They say “all roads lead to Rome,” but the locals told us “all roads lead FROM Rome.” The Romans did construct great military roads and highways (more than 250,000 miles of roads), and 50,000 miles were stone-paved. Many Roman roads still exist. Today, roads in Rome are crammed with cars and scooters and tour buses, crazy traffic, and never-ending noise. Rápido! Rápido! WALK when you can in Rome; stay off the roads!
This post is a result of several friends asking for Italian travel tips, plus my memories of an Italy trip our family took with Monograms Independent Travel. These are my opinions and my personal photos (which I had to find and upload from a camera card). Whether you are planning, or just considering a trip to Italy, here are some highlights and suggestions beginning with Rome!
I encourage everyone to do some research before traveling to a new location. So, before we visit Rome attractions, let’s have a quick history lesson!
Did you know Rome is older than Italy? Italy did not become a nation until the 20th century, but Rome was founded in 753 BC along the Tiber River, making the city (and the capital of Italy) thousands of years older than the nation.
Legend tells us ancient Rome was founded by two brothers: Romulus and Remus. After a petty sibling fight, Romulus killed Remus, became the ruler King, and named Rome after himself.
Most of us equate Rome with gladiators, chariot races and Caesars; the Roman Empire was from 31 BC until the fall of Rome in 476 AD. Before that, Rome was ruled by kings (625-510 BC), then it began a Republican Kingdom from 510-31 BC. The Byzantine Empire came after the fall of Rome but ended in 1453. Fast forward hundreds of years, many kingdoms, duchies, city-states, an attempt to unify as a country in 1896, and Italy finally became a nation in 1946.
Rome is steeped in both history and art. You won’t find me listing the top five Rome museums to visit. Go straight to its churches for medieval architecture, sculptures, mosaics, tapestries, and masterpieces from Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Bernini, Raphael, da Vinci, Bramante, della Porta, and more. Except for a few churches, you can walk in without paying a fee or having a ticket. Be considerate because locals go to these worship sites, especially early in the morning, to pray and reflect before starting the day.
To visit Rome churches, there is no requirement to be Catholic, Christian or even religious. But: strict, non-negotiable dress code rules apply for churches in Italy. Be respectful when visiting sacred or religious sites. Males and females should cover shoulders and knees. No low-cut garments, mini-skirts, flip-flops, or hats are permitted. Either dress appropriately or take along something to cover up. We did see some Italian churches provide baskets at the door with wraps or even paper-like, throw-away ponchos, but don’t count on it.
Unique to Rome is Vatican City, the Catholic Pope, and the world’s smallest state. It’s the site where the Apostle Peter was martyred, and buried, and the Vatican became the residence of the majority of Popes who succeeded him. (There must have been some drama because seven popes and a few antipopes resided in Avignon, France instead of Rome in the 1300s).
Evening photo of the Tiber River with St. Peter’s Basilica
Smaller than most college campuses, Vatican City occupies 106 acres filled with the great St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope’s residence and papal palaces, the Vatican Museum collections, and the famous Sistine Chapel. It also has its own currency, newspaper, radio station, bank, post office and judicial system. It is the World Capital of Catholicism and points to Rome as the Eternal City.
Our trip to Italy included three good days in Rome. Monograms Independent Travel expertly planned our VIP sightseeing visits for St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, the Roman Colosseum and Forum. So, this Part One blog on Rome will focus on those attractions.
Highlights of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel
A guided tour is suggested because the 26 Vatican museums and 54 galleries contain the immense art collection accumulated by every pope since the 1600s. It can be daunting!
If I’m being honest, the main event is the Sistine Chapel. If you have time constraints, search for “Cappella Sistina” signs, and go directly to the Chapel. Otherwise, you’ll want to visit several worthwhile galleries on your way to the Sistine Chapel. Our tour guide covered the important highlights (everything on MY checklist) and kept us moving.
The Gallery of Tapestries is a display of enormous woven textiles along an 800-foot-long vaulted hallway. Must see are the tapestries designed by Raphael Sanzio to depict the life of Christ. They were woven in Brussels from Raphael’s sketches, and The Resurrection of Christ tapestry is the most spectacular!
Raphael Rooms – These four gallery rooms house the frescoes of Raphael and his faithful students who completed his works after he died. Giant frescoes line the walls, including the masterpiece The School of Athens, which depicts the world’s great philosophers.
The Chiaramonti Museum displays over 1000 antique sculptures. The Pinacoteca gallery is home to almost 500 paintings and masterpieces by great artists. The Vatican even has a collection of contemporary art by Matisse, van Gogh, Chagall, and others.
The Gallery of Maps is a 400-foot hallway covered top-to-bottom with 40 geographical fresco maps painted by Ignazio Dante, a Dominican monk and cosmographer. I can’t imagine the work involved!
In comparing our 2011 Sistine Chapel visit with 2022 Vatican updates, it’s much the same. Before entering the Chapel, our Monograms tour guide pulled us aside to give us history and rules. Tour guides were not allowed inside the Chapel when I visited.
