Oh, There’s No Place Like Rome for the Holidays

This blog post is a whopping seven months late. But better late than never, right?

When your husband turns 30, you have to go all out! Luckily for both of us, Meadows’ 30^th birthday fell at the very end of his final project of the year. After jetsetting around Europe for two months already, we opted to book a one-week vacation in a single place. And what better place than Rome?!

With so much to do in Rome, we tried to strike a balance between planned outings and free time to explore and relax. If I may say so myself, I think we had the perfect trip! [Word to the wise: grab a snack and get comfortable, because a week-long vaca in Rome = one doozy of a blog post!]

We arrived Friday with just enough time to explore the shops and restaurants around us and to realize just how special our hotel is. If you visit Rome, we highly recommend The St. Regis Rome.

On Saturday, we woke up early for a day trip to Pompeii. We debated whether or not we should take a day trip, but we were so glad we did! We had a fabulous guide, a very small group and a nice ride to Pompeii and back.

As we made our way out of Rome, our guide told us the story of Romulus and Remus, twin brothers who were kidnapped and raised by a wolf. They built a city together, and eventually, Romulus killed Remus and named the city Rome.

(Side note: we stopped to see the National Archaeological Museum first. It was really cool – definitely worth visiting, but I’m skipping for the sake of brevity!)

We arrived in time for some genuine Neapolitan pizza before heading into the archeological site. Pompeii has always been on my bucket list because it truly allows you to step back in time. The city was frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and three other Roman cities in 79 AD. Twenty meters of volcanic material covered the city; it rained down for three full days and nights. And while we all imagine that lava covered the city, it was actually minerals, gas and more.

Since this is already going to be a long blog (covering seven days!), I won’t go into too much detail – just the highlights! We started at a square where the gladiators lived and trained, and then we worked our way to the theater! (Pompeii was featuring an art exhibit at the time of our visit, so that’s why you’ll see giant bronze sculptures.)

 

One of the most fascinating stops was House of Vetti, a wealthy merchant’s home. His home boasted a beautiful courtyard, brightly colored frescos and even a spa with a seasonal bath (heated water in winter and cool water in summer).

Our guide told us countless stories as we weaved our way through the ancient city. We visited the spa, which was surprisingly elaborate and well-planned, and learned of old school speed bumps. As our day came to a close, we even popped in the local brothel!

The sadder part of our journey was seeing the responses of local inhabitants as the devastation hit their city. The ash preserved the city so immaculately that archaeologists could take plaster casts of the final moments of a civilization – humans and animals alike. The photos below show a 16-year old covering her face and a dog writhing in pain.

The sun set on our day in Pompeii, a fascinating step back in time! (You can see Mt Vesuvius in the background… it now stands half as tall as it did when it erupted and destroyed Pompeii.)

On Sunday, we spent most of the afternoon at the Borghese Gallery and surrounding gardens. O-M-G, this was such a highlight of the trip! The palace is insanely beautiful, as are the works within it. Who are the Borgheses and why is this place important? Well let me tell you… Actually, I’m going to let Rick Steves tell you! His Pocket Rome book may have made us look like dorky super tourists, but it saved us; the descriptions and details are incredible:

“Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1576-1633) landscaped the sprawling Villa Borghese Gardens, built the villa, hired the best artists of his day to decorate it, and filled it with his collection of ancient works—all so he could wine and dine Rome’s VIPs and show off his fine art. In pursuing the optimistic spirit of the Renaissance, they invented Baroque.” –Rick Steves, Rome Pocket Guide

It is impossible to separate the rooms themselves from the masterpieces that fill them. I should note that the gallery does not allow photography. I checked my camera at the front desk, but I immediately noticed that every single visitor unapologetically took photos everywhere – nonstop clicking! The security rarely reprimanded them; I decided that if you can’t beat them, join them!

You can see from my photos that I took a liking to the marble statues. The sculptors carefully and perfectly shaped the stone such that you forget its cold, hard qualities. One of my favorite works (not photographed) is a nude woman draped across a chaise lounge; the cushions appear so soft and perfectly dimpled and wrinkled by her weight that I could hardly believe it was marble!

