Rome Bloopers

I will start with bloopers from the Venice part of Italy;

We were with Tyler and Andrea, so there were seven of us.  Note to self...   that is a lot of people to manage in such large buildings and crowds.  We went into the St Peter's Basilica as a group, but came out separately.  So let me explain;  There are many rooms in this Basilica with many things to see; including a second floor.  So when we were on the second floor, Reed allowed Sam and Nate to explore on their own.  When time had passed and Nate and Sam had not returned, Reed and Connor went looking for them.  Then more time had passed.... AND now- not only no Nate and Sam, but Reed and Connor was also missing.  Tyler, Andrea and I went looking for them.  Little did we know; Reed found them and they all went downstairs to further view what the Basilica had to offer.  After some time of searching with negative results and a mother worrying about her little children, Tyler suggested we send Reed a text message about their location.  We did and Reed replied that he had all the kids and they were waiting outside for us.  Whew.  No one was lost in the crowd or in the Basilica.  Thank you Technology or we would have been still looking for each other. 

So later that day we went to a very large museum that hosted some of the oldest Christian paintings.  We were determined to stay together.  I was constantly checking;  Sam- check, Nate- check, Connor- check, Reed and Tyler- check.  Andrea was my buddy for the day.  As usual, with seven people viewing works of art, some linger and some want to move on to the other rooms.  So Andrea and I were very good about communicating to the men when we left them behind to view other rooms AND the men...  not so much.  In the end, Andrea and I could not find Reed and Tyler with the boys.  So we started back tracking.  We found Connor and asked where everyone else was in the building.  He said that they were coming.  So we told Connor to tell the guys that we were leaving that room and viewing the other paintings in another room.  All Connor heard was "we are leaving" and nothing more.  So he told the guys that it was time to go.  A short time later, Andrea and I could not hear any noises from the McPeak boys.  Andrea texted Tyler as to their location and he told her that they were all out in front of the building waiting for us;  since we were leaving.  UGH!  Really?!?  There were only a couple of rooms left and we wanted to see them.  Oh well,  we were done and met with them out in front of the building.  We all had to laugh at our miscommunication.  Too funny.

Apparently, the day before we got to Venice, Tyler and Andrea had gone exploring.  On their way home from the sites they took a wrong turn and got lost.  They told us about how the alleys and buildings are confined and all the tall buildings block your view and your direction so everything looks the same.  They walked around for about an hour and by pure dumb luck they found their way back to the hotel.  They told us that it was pretty freaky being lost and not being able to really view their location in order to find a way back to the hotel.  SO getting lost in Venice is actually a common occurrence.  They say, you haven't experienced Venice unless you get lost.  Well, Tyler and Andrea can check that one off the list!

So now we are off to Rome and not many bloopers followed us there;

Nate had a cold.  We felt bad for him, but it was a cold.  SO I tried to alleviate his symptoms with cold medication.  The day we went to visit the Vatican Museum, Nate told me that he felt really bad and did not think that he wanted to go.  I stressed to him about how this trip was once in a lifetime and he had to figure out how to push past the crappy cold he was feeling.  Nate sucked it up and off we went.  In the middle of the museum, Nate turned to me and said, "I think I am going to faint."  I felt his cold sweaty forehead and realized that he didn't just have a cold, but had a fever, and his fever had probably just broken.  I then told him that he needed to sit down and I gave him water.  I felt really bad for pushing him into going to the museum.  After a brief rest we continued.  Nate made it through the Vatican Museum and the Basilica by resting and leaning on me.  Even though he was sick, he told me that he was glad he went and loved it all.  Needless to say;  he went to bed immediately when we got back. 

One night Reed and Tyler volunteered to go out and bring back dinner.  The kids were tired from our long day of walking around to see the sites.  Andrea and I loved the idea of pizza delivery and the men loved the idea of going out to have a beer while waiting for the pizza.  So off they ventured.  When they came home we saw two smiling men and life was good, UNTIL Reed showed us what a combination meat pizza leaves behind and when you tip the box. Apparently, they do not cook the meat first. The pizza has the raw meat placed on top and then the pizza is cooked. Now, this makes the pizza very greasy and juicy, which leaks from the top of the pizza through the box that you are holding and onto your shirt and pants as you are walking back to your hotel. Reed's shirt was drenched in this reddish grease juice. We all started laughing about the mishap. AND we could not get the stain out- so out into the garbage went the shirt. By the way the pizza was fantastic!

One night was an adult only dinner. The kids were safe at the hotel and Nate was the babysitter. So we walked around until we saw a cozy corner restaurant. We looked at the prices for the food at their display and the food selection and prices seemed reasonable. So we asked for a table and we were seated. Next to us were a couple and they had a huge glass of beer that they were drinking. We all agreed that the beer looked too good to pass up ordered one without looking at the menu.  The beer and menu came.  The menu had a wide selection of food options, but it was rather difficult to line up the food item to the small (extremely small) print on the other side of the page that stated the price.  We worked through it and ordered our food.  We were enjoying our meal when the couple behind us got up and started talking to us.  A Scottish man in his heavy accent asked us if we had viewed the price of the beer before ordering.  We told him that we did not.  He then said, "Well that is how they got us.  They jack up the price of the drinks here."  He then went on to tell us that each glass of beer was 15 Euros and that it was a ridiculous price for the size of beer we were drinking.  Realize that is about 20 dollars per glass of beer that was probably the equivalence to a 16 oz can of beer.  SAY WHAT?!?!  We had been duped, as well.  I originally thought something was odd for the print of the food and its description so easy to read, but the price of the item hard to locate and difficult to read.  In the end we did look at the very last page of the menu and saw that the Scottish man was right......  the GLASS of beer was 15 Euros.  Needless to say, no one at our table had a second glass of beer.

