Rome: Take Two

 P.S. I'm sorry if this post is a little messy and wordy. I don't have the motivation to read through and clean it up. You'll have to enjoy it raw. :)  

  You'll remember that in my last post, I hoped time would leave my memories of Italy feeling sweet and nostalgic. Well, it didn't, not really. I still felt quite sore about the whole thing, and my first trip wasn't sitting well with me. Christmas was approaching rapidly and I'd completely shut down when it came to planning my trips; I didn't even want to try. Planning the trip to Italy had been a nightmare and I was drained and wary to try again. 

   Then, out of the blue, some of my closest friends, Makena and Sawyer, invited me to third-wheel them to where else but Rome?? At first, I wasn't sure. My initial reaction was that it would be a waste of my time and money to return to Rome when I had been there only two months before. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had a bad taste in my mouth and wanted to wash it out. Also, Makena and Sawyer would be leaving after Christmas and I wouldn't see them again, so this would be a great last hurrah. Besides, I had loved Rome before, just not the trip, so why not return to the places we love? On a similar note, I felt confident that planning a trip and traveling with these two would go smoothly and not having to plan a new trip on my own would take a lot of stress off my plate. So, I said yes.

   Needless to say, we had an amazing time, and Take-Two was a success! Rome was great the first time, so it's hard to fathom that it could have been so much better the second time. One of my favorite things that I've learned since being abroad is this; Coming here, I was scared that familiarity would make the places I had always dreamed about less special, but now I realize that it makes them more special. For example, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum were awe-inspiring to see for the first time, but it has been a privilege to become familiar with them rather than a disappointment. It has not taken away from the inspiration I feel, only acquainted me with it better. 

   We went into the week with absolutely no agenda but had created a rough sketch of what we wanted to do based on the weather. On our first day, we would visit the archaeological sites, on our second day, we would go to a few museums since it would be raining, on the third day, we would go to the beach because it would be sunny and also the Sabbath, and our fourth day we left free. 

   So, I returned to the Colosseum and Roman Forum for a second time. And guess what? I got in for free... again! Apparently, all I have to do is prove that I'm an archaeology major and I get into pretty much every museum and arch-site in Rome for free (or with an insane discount), so I ended up spending a total of eight dollars on "attractions" when it should have cost me roughly 81 dollars. 😎😎

   

The Forum from Palatine Hill

A very sweet kitty we met on our way to lunch

After we finished at the Forum we went to the Pantheon.
Sawyer was really excited to see it and it ended up being his favorite 
thing that we saw. 

As the sun set, it started to get cold, 
so we found a cafe and hung out

This hot cocoa was so good. 

  

 And once we were done with that, we went around to all the expensive stores like Prada and Gucci and tried to see if we could go inside without getting kicked out. It was fun to look at the clothes, but not the price tags. 

   One thing that left a big impression on me was Sawyer and Makena's reaction to seeing the Colosseum. Before we went, Sawyer and I watched "Gladiator" with Makena because she hadn't seen it. In my opinion, it is a very good representation of Roman history, and their slow decline towards cheap entertainment and bloodlust, while also highlighting a very honorable main character and conveying an anti-violence message (unlike many other Hollywood films today). So, it seemed like a good way to introduce her to the history of Rome and the Colosseum before we went. Plus, she'd been begging us to watch it with her. 

   That said, when we were inside, I stopped at one point to ask her and Sawyer if they were okay because they were acting very solemn. Their reply was something along the lines of, "Yes, but we're not going to be giggling and making jokes in here. This is a place that demands an attitude of respect and solemnity because a lot of people were needlessly killed here. It's like visiting Auschwitz or something." I was absolutely flabbergasted. Never in my life have I heard anyone speak about the gladiator games with such genuine care and understanding.

   I think time has separated us so far from these events that we often no longer view them as facts. I have often heard kids my age call the gladiator games, viking raids, and other violent and horrific historical events, "cool" or "exciting". I have so much respect for Makena and Sawyer and their ability to keep perspective as we visited the Colosseum. 

On day two, it hailed. Thankfully, this was our museum day, so we were unbothered by the weather. We visited a museum of Ancient Roman sculptures, frescoes, and mosaics in the morning, got food, and then split up. Makena and Sawyer went to an art museum and I headed to the Baths of Diocletian, another archaeology museum. 

Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of Rome

A hall of mosaics. 

