From Humble Popes to Rich Popes

By hfeatherina  |  Location: Italy  |  06/30/09

June 30, 2009


Getting up yesterday was ROUGH (did I mention that I only went to bed at 3am?), but I didn’t let it affect my incredible Roman plans too much. After a breakfast downstairs, I spent forty minutes in line at tourist information figuring out which bus to take to the Appian Way and the Catacombs of San Callisto. When I got to the San Giovanni metro stration finally, I had to ask a gentleman running a newspaper cart where the bus stop was, but my Italian is improving everyday! I had wanted to stroll up and down the Appian reflecting on the generals and footsoldiers who made this long, final march home – but I had to cut this part of my plan as it was already 11:30am and the last tour before Siesta was leaving. A Salitian monk led us into the Catacombs where the early Popes and St. Cecilia are built. It was a refreshing break from the incredible heat AND an opportunity to test my latin skills on the few marble inscriptions that hadn’t been destroyed. 
After the tour, I spent a good hour chatting with Jim and his two grandsons, Tre and Parker, who hail from Dallas but are enjoying a European trek of which Rome is but one stop. They left me to go back to their hotel and I headed to the Vatican Museum. 
The Vatican Museum is – interesting. You hear so many people spewing made up stories to anyone who will listen and the tour groups seem to think that they own the place. It is also laid out in such a way that to reach the Sistine Chapel you MUST walk through the rest of the collection (the maps and tapestries are just stunning and I need not mention the awesomeness of the Laocoon). While I appreciate this attempt at forced culturation (LOL), it made my feet sore. However, I DID manage to get some Vatican stamps and used their postal facilities. The Sistine Chapel itself is – a little underwhelming. Perhaps it was the crowd, but I find that much in one small space difficult to take in – may be why I prefer sculpture to painting, I don’t know. 
After the Vatican, I rushed back to the hostel to shower, change and put up my feet before heading back out (in the drizzle – second night in a row!) to Trevi Fountain for my date with Niccolo. He was only five minutes late, which I believe is a compliment from an Italian, and we went for pasta and one of his favourite restaurants (I had spaghetti in a cream sauce with spinach and salmon – yummy!). After we walked to Trevi Fountain again so that I could say good-bye to Gianlucca – the maestro from yesterday) and come back to my hostel for what I thought would be an early night. HA! 
I got back and one of my Scandinavian flatmates and the Irish gentleman bunking above me were playing some cardgame I still don’t understand. James, Philip and I proceeded to stay up into the wee hours of the morning talking about places we have been and weird stuff that we have encountered. It was very pleasant (and then I found out that Philip, the Swede, is not even 18 yet and I felt like I was keeping a baby up past his bedtime, LOL) and when the five other Swedes returned from the pub crawl, we had a good time listening to their drunken ramblings before bed. At 5:30am they woke up, still drunk, to get on a plane back home – I rolled over and went back to sleep – yeah to earplugs and a sleepmask. 
I am all packed and ready to head to Perugia where I hope to locate a real grocery store and an internet stick. The Alessandro Downtown Hostel has been a dream - i couldn't ask for better. The weather has been glorious except for about an hour of rain each evening. The people have been as friendly as warm as one hopes from Mediterraneans. Just a delight.
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