Rome and a Note About Dogs

We were in the first row of seats on the plane. A novelty.

I regretted hitting Sarah with Italy after Germany and Austria. The cacophony and mayhem of the public transport system, intense and persistent traders waving things in your face and the cavalier Italian attitude was hard to bear. It was also raining persistently and at times heavily for the first day, and it made the challenge of figuring out how to get to our most hard-to-read Airbnb even trickier. It also required a very stoic attitude to bear the open air Roman Forum and Colosseum. Despite Rome being the warmest country on our trip, it was the coldest I have been yet. It was, of course, made easier by the distraction of such immense and incredible history.

The Roman Forum

Day two was raining again. Having learned our lesson the previous day, we wore our winter coats and took umbrellas. We had a morning tour of the Vatican booked.

The view of the Tiber from close to our Airbnb

The queue to the Vatican. We were glad we booked a tour.

Damp, with the dome of St Peter's in the background.

A vase by the 'Achilles Painter' that I studied at high school.

A surprise Dali on the way to the Sistine Chapel.

After our tour, we decided to climb to the cupola of St Peter's. The basilica is the largest in the world. It has markers on its marble floor that shows the sizes of other comparable cathedrals, and the second largest (the Duomo in Florence) doesn't even come close. Somehow, though, the size is lost on me when we are inside. I know it is big, but it doesn't seem that big.

We climbed the 500+ steps to the balcony:

The size is more apparent in the picture than in reality.

We enjoyed the view from the balcony but were confused by the ease of getting there. The bell tower in Prague was a lot more effort. I suggested it was perhaps 500+ 'paces' not steps. Until, upon exiting, we saw a narrow corridor with warning signs for people with heart issues not to proceed.

The climb was exhilarating. It wasn't one continually winding spiral as most seem to be. We ducked and wove around, with some narrow straight passages, and some twirling. The roof began to slope in on us, so you had to walk scrunched over to one side. We reached some wide metal stairs with a queue. And then the tiniest, curliest stairs I had ever seen. They were so narrow they had a rope for us to cling to. At the top, we emerged into the cage of the cupola, and Rome splayed out beneath us. The rain was persistent and heavy, but the view was worth it.

The Papal Residence.

You can see the cage where we were - it is just above the blue part, beneath the tiny (looking) columns right at the tippy-top. 

There was a cafe halfway down, I had to have an espresso!

The 'down' stairs spat us back out inside the Cathedral, which was an unexpected bonus.

The ridiculous uniform of the Swiss Guard was unfortunately covered by a cape due to the rain.

Pointing inaccurately to where I was a few moments ago, taking the picture below.

These are the statues on top of the facade of the basilica. They are huge. Like 4 times bigger than me. Look how titchy they look in the picture below.

Day 3 we used a podcast by Rick Steves to explore the centre of Rome rather than join a walking tour. It was fantastic. It was like having a personal guide and the directions to how to get to the next part were so clear.

This statue of Menelaus and his son is one of the oldest in the city, and it a famous place for locals to post protest flyers against politics. Note the TRUMP acrostic.

Campo Del Fiore

Thanks to Rick Steves, we bumbled into this innocuous church. It was small and plain in the Roman landscape, but just casually had some Caravaggio paintings (below).

The Pantheon

We arrived at the Trevi Fountain as sunlight blazed down on it, and placed us in the shade. It was hard to take photographs with the contrast, so we resolved to come back later.

The podcast tour ended at the Spanish Steps.

That night, we discovered we were close to a large park that had great views of the city, so we went for a nighttime walk up the hill.

And popped back down close to the Vatican. I couldn't resist seeing St Peter's Square at night, and it did not disappoint.

Despite the rain, despite the hurdles with public transport and despite the crush of tourists for the first time on the trip, the magic of Rome was not lost on me. I loved every second of it, even when it was difficult. There is no place in the world that I have seen that has the depth of history, the concentration of beauty and the passion of Rome. And now that I have left, I want to go back.

A Note On Dogs

I continue to be baffled by the European approach to dogs. In each country we have visited; Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and now Italy, dogs can go anywhere. It is strange to see a dachshund under someone's chair in a cafe, or a schnauzer wandering around the supermarket. They are allowed in ancient World Heritage Sights and on flights from Vienna to Rome. The go into Zara changing rooms with their owners and come with them on the trains. They have all been well behaved and docile, but it is taking some getting used to.