Eleven days in Rome: Random Thoughts

I’m back at the airport awaiting my flight to Athens. (I’m not going to finish this until later, though.) My time in Rome has come to an end. I’ve had a lot of time to do a lot of things, and still didn’t manage to do everything I would have liked.

In the past I’ve blogged in linear fashion: first I did this, then I did that. Day by day by day. But this city is complicated, complex, beautiful, fascinating, crowded, gritty, sometimes inspiring, and always interesting. I am unable to write about it in an orderly fashion. I didn’t do things in an orderly fashion. It’s most likely going to be random. I’ll probably publish this blog post in an unfinished state and come back to it with more stories later.

Photo Albums and Steps

At least my photo albums are more-or-less orderly. They illustrate what I did in the order I did it, so there’s that. And I’ve tried to caption my photos with some helpful explanations and historical context. That doesn’t mean you have to read it all, and it doesn’t mean you should go through every photo in every album in order. But if you want to, feel free. When I get home from this trip in another four weeks, I’ll compile some “Best-Of” albums so you can enjoy the highlights.

The other thing that’s orderly is all the walking I did each day, thanks to my Fitbit. So for each day I’ve included the number of steps.

• Wednesday, October 2: Trastevere, including several churches (18,897 steps)
• Thursday, October 3: A walking tour in the heart of Rome, followed by a museum and several churches I saw on my own (17,977)
• Friday, October 4: The Colosseum and ancient sights nearby, plus a walk around the Monti neighborhood and a few other things, including several churches (23,491)
• Saturday, October 5: Two palazzi with extensive private art collections, and several churches (15,653)
• Sunday, October 6: The Capitoline Museum and the Baths of Caracalla (25,455)
• Monday, October 7: The Vatican Museums and the Pantheon (25,282)
• Tuesday, October 8: The Jewish Ghetto and a pasta-making class (10,368)
• Wednesday, October 9: The Borghese Gallery and a few other things (23,668)
• Thursday, October 10: Ostia Antica and a Trastevere food tour (25,417)
• Friday, October 11: St. Peter’s Basilica and the Opera (20,967)
• Saturday, October 12: Tivoli (Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este) (22,220)

Ten Most Memorable Experiences

There were many things I saw and did in Rome that I enjoyed, but here, in no particular order, are ten things that are indelibly etched in my consciousness. 

Michelangelo’s Moses

In the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains) is this masterpiece by the master sculptor, dating from 1515. It was meant to be part of a massive tomb for Pope Julius II, but the artist never got to complete that project.

Here’s how Rick Steves describes Moses in his Rome guidebook:

Moses has just returned from meeting face-to-face with God. Now he senses trouble back home. Slowly he turns to see his followers worshipping a golden calf. As his anger builds, he glares at them. His physical strength is symbolic of his moral and spiritual fortitude as a leader of this people. His powerful left leg tucks under and tenses, as if he’s just about to spring up out of his chair and punish the naughty Children of Israel with the Ten Commandments under his arm.

Like other Michelangelo statues, Moses is both at rest (seated) and in motion (his tensed leg, turning head, and nervous fingers. This restlessness may reflect Michelangelo’s Neo-Platonic belief that the soul is the claustrophobic prisoner of the body. Or it’s the statue itself fighting to emerge from the stone around it.

The horns are the crowning touch. In medieval times, the Hebrew word for “rays of light” (halo) was mistranslated as “horns.” Michelangelo knew better but wanted to give the statue and air of terribilitá, a kind of scary charisma possessed by Moses, Pope Julius II…and Michelangelo. Moses radiates the smoldering terribilitá of a borderline-abusive father.

I think I spent fifteen minutes with Moses. So much to contemplate. So powerful. Considering this and David, it’s clear to me that Michelangelo a man who loved the male physique.

There is much else of Michelangelo in Rome: St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Pietà, and more. But this is the one sculpture of his that, when I saw it, I got weak in the knees.

Trevi Fountain

Sure it’s one of the most popular sights in Rome, and in order to see it you have to weave your way through throngs of other tourists who are more interested in selfies than in art. (Disclaimer: I took a selfie here too.)

The fountain is a celebration of water. And it was, in fact, intended to provide water for the citizens of 18th-century Rome. But that actually goes back to ancient times; there has been a fountain here since 19 BCE. Trevi Fountain is located at the terminus of one of the eleven aqueducts that brought fresh, pure drinking water to Rome from the countryside. That aqueduct, Aqua Virgo, fell into disrepair in the middle ages but was revived as Acqua Vergine, which still supplies the fountain’s water.

The sculpture is all about water. In the center is Oceanus, a Titan of Greek mythology. He was the father of the river gods and the Oceanids. He is riding a shell-chariot being drawn by two hippocamps (ocean horses) which are being tamed by two Tritons.

Oceanus is flanked by Abundance, spilling water from her urn, and Salubrity, holding a cup from which a snake is drinking. Above are two bas reliefs depicting the Roman origin of the aqueducts.

I went back on Friday night to see it in the dark, lit up. They had drained the water. They’re doing a cleaning. It’s still beautiful.

Bernini at the Borghese Gallery

I have to say that, for me, Bernini’s greatness rivals Michelangelo’s. When he was still a boy, Pope Paul V declared, “This child will be the Michelangelo of his age.” The Pope was right.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini lived from 1598 to 1680, more than 100 years later than Michelangelo’s lifespan. He was born in Naples, but his family moved to Rome when he was 8 years old, and he rarely left the city for the rest of his life, unlike Michelangelo, who came to Rome at the age of 21 but was a Florentine at heart.

