Killing Birds with Stones

Almost before the tires chirped on the tarmac at Rome's Fiumicino airport, we were accosted by peddlers trying to sell tourists all manner of goods and services. Our first and only experience being swindled occurred before we left the airport. Curious as to why one train to the city seemed to be 8 euro and the other one 14 euro, we approached the desk labeled "Tourist Information." They explained the difference and casually mentioned that there was a shuttle bus that would take us right to our hotel for 15 euro. Sounds like a great deal. Why not? Only as we were waiting for the "next scheduled shuttle departure" did we realize that the "tourist information desk" was a "shuttle service sales office". After an hour and a half in Rome traffic, we were made painfully aware of our mistake. We had heard that Rome was expensive, but the British couple sharing the shuttle with us put it best when they said they felt like they were "spewing euros."

Quick to recover, we caught a bus to the Trastevere neighborhood which is known for its restaurants and night life. There we met up with a teammate of mine, Tommaso, for the first of many long leisurely meals. The Italians have a well deserved reputation for culinary excellence.

First of many good recommendations

After dinner, as is traditional, we went to play beach volleyball. Actually, we ended up playing beach volleyball entirely due to a miscommunication. We thought we were going to watch beach volleyball but ended up playing it instead. We played versus Tommaso's friends (America vs. The World). Naturally, America came out on top.

Watch out, Park City

At just after midnight, Tommaso convinced us that the night was young, and we took off to sample the nightlife. Even though we had only been on the ground for six hours, everyone we met seemed to be outraged that we hadn't seen the Colosseum yet.

Great guy

The next morning we met up with Tommaso and friends for some coffee (apparently when you order "coffee" they give you espresso). They gave us some advice on what to see, and we began wandering around the city.

Il Vittoriano

We got lunch with Tommaso at another restaurant he recommended--this time in the Jewish ghetto. If the first try hadn't convinced us, this meal taught us to always follow Tommaso's recommendations.
Walking around the center of Rome, one can't help but stumble upon thousand year old ruins. It seems that on every street block there is an excavation site with surprisingly intact columns and walls.

Random ruins

By midday we were finally ready to see the Colosseum. I have rarely if ever seen something so impressive. The structure is entirely recognizable as a stadium. It is still in good enough shape that visitors can walk its corridors and climb its steps. The structure bears an uncanny resemblence to modern stadiums. It was easy to imagine 100,000 Romans streaming in the gates, eating, drinking, and cheering.

Colosseo

A little tired from the hot sun, we decided to call it for sight seeing, grab some food, and get ready to go out with Tommaso again. Italians may have invented the biggest innovation in fast food since the hamburger. Instead of selling pizza by the slice, they sell it "by the cut." That means that they have gigantic square pizzas precooked and you simply tell them how big of a piece you want. They weigh it, and you pay by the pound. They seem to be more creative with their pizza recipes as well. Might have something to do with their several hundred year head start. Andy and I frequented an embarrassing number of these establishments during our time in Rome.

Tour guide Tommaso is going to kill me, but I don't remember the name of this fountain

The next morning we geared up for an aggressive day of sightseeing. On the agenda: the Roman forum, Vatican City, and a ruined Roman port town. We started in the forum which is an impressive set of ruins remaining from the heart of ancient Rome. A short subway ride later, and we were at the Vatican. Ten seconds after stepping off the subway, we were stormed by tour guides offering for us to "skip the line" and take their tour for 35 euro. Before long, we realized there were so many that we didn't even have time to politely decline their offers--we just had to ignore them. As we progressed through the day, the only line we waited in was a security line--which I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to skip.
We reached St. Peter's Basilica, and I was struck with a strange feeling of deja vu for having seen the place so many times in movies, on TV, and in pictures. It was odd to be seeing it in person for the first time. As soon as we stepped inside, I was almost moved to tears it was so beautiful. The basilica itself is a gigantic open span with every single surface covered in ornate decoration. The walls host paintings and sculpture. The floor is patterned with marble. And the ceiling is encrusted in gold accents. Words are wholely inadequate to describe the impression it makes.

One of many altars

We progressed through the Vatican Museum which was unfairly overshadowed by St. Peter's Basilica on the front end and the Sistine Chapel on the back end.
After finishing our tour of Vatican City, we took a train south to Ostia Antica which is an entire town of Roman ruins. The amphitheater was still in usable condition--almost 2000 years after it was built.

Sorry for crashing your wedding

Tommaso told us in no uncertain terms that we wouldn't get into the club dressed like Americans, so we did our best to dress in local garb. We failed.

Strut

With only a few sites left on our bucket list, we took a mental health day and slept in until 2 PM. We did manage to see the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish steps. We also learned the imporant lesson that when walking by a church, even if it looks nondescript, you should go inside. Time and again we were blown away by churches with stunning interiors that didn't look like anything special on the outside.

Average Roman church

We ate a nice long dinner at a resaurant where wine was literally cheaper than coca-cola.
In the morning, we woke up and got some (what else?) pizza. We wandered around a bit waiting for our train to depart. We found the American embassy and said our hellos then headed to the train station. So long, Rome.