My personal favorite of the day though: Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne. It is truly remarkable how he turned a single block of marble into this highly intricate masterpiece. The leaves at the top are said to be so thin that they ring like crystal when tapped!

We left the gallery and wandered around the Borghese Villa. Rome’s largest green expanse, the villa attracts lovers and peddlers alike. You can rent bicycles throughout the park, buy a local sweet treat or just stroll (which is what we did!). The weather was nothing short of perfect, and the dark silhouette of the tall trees popped against the blue and white sky.

That night, we reluctantly took my parents’ advice and went on Rick Steves’ “Heart of Rome Walk,” which (according to Rick) is best enjoyed after sunset. We knew it was cheesy, and we protested (…as all good children do); but ultimately, we caved and began the walk, hoping to find some dinner along the way.

I won’t detail every stop of the walk, but it’s a dummy-proof and painless way to see many of the city’s highlights in their prime: after nightfall. We weaved our way through cobblestone corridors, drenched in twinkly lights and charm.

Rick led us to the Pantheon, which was somehow more stunning in the moonlight. Meadows’ GoPro captured the eeriness of the moon and clouds that night.

One of our final stops was the Trevi Fountain. Bernini’s wall of sculpture (including a chariot charging towards you) sits behind an illuminated blue bath of water. The whole scene takes your breath away; the scale is just so massive! I can’t even remember if we threw a coin in the fountain and made a wish or not. Being there was enough of a dream come true for me! Oh, and I was starving… it was getting late, and we still hadn’t eaten dinner.

Thankfully, a friend recommended a restaurant nearby: That’s Amore. When you’re in Rome, you must dine here. I know the name makes it sound cheesy, but it’s awesome. People lined up outside (even at almost 10pm!) waiting for a table, and thankfully the line moved quickly. It was one of my favorite meals of the trip!

On Monday, we had our first day with our private guide. As with anywhere, some aspects of Rome are best digested with the help of a professional. The St. Regis kindly arranged a wonderful guide; we chose to tour with her on Monday and Wednesday, which gave us Tuesday (Meadows’ birthday) off to do whatever we’d like!

We opted to only tackle Vatican City with the guide because of its grandeur and history – we didn’t want to miss a thing! Plus, you are entering another country when you visit Vatican City (did you know?).

Our guide led us through the galleries of sculptures, mosaics, artifacts and more. The Greek and Roman statues are so impressive! The most famous piece on display is undoubtedly Laocoön, a sculpture from approximately 40 BC. It depicts the high priest of Troy (warning his people of the attacking Greeks and their Trojan horse) being overtaken by snakes sent by the gods (who wanted the Greeks to win).

But for me, the tour catapulted into something we’d never experienced before when we reached the galleries leading to the Sistine Chapel. These three different galleries extend for a quarter of a mile. As with everything in the Vatican, different Popes would use their extreme wealth to invest in beautiful things. Regardless of the theme of each gallery, you can see the attention given to the rooms as well; they are highly ornate from floor to ceiling!

First up: the Gallery of the Candelabra, which is full of sculptures.

The second gallery displays giant tapestries across its walls.

The third and final gallery contains beautifully painted 16^th century maps of Italy.

At the point, we reached the entrance to the Sistine Chapel. Signs and guards instructed us to put away phones and cameras and to be silent in the chapel. Many don’t obey, but we absolutely did. This was a religious experience on so many levels. We were grateful for Rick Steves’ book, which explained the schematic of the work: The Last Judgment on the wall in front of us, and a breakdown of how the Genesis scenes, the prophets and the ancestors make up the ceiling overhead.

I cannot even begin to describe how awestruck I was to be in the presence of such a masterpiece. It’s larger than life; the colors, figures and stories awake something in you! I am frankly surprised I didn’t break my neck from staring up and around for so long.

Thank goodness Pope Julius II managed to convince Michelangelo to take on this project. Michelangelo painted the ceiling first; it took him four years to complete it (1508-1512). Naturally, everyone loved the ceiling when it was unveiled. It brought to life stories and characters that everyone knew.

Michelangelo returned in 1535 and painted the altar wall. This work also took four years to complete (1536-1540). Depicting the second coming of Christ and God’s judgment of all humanity, The Last Judgment contains over 300 figures. Mostly painted nude originally, not one person bears a smile. Despite the bright hues, the whole wall feels quite grim. The public response at the time was quite mixed: some horrified by the nudity (much of which has been painted over by now) and the fear caused by the scene, and others enlightened by the beauty and truth of it all.