Do not violate the Cardinal Rules! Silence is required inside the Chapel. To preserve the frescoes (and the experience), photography and videos are prohibited and strictly enforced. Once you enter the Chapel, and it will be very crowded unless you are on a private tour, find a place to stand or sit for a good viewpoint. This is the most visited room in the world and one of the Artistic Wonders of the World.
Then the magic happens! Look up! Enjoy this masterpiece in silence: minus selfies, conversations, tour guides giving information, or anyone attempting to “get the perfect picture.” Note: I am not adding a photo here; I don’t have one. Pick up a postcard or, like me, purchase a Vatican book as a keepsake of your visit. [Sharing the Sistine Chapel photos is a copyright law; even sharing them on social media without permission could lead to a fine]. So, GET TO ROME AND SEE IT. . . or Google it! The Sistine Chapel is breathtaking!
The Chapel was built for Pope Sixtus IV between 1473-1481. The 12,000 square-foot barrel vault has 343 frescoed figures designed to match the proportions of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. (Note: This is not a coincidence as it was indeed the Romans who destroyed the second Temple in Jerusalem).
Michelangelo frescoed the 33 ceiling panels for Pope Julius II in just four years (1508-1512). The main panels portray Genesis: the Creation of the World and The Fall of Man. The most famous panel is Creation of Adam. (This is the well-known painting of God’s outstretched right arm to give life from his own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God’s — a reminder that man is created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26).
Michelangelo adamantly refused to paint the ceiling until forced to do so; he firmly felt he was a sculptor, not a painter.
The gigantic walls (68 feet tall) of the Sistine Chapel were frescoed by other famous artists (Botticelli, Signorelli, Perugino, and Ghirlandaio) in the 15th and 16th centuries and show episodes from the life of Moses and Christ.
The great altar wall, The Last Judgment, was completed by Michelangelo in 1541. He worked alone (now a much older artist in his sixties) on this fresco for seven years. The painting depicts the souls of the dead rising up to face the wrath of God. The Pope chose this “odd” altar subject matter to encourage faithfulness during the Reformation.
Today, when not filled with visitors or used for special ceremonies, the Chapel is famous for being the site of the Papal Conclave, where the College of Cardinals gather and vote to select all new popes. This happens when a pope dies (or resigns, which is rare). In the past 1000 years, only five popes have resigned.
How does the world know when a new pope has been chosen? By smoke signals! WHITE smoke is sent out through the Sistine Chapel chimney pipe indicating a new pontiff. If the Cardinals cannot agree, BLACK smoke (chemicals added to the burned paper ballots) is piped out keeping the Cardinals sequestered with work to do. There are no TikTok videos with dancing Cardinals announcing the new pope!
The Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica are two separate properties but are a close walk to one another. There is no fee to enter the church, but be prepared for long lines and thousands of people. Our Monograms museum tour guide led us to the Basilica, skipped the lines, explained some history, and gave us free time to explore. When in Rome, this is a “must see!”
St. Peter’s Basilica
The great St. Peter’s Basilica, completed in 1626, replaced the 4th century basilica built by Constantine the Great. At 227,060 square feet, it is the largest church in the world and is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. Multiple architects–including Bernini, Bramante, and Michelangelo–designed the Baroque and Renaissance basilica shaped in a huge Latin cross covered with a massive dome.
The basilica was built over the burial site of the Apostle Peter (the first Bishop, or Pope, of Rome). Peter was martyred by the Romans and was not allowed to be buried within the city walls. Knowing this history helps to connect the dots of why St. Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City were constructed NOWHERE NEAR the center of Roman life: the Forum.
Michelangelo didn’t just paint the ceiling and the altar of the Sistine Chapel. He was the chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica. One of his most famous sculptures, The Pietà, depicts Mary holding Jesus after the Crucifixion. (If you see a glare from my photo, it’s because the sculpture was vandalized in 1972 and is now protected by a wall of bulletproof glass).
At age 72, Michelangelo also designed the church dome but did not live to see it completed. For an extra fee, you can climb the steps to the dome and see the basilica, and Rome, from a whole new viewpoint.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini spent 50 years creating masterpieces for the interior of the basilica, including the Baldacchino High Altar (below). He designed and sculpted the Throne of Saint Peter (located behind the altar), plus the tomb and Monument to Alexander VII, the equestrian statue of Alexander the Great, and the giant sculptures of four saints. Outside, Bernini designed St. Peter’s Square, one of the largest and most beautiful plazas in the world (above photo: featured on the cover of the Vatican book I purchased).
The bronze Holy Door (the Porta Sancta) designed by Vico Consorti is the northernmost entrance to the basilica. It is cemented shut, completely sealed, and only opened every 25 years for the Jubilee Holy Year. The next Jubilee year is 2025. Pilgrims flock to the Vatican during the Jubilee because it is said “whoever crosses the threshold of the door will have divine forgiveness.”
