When in Rome, roam quickly!

Life has an odd way of making things work. You know the universe is with you when your timing has been perfect all along. Right from finding the right guy to getting engaged at the right time, getting married at the right time and finally heading out on the much awaited honeymoon; at the right time.

After a wedding that lasted 4 days and a quick trip to both our native places, we reached the airport in the middle of the night, jaded and in some desperate need for sleep.

Starting point – Mumbai, India ~ Destination – Rome, Italy

Day 1: Doing as the Romans did!

My husband, V and I landed at our first destination, Rome, Italy after a seemingly long flight, headed straight to our beautiful hotel in Fiumicino and got ready for our first guided tour.

We met our chirpy tour guide for the evening, Janet at Piazza del Popolo. Walking around for 3 hours, we saw some of Rome’s most beautiful sights, got some very, very interesting trivia and experienced the sights and sounds of Rome.

We first saw the statue of Giordano Bruno at Campo de’ Fiori – famous for its night market. Funny insight here, Giordano Bruno was the man who proposed that the stars were distant suns surrounded by their own planets, and he raised the possibility that these planets might foster life of their own, a philosophical position known as cosmic pluralism. He also insisted that the universe is infinite and could have no “center”. Starting in 1593, Bruno was tried for heresy by the Roman Inquisition on charges of denial of several core Catholic doctrines, including eternal damnation, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the virginity of Mary, and transubstantiation. Bruno’s pantheism was also a matter of grave concern, as was his teaching of the transmigration of the soul. The Inquisition found him guilty, and he was burned at the stake in Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori in 1600. After his death, he gained considerable fame, being particularly celebrated by 19th- and early 20th-century commentators who regarded him as a martyr for science, although historians agree that his heresy trial was not a response to his astronomical views but rather a response to his philosophy and religious views. Bruno’s case is still considered a landmark in the history of free thought and the emerging sciences.

☝️ that’s what wikipedia says. Imagine living in a time where one could be burnt at stake for simply having a scientific opinion about the universe. According to Janet, and also general speculation, his statue is placed in its current position and angle as an insult to the Papacy, since it originally was to face the sun, but now faces St. Peters Basilica.

The next stop was rather amazing. We walked and waked a little further. I’d describe the place in the following words, “a thousand flashing lights, a million clinking coins, a gazillion people and the sound of gushing water!” Oh yes, we encountered that mad rush at Fontana Trevi, threw in one coin, just to be sure we made another trip to this beautiful place and got going.

While on our way, we saw he Spanish Steps, something I remember from the film “A Roman Holiday”. We also walked by little Italian gardens with some of the best vantage points in the city, but not many people know of it, so they weren’t as crowded as the rest of the tourist spots in Rome.

We then made a hurried trip to the Pantheon, because we got there almost at closing time. A former Roman temple and now a church, the Pantheon is a gorgeous piece of architecture right in the centre of Rome, and probably one of the best preserved structures of this city. Janet took us around the structure first to show us the original level of the city of Rome which was about 7 feet below the streets today. We then went inside this marvelous building and definitely felt the presence of something divine inside, whether it was the obelisk, the prayers or just the sheer brilliance of the Pantheon, there was something positive about that visit.

We finally concluded our rendezvous at Piazza Navona, right next to Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Another magnificent structure right in the centre of the city, the fountain was built in 1651 by Bernini for Pope Innocent X, whose family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor. The fountain brings rivers from every part of the world together – the Nile representing Africa, the Danube representing Europe, the Ganges representing Asia, and the Río de la Plata representing the Americas.

We did this whole tour on foot, and that’s probably why I lost so much weight during my honeymoon.

We called it a night at this quaint little Italian restaurant, Casa Copelle, and splurged on some of the best wine and food we’ve have ever had.

Day 2: Purging sins

This was the day we chose to purge all our sins at the holiest place on earth, the Vatican City. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, for the things we saw there, 1,000 words wouldn’t begin to do it justice. It was the day we were part of history.