Bottom line: visiting the Sistine Chapel was an experience I will never forget.

We briefly walked outside via the back entrance and made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica. There are simply no words to describe the size and grandeur of this church. We enjoyed our visit so much that we came back the next day (on Meadows’ birthday) without our tour guide! As far as the basilica interior goes, you’ll see photos from both days now (you’ll notice the seating arrangement of the nave varies depending on the events of the day).

I should start by saying that St. Peter’s is the largest church in the world, and you can feel it! The nave is two football fields long, and the dome extends higher than then length of a football field into the air. I found myself thinking “So if that statue looks that big from down here, then how gigantic is it at eye level?!”

One of the first stops inside was Michelangelo’s Pietá. This extremely famous sculpture, which he completed at the young age of 24, depicts the sadness and disbelief of Mary as she holds her frail and lifelike son after his crucifixion. It is Michelangelo’s only signed work. Everything about the piece is so perfectly executed and thoughtful that I am still finding new and interesting details of their bodies even as I look at the photo now.

As we walked down the nave, we approached Bernini’s towering bronze canopy. The Baldacchino, as the canopy is known, stands as tall as a seven-story building. No, that’s not a typo… SEVEN STORIES!! (I also just love his dove glass window in the apse of the church!) Like the entire city of Rome, Bernini left a major mark on St. Peter’s.

The canopy marks the burial site of St. Peter’s remains. In around 65 AD, the Romans killed Peter (as they did many Christians at the time) and buried him at this location. When Constantine legalized Christianity in 313, he built a church above Peter’s grave. Small and dilapidated, “Old St. Peter’s” shut its doors in 1500. The newer and much grander St. Peter’s began construction in 1506.

 

My favorite part of the church is the dome. The lettering in the gold band at the base of the dome states Jesus’ words to Peter in Latin: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Oh yeah, and this beautiful blue lettering measures seven feet tall!

St. Peter’s holds more history and beauty than any human could recount. You need to go soak it up for yourself!

We exited the basilica and saw the colorful uniforms of the Swiss guards.

We continued and entered St. Peter’s Square. Surrounded by Bernini’s 284 columns and 140 statues of saints, we stood in this elliptical-shaped space and discovered the optical illusion. If you stand in a certain spot on each side, you the columns line up perfectly so that you can only see one row – when there are actually four rows of columns!

The obelisk in the middle came from Egypt of course. We posed for a final photo. You can see the triangular-shaped roof just to the right of St. Peter’s Basilica – that’s the Sistine Chapel. The boxy, gray building on the far right contains the papal apartments. The top right window is traditionally the pope’s bedroom; and to the left is the study, from where he can make public appearances. Pope Francis, however, prefers to live more simply than the papal apartments. We really enjoyed learning more about him, especially after spending time in Argentina earlier in the year.

Our first day with our tour guide concluded, and we had little time to turn around for our evening activity: a food tour in the Trastevere neighborhood. Though this might not be on the typical Rome itinerary, let me assure you: this is a must do. We were so lucky to have an incredible group with us: an American guide who had lived in Rome for a few years now and a lovely Canadian family.

During our get-to-know-you portion at the beginning of the tour, we learned that our Canadian friends were also celebrating a birthday (although fewer years than Meadows :)). Her birthday was that day, and Meadows’ was the next day!

Over the course of the tour, we walked to seven different stops. We ate fried artichoke and burratta at an old family restaurant. We drank wine and tasted slow-cooked pork stew from the wine cellar of the next stop. This stop was my favorite because the cellar downstairs was from ground level of 1^st century BC Rome! The local bakery gave us countless cookies to try. An incredible old butchery served us up the most delicious porchetta and specialty cheeses. Of course, our guide took us to a pizza shop!

Our second to last stop was a fine dining stop with three courses: mussels, gnocchi and a spaghetti dish. And when the chef heard we had two birthdays, we got some extra special dessert too!

