We were fortunate enough to spend five days touring Rome with the family. It was an interesting place and we were able to take a few private tours. While not cheap, I believe this is the best way to tour Rome. The history makes the buildings, art, and even religion much more interesting. (But let's not get ahead of ourselves as the most important thing is the food: fantastic.)
I learned a great deal on this trip. For example, I was unaware that St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was built by the Barberini family literally destroying and taking all the artifacts, marble and gold out of Rome and delivering it to St Peter's building ground. I was also unaware that Caesar's Palace was built long after Julius Caesar had died. The Caesar salad isn't named for Julius Caesar, but rather after all Caesars (rulers) going forward. Who would've thought...
Perhaps some of the biggest learnings came from touring the Vatican (believed to be the richest "state" in the world). Hmmmm? It is comprised largely of Roman artifacts stolen by the Barberini's. Hmmmm a little more? Michaelangelo (painter of the Sistine Chapel, among other things) was literally forced to paint the chapel. He was previously only a sculptor and architect. The Pope insisted he painted it, so he spent four years in misery painting the chapel. What isn't widely publicized is that Michaelangelo was a known homosexual... Seem inconsistent? To add to that, the women that he painted appear to be (as our tour guide said) men with breasts. Also, through a crack in the door, you can see into the (current) Pope's residence. Amazing and baroque and over the top. Seem inconsistent yet? It goes on, but I will stop now. Below a sculpture by Michaelangelo inside St Peter'
s Basilica.
Probably the coolest thing we saw was the Pantheon. Words don't describe it, so I won't bother. Suffice it to say that the engineering that went into this building is simply amazing.
The Coliseum was interesting. It is simply amazing that this big and complex of a structure could be built 2000 years ago. Just recently they have opened the underground of the Coliseum for private tours where you can see where the gladiators, slaves, and animals were kept. They even had elevators then!
Of course the kids' highlights of the trip were the zoo and the horse drawn carriage ride. We had a curious horse.
All in all it was a great trip. I had always wanted to see Rome and am thrilled that we had the opportunity. It is rich in history, art, architecture, and religion (Pagan and Christianity). You can't help but learn while you are there. It is a must see for a European traveler.
Honorable mentions:
Toga Party!
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