Exploring the Eternal City in one day

STORY & PHOTOS BY SIMON BURN

MY LAST VISIT TO ROME was fleeting, as I spent most of my trip exploring Tuscany, but decided to stay three days in the Eternal City before flying home from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Share my day one journal—cramming in a lot of sightseeing before taking it easy for the remainder of my stay.

I had checked in the previous evening at Grand Hotel Beverly Hills, a modern and very comfortable four star hotel just minutes from Villa Borghese Park, the second largest public park in Rome. Shady lanes dispersed with temples, statues and fountains provided a pleasant early morning walk down to the Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna, the best starting point for exploring the architectural feats and treats of Rome.

Morning

Directly facing the Spanish Steps, heading south west, is Via del Condotti, likely the most prestigious street in Rome, home to the world’s most expensive designer fashion labels. As I walked down the street, it was early and the stores hadn’t opened yet. Instead of fashionistas strutting in their Prada or Brioni attire, all I saw were street cleaners in their drab dirty overalls, pushing brooms. At the end of Via del Condotti runs a main artery of Rome from north to south, Via del Corso. If you head north on this road you come to the neoclassical Piazza del Popolo, for centuries a place of public executions, and home to the second oldest Egyptian obelisk in Rome. Heading south on Via del Corso leads you to all the great points of interest, including the Pantheon and Piazza Navona on the west side, and the Trevi Fountain off its east side. Continuing south, you come to the Victor Emmanuel Monument, built in honour of the first king of unified Italy. Behind this great piece of architecture lie the Capitoline Museums and the ancient centre of Rome. For many, including myself, the ancient centre is the highlight of Rome.

I decided to first visit the Pantheon, reached by turning west off Via del Corso through Piazza Colonna, where the column of Marcus Aurelius stands. After exploring some narrow streets that are home to many restaurants and shops, I found my way into Piazza della Rotunda, home of the Pantheon, the best preserved ancient building in Rome, dating from the first century AD. This magnificent domed structure was built as a pagan temple, where animals were sacrificed and burned in the centre, with the oculus providing a means of escape for the smoke, as well as a light source. After sitting inside for a while, taking in the ornate marble architectural detailing, I opted to head west through a few more narrow streets to see Piazza Navona, home to three elaborate baroque fountains and many artists who were busy painting or selling their work. At the north end of the Piazza I discovered a gelato store and spent several minutes looking at the endless flavours before deciding on two scoops—lemon and cherry. The fresh fruity tastes were delicious, slightly sharp yet creamy, and very refreshing. Over the next two days I went back for a few more taste sensations.

Next on my agenda was a trip to the Capitoline Museums. It was almost midday, not the best time to be out taking photos, so I headed inside for an hour or so. Two of the museums sit on opposite sides of Piazza del Campidoglio. Palazzo dei Conservatori has frescoed walls in numerous rooms and an art gallery that includes work by Caravaggio, Titian and Tintoretto. Across the Piazza in the Palazzo Nuovo is a vast collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture.

Just south of the museums is an elevated view across the ancient forum. Walking down into the forum, I discovered many ancient remains, including the Temple of Vesta and Arch of Titus, and could even see chariot tracks etched on the original 2,000-plus year old cobblestone paths. Approximately three quarters of a kilometre through this collection of fascinating ruins is the Colosseum, the definitive landmark of Rome. I decide to return to explore the forum the next day.