Naturally, we ended the tour at a gelateria. There are over 15,000 gelato shops in Italy, and 1,500 of them are in Rome! As an expert in the gelato field, I can say that some are better than others. This stop was a goodie though – and they had a flavor called Kentucky Chocolate, which supposedly had some tobacco flavoring in it. With the tour over, we sad goodbye to our new friends and went back to the hotel extremely full.

We woke up on Tuesday morning and Meadows’ birthday celebrations began immediately! Like our other mornings in Rome, we enjoyed the insane St. Regis breakfast to start our day. I would love to eat breakfast in this room every morning!

Without the restrictions of a guide, Meadows’ 30^th birthday involved us freely walking about Rome. We kicked things off by walking to the Spanish steps. We sat there for a bit, basking in the perfect weather and hysterical people watching!

From there, we window-shopped our way through the major retail district, working our way back to St. Peter’s. Meadows and I concluded that we should revisit it so we could climb the dome! When we arrived at St. Peter’s, I tried to notice the top of the building more than the previous day. Knowing we were climbing it, I paid special attention to the statues on the rooftop and the beauty of the dome.

The climb began with a 231-step spiral climb up to the church roof. Determined to get to the top, we progressed to the dome steps without taking in the view. Despite the cool, crisp Italian weather, I started to get quite warm at this point! And the next part didn’t help: 323 stairs in a claustrophobic, dusty winding path around the dome.

Part of the way through, the path deposited us at an overlook down into the church. WOW! We had a close-up view of the dome interior, hand painted and gilded.

The metal caging prevented a perfect photo, but how cool? And you can perfectly read the beginning of the “You are Peter” scripture at eye level!

We proceeded up the final stairs, which were by far the worst of the trek. The pathway continued to get smaller, and other tourists would wear out and stop ahead of us. They didn’t seem to care that there simply wasn’t room for them to stop! We finally made it to the top where we welcomed the unbelievable view and the cool breeze. I loved the perfect sightline down St. Peter’s Square!

I also particularly like this view of the dome shadow casting down on the yellow, triangular-roofed building, which is the Sistine Chapel.

After spending some time atop the dome, we returned to the roof. Remember those statues? You could see them in the St. Peter’s façade photo and in the aerial shot of St. Peter’s Square. Now, we stood next to them.

We looked back at the dome one last time before returning to ground level. What an experience!

We walked back to the St. Regis, shopping and looking around on the way. We easily collected over 20k steps! We also stopped for some birthday gelato. Take note: this was the best gelato we had in the city; you don’t want to miss Gelateria La Romana.

We finished getting ready for Meadows’ birthday dinner as my birthday surprises arrived! It wouldn’t be a birthday without champagne, cake and balloons! …and presents!!

In true Ann Carpenter fashion, we were late for our dinner at Casina Valadier. We ate like kings in honor of Meadows’ big 3-0! All in all, I think Meadows had a great birthday.

On Wednesday, we reunited with our tour guide for our deeper dive into ancient Rome. We first stopped at the Pantheon. Though we went there on our Rick Steves walk, it was great to get more information. Plus, it’s fascinating to juxtapose the Pantheon with the excavated rubble that is the rest of ancient Rome. The Pantheon is perfectly preserved!

Originally built in 27 BC, the Pantheon became what it is today when emperor Hadrian constructed it in 120 AD. The structure is both a religious and a mathematical wonder; religious in that it was dedicated to all gods, and mathematical in that the dome is a perfect half sphere.

The oculus lights the entire temple, while the colorful geometric marble floors absorb the light. Since ancient Rome, the Pantheon became a Christian church.

From here, we drove out to Circus Maximus (where chariots raced in ancient Rome) and some of the excavated Roman baths. This was cool to see, but not the most exciting part of the day.

Our last stop of the day took up the majority of our afternoon, and justifiably so! We arrived at the Capitoline Museum (sadly, we didn’t have time to go on – it’s on our to-do list for our next trip) and found the gorgeous building with a horse statue in front.

Behind the museum, our guide showed us the most spectacular view of the Roman Forum. You can see the Colosseum in the background, too! Especially from above, it’s easy to imagine the bustling streets of the heart of Rome, filled with people shopping, working or just passing time.

