Thoughts on Travel - 2 days in Rome…
Travel is an amazing thing. I have been fortunate to travel a lot since I was 19 years old, experiencing and seeing some of the most spectacular and beautiful places and people in the world. Most often, these travels have been alongside business—whether music or wine—but I was reminded of something special the last two days after completing another season of lovely wine tours here in Italy: exploration, openness, and curiosity are some of the most valuable traits a person can have, and always being open to being surprised by beauty and history can be transformative. I have taken for granted people and experiences far too often considering the incredible opportunities my life has given me, and these two days reminded me of that. Story below :)
While I have been to Italy almost annually for over 20 years, I have only spent one night in Rome—and that experience was a disaster (note: do NOT drive a car in Rome!). It clouded my judgment to a point that I always arranged my travel to have extra time in Florence and Milan, or simply to head to another country, and never came back to this historic city. This year, I decided it was time to return, and I booked two full days and nights with no plans aside from dinner reservations. I walked…and I walked…and I walked. 65,000+ steps and over 30 miles. I walked with open eyes, and a desire to see and explore the city, but did not purchase tickets to enter any exhibits or museums. In the beginning, I was kind of killing time, do some shopping, seeing beautiful places I’ve read about and seen in films, observing the pace of the city, and noticing the astounding beauty of all of the people that fill it. And after a lovely Roman dinner at the bar of Salumeria Roscioli, I set out on a stroll underneath the full moon that truly brought me to tears multiple times. Not just a few tears, but something deep. Nighttime strolls are magical.
Leaving the restaurant, I crossed the Ponte Palatino toward the Roman Forum and stopped to view the Tibur River and its stalls bathed in the light of the moon while the dome of St. Peters Basilica stood in the distance and I remembered that I was in a place where the past, present, and future meet in a unique way. All of the extraordinary accomplishments and tragedies of mankind have played out here. I walked along the forum for the first time, and can only dream of what this place looked like thousands of years ago. I rounded a corner and walked up to the grand Colosseum. I had driven around this place on that original trip (got stuck in a loop so drove around it 2-3 times!), but never really saw it. Lit up at night, it stands mighty and ominous. A place that saw so much death and stands to demonstrate the place sport, game, and exhibition have played in our world for so long. Did it also see joy and passion like the stadiums of today that are modeled after it? On the other side, the Temple of Venus and Roma—a site I was unfamiliar with but is shocking in its size and architecture. Wow.
My ‘plan’ was to walk to the Trevi Rountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona, but I first encountered the marvel that is the Palazzo Venezia. How can humans build things like this!? I was instantly gobsmacked as I turned the corner. So massive. So staggeringly beautiful. I stood on the corner looking up the incredible staircase for at least 5 minutes, moved by its combination of power and grace.
I left my perch and continued walking towards those famous spots, following the signs and the sounds toward the Trevi Fountain, which I expected to just feel like a giant tourist trap. While the trappings abound, it is a marvel. And extra special at night. I watched the people, posing for photos, tossing coins into the fountain, smiling, laughing hugging. Stopped to take pictures for others and get my own picture taken in return. The area was filled with joy. Not a single face without a dumb smile of some mix of happiness, love, awe, laughter. Maybe we aren’t totally screwed as a society?
My stroll continued, planning to walk to both the Pantheon and the Piazza Navona but by following a meandering root—not google maps—only to come upon a piazza and church that was not on my list and I thought was probably just ‘another beautiful old church’. I decided to enter the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I’ve visited to a lot of churches, and the best of them—the Duomos of Florence/Milan, Eremo of Saint Francis, temples in China, etc—have a special aura that transcends faith and just requires curiosity and an appreciation for culture and history to feel it. I’m actually really glad I didn’t know anything about this church in advance. The moment I stepped through the entrance into the dimly lit sanctuary, it was like being bombarded with emotions. Soft choral music played and then suddenly the church ceiling was lit to reveal a fully painted fresco. It was spectacular! Full of color and life. I walked around this church, looking at the nooks, the false dome, the small portole, and the beautiful art in every inch. Every step was breathtaking, heart-breaking, and heart-opening.
With a stream of tears on my cheeks, I left the church and collected myself in the piazza and resumed my walk, arriving at the grand Piazza Navona and its beautiful fountains. I walked slowly up and down as the moon climbed higher in the sky (now 1am), enjoying the sounds of late-night Italian conversations, ice cubes in cocktail glasses, water dropping into the fountain pools, seagulls, and the occasional car horn or siren in the distance. I circled round to arrive at the famous Pantheon, lit up and open for night visits with pre-booked tickets. While I did not enter, this ancient edifice stands and seems to hold centuries of wisdom that we can only hope to understand. I left the Pantheon to walk to the Piazza Navona, admire the fountains and enjoy a late cocktail before meandering back through Rome’s narrow side-streets and alleys alongside the crowds still out at 1:30am on a Tuesday night, enjoy walks with friends, family, pets, and lovers before returning to my hotel at 2:00.
If you read this far, thank you :). Open eyes and open hearts for everything and everyone! (or in the words of Friday Night Lights - Clear Eyes, Clear Hearts, Can’t Lose! lol)
#rome #travel #lucky #sommlife #ladolcevita