The Eternal City

Today was going to consist of exploring the deep Eternal City.

Bright and early, we headed to our first sight, The Fountain of Four Rivers.

Located in Piazza Navona and designed by Bernini, The Fountain of the Four Rivers represents the four major rivers of the known world. The rivers represented are the Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Plate.

The personification of the rivers into Water Gods is incredibly fantastical. 

Located behind the Fountain of the Four Rivers, is the Sant'Agnese in Agone. This grand church was designed by Bernini's rival, Borromini. And today, both of their works stand side-by-side.

I ventured into the church and found it to incredibly well-defined.

After Piazza Navona, we ventured forth to the timeless, Pantheon.

Under construction, if you didn't notice... 

Originally designed for sacrifices to Pagan Gods, the Pantheon was converted into a Church after Christianity took center stage.

At one point, it was said that the entire exterior of the Pantheon was coated in Bronze. Imagine how that would have looked!


Although much construction was taking place on the exterior, it didn't stop the colossal structure from making a striking impression. 

When I entered into the interior, the jaw-dropping design of the dome utterly dwarfed me.

Its complex precision and ambitious design is so encompassing. 

The Pantheon ranks as one of the finest monuments I've ever seen. It represents a fascinating period in Roman History and is indescribable upon experiencing it firsthand.

Oh, and a key mission in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood takes place in the classical structure. Which, let's face it, is the most important reason for visiting The Pantheon.

We continued our exploration further into the deep city, and soon found ourselves in front of one the most famous monuments in all of Italy, The Trevi Fountain.

The grand scale of the Trevi Fountain is awe-inspiring. 

You have Neptune mightily striding forward with numerous nymphs, leviathans, and sea-creatures surrounding his encompassing chariot.

I appreciate the fact that fountain doesn't hold back its scope. It's a vast fountain that pulsates with awesome atmosphere, sheer scale, and captures the Sea God perfectly.

The opening of the 2010 video game, God of War III has you battling against Leviathans and the legendary Poseidon in a spectacular first act. Experiencing the Trevi Fountain brought such visceral moments from the epic video game to life.

Keeping up the steady pace, we continued towards the Spanish Steps.

Famous for its supposedly creative design, The Spanish Steps is named in honor of the Spanish Embassy, located just across from the Steps.

I would have to say that the Spanish Steps were the most disappointing aspect of the entire venture. I mean it was just steps and more steps.

While the design is unique, it's nothing spectacular and definitely not world-class.

The view from atop was enjoyable, though.

After descending the steps, we began our trek towards our last major monument.

Walking through the narrow streets, some recognizable names surfaced.

We finally reached the TOWERING Vittorio Emanuele monument.

Famous for unifying Italy during the 1800s, Vittorio Emanuele II is a key figure in the development of the Italy we know today. This monument represents his achievements, affects, and resounding impact on modern Italy.

At the base of Emanuele's statue, female figures are sculpted into the marble. Each woman represents a certain Italian city. They hold a certain object relevant to the chosen city. For example, the lady representing Florence holds books and a paintbrush, personifying the arts.

Many other dominating statues stood mightily throughout the monument. Each representing a symbolic representation of either War, Freedom, or National Pride.

Two mighty chariots gallantly guarded the highest reaches of the structure:

The view from atop was quite noteworthy:

The walk through Rome was extraordinary. We visited numerous sites, each symbolizing an important part of Rome's endlessly intriguing history. From Ancient Rome to Renaissance Italy, to the Civil War, Rome history is the city.

After enjoying an authentic Roman lunch, we had a few more destinations to travel to before departing.

The first was the Roman Catacombs:

These catacombs were revolutionary for their time. Only the elite class would have the luxury of getting a burial. Yet, as Christianity took dominance in Rome, many Christians wished to be buried alongside the many martyrs of their faith. Soon, whole catacombs were built in order to house the many bodies.

