A Different State

This morning, I hop a tram to the stop closest to Vatican city. The walled city constitutes a separate state, where only about 800 people live. I booked a guided tour of the museum, which has over 4 miles of exhibits and includes the Sistine Chapel. Security is faster than expected, so I have 20 minutes to kill before the tour guide will even check us in. Obviously, that's time I spend reading the gay dragon book and not being struck by lightning. Once the tour starts, it's a bit of a whirlwind through many, but not all galleries.

This is the most crowded place I've been since Covid started, and if I didn't have a headset to return, I'd probably run for it. The tour ends at the turn into the chapel as you aren't supposed to speak or take pictures. The guide suggests we explore more of the museum after, including the carriage house. She neglects to mention that across the hall from the entrance to the Sistine is a small room with a Rodin and a Van Gogh. Luckily, I don't know right from left, so I find it.

The Sistine Chapel itself is amazing and I'm glad I braved the crowds to see it. There is so much of it. I just stare until my neck hurts. If this was the only piece Michelangelo had created, he would still be famous. Somehow he was a degree of prolific that is just staggering to consider. This took him less than 5 years. Don't ask how long it takes me to paint a house.
And then I go look at pope mobiles.

The walk up the ramp out of the garage both makes me glad I did some endurance walking leading up to this trip, and assures me that even though entry to the Basilica is free, I will 100% die of heat stroke if I try to wait in line for it. I head back towards the hotel instead, and wander through tourist shops and gelato places until it's time for my next adventure, the Vicus Caprarius, an archeological site under one of the buildings near Trevi fountain.

This is an interesting, but short stop, leaving me with plenty of time before my dinner reservations. I scan google maps for things to do and find the Capuchin Museum, which includes an Ossuary. That means they do bones. Photography isn't allowed here either, sadly. This is such a strange and beautiful place. I've been looking at some of the best art in the world on this trip, but this is probably my favorite stop. They buried monks in soul brought from near Jerusalem and digging up the bones let them give other monks the chance to be buried in the same soil. Someone in the group when we were still at the villa had suggested Europeans were better at accepting death as part of life than we are. Point taken.

Next up is a quick trip to the Spanish Steps, where I intend to catch the metro towards dinner.

It's unexpectedly closed. Even though I'm American, I manage to not throw an electric scooter down the steps over this. It's just a short walk to Tazio anyway. This is another fancy meal. I'm not going to post all the courses since this post is already so photo heavy.

The olive oil served with the bread is pressed from olives harvested at night. I have no idea why. The wine is excellent with every course, but I probably should have done 5 instead of 7 courses. I manage this dessert, which is coated in strawberry powder, but the second dessert will be breakfast the next morning. Like I planned it, as I'll be heading out before the hotel breakfast starts.

Where All Roads Lead

Today, we grab a quick breakfast and hit the road. I decide to return the rental car to the airport since I'm already dropping off a passenger there. Most of the drive is fine, but the last few km are a harrowing gauntlet of 4 lanes of traffic somehow splitting into 6 different directions over and over. I think if I had to get back to town on my own, I'd have just pulled over, set the car on fire, and walked away. Good thing I had a closer option. From the airport, it's a quick tram ride to the station, where I catch a high speed train to Rome. Only 2 stops. My hotel is about a 15 minute walk from the train station, which isn't too bad, but I can't help but notice it's all downhill. Hmm. How bad will this be at fuck-thirty AM when it's all uphill and I'm tired and stressed about flights? I made a last minute change. When the US dropped the test requirement, I decided I didn't need to move to the airport hotel the last night, which, given a tour I booked for that night, was going to be kind of terrible. I'll need to get an early start here, but not as early as I would have to hit the test site in the airport. The hotel website wouldn't let me modify my reservation at this hotel, though, so I booked a single night and let them figure it out now that I've arrived. They figure it out and hand me this ridiculous set of keys.

Since I didn't book train tickets in advance and had no idea how long it would take to settle in or how tired I would be, I made zero plans for today. I ask for a restaurant recommendation on my way out and check out the vintage shops scattered around my hotel. It takes zero time before I look down a street and see the Colloseum peeking between buildings, and start wandering in that direction.

I don't know if I can describe how hard it is to not take pictures while walking around Rome. Every corner you turn greets you with a new old building, ruin, garden, fountain . . . it's wild.

I find myself in Campidoglio, a hilltop square designed by Michelangelo, and the Musei Capitolini doesn't look particularly crowded, so I go in.

While I haven't photographed all of it, I have seen a truly delightful amount of art dedicated to lions and other large cats murdering other animals. The colossus is cool, and so is Medusa, but neither is like being in Animal Crossing.

I still don't have the real one in the game, but now I've seen the real one. My companion for this museum tour is Jake via text message since I don't know who would appreciate this collection more.

I took a lot more pictures than this, in case this seems like a lot. Then I walk down the stairs and set off to see what else I can find. This turns out to include the Pantheon, which is closed for a privet event, and Trevi Fountain.

Then, I head back towards the hotel and stop for a 3 course meal with a Campari soda.

Smoked salmon, pasta in a truffle sauce, and veal. I am so ready for bed.

Last Day

Today is the last full day at Nerbona. I spend the morning on a 3K hike.

Several people are headed to a hike to a waterfall in the early afternoon, but I instead take a nap, catch up on this blog, and just enjoy the lovely weather and doing nothing. Then I apply for a new job. Then there is a pizza party. Kind of a busy day.