Last Lap- Part 2- Rome, The Vatican, Naples and Pompeii

My trip to Rome didn’t start off on the best note that it could have, but let’s fast forward ahead to where my friend Patrina and I were hosted by a colleague of hers. Fortuitously, the apartment was located in Trastevere, which is actually an excellent part of Rome to be based in. Most of the major sites are within walking/easy public transport distance.

It was my second full day in Rome, and I finally managed to go out and do some sight-seeing that evening.

 After walking around for a while, we met an American who was sharing a park bench with us. He actually picked up our accents as we spoke to each other and then made a random little comment about Jamaica that got our attention. He really seemed like he just wanted to talk to somebody; anybody. He seemed really shocked to find out that P was actually living there and that I was just visiting. He asked us what we were doing all the way in Rome . Really? Aren’t you coming from the same side of the world that we are? What are YOU doing here? Can’t we be doing the same? Or is it that only people from developed countries are allowed to travel?( Ok, rant over J). We entertained the chit chat for a bit because it was a little amusing. He eventually asked us to come to dinner with his sister and himself, at a very nice hotel that they were staying at. We didn’t take up the offer of course. I had no intention of serving as inspiration for some Hollywood kidnapping thriller script down the road.

The next morning I walked up to the Colosseum. I managed to take advantage of a discount for the ticket that allows access to the Colosseum, The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Colusseum was originally named the Flavian amphitheatre, but gained the Colosseum moniker after a huge statue (colossus) was erected outside. I really enjoyed my visit. You may know that I’m interested in history and archaeology and the Roman empire is of particular interest. I really enjoyed hearing bits and pieces that helped (with a little imagination) for  the Colosseum to come alive for me. Did you know that it was constructed in large part using travertine and was therefore white at one point? Try to picture that.A great white arena shining in the sun. One of the most amazing things about the Colosseum is that it is said to have been built in 7-10 years!!

 One thing about travelling solo is that you have to master the art of taking the selfie (self-shot) or else you risk being MIA in most of your pics. Occasionally, someone will feel sorry for you and offer to take a pic. It can be annoying to be asking people all the time, so I try to manage myself unless I reallllly want a particular shot. During one of these, a random American hijacked my pic.

Near the end of my visit, it actually started to rain. I was tempted to wait it out, but those rain clouds didn’t seem like they were going anywhere. At the risk of being stuck where I was, I decided to just shell out for  an umbrella from one of the many Bangladeshi peddlers with umbrellas and ponchos. They knew what was coming and had come prepared.

My next stop was a walk through The Forum. Originally a marketplace, the ruins of several ancient government buildings are found there. This turned out to be more interesting than I thought it would be. Walking through at ground level, rather than looking down from the street added a new dimension. The rain did put a little bit of a damper on things.

There are obnoxious tourists of all nationalities to be sure. However, if you happen to run into an obnoxious tourist, the chances that they will be American is pretty high I think. I’ll give just one example of several experiences I’ve racked up on this trip alone thus far. While walking through the Roman Forum, there was a sudden downpour. A couple with three children, including a toddler dashed to the nearest building in order to shelter from the rain. Just a few minutes later, a couple other tourists (American) started yelling at them to move out of the way so that they could take a picture of a door that they were standing in front of. A door people. And the door wasn’t even that ornate or particularly interesting at that. The couple should have shoved their children back into the bad weather, just so that they could have a picture of the door. Really? Ah well.

It was then definitely time for a lunch break. I had perused that morning in search of cheap eats near the Colosseum. Being a very touristy area, the prices tend to be pretty high. Luckily I was able to find a nice little spot close by that was actually suited to my budget. I think it would have been even better had it not started to rain……

After lunch, I made my way back over to Palatine hill, the most important of the seven hills of Rome. The city is said to have been founded there. The grounds here were much more extensive than I had imagined. The ruins went on and on, I had no idea. There was actually also a museum at Palatine Hill, but I was half-way down the hill when I realized I would need to go back up to enter and I didn’t bother.

 Next I headed to the Trevi fountain. Thanks to me there is Jamaican money in the Trevi.

