Italy Trip Day 7: Underground Rome and Isola Tiberina

On our last full day in Rome, Candi and I had a tour planned in the morning to see the hidden/underground part of Rome. This tour would take us to three churches that were literally built on top of former churches, and in the case of one, on top of a former church that was on top of ancient Roman housing. It was a very interesting tour that unfortunately didn't allow photographs in 2 of the 3 places we visited. You could walk down stairs a level and go back in time to the remains of what was there before. One place even had a stone coffin, and another a pile of bones! Another had paintings from inside what would have been like the kitchen of a Roman home.  It was a very neat tour, and I am glad to have seen it.

We had another tour to the Borghese Gallery and Gardens that last afternoon, and we actually skipped it. I am sure it is fabulous, but we had been on walking tours all week (walking miles upon miles a day, no joke), and had not really had any time to just relax. We spent the afternoon instead napping (her) and reading (me), then we went souvenir shopping and had a blast, and then took a cab to Isola Tiberina for dinner. Isola Tiberina is simply translated to Tiber Island, and it is on the Tiber River and is connected by a bridge to the rest of Rome. I had wanted to see it, because it is supposed to be the birthplace of healing and it is said that the Romans had a statue, aesculapius, brought over from Greece. This statue has a man with a staff with a snake curled around it (sound familiar?). The staff with the snake is the caduceus and is the symbol of medicine (winged staff with snake). Though I did further learn that this symbol is actually a symbol of Hermes, the messenger god, and is mistakenly used as the medical symbol when  it should actually be the rod or  Staff of Asclepius (sometimes also spelled Asklepios or Aesculapius), so really see, this was the original medical symbol. Asclepius was the ancient Greek god of medicine, son of the god Apollo and Coronis. At some point, Asclepius healed a snake, which in return taught him secret knowledge - snakes were considered divine beings that were wise and could heal. This is how the symbol of Asclepius and later healing was a rod wreathed with a snake. Asclepius was so good at healing that he had managed to cheat death and bring people back from the underworld. As a result, Zeus killed him to maintain the balance and placed him on the night sky under the constellation of the Ophiuchus (the snake holder).
Stolen from: http://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Asclepius/asclepius.html
Sorry, I love my Greek mythology. 

Anyhow, the evening was a fine one with a rather interesting seafood dinner (Candi's lasagna had octopus in it!). I never did see the statue. For all I know it is inside the big church as you cross over the bridge or at the hospital there on the island, and I honestly was done exploring. But Isola Tiberina is full of cafes, restaurants and shops on the river with live music and street vendors. It is lovely place to visit, and was one of my favorites. 

Italy Trip Day 6: Orvieto and Assisi (My FAVORITE day!!)

Duomo Orvieto

WARNING: Lots of pictures in this post!

This day began bright and early as we boarded a small bus that took us to our larger bus for the day at 7:00 AM. We would be leaving the city of Rome for the day to see two cities and of course a handful of churches in the Umbria region of Italy. The bus was cushy and air-conditioned, and honestly, I slept (thankfully) most of the way to our first stop in Orvieto. Orvieto was a cute little town in which we got an hour of free time. Candi and I (or I should say mostly I had some creature comforts to take care of like finding a restroom and ordering a coffee), then we set off to explore Duomo Orvieto, a beautiful striped cathedral and a walled garden looking down on the wine country below. Then we boarded the bus again for about an hour to head outside Assisi where we would have lunch at gorgeous resort with bungalows overlooking the valley (I could totally see staying there!). Lunch consisted of 3 different types of bruschetta with red wine, penne pasta with fresh tomatoes, a beef and potato dish, and then a colorful Neapolitan like cake dessert (no idea what it was called, but similar texture to tiramisu, just different flavors).

From there we drove past large brick or stone country homes. I loved to see them out the window, as I saw no houses in Rome, just apartments. We drove past Lake Trasimeno (wish we had stopped there!) and to the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli at the foot of the hills in Assisi. The churches here are made of pink and white limestone. It was also the first "pay to use" bathroom I had encountered, but for .50 Euros (basically 50 cents), I got a clean bathroom with toilet paper. I could write an entire post about the restroom system in Italy (or lack thereof) and how toilets often have no seat, bathrooms lack toilet paper, and how you have to get very used to the idea of just entering cafes and restaurants and politely asking (In Italian usually) "Dove il bagno, per favore?" That phrase got a lot of use for me! But I digress...

