June 1-3, 1984

June 1-3, 1984

We next took a train to Rome (Roma), I have always loved and admired Roman history and civilization. I guess it stems from having taken four years of Latin to fulfill my high school language requirement (no speaking necessary) and translating Caesar’s commentaries on his Gallic Wars. We visited the Roman ruins of the Coliseum where gladiatorial combats took place. This massive arena held 50,000 spectators and was called an amphitheatre because it is the combination of two half-circle theatres. The floor is long gone exposing the passageways used by the gladiators and wild animals. At times the floor was even flooded to allow mock naval battles.

Across the street from the Coliseum is the Arch of Constantine. Triumphal Arches were commonly built in Roman times to celebrate and document important victories. They have inspired leaders to build similar around the world.

Nearby is the Forum, the public center of ancient Rome. There is not much left of it but scattered columns and two Triumphal arches on each end. Early Rome was built on seven hills. We walked to the top of the Palatine Hill and looked down on the ruins of the Circus Maximus (think Chariot races). There is nothing left except for the depression in the soil showing a very elongated raceway.

We also visited the Pantheon. For more than a thousand years it was the largest covered space. The dome has an opening or oculus in the middle for letting in light. Even today it is very impressive. It is well preserved because it was converted into a church.

We also gave ourselves a walking tour of modern Rome. We passed the Piazza del Campidoglio, a colorful courtyard designed by Michelangelo, the highly decorated Trevi fountain, and the Spanish Steps, where modern Romans like to hang out.

On the way we passed the Victor Emmanuel Altar. This modern structure nicknamed the "Wedding Cake" is dedicated to the first king of united Italy and gives you an idea what Rome must have looked like in classical times.

Inside Rome sits the tiniest country in the world, Vatican City, home of the pope and center of Roman Catholicism. We went there twice. Once to see the numerous sights. The huge St Peters Basilica (largest church in the world) with its Bernini-designed canopy altar contains Michelangelo’s Pieta statue (damaged by a hammer-wielding nut when I was a kid). We climbed to the top of the massive Michelangelo-designed dome to view the rooftop apostle statues and get a birds-eye view of colonnaded St Peters Square below. In the center is a massive Egyptian obelisk of red granite. We returned on Sunday for mass at the Vatican and the popes blessing in the square.

St Peters Basilica has only a small portion of the Vatican treasures. Many more are on the Museum tour of the pope’s former palace. The artwork is so thick that even the hallways have paintings covering the barreled ceilings. The tour goes thru the Raphael-decorated rooms and ends in the Sistine Chapel famous for its Michelangelo decorated ceiling and Last Judgement back wall. Along the way we get glimpses of the wonderful papal gardens.

My favorite piece of Vatican art is the famous Greek statue of Laocoon, which was acquired by the pope in 1506 starting the museum collection.

On our last day in Rome we took a bus south along the Ancient Appian Way to the outskirts of Rome outside the old city walls. The Appian Way was civilization’s first highway and was built so commerce and troops could be moved quickly. Our goal today was to see some underground Catacombs where early Christians were buried and, when necessary, Mass was held. Romans buried their dead above ground outside the walls of the city. We walked through the fortress-like tomb of Cecilia Metella, wife of one of Julius Caesar’s general.

Rome was Dave’s last stop on our trip together. He flew back to Boston to attend graduation. I blew it off. I am not much for ceremony. Rome was also the last stop for Sue and Carol. London to Rome is a popular tourist route. Not ready to travel “solo” just yet, I stayed with the two Duke boys whom we had been traveling with since meeting them in Paris.

I have been in Italy for a week now and I can’t say Italian food has been my favorite. I have actually lost weight since entering Italy. This shocked me, as I love Italian food at home. But REAL Italian is different. They are big on pasta but very skimpy on the sauce. Spaghetti is not a main course. It is merely a side dish with a drip of red sauce and absolutely no meat. My mom could teach them a few things. And pizza. They have absolutely no idea how to make great Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.