The Vatican

The next day was reserved for the Holy See. Vatican City, the country within a city. Now I started my visit to the Vatican in quite the foul mood. In pursuit of a particular discount, I didn’t buy tickets ahead like I wanted to. So of course I had to join the long queue that formed even though I was there quite a while before opening. At first it wasn’t so bad, but then the sky darkened and thunder rumbled in the distance. Eventually, The heavens burst forth and a deluge descended upon us. It was so serious that I ended up purchasing a poncho (from the Bangladeshis again) as the umbrella I had bought the day before was certainly not cutting it at all. So I finally got in, but pretty much soaked. I was not happy. However that started to change when I found out that I was indeed eligible for the discount (cut the price by half) and therefore I had not braved the elements in vain. I also realized that the hold up with the line was due in great part to the security screening that everyone had to go through before entering.

There were Lots of Roman antiquities, paintings, tapestries and statuary.

There was also a collection of vehicles that have conveyed the Pope over the years beginning with…

moving on to :

 There was even the jeep that Pope John Paul II was in when the assassination attempt was made on his life:

After exploring most of the collections, it was time to make my way along the route to the Sistine Chapel. The chapel was much smaller than I had anticipated. Then again, it is a chapel after all and I suppose its fame aggrandized it in my head. There were no pictures allowed of Michelangelo’s famous frescoes, so unfortunately I can’t share any with you. At the very beginning I will admit that I was a little underwhelmed, but as I sat (on one of the very few seats available- one of which an American woman nearly knocked over a little boy for) I began to appreciate how great it really was. There were a few more things to view after that and then I headed over to St. Peter’s square. Going through the museums actually took me quite a while longer than I thought it would.

A long line to enter St. Peter’s basilica greeted me in the square and I spent the better part of an hour trying to gain entrance. It was worth it though; St. Peter’s Basilica is really a sight to behold. Never before have I seen such an ornate church interior. It really is quite the masterpiece. I ended up walking around and around and around just so that I could begin to take all the detail in. Honestly, the pictures do no justice. It was truly impressive. After wandering around for quite a while as I mentioned, I left as the evening mass, over which a cardinal presided, was beginning.

 On my way out, I finally caught a glimpse of the Swiss Guard. Yes, they actually have to be Swiss

So my trip to Pompeii was actually pretty spontaneous. I realized I would have an extra travel day to play around with on my railcard and that Naples was day-trip distance out of Rome. That idea then evolved to hopping over to Pompeii from Naples. The main things I was seeing of interest online in Naples itself involved museums, and having been to the Vatican museums all the day before and planning to go to the Uffizi the day after, I felt that it would probably be a good idea to try something else. It turned out to be a good decision. It was rainy and overcast in Rome, but bright, sunny and balmy down on the Campanian coast (despite what the forecasts said).

On the train ride out to Pompeii, I could see Mt. Vesuvius on one side, and the island of Capri in the distance on the other. I got to the excavation site, got a discount, got a map and started walking with Mt. Vesuvius looming ominously to the west. With my interest in history and Archaeology that I mentioned before, Popmeii has been on the wishlist. I never quite thought that I would actually make it thought to be honest-but there I was!

I picked up quite a few interesting tidbits by tagging along (oftentimes inadvertently) with tour groups. Sometimes you can’t but overhear what the guides have to share with their groups (which is great when the budget does not allow for said guide).

I found it all very interesting. With the application of just a little imagination, it was really cool to picture what life in Pompeii could have been like before the disaster. Near the end of my trek around the site, I was on the receiving yet of YET another photo hi-jack.

I grabbed a quick snack and decided to head back to Naples. One thing I definitely wanted to do in Naples was have pizza. How could I go to Naples and NOT have pizza? I had just enough time when I got back to Naples to run up to the famous Michele’s and be back at the station in time to catch the train back to Rome that I had earmarked. NOW I know what pizza is supposed to taste like!!!! It was a simple Margherita (Tomato, mozzarella, basil, olive oil), but it was all kinds of yummy. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the cost. A world famous pizza all for 4 euros!!!!

With that, I rounded off my trip to Rome. The next morning I would be headed to Venice!!!- but on the way I planned to make a quick stop in Florence for a couple hours so that I could tour the Uffizi Gallery.