Day 19 - The Four-Flavor Special

As of this writing, I am currently halfway to Detroit. I suppose I will miss Rome, but at the same time I am excited to get back to Minneapolis. I imagine that studying abroad is a life changing experience sounds pretty trite, but I can see how it can be true. To me, Rome was an opportunity to explore not only a new place or a rich history, but also my personal values, strengths, and weaknesses against a backdrop that takes me out of my comfort zone. I am headed back to Minneapolis with the feeling that I have grown as a person and learned some valuable life lessons. The fact that I can put everything that I learned in terms of gelato just makes it that much sweeter.

Embrace new flavors...

One of those was spiced chocolate. I will let you guess which.

Rome was a huge shock to me for many reasons. I was with new people, in a new place. You can see it with the first flavor of gelato I ever got in Rome: coffee. Seriously, how safe can you get? As I branched out, I found some really great flavors. For example, Frigidarium is the signature flavor of one of the most popular gelateries in Rome. It is a custardy ice cream with fudge swirls and a cookie. It is also a really deep shade of yellow that took me aback at first. If I had to pick a single flavor that I loved, Frigidarium would be it.

Many parts of Rome were lessons in open-mindedness. I could not wait to get out of the Vatican Museums. I left the group early and everything, just on my own, with the intention of getting the heck out of there. I ended up going through the Gallery of Maps and finding my favorite pieces of art on the whole trip. If I had just single-mindedly charged through the Vatican to get out, I would have missed what I consider the most beautiful experience of the whole trip.

When in Rome, enjoy ROME. Don't just get flavors that are standard at home, eat things you could order at home, shop places that you have access to at home, and do things that you could at home. This can apply to any trip, really.

...Even though you won't like every one

Tiramisu gelato was a pretty bad experience as gelato runs go. It was not good in terms of just being gelato, and it was not good in terms of being tiramisu-flavored. I got over it. I got back on the gelato horse the next day, and felt like I learned something. Tiramisu might not be the best choice of gelato because it is so complicated, and I can't really expect it to taste exactly like tiramisu, setting myself up to be mildly disappointed every time. I would be better off ordering coffee, chocolate, and cream if I wanted something that tasted like tiramisu.

My first restaurant experience, I ordered scallopina and house wine. Scallopina was not seafood, it turned out, but veal, and house wine is code for "way too much wine for two people to drink." Veal is pretty disgusting when prepared as scallopina, and house wine is not good wine. That's okay. Not everything is going to be great.

There is a good chance this pigeon will not like the gelato it orders.

The classics are a great fallback, but you shouldn't be dependent on them

Hannah, one of my roommates, swore by the strawberry gelato at the gelaterie near our apartment. One day, I tried it, and I knew that it was probably one of the best gelato flavors I would ever experience in Rome. Sometimes, all you need is a classic done really well.

Occasionally, I would not feel like going out to eat. When travelling, you might too. And that is fine. I had dry pasta and frozen meatballs for those times when I was too tired to do anything but nap until 9 and then woke up hungry. Classics and simplicity should be able to augment your trip when used correctly. As long as you are aware of whether you are using it as an excuse to not have to challenge yourself, you should be fine.

The strawberry WAS amazing though

Have standards


I can get a really big amount of good gelato for 2 euro at more than one place. What I am saying is, when traveling, don't settle for the first place you see.

Each of those cones was just 2 euro

The more touristy the area, the worse the gelato

Never buy gelato by the Pantheon, the Colosseum, or, God forbid, the Trevi Fountain. Just don't. Generally, you will pay far more for far less quality and quantity than you would elsewhere. This rule goes for restaurants, and souvineer places, and I am sure wine and olive oil and artisanal places as well.

The actual lesson here: get out of the touristy areas as well as visiting whatever monuments are on your bucket list.

Pictured: not very good gelato from outside of a tourist-heavy train station

Gelato is a great thing to do with friends...

Have you ever really wanted company in Italy? Ask a group of people, any group, if they want gelato. You are guaranteed to get at least one, "Hell yes!" and potentially more "Well, if you guys are going..." The amount of people you go with will improve dramatically if you are buying.

These people all had gelato purchased for them. They are all very happy

There's a good chance you have more in common with your travel companions than you think. Pretty much everyone wants to get souvenirs for people back home, so there is a good chance you can get some people together to go to all of the kitchsy places you want. "Does anyone want to...?" is probably the phrase you want to use most while abroad, after "Where is the bathroom?" and "Can I borrow some sunscreen?"

...But doesn't require company to be great

I found what I am convinced is the greatest gelato place in Rome while I was making my own way home after a group outing. The selection was great, the price was fair, and I got an unprecedented three flavors on a small cone. I found my favorite leather goods store while I was lost, I saw the city at my pace, and I felt at peace. I am not saying that hanging out with people sucks, but do not feel like you need to have company everywhere you go.

The exception to this is late at night. Do not go wandering around on your own late at night, no matter where you are.


Sometimes you visit the same great gelato place again and again...

