fun to just chuck a penny over the crowd of tourists as there was no way of getting remotely close fountain’s edge. As for the Pantheon, I’ve just always wanted to see the inside. It was pretty cool. After this we headed straight for the Castle de San Angelo, which again, we had seen before, but never got to climb to the top. It was alright, but not spectacular. As we gazed upon the city from the roof top, we were greeted by the nostalgic view of St. Peter’s just down the street. With nowhere else to go, as we were saving the next day for the Colosseum, we took the extra hour of daylight and strolled over to St. Peter’s Square. After a bit reminiscing and a gelato from a place I’d remembered from the Pellegrinaggio, we made the trek back to our hostel. Our second day in Rome can be summed up with one phas
e, “Dream come true.” 
We made sure to wake up early to get to the Colosseum before the hoards of other eager tourists. When we arrived, the gates had just opened and Paul and I were probably two of 30 people in the Colosseum at this time. I just don’t know where to begin in describing my excitement of finally walking where hundreds of past Romans had walked. To think about what took place and who were in the attendance where I was taking pictures just blows my mind. I couldn’t help but sit back in a seat that was probably filled hundreds of years ago and just think about how sophisticated and ground breaking this structure was for its time. After a solid two and half hours of exploring every inch that was available for the public, a quick picture with the Arch of Constantine, Paul and I moved on up the road to the Roman Forum. 
Now that Paul was satisfied, we could continue to on
e of the most famous and sacred roads for its time in the world. Now to some, the Roman Forum is just a pile of rubble, however, if one has ever taken a Western Civ. class with Prof. Ford, they would know both where the buildings stood as well as their purposes. Just think how in ancient times only the highest priests and authorities could walk where we walked. Yet again, making sure not to miss a thing, Paul and I continued to the Circus Maximus, home to the famous chariot races. Now, unlike the previous areas, the Circus Maximus no longer stands. The only remaining portion is the rocky outline of the track. What did we end doing at the Circus Maximus you ask? Paul and I raced of course. I won easily. And the other tourists got a good laugh out of it. With our main goals for the day completed, we wandered for a bit before stopping in to see the Ara Pacis, a monument build by Augustus to recognize his wartime victories (if I remember correctly). From this point, we hit the Piazza de Popolo for only 10 minutes at most before heading over the Spanish Steps which conveniently led up to the last destination of the day, the Villa de Medici. All four of these were worth visiting, but not vital to my stay in Rome. After paying 11 euro just see the Ara Pacis, I was not going to pay another 25 euro to see the Medici gallery, even if it was supposed to be good, the lines were insane. Satisfied with the amount we covered, Paul and I returned to our hostel to find out how to get to the ancient city of Pompeii. 
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing (nor could I understand it). After a solid 30 minutes he receded back from the window and the flag that was draped over the window sill was pulled up. I’m just going to say it one more time, I, Phil Sabelli, witnessed the Pope! Ok, so after the madness within St. Peter’s square calmed down, I made my way over to the line to enter St. Peter’s. Like previous sights, I had already seen the inside of St. Peter’s, but that doesn’t mean it still wasn’t amazing. Walking in and looking up just brought a smile to my face. It’s just so much bigger and more ornate than anything you’ve ever seen before. Of course I took some pictures, never getting the whole thing in the shot, as well as revisiting the Pieta, which I hadn’t gotten a clear picture of the last time. After this, it was time to climb. Electing to take the stairs, I was stopped multiple times by those who couldn’t hack it. Once at the top, I started making my way around the dome to get a shot of every part of Rome. Not a place to hang out as it gets crowded up there, Paul I descended back to ground level in search of gelato. Paul wanted to get over to the Vatican seeing as it was so close, but when rounded the corner we found ourselves in the line. Not in the mood to wait around, we would save the Vatican for tomorrow and just stick to what we do best, wander around. As we’d done to avoid the lines at the Colosseum, we got over to the Vatican before it even opened. L
ike St. Peter’s, I had already been through the Vatican because of the Pellegrinaggio, but we didn’t get to see some of its most famous pieces. We saw the giant golden orb in the courtyard (still don’t get it), the statue of Augustus, the Laöcoon, the belvedere torso, Rafael’s School of Athens, the car the Pope rides around in, and of course the Sistine Chapel. The day only got better in that as we exited the Vatican Museum and got some gelato, we spotted the Swiss Guard in their goofy uniforms! This was a perfect photo opportunity. Sadly, the guard wouldn’t let Paul get any closer than the gate, but it was still a crowd pleaser. It was a great way to end another great stay in Rome. The rest of our last day in Rome was taken up by packing and making sure everything was set for the last leg of our excellent adventure, Egypt.
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