We first went to the Vatican Museum. We wandered for hours through galleries crammed with 15th and 16th-century Italian paintings, courtyards displaying Greek and Roman sculpture, and seemingly endless hallways lined with ancient maps and musty tapestries. Oh my God, the artistic treasure that lives within those walls. But, one of the most striking features, in a world full of renaissance art, was the Bramante staircase, spiralling down in a hypnotic spin.

We walked our way to St Peter’s Square next, while trying to fend off guides on our way. And once we got there, wow! The panorama that it offers! It was breathtaking, words can’t even describe the expansive, gorgeous structure that it is. And inside the Basilica, all of the amazing sculptures, the ceilings and artwork were just mind-blowing. So. Much. Gold. The whole interior of the church is so extravagant and opulent, but so beautiful. I still can’t get over that all of this is nearly 500 years old. It’s just really incredible to think that all of this has survived so much, and so many years, and is still in excellent condition.

We went to the Sistine Capel next. We walked the length and breadth of the chapel, heads tilted back and mouths open, enjoying every discovery of a new perspective to appreciate the frescoes that arched above us covering every wall.

Whoever has endured a visit to the Sistine Chapel during the day would agree that there is something divine going on among the chaos. The shoulder-to-shoulder scrum of tour groups, the guards barking “no pictures, no pictures,” the fight for seats, the pressure to move on and make way for the crowd behind you, but one look at the frescos and you transgress into a parallel dimension, one full of wonder and awe.

We ended the evening at the Pantheon again, an awesome reminder of the great Roman Empire. Michelangelo famously described it as being built by angels and not by man. We both relived Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons all over again by following those multiple references to the Pantheon, the Oculus, Raphael’s tomb and what not!

We concluded the night with a cozy dinner at a restaurant right outside the Pantheon. Delicious food, amazing wine and my sexy husband, I couldn’t ask for more!

Day 3: All roads lead to Rome

This was the day we saw Rome in its truest spirits. We spent the day just enjoying the open air museum that is Rome; full of ruins, glorious fountains, and beautiful architecture, it was such a treat.

After wandering about for a while and spotting some amazing things like Gepetto’s wood shop, some very cool vespas, vintage cars and quirky looking artichokes, we reached the Trevi fountain again. Just to be absolutely sure to make another visit to this gorgeous city, this time V threw in a coin.

We walked to the Roman Forum next. Imagine stepping on the same soil that Romans stepped on, 2000 years ago. Nestled in a valley between Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Roman Forum still impresses, just as it must have centuries ago when it was the centre of Roman public life.

The play of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare was part of my curriculum in school and it was both fascinating and unnerving to be on the same ground that he was actually cremated in. After his assassination, he was granted the title Divine Julius and in 29 BC and Augustus had a temple dedicated in his honour. The temple was built on the site where Caesar’s body was cremated and Mark Antony read his famous speech, right there. Today, all that remains of the temple is the alter. And we were standing right there.

I was engrossed in its rich history and fascinated by the remaining structures. The Roman Forum used to be a city centre, not just a single museum or a building. An area so big you need hours to explore. Not only that, remember that Rome was not built in a day, and that the buildings are coming from different periods, all vying for space in this formerly densely populated city centre. It was brilliant!

Our next stop was the Colosseum. Built around 80AD, it once held over 50,000 spectators who came to watch the best in Roman entertainment. You could see gladiators fighting, wild animal hunts with exotic species like tigers and elephants, or plays being performed, and even a few sacrifices. Although it has been heavily damaged by earthquakes since then, it is still one of Rome’s most recognisable buildings. And as you walk around the galleries and look down into the arena you can still picture it as it was, filled with excitable – and slightly bloodthirsty – crowds. Needless to say, we clicked way too many pictures. It started raining. We walked out, grabbed a quick bite and took a bus back to our hotel.