Just a few blocks away from our apartment was a gelato place called "Il Pelicano." I probably went there five times a week. It was good gelato, the staff was friendly, and the price was right. Sometimes it is okay to repeat good experiences. Sure, it is safer, but honestly, if it's that good, it's probably worth it.

Definitely worth it

...And sometimes you visit your favorite place once...

Wonderful, the gelato place I mentioned that gave three flavors, was a place I only went to once. I was okay with that. I could have eaten there every day, but it just did not line up. Instead of wishing I had gone there more, I found myself happy I got to go there once.

...And sometimes that is why it is your favorite.

What if the three flavors I had picked out where the only good flavors at Wonderful? What if I am remembering it wrong? Honestly, I can live with the possibility that my memory is tinted by rose-colored glasses. If I only visit Rome once, I can say that my experience was awesome. If I go back, I will know the secrets, but maybe it will not be as exciting. After all, there's nothing like the first time.

However, I can't wait to go to more new places armed with my experience in Rome. What Rome means to me is broadened perspectives and new angles, a heightened sense of confidence and an appreciation for the people I experienced it with.

Take lots of pictures

Everyone wants to see what it looks like when you enjoy gelato. If they can't come with, I am pretty sure the best souvenir is lots and lots of pictures.

See? Best gift ever

The Final Gelato
I'm sure at this point you are all burning with curiosity with regards to the flavor of the last gelato I ever ate in Rome. I call it the "Four-Flavor Special" because for my last gelato, I went all-out. Honey swirls, Frigidarium, fudge, and hazelnut all found their way into my cone. It was a good day.

Thank You

I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me from when I applied to go on this trip in December to when I started freaking out about it in May, to while I was actually on the trip, to the people who keep telling me to go to bed afterwards. The positive feedback on this blog that I have gotten is both amazing and humbling.

If you are interested in my day-to-day adventures at all, please check out my personal blog. This will be the last post I do for my Italy blog, but I am sure I will have more adventures elsewhere soon.

Sincerely,
Morgan

Day 18 - Strawberries and Cream

'Ello Govna!

Welcome to my blog, where studying abroad means I hop on a plane randomly once in a while apparently. I have a mate named George who lives in England, and I impulse-decided to go to London for a day on one of our free days. A little farther than maybe they intended when they gave us the day, but so very worth it. Come with me, on this magical journey.

Super St. Albans

St. Albans, where I stayed on Wednesday night, is actually a pretty historic town. It has the oldest pub in all of England, the Fighting Cock, and has remains of the second largest Roman settlement after Londonium as well. To start off the morning, George and I went to the park that contained this wall. I got pretty excited. Hadrian's Wall was my first choice (it isn't fenced off), but that was way too far for my 24 hour stay. 

That fence was so frustrating.

The park itself was pretty great too. People were walking their dogs, including us. George has a dog named Dylan, who loves the park. The park also has a pond, which is populated by waterfowl, including geese and swans. Since we had both chocolate croissants and regular croissants for breakfast, we ate the chocolate ones and used the regular ones to feed the birds. It is that time of year, so there were cute abies everywhere!

They ate them out of my hand!

We headed to London after our walk. We rode the train, our first ride in one of many, and got off at King's Cross Station so that I could get my picture taken at Platform 9 3/4. After that, we got coffee at Caffé Nero, apparently Italian-style coffee. Caffé Nero is as good of a representation of Italian coffee as Nero was at being an emperor. 

Really a Brittish version of Starbucks. These are literally everywhere.

Our first big site was the British Museum. I was looking forward to this one because whenever we see something that is missing pieces in Rome, the explanation is usually that it is at the Vatican or the British Museum. I also got to take a look at some stuff that was not ancient Roman. Some was ancient Greek!

One was the Rosetta stone!

After that we headed over to Buckingham Palace. Whenever we change locations, it is pretty safe to assume we spent about 15 minutes on the Tube. That's what Londoners call their metro system. On our way there, I learned something interesting about London. Along with the traditional bike and walking trails, there is a horseback riding trail so that the horses do not ruin their hooves on the pavement and vice versa. We watched the changing of the guard. The area was packed! I was pretty disappointed that I could not get a pic with one of the guards after, but we did get a picture with a nice police officer (called a bobby!), which was just as good. The changing of the guard involved the Buckingham Palace guards marching out in formation. Some of them were playing instruments like a marching band. This is a really good example of the way that London is full of traditions like that.

The song they played was pretty good, too.

We went to get fish'n'chips next, passing by Wentworth Street on our way. I feel like that was the ancestral home of the British side of my family. Probably has no basis other than the street's name, though. The fish'n'chips was a little weird, because the restaurant expected you to season them yourself. You were provided with tartar sauce, S&P, and vinegar, so that was not a problem, but the fish and fries were both very plain on their own. George was even nice enough to give me his tartar sauce!

I was still pumped for both food and an opportunity to sit down for a bit.

After lunch, we visited Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Both of these things were just plain fun to look at. They are both really ornate and visually interesting, and that was really all that mattered to me. Admission to the abbey is also really expensive, so we just walked around the outside.

