Three Days In Rome: What I Did and How I Liked It

I was very much excited to drive into Rome on this sunny Saturday morning. I don’t know what I was expecting as we exited the highway and followed the GPS to our hotel. What I saw was a city. Except for the signs written in Italian instead of English, it wasn’t that different than New York or Philadelphia at first glance. Traffic, graffiti, people- lots of people. Then I’d see an odd building bigger than any of its surroundings. Then there was a fountain and an even bigger building. Despite the modern city-ness of Rome, there is something else. It is a place share by both modernity and antiquity.

The plan was to explore on our own until Sunday night when we would join our tour group for a twelve day whirlwind adventure.

We were lucky enough to be able to check into our room at 10 a.m. and even got an upgrade because the standard room we booked wasn’t ready yet. The room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. The window was situated in an alcove. I dragged the desk chair into the little space, as well as my suitcase- chair and footstool. From my perch I could see the streetcar, a couple of sidewalk bistros, and the Hotel California. We immediately decided not to go in. We also decided to have lunch at the bistro. I came to think of the view from that window as my little piece of Rome.

We made two reservations- one for the Catacombs of St. Callisto and the other for a tour of the Colosseum. The catacombs was a bucket list item since high school and we opted for a Colosseum tour because on our bus tour we would only be viewing it from the outside. We chose a tour that enabled us to go to the Colosseum floor. It was more expensive, but it’s unlikely we’d ever do this again. On tour we would be seeing the area around the Colosseum, including the Forum, visiting the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Catacombs of San Callisto were a disappointment. Note from the picture above that I used a photo from Wikipedia. That’s because we were not allowed to take pictures inside the catacomb, although I have no idea why as no explanation was given. The picture above shows exactly what I saw. Note that there are no bones in the burial niches. We chose this particular site because we could book it immediately. There are other similar sites and my recommendation is to research exactly what you will see if you go to a different catacomb.

I will add that the structure of the catacombs is pretty cool. For me, being in something so ancient and entwined in history was remarkable in itself. I wish the bones were still there and that I could have taken pictures. I also which our guide had been a better speaker. His English was very good, but he spoke so fast I’d swear he graduated from the University of Auctioneers.

The Colosseum tour was incredible. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, well-spoken, and responsive to questions. His awe of the creation of such a structure was infectious, and he was able to point out the physical attributes of the arena, and walk us through it’s history from conception to its abandonment. He used these elements to teach us about everyday life in Rome, the role of religion in history, and the interactions between Romans and other cultures. This tour was awe inspiring.

The Vatican Museum was beautiful but crowded on this last Monday of October. Actually, it was the only place on the whole trip that was overly crowded. Perhaps people were there for the upcoming All Soul’s Day, a national holiday in Italy. The collection itself is expansive- sculpture, paintings, mosaics, maps, pottery, and tapestries. The place really is an art lovers delight- and you can take all the pictures you want. My problem was that no matter where I was standing, either I was in someone’s way or someone was in my way. Think of this museum as a many-roomed tunnel. You go in and you keep going. There is nowhere to take a break- no bathrooms, cafeterias, or benches on which to contemplate a particular work of art. On the other hand, there’s no way to miss anything with this linear layout. Also, the halls themselves are beautiful, especially the ceilings. The Vatican Museum is a must-see.

The Sistine Chapel, which is part of the Vatican Museum, is another no-photo zone, although I saw several phones out. I ventured one discreet photo, and here it is. The chapel is a rectangular room lined with benches. Every inch of the benches were occupied as was most of the floor. Of course the main event is the ceiling frescoes by Michelangelo. The colors, painted over the course of four years from 1508–1512, are still incredibly vibrant and his mastery is inarguable. With that said, I was also impressed by the wall frescoes by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, Rosselli, Perugino, and Signorelli.

If I had one disappointment, it was a misconception about the size of the chapel. When we look at a photo of the Sistine ceiling, we are looking at a closeup. From the floor of the chapel, those paintings are a long way up and dimly lit. The photo above is zoomed in and taken from the only angle I had access to. When you enlarge the picture you can truly appreciate the artistry.

St. Peter’s Basilica is grand. In one room you can see the Pieta by Michelangelo, the canopy from which only the pope is allowed to say Mass, and a statue of St. Peter that’s toes were worn off from people touching them. They had to move it out of reach to preserve the statue. About 90 popes are buried here, including St. Peter. The statues and artwork, as well as the architecture is stunning. This basilica is arguably the heart of Christianity.

Despite the grandeur and artistry, I was struck by the one thing that was missing. There are no pews, rendering it more of a museum than a church. When there is a religious event, they do bring in chairs. But on a day to day basis, the Basilica is visited by huge numbers of people to tour by not pray. There are pews in the side chapels, but none in a position to take in the scope of the St. Peter’s. Regardless, this is definitely a place to visit.

Was the trip to the Vatican worth putting up with the crowd? Absolutely! Even though the Vatican is actually a separate country, I have to say that if you haven’t seen the Vatican you haven’t seen Rome. I’d also venture that the Colosseum is amazing, and the city of Rome itself is a worthy destination. It was amazing to walk the streets where to much of world history took place.