The works that most impressed and moved me were the ones at the Galleria Borghese, all completed before Bernini was 27 years of age. What strikes me is how they all seem to be in motion. Bernini captured all of the drama in the scenes he sculpted. And he created them to be seen from every angle, not just from the front.

If you know Donatello’s David, you know he is victorious, already having completed his battle with Goliath. Michelangelo’s David is motionless, idealized, contemplating the battle yet to happen. But look at how Bernini has captured David in the midst of slinging the rock. Look at the concentration and determination in his face. These are just three of the eight photos I took of this sculpture. Each one tells the story vividly.

There are three other early masterworks by Bernini at Borghese Gallery. All of them give the same impression. They each tell a dramatic story, each capture action as it is happening, and each reveal different perspectives when viewed from different angles.

There’s Bernini all over Rome, but these four pieces are the ones that especially awed me and touched my soul. (You can see all the photos in the October 9 album; link above.)

Stepping into St. Peter’s Basilica

Regardless of my beliefs (or absence thereof), I couldn’t help but be awestruck when I walked into St. Peter’s.

Then I started thinking. (My brain sometimes does that. I can’t always help it.)

Here’s a city filled with the remnants and ruins of a pre-Christian civilization that flaunted unimaginable riches built largely with slave labor. It’s also filled with the stunning monuments and edifices of a civilization that flaunts unimaginable riches built largely with slave labor.

One was pagan and one was monotheistic.

One crumbled and one hasn’t. Yet.

Opening the Vatican Museums

What a magical experience it was to enter the Vatican Museums and walk through in the dark, unlocking doors and turning on lights! The Key Master’s Tour, which ran from 6–8 am, offered that experience. There’s something truly special about stepping into an empty, dark gallery and turning on the lights.

And of course, the highlight of that was to enter the Sistine Chapel when it was empty and be there all by ourselves (a group of 20), where photos are normally not allowed.

The best tiramisù I’ve ever had

I had so much good food in Rome, but what stands out above everything else was the tiramisù at Hostaria del Roody. I’ve always loved tiramisù. It’s probably my favorite dessert. But this was tiramisù that made me think I’ve never had tiramisù before.

Micaela

I already wrote about my tour of the Jewish Ghetto. Micaela was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had anywhere.

Peter Grimes

I’m not sure I should count this, as it was not a distinctively Roman experience. It was just a fabulous production of one of my favorite operas.

I was sitting in a box, and a couple from London also had seats in the box with me. We got to talking. It turns out they came to Rome just to see this opera. They already saw the same production of Peter Grimes in London, and the loved it so much they decided to come to Rome to see it again.

It was that good.

Church ceilings

Some of the ceilings of churches I visited were just knockout stunning.

Sant’Ivo in Sapienza

There are so many glorious things in Rome that didn’t make this list. But this church, which I only saw from the outside, from this delightful courtyard, is one of the things I fell in love with.

The church was completed in 1660. The architect, Francis Borromini, worked with Bernini, although the two had a contentious relationship. He did a number of other buildings around Rome, but Sant’Ivo is considered his masterpiece. Since the courtyard already existed, he was limited to a very small space. In my experience, great works of art are often created with severe constraints. When the artist is restricted by space or time or budget or censorship, artistic resourcefulness is required to overcome the challenges. Excessive artistic freedom is too open-ended.

So Borromini came up with this delight of a church, a hexagonal design with cells arranged in the shape of a beehive. And though I only got to see it from the end of the courtyard, I stood here for at least ten minutes admiring this beautiful edifice.

Other things

Trastevere

I stayed in Trastevere, a popular neighborhood across the Tiber River from central Rome. (That’s what Trastevere means: across the Tiber.)

Trastevere is especially popular at night. Restaurants are crowded. The narrow streets are crowded. On the night I came back from the opera, I could barely weave my way through the crowds.

Trastevere is also twisty. Well, all of Rome is pretty twisty. I don’t know how people found their way anywhere before Google Maps.

Below is a map of a small portion of Trastevere. I stayed at an Airbnb where the red marker is. To get anywhere, I walked to Piazza Trilussa and crossed Ponte Sisto. It doesn’t look too complicated, does it?

In fact, getting to Piazza Trilussa was never really a problem.

But coming back across Ponte Sisto, I usually found myself making wrong turns and heading in the wrong direction. Even after ten days, I had to pull out my phone and check Google Maps to make sure I was on the right path, and as often as not, I wasn’t.

How to pick a restaurant

There are many popular restaurants all over Rome, and especially in Trastevere. But how can you tell the difference between a place that has great food that locals love and a place that has mediocre food and caters to tourists.

I took a great food tour by Devour Tours, and in addition to enjoying some great tastes, our guide, Mattia, gave us all the hints we needed to tell the difference.

• Avoid restaurants with big menus posted outside.
• Avoid restaurants where there is someone out front beckoning passers-by to come in.
• Avoid restaurants with a long line. (There were some restaurants with extremely long lines, like people queued up all the way down the street and around the corner. Like literally hundreds of people waiting for a table.)
• Avoid restaurants that open before 7:30 pm.

Romans, Mattia told us, always make reservations for dinner. Restaurants that require reservations know how many people they will be cooking for, and so they buy the right amount of fresh ingredients. They don’t accept walk-ins and don’t solicit customers. They aren’t popular on social media, attracting throngs of tourists. Eat at those places and you know you’re getting quality food.

Unfortunately, waiting until after 7:30 to have dinner was difficult for me, because most nights I was having trouble staying awake after being on the go all day long. But I did have a couple of outstanding meals at the right kind of restaurant.

There’s so much more

I could probably go on and on, and as I said above, I may add to this post in the future. But it’s time to put it to rest for now. I hope you enjoyed it.