   Makena was our food expert and managed to find us some really good places to eat. It's extremely hard to find good food in Rome because there's a restaurant every five steps so it's hard to know where to start, or to find anything authentic. Either there are waiters outside begging you to come in, which is never a good sign, or it's way too expensive. On this occasion, she'd researched some good pizzerias nearby and we ended up in the most adorable little shop that had managed to stay out of the public (tourist) eye. There were only locals there and the pizza was amazing. The owner even came to ask us how it was and proudly showed us the shop's awards for being one of the top ten pizza places in Rome. 

Some armor found in a Roman burial dating to the time of the kings (very old). 

The Praeneste Fibula, a brooch from the 7th century BC,
 is believed to have the oldest written Latin inscription ever found. 

Another cat

   

   On day three, we hit the beach! I was really excited to spend the day at the beach because on my last trip to Italy, I had never gotten the chance to go. 

We explored the shoreline and I found this old anchor that was 
standing upright, stuck to the rock. 

So pretty!

   My mom really likes to look for sea glass, so I kept my eyes open, but there was too much for me to grab all of it. I did find a piece of Pirate glass though. Pirate glass is sea glass that is so dark and old that it has been smoothed into what looks like a black rock. You can't tell that it's glass until you shine a light through it. If it's glass, you'll be able to see the light coming through. They're quite rare and hard to find. I saw a black rock where we were sitting, and remembering what I had learned about Pirate glass, began to tell Makena and Sawyer, "Hey did you know that sometimes if you see a black rock like this it is actually glass? If you shine a light through it-" and that's when I found out. 

  The ocean is about 40 minutes away from Rome, so we were in a small town. After sunset, we started looking for food and ran into a jazz band that was cooperating with the local library to do some caroling. They invited us to join and we walked with them for a bit. They were very skilled and it was fun to participate in the community's Christmas traditions.

   On day four, we decided to split up again. I had things I wanted to see that I knew Makena and Sawyer would not be interested in, so I set off on my own. The first thing I did was visit the Circus Maximus. I had wanted to visit last time I was in Rome, but they had been doing some convention there. You see, Makena and Sawyer wouldn't care to see the Circus because all it is is a field with a gravel walking track. But, it was once the largest stadium in Rome (stretching the length of half a mile) and housed chariot races, wrestling, and many other sports. I've done a lot of research on the Circus because I wrote a story that took place there, and as a child, I used to love watching the movie, "Ben Hur" (if you know, you know). So, I really really wanted to see it, and more importantly, walk the mile-long track that chariots used to race down.

   So, here's me after having walked the track. In this photo, I was standing in the exact spot where I had imagined one of the scenes in my story to take place. The Circus Maximus has something called a "spine", which is a raised platform that stretches down the center of the track to ensure that it remains a track and isn't just an arena. There used to be an obelisk on the spine, along with seven golden dolphins that used to tip and spew water out of their mouths at the end of each lap to help racers and spectators alike keep track of the laps. You can still see the spine today, but now it is just a raised mound of grass with one lone tree growing on it. Naturally, I sat under the tree and read my story and journaled as I watched joggers, walkers, and children use the same track that shook with the thunder of chariot wheels and horses 2,000 years ago. 

   After I was done at the Circus, I went to the Domus Aurea, or, "The Golden House of Nero". Interestingly, the fire that Nero blamed on the Christians, which coincidentally started in the Circus Maximus, burnt down the exact area of Rome where Nero would later build his house. This is the reason many ancient orators and politicians blamed the fire on Nero, and why most scholars agree with them to this day. The people of Rome hated Nero so much that, after his death, the emperor Vespasian filled in his private lake, tore down his giant golden statue, and built the Colosseum overtop to give the area back to the people. Trajan would later turn Nero's palace into the foundation of his bathhouse... to return the area to the people. Trajan's work served to preserve much of the original palace, and you can still go inside. Which I did. :) 

The Domus Aurea still has its walls and ceilings, many of which
still have frescoes on them, helping one to better understand what 
Roman architecture and art would have looked like in its original state

   I had so much fun exploring on my own, but my phone was about to die, so I met up with Makena and Sawyer. We ended our evening with a little bit of thrifting, a spontaneous museum visit, and a nice dinner in front of the Pantheon. 

We walked past the Colosseum on our way to the AirBNB 
to see it at night and I waved goodbye. 

So, to sum it up, I had an amazing time. What made the difference? Mostly, the people. Sites and monuments are great, but they don't amount to much if you aren't laughing and smiling. I've found that in order to experience something, you have to do more than just see it. You have to create memories around it, and if you want those to be good memories, you have to make them with the people you love and enjoy.