Rome 2024

So… “How Often Do You Think About the Roman Empire?” 😆

Thanks to the Romans of 2000 years ago, the ruins of Rome continue to earn praise and appreciation till date. When you first step into Rome and walk past the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, you may feel like you are in a postcard or you may find it underwhelming to see “random stone structures”. I will admit, I felt more the latter. In my defense, I did not grow up around art and history and without knowing certain life changing facts about Roman history, it was difficult to understand the importance and spectacle of what I was looking at.

But, thanks to some guided tours of the gems of Rome, I did not leave the same man as I entered. Now, I not only have the appreciation and education I never had before, I also strive to learn more, thanks to Netflix’s Roman Empire 😉

On a hot sunny day, we took the eScooter all the way from the eastern city center of Rome to Vatican. Come to think of it, the route may not have been very different to the one taken to move all that Colosseum limestone 🤯. Luckily enough, even though we were running late, Jiji had decided to give us some grace time. Over the next 4 hours, we went through the Vatican, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica learning all about the “government”, the “gifts” and the art of the Vatican. Coming from a democratic country, it was fascinating to learn that the pope is essentially a monarch but an elected one 🤷The world’s smallest country is protected by the famous Swiss Guard comprising of 135 men whom you can easily recognise from their uniform that hasn’t changed much over 500 years. The Vatican is also one of the world’s largest and most prestigious art collections and it is easy to understand why. As the Roman empire expanded and the pope gained more wealth and allies, art came in the form of gifts and apologies and the greatest artists were invited to paint for the pope. The most splendid example is that of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. I like to think of the Vatican as a jigsaw puzzle made with pieces that are easter eggs from Italian history. An easy one to figure out is the migration of Renaissance artists as the empire grew and Rome became the capital. My favorite one is the use of Colosseum limestone to build the biggest and most important church in the world - St Peter’s Basilica. As much as I’d love to write more about my experience at the Vatican, I think it is best to leave you with the excitement and a suggestion: Get the skip-the-line tickets. They are well worth it.

Back in Rome, this history lesson continued and it only got more interesting as we went further back in time. War and weather change every city in the world. And time has taken its toll on Rome but the “Eternal City” has stood strong. If you hold a painting in one hand while standing in the Roman Forum, you could easily point out where each building stood, almost 2000 years ago! Caesar’s tomb is still intact and the church may have evolved into a temple but the original steps, doors and windows are easily recognizable as you walk the original handmade roads of the ancient city. As you walk up the hill to (what would have been) the empire’s palace, you can spot remains of walls that were made using roman clay bricks and concrete and have more than stood the test of time. The Romans were known for their mass use of concrete but surprisingly, they did not use concrete to build the Colosseum. Instead, they used an ikea-like technique with holes in the limestone pillars and iron pins to connect them. After the death of the roman empire, when locals began to live in the Colosseum, they started pulling out these iron pins but the engineering behind the Colosseum was such that it still stood tall 💪

If you have not yet visited Rome and Vatican, I suggest watching some documentaries and movies and reading some books before you do. As you walk through history, it not only helps to put things into perspective but also elevates the experience by making it personal and somewhat subjective. I did not do a good job of this but I had watched Gladiator. And that alone, added so much extra context to my experience at the Colosseum. Understanding the architecture of this massive stadium becomes so much easier when you can picture the seating arrangement, the elevators and the stage.

Coming from Florence, I had high expectations but low hopes from the food in Rome. Rome didn’t disappoint 😀At AL42, I had one of those “my heart is so happy, I cannot stop smiling” experiences. After a few minutes of waiting in the queue, we were welcomed by Massimo, the owner. Immediately, he had our attention with his contagious positive energy and his proud spiel about their gourmet pasta. When he asked us to forget all the carbonara we’ve had before coming to Rome, I was skeptical of his confidence. After having the first bite of my carbonara, I was not only in agreement with Massimo but also in a trance. I was not sure if I should drool, smile or cry. It is going to be extremely difficult, if at all possible, to enjoy a carbonara pasta anywhere else again. With only a handful of simple ingredients, Jovani, the head chef on the night, had served perfection on a plate. Until this moment, I’d resisted saying “Mamma mia” out of respect for the Italians but I don’t think there was a better way to express my love for this pasta. I promised Massimo that I’d return on the next day for lunch and I did. The staff were happy to see me again. I did not have much appetite for anything after a decadent pasta but there’s always room for tiramisu, especially if it is the pistachio tiramisu from Two Sizes! On my first afternoon in Florence, I had the best classic tiramisu of my life at Pompi and on my first evening in Rome, I had the best pistachio tiramisu of my life at Two Sizes. Regardless of when you go to this hole-in-the-wall homemade tiramisu place, you’ll find a queue and rightly so. A strong espresso flavor in the biscuit is complemented by the pistachio cream and crumbs with what results in a drool fest 🤤

Next time I am in Rome, I will definitely “go see the sunrise at Trevi” 😆Unfortunately, after trying and failing twice in a row, this has now become a standing joke. While I did not wake up early to see the Trevi, I did sneak in through a million people to get a selfie, as one does. I do not recommend 😛What I do recommend though is to take your e-scooter to the spanish steps late at night or sit by the Colosseum and watch the locals popping champagne and celebrating their birthdays! And if you go to Trieste Pizza, do not ask for pineapple on your pizza, otherwise they will kick you out, seriously!