Kim and Mae Come to Rome and The Vatican

WARNING: Very lengthy entry, proceed only with time to spare and feel free to read in parts.


So my friends Mae and Kim decided to take the trip from their schools in Toulouse and Lyon, respectively, and come on down to Rome to see the sights. Man, did they ever.
DAY 1
They arrived Thursday night and headed straight to the hostel to get a good nights sleep for an early wake-up to go to the Musei Vaticani. My guidebook so helpfully told me that it was best to be there by 6:30am because that’s when the line-up starts. Silly guidebook. We thought we were risking it by deciding to meet at the closest metro station at 7:00. Well I arrive at seven am and wait around thinking perhaps the girls got the wrong station, or I did? Apparently I have no luck with meeting up with people in Europe as I have discovered before. So at 7:30 I thought perhaps they had gone straight to the museum. So I follow the signs to the Vatican and not only are Kim and Mae not there, but nobody else is either. Silly guidebook. By the way it was a freezing 1 degree plus windchill on Friday. Not the greatest weather in which to be waiting around unnecessarily. The museum didn’t open until 8:30 anyways so I just sat and waited there. Eventually the girls find me at 8:00am. We must have just missed eachother; they arrived at the previously mentioned metro station at 7:30! Anyways, the only people that are waiting in line for the museum are tours anyways. Silly guidebook.
We eventually get inside and the first piece of art we see is the Laocoon which is one of my favorite Hellenistic sculptures and recently featured prominently in one of my better papers. Anyways, I assume this is not the original as it was stationed behind the coat check stand. But then I think that ‘hey this is the Vatican- one of the biggest and probably THE most valuable art collections in the world- I suppose they can afford to throw the famous statue behind the coat check. Nonetheless, it was fabulous. We found our way into a large courtyard and snapped some photos before heading into the Egyptian section.
Egyptian section= very cool. But I have to say, mummies don’t look at all like I thought! That kinda wierded me out- dead person lying behind just a sheet of glass. It was cool to see the ornamentation they buried them in though. However, the Egyptian section was only the beginning. I was excited for more classical statues.
Eventually we move into a recreation of Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli (just outside Rome and on my list of places to go this coming week- what a coinkidink!). It was tres beautiful but it made me wonder if they kept anything at Tivoli to look at!
By the way, signs to the Sistine Chapel begin at the entrance yet it is at the end. They REALLY want to build up the suspense.
So we moved on and the classical statues begin. So wonderful. Many of them were randoms, you know found here and there in people’s driveways over the years yet are infinitely valuable. They were all super stunning nonetheless. The girls were rather impressed that I knew of some of the things we were looking at and requested that my knowledge be shared. We wander down a long hallway lined with Classical and Hellenistic sculptures. I saw Tyche (fortune) of some town- the name of which escaped me- which is referenced in many of my classes. I also saw the Boy with Goose (love it!). The girls seemed to be getting restless to get to the Sistine Chapel- understandably considering the build-up- so we sped through the rest of the statues.
Next we arrived in the Raphael rooms. LOVED THEM. We saw the momentous Battle of the Milvian Bridge. This battle was important as it is said to be the time when Constantine converted from a pagan to a Christian due to the interference of God and angels in the battle causing his victory. I’d say it’s rather important imagery for the Vatican.
My favorite fresco is perhaps his most famous: School of Athens. Perspective is a very important part of the Renaissance and Raphael certainly mastered it in this piece in which famous philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Alcibiades and Euclid wander about explaining and debating. And of course Raphael through himself in there too. In the same room was a fresco in which Apollo plays his lyre and the great minds of Homer, Sappho, Vergil and Dante mingle with the Muses. Also a beautiful fresco, one that I have never seen. Next was the modern religious art which first of all, I thought was ill-placed and second, I am not a fan of. Perhaps if I were religious this would be interesting?
FINALLY, the Sistine Chapel stands in front of us. It was definitely a sight to see but it did not have the influence I had anticipated. Perhaps if I were allowed to lie down and appreciate it the way it was meant to be seen; there were signs strictly forbidding it. I think they should MAKE everyone lie down. I mean, everyone is hurting their necks staring up at the ceiling… why not make it mandatory and have rows? Seeing it made me wonder why certain things became famous and not others. It was a must-see but I think the Classical and Hellenistic art really captivates me and gives me butterflies in my stomach. Who needs gorgeous Italian men when you can have a gorgeous statue of Apollo that can’t speak?
Moving on we headed to Piazza di San Pietro and the church to match. Mae and Kim were stunned by the triple colonnade, the fountains, the warmth, the church and the beauty of it all. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky and I think it was the perfect day to be there.
After St. Peter’s we hopped on the metro and went to the Trevi fountain where we were perfectly content to sit in the sunshine and eat biscuits. Eventually our hunger caught up with us and we went for pizza. Delicious but still not as good as Gioia’s homemade pizza. We left and I showed the girls the way to H&M on Via del Corso before I headed home. We made a date to meet up and go partying but after a full day and waking up at 5:30am I was just too exhausted.
DAY 2
So the next day I woke up the girls at their hostel with a Roman favorite: castagnoli, which is a delicious bite size piece of heaven made of custard with a whale-tailesque outer covering which is then rolled in copious amounts of sugar. Despite having had only 2 hours of sleep (kids these days eh?) they jumped out of bed and after a quick trip to nearby Santa Maria Maggiore and caffe lattes with goodies they were rarin’ to go.
First stop: Colisseum and Arch of Constantine. I think they were thoroughly impressed and got a few photos before wandering up the hill and checking out the arch of Titus. Back down and around the corner, we walk down the Fori Imperiali right through the Roman forum. We stop to take a break and a few photos at the piccolo Chiesa di Sts Cosma e Damiano. We continue on to Piazza Venezia and the Monument for the Unknown Soldeir erected by Vittorio Emmanuele II. Beyond that we wander down Via del Corso before taking a left towards some food, the Pantheon and ultimately Piazza Navona. The Piazza del Pantheon was gorgeous in the beautiful sunshine and we hung out by the fountain before checking out the architectural wonder that is the roof of the Pantheon. After some cheap and delicious kebabs at the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona we head over to Piazza dei Spagna and the Spanish Steps. The sun had disappeared behind some clouds but we chased it up the steps as it reappeared. I got some gelato while the girls trekked all the way to the top; tells you a little about the differences between me and them. Final stop: Piazza del Popolo with the identical churches.
While day 2 wasn’t as long, it was almost as tiring since these girls saw in one day what I saw in a week. We went our separate ways before meeting up for a romantic, girls-only, Valentines day dinner. We shared a litre of Italian red over pasta and pizza in a cute restaurant near Cavour station. So that’s the story of when Mae and Kim came to Rome! Thanks for reading, if in fact you made it to the end!!xoxo