A few days in Rome

The longest of my stays while I'm Europe, Rome was going to be more of a home away from home. A house swap with my now good friends Barbara and Simone allowed them and Simone's brother Fabio staying in at my place in June and me in Rome in August. Yes three and half weeks in August in hot beautiful Rome.

Arriving from the straight ordered lines of Zurich, I laughed out loud by my very first experience of the lovely chaos that Italy can provide. A baggage carousel brimming to overflowing with suitcases, boxes and eventually my backpack.

Simone picked me up at the airport and we drove the hour drive to where I would be staying. The friendliest Roman I had ever met, Simone sweet manor put me at ease as we filled in parts of our backgrounds we had not known. 

I arrived at the house to meet Barbara, in whose house I would be staying. Recently married they spend time between their houses. They would stay at Simone's.  Barbara would be making a long commute to her job near her house.

Eager to start exploring I unpacked and headed out to see Rome. First stop the Colosseo. Yes, one of the few selfies I took. This ancient structure that I had seen in postcards was more impressive than I had imagined. I started to feel and age of this city and imagine those who had spent their time in this huge structure. Later in my trip I would tour the inside and was dumbstruck by the architecture and technical knowhow of ancient Rome.

Next to the Colosseo is the Roman Forum which is surrounded by a large collection of buildings from ancient Rome. It is hard to describe the feeling of walking through this place that used to be the center of Roman life. An eery sense of wonder.

I happened to be in Rome during a modern art installation in the Roman Forum ruins. Provocative exhibits in an ancient structure. I wandered around each of the exhibits until it closed. 

My first night out roaming Rome I happened across a free Jazz concert by Bass Voice Project, in an area behind the Vittoriano. I love this type of happenstance. The amazing skill of the guy in the duo was that by using pedals and other electronics he was able to create a symphony of sound using a bass guitar.

Rome is a vast city filled with delight, bubbling life, impressive architecture and ancient ruins. Wondering around Rome I followed my curiosity and was rewarded every time. That first day after the Colosseo I just kept walking. In August many Romans leave the city for holidays in cooler weather and leave the city to the huge tourist influx. A friend had passed along a list of must see sights in Rome which I made use of that first night. 

I found Fontana di Trevi and was able to see the wondrous waterfall sculpture with a few of my closest friends. Also not far from there is the Spanish Steps I had heard about from other travelers. I made my way there as a starting point. The fountain at the bottom of the stairs is beautiful and I got my first taste of the water that bubbles out of drinking fountains in Rome. Delicious!.

Creating a rhythm of my working and exploration while in Rome, I worked early and went exploring in the afternoon and evenings.  Breakfast either at home or head out to local cafes for cappuccino and Contieto ( a typical Italian breakfast) 

After the stifling heat of the middle of the day I would head out in the late afternoon and evening of exploring. Usual catch a bus around 4 pm to the center or Rome and a late bus home around 11:30pm. As I write this it's hard to fathom how much I saw of the great city of Rome. I adored it all. 

The Vittoriano is a huge structure which I saw from a mile away and left me in awe of its grandeur. The bronze statues which adorn the building tower over the city and are spectacular. The colors of the sunset against the stone is breathtaking. 

I had the fortune of wandering past an exhibit of the artist Banksy. An influential artist in the graffiti art world Banksy working is provocative and thought provoking. 

I had a desire to keep up with my running while in Rome but did not find that rhythm at all. I did do a few runs. This run through the Villa Borghese was gorgeous. I enjoy this way of seeing a site sometimes. Aimlessly running around and taking photos. After sending the time and distance of the run (5 mile, 90 min) to Dave my brother his comment was that the run must have been beautiful. Yes there were frequent stops for photo opportunities. 

While running I came across Rome Globe theater nestled in the center of the Villa grounds. Playing that night was the Merchant of Venice. It was to be in Italian, as you would expect. I only understood 4% of the Italian spoken during the play but could follow the happenings for the most part. The open air wooden theater was a marvel.

350, one curator told me is the number of churches in Rome. I lost count of how many I visited. Gazing up at the inside of these beautiful buildings I felt twinges of both awe and sadness. Awe in the staggering ornate beauty man can produce in reverence to God and sadness that this is the way they believe God would appreciate their time, effort and money would best be spent. With these two feelings I wandered through many churches.

Of all the structures of this type I saw none compared with Vatican city, The Sistine Chapel and St Peters Basilica. I have seen wonders that nature has made on this earth and I believe man did pretty well in making this wonder. From the intricate sculptures of the Vatican Museum, to the unbelievable skill of Rapheal’s paintings, to the epic space of St Paul's Basilica, this experience is one I treasure. Truly marvelous. The long climb up to the top of the Basilica in August in Rome is a lesson in heat and small places. Not for the faint of heart and definitely not for the claustrophobic.

The Modern art museum Maxxi was a delight to visit. A vast change from the ancient and religious sights I had been seeing. Thought provoking and just plain cool art showing the vibrancy of the art in Italy and Rome.

A wonderful experience while in Rome was being a sightseeing guide for a couple I has met in San Diego who were visiting. After spending so many evenings wandering around the city I was able to show them a few of my favorite. A nice feeling of knowing my adopted city, even if it was adopted for only a few weeks. 

I am so very grateful to my host family who swapped houses and let me taste just a little of what Roman life is like. Thank you Simone, Barbara, and Fabio.