Spring Break 2005 – Italy Part 1 – Not Your Average Engineer

I was on my way back from Albania to Tunisia on April 6, 2005. The pope had just died a few days before. I had a connection in the Rome airport to get to Tunisia. I decided on a whim to change my ticket to go to Rome for a few days and see what was up at the Vatican. Little did I know what a crazy time I’d have.

The first challenge was to find a place to stay. The hotel reservation service at Termini, the large train station in Rome, informed me that all of the hostels were filled and only a hotel for 100 euros a night could take me. I decided I’d rather sleep in a park which I found out later was what all of the pilgrims were doing.

I ended up wandering all over downtown Rome for the next few hours looking for a place to stay. Nothing. Finally out of desperation I went to an internet cafe to see if I knew anyone in Rome online. I didn’t find anyone. As I was getting ready to head to the nearest park I asked the man running the cafe if I could sleep in the internet cafe. He said no because the last time he tried that the Police almost arrested him. He said to hang on a second and he’d call up a friend who knew a friend who might have a room free. The next thing I knew, I had engaged a room in a small private hotel/hostel/bed and breakfast in the house of an elderly Italian couple. 25 euros a night for a private room down the hall from the toilet and shower. I also was the only guest in the entire place for the entire weekend. It was rather crazy considering that every other hotel in Rome was completely full.

The next day I started my wanderings around Rome.

The coliseum. I highly recommend getting up early in Rome to see the sights without touristic distractions.

Romans sure love their triumphal arches! This is the Arch of Constantine.

Proof that Romans couldn’t do math! XXXIIII. It should be XXXIV. (Note: depending on the time period, the XXXIIII style is correct)

Yet another triumphal arch in the area around Palatine Hill.

Monks on the move.

The old Roman Forum.

A statue of the myth of the founding of Rome. Supposedly the twins Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf at the foot of the Palatine Hill. The myth says that Romulus killed his brother and then founded the city. Its funny to think that from such a legend such a mighty and massive empire was made. Now I’ve been to the western edges of the empire, the northern edges, the southern edges, places in between, and Rome itself.

Still in the area of the Roman Forum.

Saint Peter’s Basilica and Vatican City in the distance. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. The pope was given full sovereignty over the Vatican City in 1929 by Mussolini under the Lateran Treaty. I only wish they stamped your passport! The Vatican even has it’s own standing army of Swiss guards, a train station, and it’s own postal system which I’m told is better than the Italian postal system.

Still on Palatine Hill.

Inside the Colosseum.

Archaeologists at work.

More Roman ruins!

No, this isn’t from olden times. It was built more recently.

Another Colosseum made into apartment blocks.

Another Roman ruin that used to be contained inside a building. There are many more Roman ruins yet to be uncovered inside buildings.

A new bridge behind an old Roman bridge ruin.

The Circus Maximus with a few campers staking out their places to watch the pope’s funeral on the megatron TV’s.

The only excavated part of the Circus.

Imagine this place filled with tens of thousands of spectators. War chariots careened around the oval track. Bets were placed. Blood was spilled. It was the NASCAR of the Roman Empire.