There were not many bloopers in Italy.  We had extra companions for us and the kids (Tyler and Andrea) which I think made the difference in this vacation.  I have to say that this was one of my favorite vacations, so far.  Thanks Tyler and Andrea for coming all the way out to Italy to join us on this wonderful adventure!

Rome- Day Three

Day three, we were off to St Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum.  We got into a taxi and we had a language barrier, but with our trusty map we showed him where we wanted to go.  When we arrived at the Vatican Museum there was an incredibly long line.  Reed told us that he had pre-ordered our tickets AND boy were we thankful!

An example of how long the lines can get from the ticket purchase entrance

 

 

This museum is actually referred to as the Vatican City that houses some of the greatest museums/galleries in the world.  There are 54 galleries inside this city with the last gallery being the Sistine Chapel.  The Vatican's art collection was originally built up by the Roman Catholic Church, starting out as a group of sculptures in 1503.  Throughout the centuries many different Popes acquired the massive art collections that now includes some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art.  Their motive to share their art pieces was to promote art history and its culture.  In the end, some 4 million people visit this museum every year and here are some photos that clearly show why;

 

 

Several paintings of  "Mary"

 

The garden of the museum

  

A gallery/room filled with marble statues

 

Gallery filled with tapestries, notice that the ceiling is painted

 

A gallery filled with painted walls and ceiling

 

Raphael's room- the "School of Athens"

 

Sistine Chapel -The Michelangelo's Famous room

 





Now realize the Vatican museum is over 9 miles long, and it is said that if you spent one minute admiring each painting it would take you four years to complete the museum.  That is just an estimate for viewing only the paintings. 

 

St Peter's Basilica.  Reed learned that there was a door connecting the Museum to the Basilica that most tour groups use to avoid the lengthy walk around the buildings and long lines.  SO off we went through that door with a tour group to make it easier to enter into the Basilica. This was an incredible find and short cut.

 

The St Peter's Basilica originated in 64 BC.  Nero blamed the Christians for the building.  Nero then persecuted the Christians at the foot of the Vatican hill, where the building stood.  Among the persecuted was the Apostle Peter.  Later, around 160AD, a funeral chapel was made at that location.  Archaeological digs found a red plastered wall where the translation reads; Peter is here. 

 

Constantine built the first large Basilica in 349 on that site.  In 1447; Popes, world known artists and architects worked throughout centuries to enlarge, rebuild and renovate the original Basilica.  In 1626 the Basilica was completed, designed mainly by Donato Brammante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. 

 

St Peter's Basilica is the most renowned work of renaissance and baroque architecture and is one of the largest churches in the world.  Here are some photos of this amazing Basilica

 

The Atrium

 

 One of the entrance doors

 

Michelangelo's "Pieta"

Side note; in 1971 a madman defaced this statue with a hammer.  

It was restored and is now protected by a plate glass.

 

The Nave and St Peter's Throne

 

The left aisle

 

A Funerary monument painting

 

This Basilica is full of marble statues, marble reliefs, and paintings.  There are a large number of tombs of popes and other notable people.  These tombs and funerary monuments are outstanding works of art.  We really enjoyed walking around the Basilica.

 

FYI....   the next blog is the bloopers blog of our trip to Italy.  Stay tuned!

 

 



 

 



Rome -Day Two

Day Two-  we were walking to the Galleria Borghese to view the incredible works of art.  So we planned the walking route to include;  Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps and any other incredible finds during our leisurely walk.

Trevi Fountain was very close to our hotel, so that was our first site to see.  Back in the day, there was a Roman custom that they built a handsome fountain at the endpoint of an aqueduct.  In 1453, Pope Nicholas had the fountain designed by Architect Leon Battista Alberti.  Then in 1629 Pope Urban VIII found that the fountain was insufficiently dramatic and asked Gian Lorenzo Bernini to make the renovations.  BUT that Pope died and the project was abandoned.  In 1730 Pope Clement XII had the fountain redesigned.  Nicola Salvi worked on the project from 1732 until he died in 1751, with the project finally finishing in 1762 by Giuseppe Pannini.  This fountain is one of the most visited sites in Rome.

Overall View of the Fountain

Close up of the Center Pieces of the Fountain

The boys hanging out at the Fountain

The Pantheon has one of the world's largest unreinforced concrete domes and it is one of the world's best-preserved historical buildings.  This building was built in 126 AD as a temple to all the Greek Gods.  The building was rebuilt several times due to fires, wars and demolitions.  In the end, the building was consecrated as a church to save it from Emperor Constans II demolition of buildings in Rome.  The Pantheon now is used for royal tombs and church services. 

