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Full Rome photosets: Andy’s (flickr) | Nick’s (SimpleViewer)

PAR – ROM

When we were originally sketching out our continental itinerary, Rome always had primo placement along the route. Unlike any of the stops so far, neither of us had ever been to Rome. While planning the trip we’d had an early fascination with Barcelona, which didn’t work out, and in a way I think the extra emphasis on Rome was making up for that. So, definitely a weekend-worthy stop rather than midweek, possibly even warranting an extra day, and presumed to be the real pull-out-the-stops piece of the voyage. But why? My initial preconceptions of Rome mayyy have involved lounging on a Mediterranean beach… which I had since gathered was not what’s up in Rome. So, what was up in Rome? Architecture, culture, fashion, art, history, archaeology? Candles, shades, numerals, Polanskis? What is Rome? But first: getting there… Kuwait Airlines out of Charles de Gaulle Airport Our travel route had some odd kinks in it, the main one being the big leap from Paris to Rome only to return back to southern France three days later. But that’s how it had to work, and all it really took was a flight there and a long train ride back. We still hadn’t sorted out our long train ride back (more on that later) but we had scored cheap $200 flights there through Orbitz on… Kuwait Airlines, aka Alyzia. Comparable flights on Air France were $1200; it was a no-brainer. And how different could it really be? Well… different. Hand-written transcription of our confirmation codes at the ticketing counter. An automatic weapon-wielding female security guard pressed against a railing by an overflowing passport check line (actually, that was during the passport check for all airlines). Kids dangling from every appendage of their burka’d mother. X-ray machines at the gate that didn’t seem to be… on. The foreboding baritone voice barking from the cockpit in what easily could have been a subdialect of Mordorian Orc-speak. Overly-friendly all-Korean flight attendants outnumbering passengers on an enormous and extremely empty 747, and serving up a strangely-flavored omelet (I just had to try it). Another plane passing extreeeemely close beneath us when we were at 40,000 feet. All comically stretching the limits of my own cultural stereotypes and appetite for absurdity. A couple shots of the Alps and Italian foothills during the flight.

First stomp through Rome

Our initial hike through Rome was one of the highlights of the whole European trip. Gorgeous day, no real plan, a new city for both of us, no idea when our hosts would be home, or even where they lived (somewhere in Trastevere)… no expectations or preconceptions beyond just stumbling around town, meandering from the subway toward the Tiber, backpacks in tow, checking out whatever sights threw themselves into our path. Spanish Steps Nifty fountain and steps, a good Roman starter-attraction. Just off the subway, this was the one sight we did plan to see that first afternon – everything else was stumble-upon spontaneity. The view from the top outside Chiesa della Trinità dei Monti hinted at the panoramic possibilities of Rome, but didn’t measure up to many others to come. Too bad these guys were under construction. Architectural treats like this are everywhere, pressed right up against streets and side-alleys and easy to miss when you’re right beneath them. Piazza Colonna and the Gladiator comic book column We wandered several blocks between vine-laiden burgundy and burnt-orange stucco facades, down impossibly narrow cobblestone alleys that cars somehow still managed to zip through, and finally popped out in an open square with a huge spire in the center. Nick immediately recognized it as “one of those comic book thingies,” telling a story engraved in the side winding upward like a candy-cane stripe, depicting births and battle scenes and deaths and epic encounters. Just like that one at the beginning of “Gladiator,” Nick remembered. And, as it turns out, it was in fact the candy-cane comic book column of Marcus Aurelius, a.k.a the Gladiator (which we didn’t realize till later, since the spot received no special mention in our secret Roman decoder device, the Lonely Planet guide). So wait… what is Rome? A self-referential haven of multimedia relics? Relief sculpture meets classic comic strip meets blockbuster film? Piazza di Pietra & Hadrian’s Temple We stumbled upon our first internet cafe of the trip, waved "hello" to the world over email and facebook, sorted out the directions to our destination, soaked up some AC. Right around the corner we encountered a commanding edifice of columns attached to another building (also unmentioned in the guidebook, turned out to be Hadrian’s Temple), flush up against a cozy piazza (which turned out to be Piazza di Pietra). I believe the sight may have provoked the first of Nick's many "focking hell!" moments that day, and kickstarted the "gee, I wonder what'll be around THIS corner?" joke that wouldn’t get old for the next three days. We grabbed a seat on the piazza, sipped some vino, soaked up some rays, and decided we were winning. Basilica di Saint’Ignazio di Loyola A lot of these spots are within a block or two of each other, but the buildings are so packed together that you never really see the next towering goliath of architecture till it’s looming over you. This “WHOA! Hell-O there” surprise element definitely added some kick to our close-range encounters with Rome’s architectural mojo. The front of St. Ignazio church was another example – didn’t see it coming, turned a corner, and ba-DOOSH! there it is hovering over you from 30 feet away. No possibility of fitting it all into the viewfinder. Connecting a facade to the actual building inside was elusive too, as we realized when we strolled down the alley past Basilica di St. Ignazio to find… Basilica di St. Ignazio! The side entrance version. An understated entryway separated an anonymous arbitrary side alley from one of the most majestically resplendent interior sculpted/painted/ornamented church basilicas I've ever seen. Not that I've seen that many, but still – we could have easily just breezed right past the entryway, it was so unassuming you scarcely knew it was there. Just left me with the feeling you could stumble a block in any direction and wind up face-to-face with any number of enchantingly over-the-top visual-historical-architectural masterpieces. Heh, and look who was performing at the church that weekend… Oh San Francisco. Il Vittoriano The running joke: “okay *really* Rome, what’re you gonna show us NEXT?” continued to one-up itself. In this latest installment, while giddily hamming it up about all the sights we’d stumbled across already, we rounded a corner and were stared down by the epically spectacular, uber-columned, grandeur-to-gag-on of Il Vittoriano. In hindsight, this fairly recent building (completed 1911) dedicated to Vittore Emanuele II (first king of the nation of Italy) and home of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is a bit overdone and deflects attention from more authentic historic buildings in the area (e.g. Capitoline Hill, the Roman Forum, Palatine, and the Colosseum all sitting right behind it). But plowing right into it unawares was a hilariously momentous gotcha to one-up the other surprises of the afternoon. Capitol Hill Still lugging the frame packs, we checked in with the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on top of Capitoline Hill, then wandered over to a lookout point with great views of the city’s skyline. Considering what we’d encountered already it was easy to imagine an infinitude of hidden treasures hiding beneath all those those domes and shingles. So THIS was Rome: a living, breathing, fully-functioning 500-square-mile outdoor museum of surprise treasures and antiquities. Tiber River from Palatino Bridge A scenic overpass as we crossed into Trastevere to throw down our packs and regroup for the evening.

The Villa

Our epically excellent hosts John & Helena, old friends of Nick's from Ireland, welcomed us after our final gallup across the Tiber River into the Trastevere neighborhood. Despite our recent conditioning against surprises, we were still in for a surprise at the glorious penthouse riverside estate we'd be calling home for the next three nights. Patio brews and homemade cannoli ushered in another furious round of Irish banter, catching my fatigued American wit off-guard yet again, and inviting me to zone out and gaze at the Palatine ruins across the Tiber as sunset slowly shifted the hues of the stones from beige to orange-yellow to fuschia-pink to burgundy-red. The kitchen on yonder side of the house offered its own gorgeous view of St. Peter's in the Vatican.

Full Rome photosets: Andy’s (flickr) | Nick’s (SimpleViewer)

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