Saluti da Roma, laCita Eterna! Greetings from ROME, the Eternal City. The big surprise or the lack there of is I have traveled across the waters for a “bucket list” check – ITALY!
“Rome is called the Eternal City because ancient Romans believed that no matter what happened to the world or how many empires came and collapsed, Rome would go on forever!”
I have given serious thought to how one might just go about putting into words what the present experience. Having lived if for the past week I have come to the conclusion that are not words grand enough to describe the experience or photographs beautiful enough to compare to provide you a sense of the visual overload. Majestic or grand seem trite in the sense of providing adequate emotion to all that surrounds me. It is in every send of the work Belissimo!!!!!
I have had the grand pleasure of spending the first week of the trip in ROME with my very dear friends David and Kelly Vann. It is our first long haul together and I am happy to say I think we are going to continue to be great friends once the trip is over. No beheadings or crucifixions have been suggested or taken place. Of course, riding in a taxi in Rome can put the fear of God in you!
So we have had the pleasure of spending the first five days in Rome and taken a fair amount of guided tours to help provide a lay of the land as well as try to provide some significance to what we knew and what we are seeing.
The first day we took an Angels and Demons tour following the route of Tom Hanks from the movie by the same name. The Vatican did not look upon the story, which was part fiction and part fact, favorably so the movie was not shot in Italy. One of the churches Tom was to have made famous was St. Maria della Vittoria, the second clue and the second death, on his journey. The church with all of its precious art was visually stunning.
On day two we were off to the Vatican for a “private tour” only to meet up with the thousands of other individuals on some from of private or public tour themselves. The experience was not what I had expected but it is a must if you visit Rome. The Vatican is a country within a country and as luck would have it, the POPE heard we were coming and decided to go to the U.S.A. No time to blow the ring whistle or catch a ride in the Pope Mobile.
On the last tour we chose to go to the Colosseum to see just where Russell Crowe had fought as the Gladiator, Spartacus!!! Of course like Tom Hanks it was just in the movies. No trip to Rome would be complete without going there and imaging the roar of the crowds as they enjoyed the 100 Days for amusement and death. It was a riveting site and a must see to climb to the third level, of what was once six, and see the view from the common citizens perspective. At night the Colosseum lights up to beckon one to revel it all of its glory and stature.
As I said earlier, it would be impossible to begin to state or display the magnitude of the City and all of its history and art. As one might say, you must experience it first hand to even begin to remotely comprehend the significance of the City they call ROMA.
Stay tuned as we head to Florence and on to Venice. ARRIVEDERCI!!!
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Best regards ………. dK