Once inside the forum, we strolled through the streets as Romans did at the time. One of the most interesting landmarks was the Temple of Julius Caesar. Rome’s greatest leader and the creator of much of the Roman Forum, Caesar was murdered by a group of his political opponents in 44 BC.

The Romans cremated his remains. We got to peek behind the wall to see the exact location! People leave flowers there in his honor.

Many of the largest remains you can see here are temples.

Our guide taught us all about the Vestal Virgins. This was perhaps the most fascinating story of the forum! Noble girls were plucked out of their homes before the age of ten to live with the other Vestal Virgins in this house. Statues of famous virgins before them lined the courtyard. The Vestal Virgins served a 30-year term of abstinence, and she was rewarded if she succeeded. If she broke her vow, the woman would be paraded through the streets before being buried alive.

We saw and learned so much before our last stop of the Roman Forum: the Temple of Venus and Rome. This is thought to have been the largest temple of ancient Rome. It’s difficult to tell just how large it was when you’re standing up next to the remains (and same goes for this photo), but you’ll see in a later photo.

At this point, we had the view of the Colosseum. I think the term “Kodak moment” was invented for this particular photo (although I shoot with a Panasonic :)).

We knew the Colosseum was massive, but it’s a whole different feeling to stand in front of it. The structure is truly a feat in engineering: 3.5 million cubic feet of travertine stone, strong arches and unprecedented use of concrete. The Colosseum was built in 80 AD, but only a third of the original stadium remains today.

The building was highly functional, too! It held 50,000 people, and 76 entrances allowed fans to get to their seats and exit efficiently. The holes you see in the photo are from metal rods that held the stones together.

I think anyone who has every seen Gladiator knows the basics of the Colosseum. Romans watched as men battled each other and animals, oftentimes to the death. The platform below show where the wooden arena level would have been.

Below the ground floor is where all the magic happened. Handlers unexpectedly released wild animals (lions, tigers, crocodiles, elephants, bears, etc…) or other humans to fight during the “show.” Elevators enabled the Romans to raise new predators behind blinds on the arena floor to an unsuspecting gladiator’s dismay.

The views from the Colosseum looking outward are just as spectacular as inside. We could easily see the Constantine Arch, which was built to commemorate his rise to power in 313 AD and the subsequent legalization of Christianity. It’s the largest triumphal arch of Rome, and it largely depicts emperors before Constantine and their achievements.

We also had a fabulous view looking back into the Temple of Venus and Rome. From the Colosseum, we could truly grasp the scale of the original building; it was the size of a football field!

We wrapped up our tour, visited the gift shop and said goodbye to our guide. As always, we opted to walk around instead of taxiing.

Let me take a brief intermission to say that this is why I loved Rome so much: there isn’t just one major sight to see (or even a couple), it’s a city with something fascinating at every corner. As we walked back from the Colosseum, we randomly encountered another excavation of a monastery that was really cool! That’s how it is; the city explodes with beauty and history.

For our final evening in Rome, we dined at an old school, authentic restaurant (Girarrosto Fiorentino) recommended by our favorite Italian, Anthony. The meal was exquisite top to bottom. I had honestly forgotten that I had told them it was Meadows’ birthday, so we panicked a little when the restaurant unexpectedly went pitch black at the end of our meal. And let me tell you, all the patrons were freaked out too! Before we knew it, our server appeared with dessert and candles, singing happy birthday to the MedMan. The video makes me laugh so hard because you can tell how confused Meadows is (since it was a day after his birthday and he wasn’t prepared for another singalong!).

On our stroll home, we listened to music and recapped the amazing week we’d had. I obviously capped the night off with some photos of the hotel; I loved the lights and the bow. And check out the moon!

 

For our final day in Rome, we shopped. I searched the city for my favorite lemon cookies and Christmas gift for our families. This is a good time to mention that Rome didn’t have any of the over-the-top Christmas decorations like Madrid and London. The few decorations we saw were extremely subtle, and (even though I love Christmas decorations) we found it refreshing. It’s like they didn’t want to cheapen Christmas with lights and fluff.

With cookies and gifts in tow (and a few extra pounds under our belts), we flew back to London that evening. We enjoyed a final dinner with the Cowies. They’re so nice – they made Meadows’ favorite, chicken fingers, for his birthday!! And the next morning, we flew back to the USA.