Wandering through the ancient passageways reminded me very much of The Mummy. I felt any second Brenden Fraser would come, blasting his way through hordes of nefarious mummified Egyptians. Unfortunately, it never happened. :(

While our path was firmly set, they were many turns, bends, and endless paths that you could lose yourselves in. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I did stray off the beaten path.

Small niches had been carved out for little children, with whole rooms dedicated to families. I picked up an ancient stone along the way. Wait a second, I can't even remember where I put it now and it's not like I can exactly distinguish if I was to see it again. Oh well...

After getting my Indiana Jones on, we resurfaced to ground level and entered back into reality.

Our final visit was traveling to the second most important church in Rome, Saint Paul's Basilica.

This scared sight is the burial ground for Saint Paul.

The vast and open spaces throughout the church were quite surprising. Many churches decorate the interior was endless amounts of artifacts, symbols, or paintings. But with Saint Paul's Basilica, everything seemed a little more natural, especially with the pleasant garden in front of the Basilica.

The interior was quite expansive:

The actual burial site:

After fully observing the surroundings, the time had arrived to board the bus once more. This time to return to Florence.

Rome is vast and encompassing city. It is the embodiment of everything exquisite about Italy. Revolutionary art, colossal monuments, enthralling history, all wrapped in the Italian experience.

Anicent Rome + Citta di Vaticano

This weekend entailed tackling the colossal Rome.

I left with the school bright and early at 5am for the Eternal City. I spent most of the time traveling there asleep. I would probably need it.

We entered the Lazio region and soon found ourselves arriving upon Roma.

The city is drenched in history, culture, and art. As we transversed the city, countless monuments, dig-sites, and fantastic architecture stood dominant all around.

Our first stop would be to explore the Arch of Constantine, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum.

As we stepped off of the bus, the iconic Colosseum stood as mightily as ever.

We were followed in to view the interior of the famed structure. The interior was just as fascinating as the exterior.

You could sense the empowering atmosphere that this stadium held. Holding games of violence, sport of the death, gladiators pitted against exotic animals, and even water-ship battles. This was the ultimate spectacle for the time period. To experience such intense entertainment would be unfathomable.

The Colosseum

I encircled the entire arena and fully digested my ancient surroundings.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood takes place in Rome, and the Colosseum is a major feature in the story arc. I cannot wait to see how the game utilizes such an incredible setting.

I soon hurried out; it was time to visit the Roman Forum. Luckily, the sacred site is literally right next to the Colosseum.

The Roman Forum is an expansive area that covers a couple of miles.

Roman Forum

As you explore the ancient grounds, a brilliant sense of the past blossoms all around.

Broken temples, monuments to Jupiter, market forums, and numerous bathhouses are scattered throughout these ruins of Ancient Rome.

Losing all sense of reality, you can fully imagine yourselves in Ancient Rome, listening as the busy streets clamor with the noise of life. Very transformative.

At the farther reaches of the Forum, lay a sporting ground. It was an amazing contrast to the marble grounds of the Forum.

Chariot racing and Romanic games were played on these green fields.

Roman Arena

What I love most about the Forum is that it provides enough for the imagination to stimulate the rest of the picture. Since many of the structures are only shadows of their former selves, our imagination is able to conjure the grand, true splendor of how these colossal structures looked. It allows us to participate in the discovery of Ancient Rome.

Quite involving stuff...

Oh, and I found some more scary doors:

After stepping into Ancient Rome, we soon boarded the bus for a taste of a different type of Roman history.

Vatican City, the center of Christendome:

We were going to be led by a tour guide through the famed Vatican Museums.

The Museums house an exhaustive amount of relics, artworks, and historical artifacts.

This broken piece garnered quite a bit of attention:

We observed classical tapestries:

Once more, I found the reoccurring bathtubs:

We explored the famed Museum of Maps:

Here is one of the only portraits we have of Julius Caesar:

I saw that this huge pot that was just waiting to fall on someone:

 Some Egyptian artifacts were also to be found:

Awe-inspiring marble sculptures:

The symbol of the Papacy was roped off, prohibiting visitors from walking upon the sacred sign.

