Day 2 continued of Roma...
1. After seeing St Peter's, it was time for my second theme of the trip: Ancient Roma. I found the initial bridge I had wanted to cross in the morning, the Ponte Sant Angelo. I was really enjoying my stroll...so much so, I didn't even notice that at the end of the bridge there was quite a bit of police activity. No sirens or anything, just a lot of police. I kept walking, figuring if something bad was going down, it would be relatively obvious, not the quiet scene I was seeing. It's about this time I also begin to hear the distinct sound of a chopper above. I then began to think maybe there was some sort of race I didn't know about...like the Rome Marathon? News crews above to follow it maybe?
When I got to the end of the bridge, the police were blocking people from coming toward me, but not blocking people coming in my direction into the city. That left me with a dilemma. If I crossed the barrier, I couldn't get back if something bad was happening. I really wanted to get to my ancient sites that day, so I didn't want to stay where I was at either. I then noticed that they had also cut off all traffic as well. Did I mention that there are occassions when I'm not very observant? It doesn't happen often, but when it does, wow, am I way off. Anyways, I debated for about 10 minutes before crossing the barrier. The cops probably thought I was suspicous just for hanging back for 10 minutes, but I really was trying to assess the situation. It was so serene on the otherside of the barrier, I thought there was no way something too bad was happening. The minute I crossed the barrier, I began to think it was a bad idea. I saw some protestors headed in the opposite direction of me, looking like they were headed to the start of a march. I immediately high tailed towards the monuments, thinking that they wouldn't protest near where tourists are spending money...I assumed the protests were regarding the latest round of austerity measures many countries, including Italy were putting in place. Doesn't make sense to stand in the way of tourists...they are spending money to help the economy! Anyways, I then realized that sense/logic really doesn't play into that. They are looking to make a scene and they will most likely do it at the biggest spots. However, this didn't cross my mind as I headed up to the Victor Emanuel Monument. At this point, I began to hear a lot more sirens, see police in riot gear, etc.
Victor Emmanuel Monument, with the tomb of the unknown soldier - Italy's tribute to sacrifices made in many conflicts. I didn't stop to take a lot of pictures, because at this point, it is very clear by how people are clearing out that the protests are getting closer.
I headed up the road that leads off the monument to the Colosseum. Unfortunately, I couldn't walk fast enough and ended up about half way through the walk to the Colosseum getting caught up in the protests. Thankfully there were huge sidewalk areas to walk next to other ruins that separated you from the protesters. God was looking out for me. However, it wasn't a violent protest - I snapped the one picture above just to capture the moment. Some of them had flares and there was some sort of car in the middle of it with a guy chanting in a bull horn. However, they had police in front of it, on all sides and behind. They were pretty well contained and seemed pretty respectable. Definitely added color to my trip. However, I could have done without it. Here's the Huffington Post article about it: Rome Protests Nov 24. Apparently these protests weren't violent, but they were on Nov 14.
When I got to the Colosseum, I knew I was going to be in there a while just to avoid walking back into the protest. I wasn't sure how long it would take to see the Colosseum, but I wasn't really worried about it. I forgot to mention that I bought a Roma pass at the airport the day before which gives you access to the first 2 participating museums for free, 3 days of public transport (bus or metro) and discounts to other museums for 3 days. The Vatican doesn't participate, so I needed to use it at the museum to get my worth out of it. The Colosseum took the pass, so score. Here's some shots from the Colosseum:
Pause for a bit to acknowledge the fact that I loved taking pictures in Rome. I don't have a nice camera...I didn't invest a ton before I left in one because I didn't want to carry something heavy on every trip and I have a tendency to drop my camera (and phone for that matter) a lot. That being said, it seemed like all of the monuments lended themselves to incredible pictures in Italy with just a little bit of playing with angles and the light. First time I've definitely had fun taking pictures. It was a good thing I did, because I ended up staying for about 2 hours because the protests hadn't seemed to move on yet.
RS gave the Colosseum 3 pyramids. I would give it that as well. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the relative quiet inside. It was a bit eerie with the cross in the middle. It felt like a space weighed down by the world, yet rejuvenated by the crowds of enthusiastic tourists trying to get a glimpse of where men fought wild animals to the death. Talk about a gruesome afternoon out.
I took this little video, which you can hear the chopper in the background:
After I could tell that the protests had died down (i.e. the chopper was now over a different part of the city), I headed out of the Colosseum to the Arch of Constantine, which is the arch built after Constantine conquered Rome in AD 312. As a result of this win, a small Jewish sect became the instant state religion for much of the Western world. 20 years prior to Constantine, Christians could be killed for being Christian, 20 years later, you could be killed for the opposite. My how time changes. Anyways, the Arch is a compilation of statues and art taken from other buildings of the time with a few other pieces. RS gives the Arch 1 pyramid. I agree. It's impressive.
After the Arch, I walked by some of the ruins that I had practically run by when I got caught in the protest:
There were ruins everywhere. I couldn't really tell what these were or what the history was behind them. Because of all of the things you can see in Rome, I think next time I will invest in a guided tour. I missed a bunch of stuff that with a tour I would have gotten a lot more out of. After walking up by the ruins, I decided I had earned a break:
The Gelato...oh the gelato. This wasn't the cheapest spot, but by FAR the best Gelato I had. I wish I had written down the name. The service was awful, but the Gelato. Oh the Gelato. That being said, even if this was the best, the other places I went were still very good. So the next crazy thing happened just as I was finishing up. Its a good thing I ate quickly because the waiter came and asked me to pay my bill because they were closing the outside seating due to MORE protests. I paid quickly, grabbed my stuff and ran out of there to get out of yet another round of protests. I heard the chopper moving back toward me and checked my map for what was in the opposite direction. I decided to do Trevi fountain, which wasn't on the original list, but it wasn't close to the incoming chopper so it made the list.
I walked again. I would like to point out that I probably walked 6-7 miles that day, a good portion of which was at a good clip to avoid protesters. Look who's getting her exercise in. Unfortunately that doesn't match up with the Italian diet.
On the way to the fountain, I had a very enjoyable stroll. I did a bit of real shopping on the way. As I got closer to the fountain, the vendors started showing up again, which was unwelcome, but now a regular sight. As I was coming up on the fountain, a scuffle broke out about 10 feet ahead of me between a vendor and a policeman. I think the vendor was pickpocketing or a policeman felt like doing his job and getting one of these guys. Unfortunately, several vendors rushed to assist this guy, so I made a quick move to step out of the way. It only lasted about 2 minutes, but it was a rush. I calmed down a bit and then headed down to the crowded (I mean CROWDED) fountain.
The fountain was neat. It's huge! I had no idea how big it would be. Finished in 1762, the fountain is a good example of the aqueduct system originally used in Rome. It was designed by Nicola Salvi, using the palace behind it as the back drop. None of the streets around it directly approach it, so you hear it before you see it. RS gives it 2 pyramids at night. I agree. I might go 3 if not for the huge crowd. Legend says that if you throw a coin in over your shoulder, you are guaranteed to come back to Rome. I don't believe in throwing coins in water...I'll still be back to Rome.
Here's a video of the water gushing:
After all of that sight seeing in one day (aren't you impressed?), it was time for a progressive dinner. I went to a bar near Trevi Fountain for cheese and wine:
I then did a leisurely stroll back to the Piazza Navona for dinner at Cul-de-Sac, which was recommended by RS. It was packed, but luckily got a table near the window for some of the best pasta I've ever had:
I walked a bit more after dinner to get comfortable for bed. Rome is really a city that never sleeps, but I slept so good that night.
Up next, Day 3 - Roman Forum
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