It was now early afternoon so I headed back up Via del Corso for lunch, taking a quick detour along Via delle Muratte to see the Trevi Fountain which was packed with tourists. One simply couldn’t move, so I shot a few frames for posterity and swiftly retraced my tracks back to the Via del Corso, heading north a few blocks to a great place for lunch called Autogrill. This is an indoor self-serve food court that features numerous stations where dishes are cooked to order right in front of you—fresh pastas, fish, meat, vegetables, and plates of freshly prepared salads and desserts. There is even a fine selection of local cheeses and wine. All the food is healthy, made on the premises, and not a processed or premade item in sight. This apparently is the Italian equivalent of a “fast food” establishment. Little wonder I never saw any fat people in Rome, other than North American tourists! I sat for half an hour, coffered ceiling and chandeliers above me, savouring my impressive seafood linguine with vine-ripe tomato and bocconcini salad drizzled with an amazingly grassy/peppery olive oil. A group of well behaved Roman teenagers munched on fresh fruit and sipped local mineral water opposite me. I was now ready to head west, across the river to the Vatican.

Afternoon

I walked across the Tiber at Pont Sant’Angelo, to find a line of open top buses about to ferry mostly Asian tourists up the Via della Conciliazione. They hid behind their cameras, clicking away in a continuous frenzy. They will have to wait until they return home to see what I saw, having missed the actual experience first hand, I thought to myself, as I followed the diesel fume trail of the buses, watching the great Saint Paul’s Basilica loom ever nearer and clearer in the hot and hazy mid afternoon sun.

For a while I just stood at the edge of Saint Peter’s Square to observe the vast impressive surroundings. Crippled and ragged old crones sat on the ground, frail bony hands looking to be crossed with silver, while young priests energetically strutted on by, seemingly oblivious to their poverty and anguish. This new breed of “men of the cloth” wore stylish attire, acting more like runway models, clutching their hand sewn leather brief cases with purpose.

The vast ‘square’ is actually elliptical, redesigned in the mid 1600s by artist and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Lines of travertine radiate from the centrally located obelisk, adding some visual interest to the otherwise grey monotony of millions of worn and shiny cobblestones. The obelisk sits some 25 metres tall, acting as a giant gnomon—the piazza is one gigantic sundial. After the addition of marker stones in 1817, one can follow the shadow from the obelisk and see the tip align with a marker at noon. When I followed the shadow’s path it ended near a group of foreign nuns. My eye was quickly diverted from this monochromatic superfluity of different shapes and sizes by a vivid mass of colour over near the piazza entrance. There were dozens of cheerfully painted horse-drawn buggies waiting to take tourists for a ride around the Vatican perimeter, but business was non-existent today, so the drivers had gathered to vivaciously discuss the latest football results, arms waving with aplomb, while cigarette butts quickly accumulated on the shiny cobblestones. The horses just looked down, with the patience of Saint Peter himself. They’ve heard it all before.

The Tuscan colonnades that majestically wrap this huge elliptical gathering area provide an elevated platform for dozens of statues that keep a watchful eye on the millions of tourists and pilgrims who make their way here to see the home of the Pope. I wasn’t sure if he was at home and, since I was here for the architecture, I decided not to spend two hours waiting to gain access to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums. There would be other times for that, maybe early one morning before the crowds gather.

It was now late afternoon, so I made my way back across the river and walked through a labyrinth of narrow streets, off the tourist path as much as possible, to experience local life. Tiny stores selling art, antiques, fabrics, and furniture were in abundance. Inside many of them, craftsmen and women worked on restoring, refinishing or repairing, while elegant Italian shoppers browsed or discussed their requirements. A few stores were packed with ancient artefacts and antiquities, including marble renaissance busts and oil paintings, similar to what many Europeans on their Grand Tour in the 18th century would have found and purchased. Having already seen Fortuny fabric at $1,000 a metre, I didn’t stop to find out how much some of the pieces cost.

As the sun was getting ready to set I made my way back to the Spanish Steps and stood at the top to take a photo down Via del Condotti, before making my way to the Villa Borghese Park for the final 1.5 kilometre walk to the hotel.

It was a long day, and I calculated walking about 15 kilometres. Even so, I couldn’t wait until the next morning to explore the Roman Forum in more detail, head back across the river to explore the Trastevere neighbourhood and, of course, try a few new gelato flavours!

Visit Simon’s web site at www.sdbimages.com