Can you go into the Necropolis (cemetery just below the High Altar) and see St. Peter’s Tomb? Yes, with some planning. Only 250 people a day are allowed on the tour vs. the 20,000 who visit the basilica each day. You’ll need to e-mail the Vatican Scavi directly at [email protected]. Provide the following information: the exact number of visitors, the names and surnames of each visitor, your preferred language, the dates you are available and your contact information. They suggest you do this request the moment you book your flights. Tickets are €13 per person.
Our Monograms tour continued: we crossed the city to explore the Roman Colosseum and the Forum.
The Colosseum
Emperor Vespasian commissioned Rome’s great oval amphitheater in 72 AD. It is the largest amphitheater ever built and still the largest standing in the world today. Did I mention it was built in the first century? The colosseum was built over the former Colossus of Nero, a bronze statue from Nero’s palace, which gave the amphitheater its name. It could hold up to 80,000 people seated by rank.
Patterned after this very building, the world is now filled with colosseums, stadiums and theaters.
Deadly gladiator combats and wild animal fights were held on a mass scale. Animal hunts, re-enactments of famous battles, executions, mythology dramas, and floors were even flooded for mock sea battles. Over 9000 wild animals were killed in the inaugural games held in 80 AD. Roman gladiators were either soldiers-in-training, slaves, criminals, and/or prisoners forced to fight each other, or wild animals, often to the death.
Inside the arena and below the floor was an elaborate structure called the hypogeum, which means underground. It was a 2-story network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals (even elephants, bears and crocodiles) were held before contests began.
It also included 80 vertical shafts, using elevators and pulleys, to raise and lower animals and gladiators to the arena floor. Gladiators had an underground tunnel to a training school as well. Successful gladiators were famous and even rich, but this was no Disney World job!
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum was neglected and pillaged; it was later damaged by fires and earthquakes causing some of the outer walls to collapse. Much of the Colosseum’s damaged stone was used to build palaces, hospitals and churches, even St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
The Forum was the heart of Rome and the hub for everyday life. It began as a marketplace around 500 BC and kept evolving. Statues, triumphal arches, brothels, lots of temples, shops, bath houses, a large plaza, aqueducts, and other buildings were added by Julius Caesar, and later Emperor Augustus (Julius Caesar’s step-son). After the Senate House was built (44 BC), the Forum became a functional place for elections, public speeches, trials, and religious ceremonies.
Rome’s money was kept in a treasury in the Temple of Saturn (497 BC). The Arch of Titus (81 AD) was dedicated to Emperor Titus for the siege of Jerusalem. The Sacra Via was the main Roman road running through the Forum, and it connected to the Colosseum. Most of the ancient buildings were destroyed and became ruins after the Roman Empire fell.
Palatine Hill (the most popular of the Seven Hills of Rome and now an open-air museum) is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. Today, the palace ruins of Emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Domitian can be found on Palatine Hill. It is located between the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus.
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One thing I appreciate about traveling with Monograms is the free time to wander. In between our Rome Highlights Tour, (plus a day trip to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast), we independently explored Rome and added a fun excursion.
And that is where we will begin Part Two of this blog.
But, one more thing:
Why have I included a photo of the Bastille subway station sign in Paris? Several years ago, a friend and I were there taking the Metro to the Marais district to visit Place des Vosges. From the La Tour-Maubourg station to the Bastille Metro station, there are 10 subway stops, and it takes a few minutes. We had been talking along the way on the subway, the Metro rail car stopped, and as it pulled away, we glanced at the station wall and simultaneously shouted “BASTILLE!” We MISSED our stop!
It was not the end of the world, but we continued on to the next Metro stop, exited onto the platform, crossed over and found the platform returning to the Bastille Metro, and eventually got back after waiting. We didn’t waste a ticket; we just wasted our time and got frustrated. We now claim this as “having a Bastille moment.”
All this to say, on every trip (whether you are driving 30 minutes away from your home or flying across the world) you may have some challenges or make a mistake. You can pre-plan, plan even more, and have good intentions, but a trip will rarely be perfect. Be prepared for hurdles but don’t let your frustrations ruin your day. . . or your trip. . . or everyone else’s trip! To this day, I still shout “BASTILLE!” when something crazy happens.
Chances are you will get separated from your group, take the wrong exit, your luggage will not arrive, you’ll get on the wrong train OR exit it too soon, you’ll receive a strange meal because your order got lost in translation, you’ll think you’ve misplaced your only Airbnb apartment key; or you’ll get lost trying to find your way back to your hotel (compliments of Venice). I’m sure you could add your Bastille moments to this list of things which have all happened to me!
I once saw a sign in Florida that read, “If you’re lucky enough to be at the beach, you’re lucky enough.” So, if you’re lucky enough to be on vacation, you’re lucky enough. . . even if you have a Bastille moment! Keep traveling!
Join me next week for Rome: Let’s visit the Eternal City – Part Two!
And, Ciao for now!
Tami Kooch https://traveltipsbytami.com