The Fall of Rome

Rome was more than we expected. Around every corner there was something old; we found it to be much like Athens in this aspect. We opted for a hop-on/hop-off bus tour rather than trying to figure out public transport. Our first stop was the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, which got us really excited for Rome. We first walked all around the ancient Palatine Hill, which included the old markets, the Forum, Caesar Augustus' villa, and other interesting sites that are still being excavated. From there, we crossed the road and took our first step into the Colosseum. It is huge, and there are all sort of tourist traps around it. People offer you tours for 'very cheap, we treat you well' and everyone sells knock-off gladiator helmets and other things you saw in Russell Crowe movies. But we decided to do it on our own; no audio-guides, no tours, just an entry ticket and reading the signs. Every now and then we'd listen to a fact from other guided groups, but really we were there to experience it for ourselves. We also did this for the Vatican; the Vatican offered more sites and treasures than the Colosseum, but we preferred to do it on our own anyway. In order to enter into the Vatican, we had to go through a medical detector and let our bag get checked. No worries, it is totally worth it, because St. Peter's Basilica was absolutely stunning and we were able to see the tomb of the Popes and the famous Michelangelo statue that stands in the Northeast corner of the church. Also inside the Vatican, we found they had the Vatican Museum, which houses the Sistine Chapel and other precious works of art and history. We couldn't include any pictures of the Sistine Chapel because we weren't allowed to film it or take any pictures. After seeing all that the Vatican City had to offer, we made our way to Castel sant'Angelo, a former home of the Borgias; and Trevi fountain, one of the most beautiful fountains that is carved with great white marble statues. Here, we threw in some coins for good luck. From there we took a gander on down the road to the Pantheon, an ancient pagan temple that has withstood the test of time and is now a famous church. The Romans built it with a huge hole in the dome, so that we could see the sky from inside, and making it one of the coolest bits of architecture we have seen in Rome. As the sun set in West and the streetlights came on, Jesse and I walked to the Spanish steps and climbed that steep staircase, finding a really cool old church at the top. After walking all over it, we sat on our butts, and scooted down the stairs. From there, we made our way to Isola Tiberina, Tiber Island, and walked all over it in the dark. This was our last night in Rome; a truly remarkable experience. We spent a total of 3 nights in Rome, which we figure is the perfect amount of time to sight-see all the interesting bits, although we definitely want to return some day.