Lake Trasimeno

Assisi

We made our way to the city of Assisi which is perched on the hilltop. Then we walked through the winding streets to see various churches (many not allowing photos), shops, and sights. We saw the Church of Saint Clare and Basilica of Francesco d'Assisi. It was interesting to learn that Assisi's tourism has increased dramatically since Pope Francis took his seat (since he took the namesake). I LOVED this town. I can't even begin to explain it, so bear with me. Sisters, Oregon is one of my favorite little towns. It has a very nice downtown full of all kinds of shops and places to eat, and the scenery is gorgeous. This is my only comparison. Assisi sits on a hill and is full of winding cobblestone streets, clothing shops, cafes, meat and cheese shops, churches, and views. There are nuns and monks that actually live at the churches there, and you can see them walking around. It was quaint and grand all at once. This girl was also longing to be away from the bustle of the huge city of Rome, so this trip was perfect timing. I would go again here in a heartbeat and spend WAY more time without the tour guide (we ditched her about midway through to look around ourselves...it's okay, we knew the meeting spot and time). I also had to say that I loved that there were dogs everywhere. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, so you have a very pet friendly city that Italian visitors walked dogs of all sizes, shapes, and colors through.

That night on the way back our bus driver and tour guide got lost dropping us at hotels. We were on the bus just under 4 hours before I had had enough (why are there no bathrooms on "nice" buses in this country???). Candi and I jumped off at someone else's stop across town from our hotel and hailed a cab. For this, and the fact that our guide was pretty awful, if I bother to rate the tour, it will do poorly...however, please note that Orvieto and Assisi especially stand alone. If you are ever there, make your own way to them via train or car, and take them all in without time limits. That's my advice.

Italy Trip Day 5: Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum

We enjoyed a delicious meal with wine last night after touring Vatican City. I was all set to relax and maybe catch up on a bit of sleep, but apparently my body had other plans. Have I mentioned that I am a painfully light sleeper? Like snoring, moving, lights, any noise from other floors, heck even breathing too loud wakes me up and then I have trouble falling back asleep? Yep. At home we sleep with not one, but two box fans on in our room and half the time Barrett or I ends up on the couch upstairs. I've tried earplugs, Melatonin, sleeping with music, etc, etc, etc. So, I knew sleeping might be an issue on this trip as it usually is when I travel, but here I was saving money by rooming with Candi...

Halfway through the second night I scrawled out a note to Candi and grabbed just the bare essentials (I still didn't have my luggage!) and trudged down to the front desk. The night-time clerk at the hotel happened to be the kindest and most helpful clerk there, and he was able to get me my own room for the remainder of that night at half price and then a different, smaller room, for the rest of the stay on the same floor as Candi. I was so thankful, and though  I felt pretty dumb to have to get my own room, sleep is pretty essential. So, 4 hours of sleep later (this was becoming my nightly average), and a quick cafe latte, I was ready for an all day tour.  

I have to say that, for the most part, this tour was very enjoyable. The ruins at the Roman Forum of various temple, sculptures and arenas were amazing to see. Palatine Hill topped that with the sweeping views. I personally loved Palatine Hill for all the greenery. The pines and gardens were quite literally a breath of fresh air as well as offered much- needed shade. Rome in August is hot...each day was between 82-88 degrees for a high, and the humidity made it very sticky. We breaked for lunch in a cute little neighborhood that our guide recommended and had slices of "real" pizza. It was delicious. We sat and ate right next to the ruins of the training camp for gladiators that connects to the Colosseum via an underground passage. 

The Colosseum itself was amazing. It had been a downpour when we awoke that morning, and we had been told first thing that the underground part of the Colosseum tour would be closed due to dangerous conditions (it floods rather easily). Luckily, not even 20 minutes into the tour the sun came out, and since the Colosseum was our last stop in the afternoon we did end up getting to go underground. I am so glad too. To see where the gladiators and the animals were kept, as well as the rudimentary elevators they used, and to gaze at the stage in the arena above, you could get a feel for the whole thing. The wooden stage has been partially rebuilt just to show how it once was. We were told that gladiators waiting to fight could see blood seep through the floor above and hear everything that was going on. Many gladiators took their own life rather than chance losing it in an even more brutal fashion. Interesting fact we learned though, is that contrary to popular belief, often the fights were stopped before a death occurred. You see, the gladiators were prize fighters that were gambled on by wealthy emperors, and if there was a good fighter, he was worth a lot of money. The battle would be stopped before a fatality happened, and these fighters would fight just a few times a year for a few years before being released. A popular job for them was to train the next line of gladiators. Then we went out onto the stage to experience the feeling a gladiator would have of looking up into the stands. Finally, we went to the top of the Colosseum for amazing views of the entire arena. 

After a few hours of dinner and rest we left again for a night-time tour called Ghosts and Mysteries. It was to show us creepy places in Rome and hear the legends that went with them.

 Honestly, it was our least favorite tour. Some of the sites were interesting enough, but the guide was not that great. It turned that day into a very long one with a very early morning the next day as we had a tour to Assisi and Orvieto planned.

