When in Rome

Ah Roma. It was everything I hoped it would be, a vibrant city full or realism, history and art. I spent the first day in ancient Rome, visiting th Collosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum among other sights and ruins. The Colosseum is huge! Afterwards I ate a fabulous Italian meal with the people I was staying with.

Day two started early since I had a 9am reservation at the Borghese. It took me some time to find it because it's at the end of a large park but I did and it was so worth it. Unlike typical art galleries with works hung in simply decorated rooms, the pieces at the Borghese are in a lavishly decorated house. It's full of frescoes and sculpture and brilliant paintings. As luck would have it, there was a special Raphael exhibit going on too. It was amazing. Unfortunately you only get two hours so you can't linger too long. After the gallery I visited the Pantheon. I don't know why but I always imagined it being smaller. Instead it is this huge imposing structure, full of and surrounded by people. I saw Raphael's tomb among other things. I also visited Trevi Fountain which is far more impressive than I expected. I threw a coin in so apparently I am guaranteed to return to Rome one day. I guess that would be okay. I also visited some famous piazzas: Poppolo, Spagna and Navona. I walked up the spanish steps, once a hot bed of artistic activity.

Day three also started early and much of it was spent standing in line. I was disappointed to discover that the Vatican museums were closed Sundays, the day I had planned on visiting then discovered that it is open and free on the last Sunday of the month. What luck! So I got up at 6 to get in line. I was in line for 2 hours which was better than I expected. It was worth it too. The Vatican has an amazing collection of art of course. I saw the art gallery, the Raphael rooms, the Egyptian collection and of course, The Sistine Chapel, among other things. The chapel is beyond description. Michelangelo's ceiling is just...wow and the Last Judgment will knock your socks off. The only drawback is the crowds.

This morning I (surprise) got up early to drop my bags off at the station then went to St Peter's. There was a line there too but it moved very quickly. I saw the Pieta, behind a shield of bulletproof glass and wandered around the rest of the basilica before visited John Paul II's tomb. People come from all over the world to pray here. Incredible.

Since my train stopped in Pisa I spent a couple hours there to see the tower and a few other sights. It is strange that tower. How funny that one of the most famous sights in the world is some guy's huge mistake.