When looking at the Pantheon you are able to see the discrepancies with building materials from all the rebuilds and renovations.  This building is massive and the open ceiling is just incredible, considering it is about 2,000 years old.  Here are a couple of photos;

Overall of the Pantheon

A view of the inside- FYI; we were not allowed inside the Pantheon,

because they were holding  mass

Since the Pantheon was closed, we walked around the area to investigate what sites were near by this location and stumbled upon Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.  This church is a minor basilica and houses Michelangelo's statue "Cristo Della Minerva".  It also houses many funerary monuments which had some major artworks and statues.  This church was an incredible find. 

 

Santa Maria Church-  look closely and you can see the water marks  on the

outside exterior wall from the floods in the 16th and 17th century

An example of a funeral monument

One sanctuary of the church

Michelangelo's "Risen Christ" finished in 1521



A different sanctuary located in the church

Spanish Steps were next on the agenda.  The history of the steps are as follows;  The stairway was built to link the Spanish Embassy with Trinita Dei Monti Church.  These steps were made in order to deal with the steep slope of the church to help urbanize the church.  In the end there are 138 steps and it is the widest staircase in Europe.  

Overall view of the Spanish Steps

 

Galleria Borghese was the final destination.  Casina Borghese was built around the 17th century.  Originally it was filled with fountains, groves, and a variety of diverse animals (Ostriches, peacocks, swans and cranes).  In 1730, Prince Marcantonio Borghese began reforming the garden into an English landscape garden.  He then redesigned the building by using Architect Antonio Asprucci as his guide.

 

This villa was two floors with twenty rooms displaying a wide variety of works of art.  In the end, the Borghese Villa was sold to the Italian government along with the entire Borghese estate and surrounding gardens. 

 



Overall View of the Galleria

 

Deposition by Raphael

 

Madonna and Child by Giovanni Bellini

 

*Photos provided by the Internet.  I am writing this blog a couple of months after our visit and can't find any photos from the Galleria.  I believe that cameras were not allowed inside the facility- BUT I can't remember. 

 

Walking all around Rome was very easy and fun.  Shops and restaurants were everywhere.  The kids loved seeing all the different boutiques and unique souvenirs shops.

 

Carriage

 

Typical streets

 

Overall the day was filled with awe inspiring grandiose building, statues, paintings and interior designs.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed the walk around the city.

Rome -Day One

We had several days to spend in Rome.  We dedicated these days to site seeing and broke up the most commonly visited sites by location.  Day one, we were off to the Roman Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  These three sites were all located next to one another and near our hotel.

Ancient Roman Colosseum built in 80 AD was a huge spectacular site.  They estimate that this Colosseum held up to 50,000 spectators.  Each level of seating represented a different class of Roman society.  Entrances, stairwells and hallways all were built to keep the Roman social hierarchies separated from one another.  Much thought and preparation went into the design of this Colosseum, which was obvious.

Realize; Colosseums were for professional fighters (gladiators), to battle animals, and to punish criminals; all in the name of entertainment.  A basement was specifically built so that animals could be hoisted through trap doors into the arena.  The name of the architect is unknown.  But the design process of this Colosseum was complex.  Here are some photos;

The Ancient Roman Colosseum

A view inside the Colosseum

Palatine Hill is one of the most ancient parts of the city and is the central point of the Seven Hills of Rome.  The hill looks down upon the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. This hill has been continuously excavated since the late 18th century; thus the Palatine hill is more of an open air museum in which a person walks through to absorb the life it once was in 1000 BC.

The excavations of the buildings on this site produced; the house of Tiberius, Flavian Palace, Augusta Palace and other emperorial houses.  From these buildings, archaeologists have found; fragments of Bronze Age pots and tools, frescoed walls, mosaics and ceramics.  This hill is literally littered with ruins from the palaces and other buildings that once stood.  Archaeological digs continue to this day.

We are standing at the beginning entrance to Palatine Hill

Overall view of many different buildings

A small Stadium for Flavian's Palace

The Roman Forum is a rectangular plaza of government buildings at the center of the city.  This area was the center of the Roman public life.  Processions, elections, speeches, trials, gladiator matches, and commercial trading all took place here. 

The Roman Forum (5th century BC) is full of archaeological ruins and many excavations still continue.  Flooding and sediments from the surrounding hills have been raising the Forum's foundation, because excavations revealed that residents simply paved over the debris that was too much to remove.  The Forum was like a Town Square that stood for many centuries.  Here are some photos;

Temple of Saturn...  Estimated to have been built in 501BC

This is only a small view of the Forum area with the Temple of Castor and Pollux

dated to have been built in 495 BC in the upper left area

(3 columns left standing)

Arch of Titus built in 82AD

Example of the excavations that still continue

Visiting the Roman Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum was a full day of walking.  It was amazing to see such magnificently large structures that have stood through wars, flooding and much more.  We also enjoyed reading about the history behind these buildings.  This day was enjoyed by all!