Veni, Vidi, Assisi -- I Came, I Saw, I Became A Monk

I got up around 6:30AM and headed for the Roma Termini (train station) to catch my ride to Assisi. When I was doing the planning I found that this made for a great stop on the way to Florence. Once I figured out how to get the train schedule and use the kiosk, traveling was pretty easy. My iPod Touch had a great app called iRail that would allow me to chose the stations and starting times and it would pull up the schedule and pricing. this made planning much, much easier when on the go since as long as I could find an open access point, then I could find what I needed. I fortunately picked it up when it was free last year, however the price is currently $1.99 and would be worth the savings of time in trying to find an Internet cafe when walking the town. The train was definitely a good way to travel as one does not have to deal with security lines, turbulence, or static views. The 100mph train was a pleasure to ride through all the tunnels and countryside.

After getting to the Assisi train station, I dropped off my pack at bag storage ($3) and got a bus ticket to head to the hillside town. this was my first small-town Italy experience and it was quite lovely. After a quick ride in, it was only a short walk to the Basilica of St. Francis. I really liked the narrow, steep streets lined with pastry and coffee shops and restaurants. The basilica itself was nice and of neat architecture as it had two separate, distinct basilicas, one on top of the other. although it was a bit crowded, especially the line to see the tomb of St. Francis, I really enjoyed the different perspectives. I really loved walking the rest of the town to some of the various other churches as I eventually made my way up to the castle at the top of the hill. I wasn't that interested on going inside, but did explore a little bit behind the castle and had a most lovely walk back down to the town on an almost hidden pedestrian path.

I took the bus back towards the train station, but since I had a lot more time available, I stayed on it for the loop trip through Santa Maria degli Angeli. I walked among some of the art and craft vendors situated outside the basilica for a while before checking out the interior. After leaving, I walked about a mile to a spot that had a clear, sweeping view of Assisi so I could get some nice shots. Before finally hoofing it all the way back to the station, I thought I might just see how a European McDonald's compared to the US. I'm sad to say that what they put out is as bad and nasty as what is expected here and I ended up throwing out half the sandwich. So much for the Pulp Fiction 'Royal with cheese' expectation. Overall, I am quite glad that I stopped here for a little while and thought it to be a beautiful place that might have been a nice place in which to hostel for the night, but I wanted to get on to Florence and the photography opportunities that would be there. I got in just after dusk and just had time to take a couple of pictures on my way tot he hostel so I could grab a shower and some needed food.

Watching a young lady paint a picture in her shop window. A great
Renaissance experience.

Looking up the Arco River after dusk.

Be patient ... Rome wasn't burnt in a day.

When I plan trips, I tend to do a fair amount of research about what I'll see so I can better enjoy the sites. In regards to Rome and today's visit of the Colosseum, that meant watching Gladiator at least twice. The line to the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater) is supposedly one of the longest in Rome, however a great hit from the pocket guidebook that a family member gave me for Christmas was to get a 'Roma Pass' at the tabacchi booth at the metro station that allowed me to fly through the ticket queue. I got the one that included a full day of metro and bus use even though today's sites were all reached by walking, though I kept it until I got back to Rome a week later to check out some of the sites on the outskirts.

The Flavian Amphitheater is a grand structure, however it has seen some better times. It is still indeed quite impressive and took quite a while to circle the place on multiple levels. Though I didn't make it to Greece, from what I understand the ruins in Rome are similar, except that some of them are still standing. I took some time to wander various displays, however the most part was spent overlooking the interior and imagining the spectacles witnessed here. Some estimates indicate that over 500,000 people and over 1,000,000 animals were killed here for sport and show. I probably stood at various places just completely the structure in my mind's eye for quite a while and learned a bit more by listening in on various tours as they went by. While it did feel authentic inside, even with the decay, just outside the gates it was very different. There were a lot of 'gladiator copy' actors standing around calling people over for pictures, for which they would charge handsomely. They were not at all the epitome of the idea of a gladiator with most simply wearing plastic armor and helmets and seemed to be reluctant to get off the cell phone and put out the cigarette whenever they had to pose and were very pushy, but some people seemed to enjoy the attempt at a posed photo, so I'm glad they were able to get that kind of memento. I wandered around for a little bit and hit a couple of geocaches (including one at the site of the earliest known cartoon in history) before having a quick lunch with a glass of wine that was nearly in the shadow of the grand structure.

