I feel a little like that great swordsman and philosopher, Inigo Montoya: “Let me explain; no, there is too much– let me sum up.”
In broad strokes, here’s what we did today: we visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Vatican City. We walked a bit, stood in lines with hundreds upon hundreds of people, saw some of the great masterworks of the Western world, and had a little time for some gelatto and shopping.
(If I stop this entry there, is that enough? No? I suppose sometimes broad brushstrokes aren’t enough, even if I do like modernism.)
We were lucky enough this morning to have a relatively leisurely start, which meant that we were up by 7:30 local time, breakfasting by 8:15, and on the bus by 9:00. “Leisurely” is a fairly elastic concept on trips like this, and has everything to do with comparison. We’ll be waking up painfully early in a few days, so we’ve been telling the kids that 7:30 is a luxury– I’m not sure they really understand that yet, however. It’ll happen, though.
Our first stop this morning was the Colosseum, the quintessential stadium of all stadia. The name– colossous— is absolutely appropriate; even in its half ruined state after fifteen hundred years of pilliaging stones and metal braces from its bones, the Colosseum is truly a monument to what man can do– and build– if given the chance.
As a history teacher (even one whose specialty isn’t Europe), I generally feel like I’ve got a fairly good handle on the Romans and Colosseum, bread and circuses, and all that jazz. But our tour guide, Barbara, was fantastic, and told us all sorts of things that I’d never heard before– about the construction and engineering of the building, the way the games functioned, how Roman society functioned– all sorts of things. For example: did you know that women were allowed to attend the games, but had to sit in the very, very top section of the stadium? They were required by Roman law to be physically segregated from men in public venues, which meant that even the highest class patrician matron had to sit in a worse position than the lowest class plebian man. The gender divide didn’t necessarily surprise me– the Romans are not my favorites in terms of gender history– but the gendering of class I found really interesting, especially when you consider how paternalistic Roman society was. Roman women were to be protected and their virtue guarded by their male relatives, so the idea that you would have these women, who were idealized as frail and needing protection, sitting Way The Heck At The Top of the stadium, up some seriously steep stairs is somewhat hilarious to me. Frankly, I think if a lady could make it all the way up to the top of the stadium without tripping on the incredibly steep stairs, I think she was probably strong enough to be her own legal guardian as well.
But I digress.
One of the coolest parts of the Colosseum is undoubtably the arena floor.* Because the original wooden floor has long since rotted away, you can see all the hallways and elevator shafts which would allow people to raise gladiators and animals up to the arena floor through a system of counterweights. I can’t imagine how impressive that must have been in 80 CE– to see a lion rise out of the sand, or sixteen heavily armed men, poised to fight to the death.
After walking through the Colosseum, our guide took us past the Arch of Constantine to Palatine hill, where the Roman emperors built their palaces. Today the hill is covered with olive trees, umbrella pines, and the tall spires of cyprus. Then we walked down a Roman road into the Forum, which was the heart of Roman public life during both the Republic and Empire periods. The Forum housed the Senate and many, many temples, and was the commercial and political center of the Mediterranean for centuries. Because the Forum is so old, it seems all jumbled up– a temple to Vestia here, a temple to Julius Caesar there, the original combat space for the gladiators, the platform where Marc Antony gave his funeral oration on Caesar– it’s all heaped up, column upon column, right next to each other. So much of classical Western history in one place, it honestly made me a little dizzy.
Although, by the time we made our way through the forum, that dizziness could have been from heat and hunger. While it’s been absolutely lovely in terms of weather, walking about in the sun for three hours did take its toll– I know we were all grateful to jump back on the bus for the short ride over to Vatican City, if only to sit out of the sun for a little while. We had tickets to enter the Vatican at 2:30, which meant that we had a very limited time for lunch, so when we arrived near to the entrance of the Vatican Museum, we gave the kids about half an hour to go and find something from one of the sandwich shops or pizzarias nearby before we met our new guide, Marina.
After eating, we met up with Marina, got outfitted with the Vatican’s Whispers (“Vatican’s Whispers” sounds so much cooler than what they are; they’re basically radios that you put in your ears so that the tour guide can talk to everyone in the group without screaming), and then we set off on our Quest for the Sistine Chapel. Capitals are necessary for this, because oh my gosh that was one of the most crowded places I’ve ever been in my life.
You see, the trouble is that there is going to be a MASSIVE ceremony at St. Peter’s tomorrow (Sunday), because two new saints are being beatified– and that means that no one can visit the Vatican tomorrow in the normal way. So therefore, if you’re currently in Rome and want to visit Vatican City, you needed to go today, because tomorrow’s not an option. Thus, the crowds = INSANE.
Still, Marina walked us through the enormous collection of classical statues, tapestries, and urns, pointing out the gold thread woven through Raphael’s tapestries, the Apollo Belvedere, and an absolutely jaw-dropping passageway modeled after the Roman Emeperor Nero’s famous golden villa. I do wish that (a) it had been less crowded, and (b) I had been less footsore, because there were amazing objects we drifted right past because of the crowd. But still– gorgeous.
And then we walked down a couple of narrow staircases, took a left, and– there was the Sistine Chapel.
(We couldn’t take pictures, but if you need a visual, I suggest you Google “Cappela Sistina” + “Vatican” + “virtual tour.” There’s an amazing 360 degree view of the chapel which is fantastic– I’ve used it in class multiple times.)
I’m honestly not much of a Western Europe person in terms of my background and training in history, but I do love Renaissance art. And I’ve got a special place in my heart for Michelangelo, because he was difficult and troubled and astoundingly innovative. I can–and have– taught whole class periods on nothing but Michelangelo’s Last Judgement. And to actually be in that space, to look up and see his monumental Sybills staring down, to see God reaching out towards a newly-created Adam, to see that brilliant blue wash behind the altar– well. I have to admit I teared up a little. Maybe more than a little. I admit nothing.
After the Cappela Sistina, we made our way– slowly– up the stairs to St. Peter’s Basillica. Because it’s a Jubilee year, we were able to enter through a door that is usually closed, and immediately were in front of one of the most famous statues in the world: the Pieta. (Another reason I love Michelangelo. The way Mary’s fingers press in Christ’s flesh is astounding.) The crowds were thick, but I know most of our students were able to get a good look at it– even though it is behind glass, now.
Then, we went out into the Basillica itself, where a mass was being performed. The music, Bernini’s soaring gilded bronze pavillion and altar piece, and the late afternoon sunlight made for a truly incredible moment. I know our students were tired of walking and pushing through crowds, but I think they would all agree that that one moment was unquestionably worth it.
And now– to bed. We’re up at 7:30 again tomorrow to go check out the catacombs!
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* Another fun fact our tour guide shared with us: the Colosseum’s floor was wooden, but covered in sand– in part to hide the trap doors and elevators (yeah, elevators, the Romans can engineer the crap out of stuff), but also to soak up the blood from the battles. And those of you who speak Spanish will note that arena is the word for sand, and is derived from a Latin root. So the use of the word “arena” in its modern context actually derives from the use of sand on the Colosseum’s floor. Etymology is fun.
A History of Adventure 