Brilliant artworks remained apparent throughout the tour:

Gotta love the security on this work:

I think such precaution comes from a past incident. I can just imagine the ridiculous things some visitors most have tried to pull off.

We then moved into the famous, Raphael Rooms:

The School of Athens:

The representation of how the great masters of his age are taking the persona of ancient thinkers is quite fascinating.

Across from the School of Athens, a fascinating depiction of the siege of Troy is concocted by Raphael:

If you look closely, the classic Aeneas can be seen carrying his farther out of the burning city.

We then began to see signs directing us to the most illustrious site in all of Vatican City, The Sistine Chapel.

Endless corridors and signs kept taunting us:

No photos or videos are allowed in the Sistine Chapel, thus the best I can provide is a shot I captured of the outside:

Amazing, right?

Finally, we were led into the darkly lit, yet incredibly jam-packed chapel.

Oh my god...

Michelangelo's work on the Sistine Chapel is god-like. The scale, depth, precision, and detail are impeccable. The scope is vast, while the colors beautifully blooming.

Michelangelo's work surrounds much of the chapel, and to be able to experience such a master's work on such a vast scale is truly daunting. Everything from the Last Judgment to the Creation of Adam is just downright outstanding.

It should also be noted that the restoration work, completed in 2000, is revolutionary. A small part of the chapel was left unrestored, in order to showcase how it used to be. The comparison is jaw-dropping. The excessive amount of smoke, dirt, and debris that developed in the Sistine Chapel over time is quite disturbing. Luckily, the restoration team has done a fabulous job in restoring Michelangelo's masterpiece to its original glory.

Another thing that should be noted is that are other works by Botticelli, Bernini, and Raphael also in the Sistine Chapel. The only problem is that they're just dwarfed by Michelangelo's opus. They're quite impressive, and I'm sure they would gain much more recognition if they were in another location. Oh well, I guess having your work alongside Michelangelo's is an honor in itself.

After such a visceral experience, we were led into the Vatican Crypt.

In this pathway, the many popes, as well as Saint Peter are buried within.

Sorry for the lack of quality, but it was quite dark in the crypt.

The amount of visitors walking these corridors was extraordinary. Visitors from all over the world had made the pilgrimage. The tomb of Saint Peter was quite intriguing, giving a realistic perspective to something only heard of.

Raphael is even entombed here:

We soon came up to ground-level, which led to Saint Peter's Square.

The piazza was fully encompassing.

St. Peter's Basilica

The famed Vatican guards stood on watch:

To the left, was Saint Peter's Basilica, the heart of Christendome.

As we entered, I was asked to take my hat off. Not a problem.

Saint Peter's Basilica is, without question, the most extraordinary church I've ever visited. While it may sound like a cliche, there's a damn good reason for it.

The Church is MASSIVE and FULL of an array of fantastic artifacts.

It houses an incredible amount of work from some of the most talent artists of the Renaissance, alongside being architecturally exquisite.

The Pieta stood as silky, and gorgeous as ever.

Bernini's bronze alter took center stage within the Basilica:

Walking through the spacious site, an incredible sense of inspiration and awakening slowly begins to encompass you. It comes from numerous sources. The historical and culture relevance, along with the importance such a sacred place has on the world.

The growth I found within these walls was uplifting, reflective, and gratifying. Yet I'm only 20, imagine what an elderly would feel reflecting on their own past while in Saint Peter's Basilica.

It is truly a special place for us mortals to treasure.

With night rapidly approaching, I quickly sent two postcards off from Vatican City (which curiously have yet to be received).

Vatican City is an unequivocally, essential endeavor for anyone remotely near Italy. Its significance is not only of Christianity. It represents the extent of humanities' possibility. It encompasses some of the finest paintings, artworks, and sculptures the world has ever seen. And more importantly, provides the quintessential taste of the Italian past, present, and spiritual future.

After leaving Saint Peter's Square, we boarded the bus and headed for the hotel.

The next day was going to involve trailing through the historical monuments of central Rome, while taking the city's sights, culture, and most importantly, flavor.