Rome...Just Got There....2013

Today started out as a usual day with a small breakfast at the hotel…then I headed for the Vatican City area. I took the tram and then the bus…and got there about 9 AM…just as the crowds were arriving. My first impression was that St. Peters Square was much larger than I had thought. It is huge…is the only way to describe it. My photos will show this…and I talked with one of the security guards and he showed me where the Pope will speak on Sunday at noon…actually speaking from one of the windows in his residence, which overlooks the Square. I spent about an hour in the area…then started “nosing around” and got over into the Vatican State area, as the Vatican is a state within Italy…with its own government, etc. They have a series of checkpoints to keep the tourists out…and I got some good photos of the guards. The Pope is probably better protected than the US President, in that the Vatican grounds is a walled in “fortress” going back hundreds of years. The Vatican itself is within the Vatican City which is surrounded by Rome. I will get the complete day tour on Monday.

I had gotten to the Vatican by both tram and bus…and thought I should try out the Metro Underground, so casually made my way to a station. Unlike London and SF and NYC…the Metro covers a large area with 49 stations…all centered on the downtown train terminal. The problem, if it is one….is that there are only 2 lines that run kind of in a big X…and if you are near one of the station, fine…but if not, may have to walk 6-8 blocks. This is one of the reasons that they have this extensive bus and tram system, and it is common for folks to go from one to the other, which is what I did today. The Metro is older and some of the cars are quite old (probably 25 years old), but then there are others that are much newer…and the stations vary accordingly. As I mentioned, I had hoped to visit churches today…so took the Metro back down to the Terminal (Termini), as I knew that would be a good starting point. And for about the next 5 hours I went from one to the other…seeing all kinds of things in between, from a movie being made where I asked “what was going on?” and the guy I asked worked in Hollywood last year making an Italian movie and is going back in 3 months to do another one. They were shooting scenes while I was there…and much like what I saw in a similar situation when at a KW convention in New Orleans, cameras, people, lights..the whole bit in this neighborhood adjacent to a big park where one of the characters took off running through. I had lunch at a local pub type place…then made my way down to the Colosseum via a tram and then to the Piazza de Venetio, which is, next to St. Peters, the postcard shot of Rome. It is now the Cultural Memorial Bldg….is massive and gorgeous…and surrounded by the Roman Forum ruins as well as the temple and Colosseum ruins. You just about have to be here to really appreciate the size and grandeur of this place….it is just an amazing city.

I managed to see 4 Basilica’s…including the big one that is called “the Pope’s Cathedral”…and it is massive. There is a concert there Saturday afternoon that I will go to….All of the churches are just breathtaking with their in-laid gold and jewels and wonderful paintings and sculptures. Other than the sheer wonder and beauty of it all, I was really surprised that there is virtually no security at these churches. Lots of tourists but few, if any, security folks. In fact, other than when I got to the first Piazza (Plaza) for a bus change this AM…you hardly see police. This morning they were out in force at this one area in that they were having a labor demonstration today. And, the police show up with armored vehicles….probably a hundred policemen in riot gear….and three big buses completely geared out for riot control. Nothing happened today, but they were prepared…in that I saw on TV that it was just a peaceful march…but they were taking no chances. But other than that, and even in the Vatican area, you do not see many policemen. Tourists, yes, and from all over the world. One of the travel agencies put out a publication that more tourists come to Rome than any other city in the World…probably true. Certainly much more crowded than NYC was at Christmas….and speaking many languages. One gal that tried to sell me a tour spoke 5 languages, including Russian and Chinese. Amazing. I started wearing out about 6 so headed back to the hotel and went down to the little Pizza Boom and had my pizza, and this is REAL Italian pizza. The make it in a square…then keep it out in a view area…then when you order, they stick it in a pizza oven and cook it for about 5 minutes. Delicious and not terribly thick. In fact, have not seen deep dish pizza at any of these places, which are in every block.

I am finding that the mornings are much less crowded in that the tour buses do not get going until late morning…so want to see more of the Vatican area and then some of the museums. Forgot to mention that I did go into the main train station….and again, nothing like I have ever seen. Most of it is relatively new….and they can handle about 20 departing trains at one time. I was there to see the Milan Speed train of 30 cars leave…very impressive, very quiet, and very fast, just getting out of the station. They supposedly go about 200 miles an hour. The station is massive, with a shopping mall and of course a McDonald’s, that was jammed full of folks. A sign telling about the station at the entrance said that it was the busiest in the world in 2012. No question in my mind….and part of it is that they go all the way to Moscow. I need to look a map to see how they do it…but Moscow was on the Departures board.

My experience continues….and I look forward to tomorrow. Maybe another movie….or whatever. It will be exciting, I’m sure. Another one of “my kind of days” probably.