All Roads Lead to Rome
And so did ours. The statement that all roads lead to Rome comes from the road system of the ancient Roman Empire. During the 4th century the Roman Empire became the superpower of the world. And they built roads stretching more than 250,000 miles connecting the Roman capital with all its empire, from Scotland in the north to Egypt in the south; from Portugal in the west to Syria in the east. While civil war, plagues and invasions ultimately toppled the regime, it continues to have a lasting influence on today’s culture, science, technology, and institutions. So, a trip to Europe isn’t complete without a visit to Rome.
Our ship came into port in Civitavecchia, which is about an hour and a half from the city. Our guide was Michelle, or Mike as he preferred. A very genial gentleman, he transported us in a Mercedes Van complete with plenty of water and air conditioning. And good thing, as it was brutally hot. The temperature soared to over 105 degrees. It was August 15th, and this date was an important Roman holiday, Ferragosto, or the Feast of the Assumption, so we knew that the Vatican was closed. This meant we would not be able to see the Sistine Chapel, and we were disappointed to learn that we would not be able to see the Michelangelo frescoes, particularly the Creation of Adam. The good news, as Mike explained it, was that all the natives of Rome have left the city for the beaches, so we would only have to contend with the other tourists. And there were still plenty. We wanted to see the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and of course the Colosseum, and Mike promised we would do that and more.
Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain. This is an ancient fountain and marks the terminal point of the only aqueduct still supplying water to Rome. It is the largest Baroque fountain in the world, and one of the most famous. The stone is Travertine, quarried near Tivoli, and Mike pointed out the quarry as we headed toward the city. While the streets were still full of tourists, we had no difficulty getting a great view of the fountain, which is truly beautiful. The legend behind the fountain, is that if you throw a coin into it, you would someday return to Rome and about 3,000 Euros are thrown into the fountain daily. Although we loved seeing the city, we did not throw any coins—we have too many other places on our bucket list! The money thrown into the fountain is donated to charity and it is illegal to steal the coins from the fountain.
Closet to the fountain are the Spanish Steps. Interestingly, this stairway of 135 steps is actually linked with the Trinita dei Monte church, under the kings of France. But the steps lead to the Spanish Embassy at the top, so Spain gets the naming nod. Luckily the heat had not yet become crushing, so we were able to climb the steps and wander through the surrounding courtyard. Mike also took us to a hilltop site where we would look out over the Seven Hills of Rome, forming the geographic heart of the ancient city.
Mike showed us a number of Egyptian obelisks and artifacts in the city. Rome has more Egyptian obelisks than any other city in the world, including in Egypt itself. After conquering Egypt in 30 BC, the Roman emperors shipped these huge stone pillars to Rome as trophies of their absolute power.
We drove over a portion of the Appian Way, one of the oldest and most important strategic roads of Ancient Rome. The road took us to the Catacombs, a major underground Christian burial ground. Burials were banned within the city so the Catacombs are comprised of over 60 underground tunnels over hundreds of kilometers. I made sure to wear clothing that covered my shoulders and knees throughout Rome to comply with their standards for the many ancient Christian sites.
Pretty much all the streets in Rome are cobblestone. I wore well made tennis shoes to insure a good grip throughout all our tours, and lots of sprained ankles are the result of not paying attention to cobblestone walking. Mike showed us that the current small cobblestones are a more recent addition as the larger, older cobblestones were the original version and are still visible in some areas.
And of course, no visit to Rome can be compete with a stop at the Colosseum, an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the City. It was used for gladiator contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, and reenactments of important battles. The ancient Romans were a pretty bloodthirsty culture. It has been damaged by fire, earthquakes and battles over the centuries. It is truly a spectacular place, although by this time the heat was beating down on us and there was little shade. We opted to do more of our touring from the AC of the van. I’ve always been interested in the writings of Marcus Aurelius, an Emperor of Rome, and a famous Stoic, and we saw several statues and monuments to his life. His most famous quote is “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” Makes sense to me.
By now we were starved, and Mike guided us to a family trattoria where we had the local dish of chicken and peppers, eggplant parmigiana and a delightful dish of cheese stuffed squash blossoms. Mike agreed to join us for lunch and we had a great time getting to know him better.
We made it back to the Princess Sun with plenty of time to spare, and we were glad of that because we had a reservation at one of the specialty restaurants for dinner. This one was called Love by Britto and combines vibrant pop art with upscale comfort food. The chef is Rudy Sodamin who oversees creative presentations of prime dishes.
I had the Chilean Sea Bass which was fantastic. Bob chose the duet of Prime Beef and Wagyu with a red wine reduction. While the presentation, tableware and cutlery were beautful and creative, and we had a great seat for the sunset, Bob’s food left a lot to be desired. His beef was riddled with gristle and after the fancy artistry, his food was not up to the sales pitch. It really was the only meal during the entire 2 ½ weeks that was not delicious and impressive. Nevertheless, the view over the bow was lovely and we retired for the night very happy with our Rome visit.
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