Ciao Ragazzi!
The first thing I pictured when going on a weekend trip to Rome was the Lizzie McGuire Movie. Finding a beautiful Italian man that is actually a pop star and becoming a famous duo. Maybe even taking a Romantic walk along the Trevi fountain at twilight. Well, my weekend in Roma, Italia was not exactly a movie. It was pretty ordinary. First of all, the city is huge and very spread out, so there was a lot of walking. More walking than how much we walk in Florence. Each street has unique statues of angels watching over in elegant positions. What I kept reminding myself as we walked the entire city in three days is that this used to be the center of the world. Everyone at one point wanted to be a Roman because they had everything under control.
We took a tour of The Vatican, Coliseum, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps and The Pantheon, which taught me a thing or two about the Romans. Here are 10 facts I learned about Rome this weekend:
1.The Vatican is its own state, so in a way I was in a different country this past weekend. The people that live there have their own Vatican Passports, but you do not need a passport to get into the state.
2. The people of Rome have a tradition where they preserve the past popes’ bodies. After they do all that needs to be done to the body, they seal the Pope in a coffin that has a window and display it in the St. Peter’s Basilica. It was kind of creepy to see a full body clothed and in flawless condition when they have died years prior.
3. The Vatican and Italian Military are still present in Rome, but the armed forces that protect the Pope and outer area of the Vatican and Basilica is the Swiss Army. The Vatican Military dress like clowns.
4. The Coliseum used to fit up to 70,000 people for the gladiator fights. The emperor sat on his thrown and decided who would be killed, whether they won the fight or not.
5. It costs 25 million euro to clean the Coliseum every couple of years. This equals about 35 million dollars. That’s a lot of money to clean an outdoor area that probably gets dirty every day.
6. The Coliseum’s Latin name was Ampitheatrum Flavium.
7. The Trevi Fountain is the tallest Baroque fountain in Rome and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Approximately 3,000 euro (about 4,200 dollars) are thrown in the fountain each day. Although people attempt to steal the coins, every Monday the fountain is drained and donated to a supermarket to feed the poor.
8. The Spanish Steps got its name from the Spanish Embassy, since the stairs lead to it. It is strictly forbidden for people to sit and eat lunch on the steps. It is just used to walk on and take pictures now.
9. The Pantheon used to be a Pagan Church (a Polytheistic religion) and the Romans took it over as a Catholic Church. It is the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture.
10. The Sistine Chapel is where the new pope has been elected and where the chimney lets out white or black smoke. White means they have elected the pope, and black means they have not.
I can’t wait to update everyone next week!
HCxo,
Ashley