Italy Trip Day 4: Angels and Demons Tour and Vatican City

Wearing my new Italian linen pants and sleeveless top (since my luggage is still MIA), I set out for my first full day in Rome. It had been an awful first night. I spent half of it attempting to sleep on a towel on the floor of the bathroom. Migraine combined with the fact that I am an insanely light sleeper...yeah. We breakfasted at the hotel, which had a nice selection of pastries, breads, fruit, cereal, meats and cheeses, as well as scrambled eggs (for us Americans! Italians do not eat eggs at breakfast I have read). I ordered my first coffee in Italy quite by mistake walking by the coffee counter. "Americano?" the gal asks. "Umm...yes!" I reply. A few minutes later out comes a cup of steaming hot black coffee. Yech. I like my coffee about half cream and sugar, half actual coffee. Candi looks at me, "Order it wrong?" Me: "Pretty sure I did. I wasn't sure if she was asking about coffee or my nationality!" It was coffee. No amount of sugar could rescue that first cup. Thank God for adrenaline when there's only been about 4 hours of sleep! The next few days I would order a cafe latte or cappuccino and be good to go.

I was not to be deterred though. The day would begin with a tour titled Angels and Demons where we would visit all the churches on the path of enlightenment (as well as where 4 cardinals were murdered) in Dan Brown's novel. Places visited include:

• St Maria del Popolo Church
• St Peter's Square
• St Maria della Vittoria Church and Ecstasy of St. Teresa Sculpture by Bernini
• Piazza Navona
• Castel Sant'Angelo

St. Peter's Square

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa

Inside Vatican Museum

In the courtyards at the Vatican Museums

That tour was amazing! I have been home now for a week as I write, and I still think it was one of the best that we went on! The tour guide, Massimo, was a fantastic story-teller, and he re-told the story as we traveled to each site, being sure to point out fact and places where the author had taken poetic license (like the fact that Galileo could not actually have been an Illuminati because they were not around until after his death). It also helped that Massimo was pretty nice to look at.

Close-up of the face of St. Teresa

And the fact that he told us all about the controversy surrounding the sculpture by Gian Lorenzo Bernini called The Ecstasy of St. Teresa! The controversy is that the sculpture is to depict St. Teresa's night-time visions of angels visiting her and alighting her with passion...the description in her book is quite sensual, and the statue is as well (including the fact that there are other sculptures on either side portraying people "viewing" her ecstasy), hence the Catholic church not knowing where they should even place this work of art.

Excerpt from My Life by Teresa of Avila:
I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it.

Picture from the Internet of God touching Adam

St. Peter's Basilica

That afternoon we had another big tour to Vatican City which would include the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, as well as St. Peter's Basilica. There are really no words that can do proper justice to the place. The Sistine Chapel does not allow photography (I was a bit late catching up to the group after a restroom break, and I got this yelled at me by one of the guards!), but the ceiling is breathtaking. I marveled at the section of painting depicting God touching Adam and giving him life. St. Peter's Basilica though, was the icing on the cake. I am not Catholic myself, though this trip has almost convinced me otherwise. When we entered the basilica, there was a mass going on in the inner most part. It was being held in Latin, and the sheer sound of the ancient language while being amidst the opulence of the basilica was enough to give me goosebumps.

Italy Trip Day 3: finally here!

So the third day I was gone ended up being the first actual day in Rome. Our flight came in about 11:30 in the morning, and our plan was to push on through and spend the day exploring so that we could go to bed exhausted that night and acclimate to the new time zone. But wait... Had there been enough travel issues yet?? Apparently not. As we waited at baggage claim and watched the carousel go around and around, Candi got her luggage. Mine? It was a no show. We had been assured by United that when our flight was rescheduled the luggage would go right onto that new flight. So, here I am in a foreign country with no luggage. I went to the customer service counter and was asked to return "in 10 minutes" not once, not twice, but four times! I was told by the not so nice Italian workers that I had to wait long enough to make sure my bag truly wasn't there. When I saw workers come to collect a handful of unclaimed bags, and mine still was MIA, I went to the counter again. I told the man "please do not tell me to come back again in ten more minutes!!" Turns out my bag was left in Chicago. Wonderful.

We took a cab to our hotel, and Candi was amazed with the scary driving. I had experienced similar in Mexico before and only need to add that apparently speed limits and lanes are merely suggestions, and the horn, not the turn signal, is used for letting other drivers know you are coming into their lane. 

Our hotel was very cute and clean and we attempted to settle in. For me this involved washing my undies in the sink so that I had a clean pair for the next day. Seriously. But ah, Rome. One can't let a lack of panties ruin the day! 

We went on a walking tour that evening and marveled at the Spanish Steps, which are 135 steps that our tour guide insisted we walk part of twice... You know, because once wasn't enough. We saw Trevi Fountain, that sadly is being renovated so was empty but still beautiful. We saw our first couple of piazzas and ate our first gelato and then went shopping for a new outfit for me so that I'd have some clean clothes. Good thing too- since my luggage (that was supposed to arrive the very next day) would not arrive until Wednesday AM.