Rome

After five hours to Newark, eight hours to Rome, and 30 min. to Termini train station we arrived in the heart of Rome.


The most dramatic parts of our trip centered around ancient Roman ruins. A surprising byproduct of a society that has lived in the same location for thousands of years is the scattering of ruins across Rome. Close to 200 yards from the train station Danielle had already begun her quest to see every remnant of ancient Roman civilization in Italy. This undescribed ruin was part of the Baths of Diocletion and capped off our 26 hours of continuous walking, interrupted only by seven hours of sleep over the next two days.

Though tired we decided to make the most of the day and tried to get on an Italian time schedule. A short metro ride from Termini (two blocks from our pension) and quick walk through the heart of central Rome's shopping district brought us to the Pantheon, another wonderful example of the integration of ancient ruins in a bustling metropolis and probably, visually, the most impressive ruin within Rome outside of the Colesseum. This picture was taken as I sat for a quick break while Danielle was getting cash from a nearby ATM. It was not long into the day that we decided the 14 hour trip had taken more out of us than we had anticipated.

Around 5pm we decided to walk back to the hotel for a quick nap. We woke up the next morning. After a quick espresso and brioche the next morning we headed out for the big sites.

After spending ~$15 on bottled water over the first 24 hours we were happy to find one of the many public fountains near the Colosseum. Fortunately the water surging through the all public fountains throughout Rome is potable. This fountain consisted of a steel pipe protruding from a concrete wall draining into an ancient marble sarcophagus. While we were good about keeping hydrated we did not have the foresight to properly care for our feet. This picture began the second day of the 26 hour marathon that resulted in ~9 blisters between the two of us.

Palatine Hill was the first ruins of the day. Rome was founded here. As we got there early in the day we had the site practically to ourselves. We wandered among the ruins for a few hours enjoying a few quiet moments away from the buzzing of the scooters on the streets before heading over to the Colosseum in the afternoon.


We were fortunate to bypass the throngs of tourists outside the Colosseum, and the English dudes claiming to give you entry and tour for a discount, as our Palatine Hill pass granted access to the site for no extra charge. Outside of Pompeii and Herculaneum this had to be the most spectacular ruin of the trip. After purchasing the audio guide we climbed up the steps to come out on the upper level of what once was the greatest theater in the Roman Empire. The audio tours were excellent, but Danielle could not get enough. Lucky for her she was able to eaves drop on a few of the English language tours and learn a few more esoteric details about the structure, its construction and use in ancient times. It was pretty cool. By this point I realized that I was in for a sweaty trip. Italy was hot. Maybe 80s every day. After a quick sandwich we concluded the ancient ruins of Rome in the Forum.


The Roman Forum that is frequented by tourists (and the only part we went to) is only part of what was the original heart of the Roman government and marketplace. Mussolini paved over much of what was the forum effectively destroying a few buildings and splitting the remaining ruins in two by one of Rome's major streets. Nevertheless, the remaining ruins are spectacular.


By the time we had fully explored the Forum it was 6-7PM. We decided to walk SE to cross the Tiber river and eat in Trastevere. On the way, we walked through the area of Rome where all of the Jewish people lived during ancient times called the "Jewish Ghetto" in all the guide books. There is still a small Jewish community here and when we walked through the little center square a number of kids were playing kick ball. It felt like Italy in the 1930s. At the end of the night, we picked up a few first aid supplies during a quick pit stop at one of the dozens of pharmacies that we passed after dinner. We still had 13 days of walking ahead of us and were not off to a good start.


Since this was our "last" night in Rome we decided to stop by the Pantheon one last time on our way to Trevi fountain and then head back to the hotel. We were both surprised that the Pantheon was even more spectacular at night, surrounded by people enjoying the warm evening. We each threw the obligate coin into Trevi fountain (Danielle was embarrased to do so even though there were about 20 other tourists there doing the exact same thing) after finishing a cup of gelato. This is supposed to guarantee our return to Rome (I hope the night prior to our flight out didn't count).