After finishing, I headed over the the Roman Forum. While I loved the architecture of Rome and all the various churches and sites, this place held the most allure historically for me. It was pretty much the central point of the empire and was of great importance to everyday life with its proximity to the Senate, Emperor's residence, Circus Maximus, and Flavian Amphitheater. With the help of the guide book and especially the audio guide, I really enjoyed walking through and imagining how life would have been over 2000 years ago. Even with just portions of a structure remaining and often mere stones scattered around, I was wholly impressed by the grandeur of this place, essentially the economic, judicial, and executive hub of the empire. I was especially taken aback by the remains of the Basilica of Constantine. Only a part of an alcove still remains, and even that was immense. I've never really studies engineering, but even with my rudimentary modern knowledge I can barely fathom how these structures were built. I suppose that access to tens of thousands of slaves from conquered lands can be an aid to creating anything. The site of Caesar's funeral pyre (though he was killed elsewhere in Rome) had fresh flowers and a somber atmosphere.

After finishing the forum I headed up Capitol Hill to take in the views and walk through one of the Italian history museums. After that I headed to the Circus Maximus that, though once the most grand of race tracks, is barely recognizable even by topography. The track is well worn from daily use by joggers and football players, but nothing of the structure really remains. I headed over to Palentine Hill to few the ruins of the emperor's residence and wandered the gardens for a while. I especially liked the overview of the Roman Forum and could readily imagine how it would have looked if the structures were still there today (though probably made easier with the use of CGI in movies such as Gladiator).

After another hour or so hear I just wandered the city a bit without any particular destination. I found my way at the Tiber River and crossed over it next to the last remaining arch of the Pons Aemilius, the first stone bridge in Rome. I wandered over to the Tiber Island down to the water level to enjoy the passing water. As I walked beneath one of the bridges I thought to check my GPS and was glad to see a geocache less than a hundred feet away, which I found and snagged a couple of travel bugs as well. I walked through the Jewish Grotto for a bit as it got dark. I finally made my way back to the Colosseum to enjoy another gelato and take some night shots which seemed to have come out decently well. It was nice to sit on the nearby pedestrian bridge and simply think for a while and enjoy the cool ambiance of an historical existence among modern life.

Circus Maximus

Domitian Stadium on Palentine Hill

Tiber Island

Arch of Titus

Arch of Septimius Severus

Place where body of Caesar was burned

Temple of Antoninus & Faustina

Basilica de Maxentius

Arch of Constantine

Is a Caesarean Section a neighborhood or district in Rome?

After leaving my second visited country of the day (since The Holy See is an independent nation), I headed back to the metro to the Spagna stop where I would check out the Spanish Steps. Any travel show that mentions Rome visits this site and that of the Trevi Fountain (my next stop). It seems to be a requirement to simply sit here for a short while with a bit of Gelato (Italian ice cream that is a good bit more rich than the American counterpart) and watch the world go by. The name, Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, was derived since the steps (the widest and longest in all of Europe) are located next to the Spanish embassy to The Holy See, even though they were built with French funds. Since it was relatively late, it wasn't overly crowded, so I was able to enjoy a first chance of the day to really sit down and not have to stare at anything.

My final destination of the day was the Trevi Fountain, another incredibly popular tourist site. since it was a smaller piazza, it was a bit more crowded here. since there are no roads that go by, and since it is surrounded by narrow streets, one almost stumbles upon this grand display of water, marble, and stone. Tradition apparently holds that visitors can assure their return to Rome by tossing a coin over their shoulder into the water. It seems to be such a popular thing that I heard an estimated 3,000 euros is collected from the site each night. I sat here for quite a while contemplating a lot of things as there has been quite a bit weighing on my mind recently, so the sound of water drowning (pun intended) out the noises of the crowd was soothing. I've never been too superstitious, but I actually decided to not throw in a coin since I figured I might never want to visit Rome again after this trip (even though I planned to be back in another 9 days before flying out), but we'll see.

One thing though learned on this first day, 'when in Rome'... no seriously, 'do as the Romans do'; especially when involved in pedestrian vs small/large vehicles conflicts of personal space. Sidewalks are narrow and can sometimes completely disappear. If you ever need to cross a street, don't wait for the uncaring light to tell you it's safe, team up with an elderly Italian woman or a person pushing a stroller. It sounds a bit bad, but if you want to survive side with a team that won't lose, no one is going to feel good about running over an old lady, and strollers are practically bullet proof when it comes to cars, then blend in.