The dream that was Rome

I have long maintained that there are reasons for the popularity of tourist destinations.  When I was younger, I was much more eager to walk the less trodden path.  I felt the need as a part of a yearning for more adventure and there was also the youthful exuberance towards the different and unique.  Traveling to strange and unique places seemed to lend itself to that desire for a more unique experience and it also certainly provided a personal sense that I was in a way different myself.  Whether any of this was true doesn't matter so much now, I enjoyed the travel immensely and it took me to places I never would have otherwise visited.

Being in Rome with Renee seemed to be the antithesis of the less trodden path that I had once sought.

This was one of the great tourist destinations of the world, filled with visitors of all types and ages from across the world.  When people think of dream places to visit, this would surely be high on the list.  So it was here I found myself.  Just as the high season was about to start.  Being here with Renee was already special and being able to see her was in and of itself joyous, but I was also exited about the city itself.  After our initial reunion, we set out to be tourists.  This felt odd.  I felt less like a "traveler" now.  I felt like a real tourist, even though the reality was that I was always a tourist.  It didn't feel alien or uncomfortable.  If anything, I was quite excited.  We arrived at the Colosseum and both marvelled at the size and scale of it all.  Memories of film and images filled my mind.  Everything from histories through to romances and adventures, this seemed to have been any and all genre.  I loved being there.

As part of the tickets I bought, we also had free access to the Forum included.  With our walk around the Colosseum finished, we moved over to the Forum and found that we even had a shorter line to get in.

I found it all even more amazing than the Colosseum.  

This was the focus and centre of life in the ancient city of Rome.  This was where everything I read growing up had happened.  It was where Caeser stood and spoke, where Marc Antony made his impassioned pleas, where the emperors had come afterwards to impose their will.  The sun was beating down.  Renee went to hide for a while in the shade whilst I kept walking.

We walked into the Monti district for a quick lunch.  It wasn't too far from the Forum so it was probably frequented heavily by tourists, and yet I still thought it was a lovely place to eat.  We sat outside, enjoying the warm weather and the relaxed atmosphere.  Renee was struggling with her dress, so we found a nearby pharmacy to buy some safety pins for her to do some running repairs.  I checked my watch and noticed it was still early.  During my research on visiting Rome, I had read about the famous Villa Borghese.  We didn't have a booking, but apparently the pass we had could be used to include the villa as one of the free entries. I thought we would risk it.  I flagged a taxi for us and soon we were at the other side of Rome.  We walked into the grand villa and towards the front desk.  The attendant told us that they were sold out.  Then with a smile, he mentioned that there had been a cancellation for a spot in half an hour... would we be interested?  We laughed and kindly accepted his offer of the spots!

Inside, we were both overawed by the incredible beauty of the art on display.  This was what I had been expecting when I thought of the grandeur and splendour of Italian culture.  The building itself was impressively ornate, but it was the enormous collection of paintings and statues that was the most impressive.

It was the first time I had seen any Bernini statues up close and in person.  The delicate beauty of each statue was indeed breath taking.  There was an intricacy and detail in each piece that you can only properly see in person.

Along with the incredible paintings, many of which are by Caravaggio, we were both enthralled in room after room.

It was all a bit much for Renee.  The jetlag was taking a toll on both of us, but she was feeling it a bit more than me coming from North America.  The old adage of "West is best, East is a beast" was hitting hard as she struggled to adjust to the change in timezones.  We had to leave to find some rest before we went out again.

The Eternal City

Renee and I were meeting in Rome.  It was close enough to halfway between us, so it was an ideal location.  I had only been to Italy once for work, and that was up in Milan.  This wasn't going to be work.  Instead, this was going to be a real holiday.  I was incredibly excited about it, not just because I wanted to see Renee, but also because I had always wanted to go to Rome and to see more of Italy.

I arrived at the airport in Rome early in the morning. It would still be a few hours before Renee arrived, so rather than head into the city I decided to stay at the airport and wait for her.  I found myself a lounge that offered wifi and started to work.  Time went by quickly and soon it was time for Renee to arrive.  The long distances between us were tough and any time we could see each other was a joy.  We hopped on the train and we were soon in Rome.  After a brief dispute with our taxi driver, we were checked into our hotel and wandering through the streets.

It was all far more beautiful than I imagined.

Rome was a place I had always wanted to visit.  As a child who was always obsessed with history, there are few places in the world that can compare when it comes to historical significance (places being in the Middle East of course immediately coming to mind though).  Walking around Piazza Navona, we we both looked up and around at all the lovely buildings with nothing but the deepest admiration.  We walked inside the churches and were amazed even more.  We were both horribly jetlagged, but it didn't seem to matter at all.  We had an additional rush of energy, not just from being together, but from the surroundings themselves.

I had of course been to Italy before, but that was to Milan.  This was an entirely different league.

There was an opulence and size to everything which I had never experienced before.  I now understood very clearly why people were so dismissive of Milan when I told them that I was going.  For me, any trip to Italy was something to be savoured.  When I was in Milan, I thought it was a beautiful place, full of interesting sights and experiences.

But it was no Rome.

In comparison to Rome, Milan was just any other city with a few points of attraction.  Walking through the streets of Rome, it was difficult to go anywhere that didn't feel special.  Every street, every turn, every corner was a point of beauty and history.  For all of the wonderful things in Milan, it just couldn't compete with this.  What could compete with this?  Milan wasn't a bad place by any means, it was clear that it merely suffered from the comparison.

We left Piazza Navona and walked towards the Pantheon.  This was something I had wanted to see since I was a kid.  I had loved reading about Julius and Augustus Caeser, so the idea of seeing something from their time was exciting.  The Pantheon stood out square and tall amongst the surrounding buildings.  With the Roman low rises surrounding it, this was still an imposing structure that wasn't overshadowed or dwarfed by any nearby modern constructions.

Inside, I truly had my breath taken away.  The size of the dome and the light that came in made me feel like I had stepped into another time.  There was a din of noise from all of the other visitors, but it was all absorbed in a way by the building into a consistent murmur.  We walked several loops of the building, our eyes transfixed upwards at the light and the dome.  

We were both amazed and enamoured with Rome.  It had been less than a day of walking through the city, but there seemed to be surprises and beauty on every street and around every corner.  Could I say that it was "magical"?  It seemed like such a hackneyed thing to say, but it seemed like such an apt description for this wonderful city.  As the sun began to set and the evening began, we made our way back to some busier areas to look for dinner.  There were tables and chairs out everywhere, with each restaurant expanding out into the public areas.

We found ourselves a place that look inviting and sat down to eat.  We were both exhausted.  I can barely remember what I ate, but I was satisfied and happy.  We were together in a city half way around the world and it was beautiful.