Jessie is taking over this blog today. This morning, we had
an early wake up, and as we got ready we could watch both the sky get light
with morning and our ship’s arrival into Civitavecchia. We prepared for our
tour and did some last minute cleaning in our cabin for the sanitation
happening later that evening. Laura was miserable. Her cold prevented her
sleeping much, and she couldn’t breathe. Yesterday, we purchased some Italian
cold meds, and even they didn’t seem to touch her symptoms today. She was very
conflicted on going on the trip or resting, but seeing as the ship needed to be
empty of passengers, she had to go. Therefore, she packed up her boxes of
tissues and cough candies and tried to be eager to go.
We had a quick breakfast in the Lido buffet this morning
with Laura and I eating Japanese Congee (like a porridge made with chicken
broth and rice). Laura topped hers with Jalapanoe peppers, and those had a fiery
reaction to her sinuses. After breakfast, we ambled over to the main stage,
from where our tour would commence. It
is nice to think that we will have one tour from the ship, and not all
externally booked. It is even nicer to think that it is FREE! J
We got on the bus, and Laura luckily seemed to get a corner
of the bus all to herself, so she didn’t have to worry too much about her cold
symptoms. For much of the tour she took it easy and relaxed and Hildy and I
paid more attention to the guide’s informative lecture. The tour was going to
be entirely on the bus with a little free time by the Vatican, finishing off
with a provided lunch.
As we travelled the 75 minute trip into Rome, our tour guide
told us about the lovely country side that we were passing through. The rolling hills, lush farmland and trees
were so picturesque and it was pleasant watching the scenery drift by. We
learned that Civitavecchia means “Old City” and aptly because it has been in
use as the main port city for Rome for over 2000 years. Unlike the port city
where the Tiber river flows into the ocean, Civitavecchia is rocky and deep so
large ships may dock. The mouth of the Tiber River (whose Port name means Ox’s
mouth – though I don’t recall the actual name) is sandy and not functional for
this purpose. Roman troops would port in Civitavecchia and then travel a few
days to Rome. On route, there were some healing springs in which they would
wash. These springs are located in the Italian countryside and are still in use
today and free to the public. They heal(ed) skin irritations and other
maladies, and were very valuable to the ancient world in a time of much less
advanced medical capabilities.
Our guide’s name was Massimo or Max, and he told us that the
countryside was full of tombs belonging to the Etruscans, the ruling power before
the Romans. I believe he said that these tombs dated around 800BC. He also
pointed out castles that belonged to one of the ruling families (not quite as
renowned as the Medici, but the Roman equivalent) who had seven castles and
owned most of the countryside. They would collect taxes, etc, from whoever
farmed their lands. When Italy was unified over a century ago, they gave the
land back to the country, but kept the castles. Apparently Tom Cruise was
married in one of them.
Arriving in Rome we had to drive quite some time still to
get to the original city center. We saw the original walls of the city, back
from Roman antiquity. Massimo even showed us the Etruscan walls a little
further in, which were in further disrepair, but it was very interesting to see
the development of Rome and how it has grown over time. We also saw a beautiful
church, with stunning colonnades and a breathtaking mosaic piece along the
façade of the building. The church is one of the seven most prominent of Rome (there are many more
than seven, but there are seven main ones, apparently). The mosaic was
predominantly bright gold, and stunning against the grey morning.
We drove by many of the sights that we had walked on our
previous time in Rome. It was nice to get to hear the history of all the places
we had already perused. First we saw the Roman Forum, or palaces of the past
Emperors. Right beside it was the chariot race track – the Hippodrome, I
believe. Apparently each Emperor wanted to add a personal touch to the palaces,
so they became massive over 900 years.
Though we only quickly drove by it, Hildy was entranced by
the Royal Rose garden of Rome, which holds 20000 varieties of roses. The
colours as we passed by were phenomenal.
We also drove by the Coliseum. Like a modern stadium, it
could hold 55,000 spectators at once. It was well organized, as each visitor
had a number to a corresponding arch from which to enter. This meant that the
full theatre could be emptied within ten minutes! Furthermore, it was free to
go in, but the seats where sectioned by class and gender, women only permitted
in the top of the stadium. The stadium was built around Nero’s personal
swimming pool (about the size of a lake). I don’t recall, but perhaps this is
why it could be filled to reenact naval warfare. The outer wall of the coliseum
is destroyed on one side, due to an earthquake. It is also called the “Swiss
Cheese Ruin” because the stone is pock marked. This is because there used to be
metal rods decorating and supporting the structure, but they were removed by
vandals.
Other sites we saw included the Arch of Constantine, the
ruin of the first shopping mall ever, and then the center square where the
large victory monument stands. What we thought was the parliament building
previously is actually a victory monument, which today hosts two separate
museums. The belly of the bronze horse in front of the monument is actually the
size of a bus! Massive! This square was also the site of Mussolini’s apartments
and Michelangelo. He stayed in this square for much of his
life, and even died there, though his body rests in Florence.
Afterwards, we drove around some of the ritzy areas of town,
which host outdoor eating venues and the most expensive hotels. Then we drove
around the Borghese Gardens, where we were told about the impressive gallery
therein. Someday I would love to spend some time there because, amongst other
things, they have the biggest Raphael collection. The Borghese grounds are
mostly open to the public today, and are very expansive, even holding a zoo.
The family still exists and have a (lovely, I’m sure) private home on the
grounds. Just a peak into the wealth of the Catholic church, but one of the
Popes (was there a Borghese Pope?) gave the entire park, all decorated, to his nephew
as a gift. Incredible!
After a little more driving around, the bus let us off near
St. Peter’s Basilica. The church is massive, and I think that nothing in Rome
can tower over it in height. The dome was created by Michelangelo, and holds
over 400 steps to get up. The church can hold 65,000 people. The line was far
too long to go in, but this is where Michelangelo’s Pieta is. We thought this
was the line for the museum last time we were here, but it is just to get into
the church. Hildy was sad that we didn’t have enough free time during our visit
this time to go in.
Before we were left to our own devices, Massimo showed us
mosaics close up. The fine work put into them was incredible. Then we went off
on our own. We searched for a farmacia (Pharmacy) for Laura to buy herself more
meds, then did what we do best – a little souvenir shopping! Our free time was
quickly over after our casual strolling, so we headed with our tour group to
lunch.
Our lunch was good for the fact it was free, but it wasn’t
stellar food in the end. The free wine was good, but I was sorely disappointed
by the Tiramisu that tasted like chewy foam and fake whip cream. Way to ruin my
favourite cake! I had more wine instead of dessert. The best part of the meal was Hildy’s
reaction to Espresso – I caught it on film!
The trip back to the
ship was pleasant, and we headed back to our (now sanitized) rooms. Laura
immediately got into her PJs to try and sleep off her cold, but we realized
that there was a mandatory safety drill occurring shortly and Laura had to get
dressed again. Afterwards, we had a laid back night, having dinner in the Lido.
We got Hildy another book from the ship’s library to read, and enjoyed a
pleasant time just in our stateroom that evening.
Jessie, logging off!
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