Rome-ing around Italy

The first stop fresh off the plane across the Atlantic, Rome!! It sure offered a very warm welcome. On the order of 33 degrees warm, but that did not dissuade our academic spirits. Despite the (sweat)damper on my mood it was a very full three days. The first day in Rome was spent predominately recovering from the overnight flight and scouting suitable sites around the hostel, including spotting as many nasoni on our intended paths as possible.

To that point, while I would not lie and claim I didn’t lament the lack of central air, the nasoni were a much welcomed accommodation. For those unfamiliar, it is in essence a multi-functional drinking fountain, but depending on which design you come across can serve several other purposes. Generally, they consisted of a post that rose out of the ground with a curved spout pointing towards the ground, sometimes with water constantly flowing, while for others a foot pump or button was employed to dispense water. Sometimes the spouts had a hole in the top, allowing water to be redirected by blocking the primary nozzle so that the water shoots up rather than falling down. Regardless, the consistent access to easily available free, clean drinking water was much appreciated. Some folk would fill water bottles, others would wash hands, and yet others still would use the top spout to splash cold water into their face to cool down.

A simple Nasoni where someone is washing their hands and another is demonstrating the function of the top hole. You can get a remarkable amount of pressure to shoot the top jet higher by blocking off the bottom more completely.

As for the sights, they were numerous! There were three museums around the hostel we stayed, and one could procure a three-day pass from one museum that functioned for the remaining two that made viewing incredibly convenient. We did make the mistake of arriving at one museum as it was closed for the hour and a half lunch break that many establishments provided and mused about how greatly such a break would be appreciated back home— at least compared to the scant 15 minutes some service workers receive.

However, the stand out site had to be the Roman Forum, Coliseum, and its surrounding sites, also as a combined ticket. While the walk through the Coliseum was scheduled at a specific time and encouraged consistent movement through the space, the surrounding grounds and archeological sites were left for us to explore at our leisure.

While the Coliseum was incredible to see and awesome in scale, it was also very full of other travelers and as such a somewhat chaotic experience. One would oft find themselves flitting from pocket to pocket of space and through or around various tour groups idly standing in primary walkways as one sought the next view or artifact. The time we were at the Coliseum coincided with an exhibit (Troia e Roma) on the upper floors about how the structure was used through various periods of history as well as various myths of the region. There were a great number of modeled mock-ups, maps, diagrams, and renderings in various mediums around the Coliseum and I found great joy in their presence. It is always nice to see various practical and educational examples of one’s discipline in practice, especially if you can view the varied reactions that folks from many backgrounds may have.

As wonderful as the exhibits were, I believe I enjoyed our time in the Roman Forum with greater appreciation. There were several sites of active archeological work were one could sit and watch the process that revealed the many ruins where they were actively stood. One could not help but appreciate the sheer amount of effort that has gone into the excavation, restoration, and preservation of the ruins over the years. There was far less of a rush to move through the space and many beautiful portals that framed sections of ruins marvelously. I believe this contributed to the more contemplative nature of the space, that and the greatly reduced crowds.

Moving away from the Forum and its surrounding features, we also had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Pantheon. While on the way we saw several wonderful corners at street intersections and had the chance to stop by the Trevi Fountain. I made sure to make use of my gifted height to avoid waiting in line, instead opting to peer over the heads of everyone who was suckered into standing still in the summer sun.

The Pantheon was incredible, when we entered, I couldn’t help but have the sense I had entered an incredibly large artificial cave. Despite the crowds inside, the space was easily several degrees cooler and possessed a near constant breeze; no doubt thanks to it’s cavernous nature and clever design that drew fresh air through the Oculus. It is hard to capture in words the scale of the structure in a way the compares to simply standing in it. The Dome, at its lowest point, was easily taller than 10 or more of myself stacked and stood on the tips of my toes. Each coffer in the ceiling, even the smallest around the oculus could easily hold a grown individual. When we arrived, the beam of sunlight streaming through the oculus landed perfectly on a southern section of wall illuminating it in fabulous fashion, gold leaf and marble diffused the light in the area into a warm golden glow that I struggled to capture with my phone’s camera.

All told, our time spent in Rome was a wonderful one, warm, but full of many moments where I had the opportunity to point excitedly to something I had read or learned about in my various art history classes and discuss with my travel companion. I fondly appreciate the opportunity to see what we were able, while not pushing ourselves to feel rushed to see the entire city. Regardless, we did manage to cover a good portion on foot as we traveled from location to location, and I trimmed a great many photos and topics from this post so that it does not bloat excessively. I hope you enjoyed this update, and I will see you in Florence!