We visited our second museum of the day at the Natural History Museum. This was a nice change from the other museums I have been to for the past three weeks, namely because of the way that alongside things to look at, there was a lot of information as well. I was able to learn about dinosaurs, Australian megafauna, and other cool stuff.

This sloth has two toes!

After the Natural History Museum, I picked up a couple of books from the gift shop and we went to Harrod's. I knew that Harrod's was swanky, but I didn't quite understand HOW swanky. The first thing I picked up, a cute printed wallet, was 500 pounds! We walked around for a bit and decided to try the Harrod's ice cream to see how it stacked up to Italian gelato. The world may never know, however. The ice cream parlor in Harrod's had a display like a typical gelato place, but did not have any option to get just a scoop of ice cream. It was all fancy (and hella expensive) sundaes.

In equally fancy cups.

We decided to leave and go to our final destination, Nando's.  Nando's, of "Cheeky Nando's" fame, is a place that serves chicken. The chicken is either marinated or coated with sauce made with Peri-peri, which I feel is a fancy name for some common ingredient, and grilled. Peri-peri or chili powder, it was still good. Nando's was the ultimate goal of the trip, and we had to end up there. Nando's also served gelado, the Portugese version of gelato. We had that for dessert. It came in a cup like something that you could get at the grocery store. I had a streak to continue though, so I took one for the team.

A cardboard lid does not usually signify quality...

Afterward

The plane ride was boring, the cab was expensive and I am pretty sure the driver short-changed me, I learned that the less you paid for a flight the less good it was and the more expensive the snacks were.   It was all very well and good. I made it home safe and got to spend the day with my mate.

Next Time

Next time, I write about what Rome means to me. Until then? I am going to bed.

Cheerio!

Day 17 - Chocolate Hazelnut and Frigidarium

Buena Sera!

Welcome to the blog with the best gelato in town! I really should be packing for my trip, but that is really no fun. I still have 40 minutes before I have to head out, anyway.

When I was anticipating going to Italy, I was a little worried. I thought I had a good grasp on the culture (I didn't), and the language (I really didn't), and the history (I did), but still, I was worried. I am good with books and words and history, but definitely not people. What if everyone else already knew each other? What if I did not get along with anyone? What if I spent too much time in my room, or wandered off on my own and got taken? Lots of stuff to consider. I actively looked for opportunities to interact with the people on my trip on the Facebook page. I thought it would be good to overprepare.

As it turned out, I did not need to worry. Everyone on this trip is someone I can imagine hanging out with at school. Everyone had the same priorities as I did, namely see the sites and have some fun. My roommates were all really great at both, so I wanted to share some of my favorite roommate moments as the trip is wrapping up.

Selfies with Suzy

Suzy and I know where each other sleep. Mostly because it is in the same room. We hit it off on the flight for MSP, and Suzy and I have been sharing photo opps, laughs, and gelato ever since. Suzy and I have a lot of common interests, which was really nice to find right away on the trip. We have been taking selfies together every day and her mom has been pretty consistently providing wonderful commentary.

This is when I knew it was real.

All These Catchphrases

One of my roommates, Hannah, is full of jems.

She is the one digging in to her fajitas.

I have started saying "this bitch" and "let's GOOO" pretty consistently of late. The former sounds bad, but I assure you that it is only used for comedic effect. On one memorable occasion, I heard Hannah yelling "Let's GOOO!" in the hall around dinner time. Not wanting to be left out, I asked whether people were going to get food. Hannah laughed and told me that she was yelling at the laundry machine, which wasn't working. It is truely a versatile expression. I never missed another roommate dinner though.

Movie Night

For those of you who were not aware, Hilary Duff released a Lizzie McGuire movie in 2003 about a girl who goes to Rome for her 8th grade graduation trip. We are now in Rome. Thus, it made perfect sense to pile into Hannah and Alexis's room, push the beds together, and watch the movie. It was hot, because we had to turn off the fan lest it drown out the movie, but Lizzie's tragic outfits and Alexis's fervent sing-a-longs made it totally worth it.

Thanks for the photo Ellie!

The movie tries to make the same five blocks of the city look like the whole thing. The finale takes place in the Colosseum. They didn't get pickpocketed when they were jostled by randos on the street. We were not impressed by the lack of realism. The songs were still amazing though.

Infinite Gelato Runs

Everyone in this picture is so freaking adorable

Whenever I wanted to get gelato, all I would have to do is ask and find someone to come with me. We even managed to go all together one day. I could not ask for better people to go with than my roommates (and everyone else on the trip!).

I really enjoyed my time in Italy with these people, and I look forward to at the very least creeping on their Facebook feeds in the future. Hopefully there will be some Punch Pizza runs for old times' sake, too.

Today's Gelato

I ventured out on my own today, to find some souvenirs to bring home, so it's just a gelato selfie today. The Frigidarium and chocolate hazelnut flavors delivered, and were worth the walk.

Tune In Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I will be writing about my adventures in London. You won't want to miss it!

Ciao!

Day 16 - Chocolate and Strawberry & Peanut and Cookie

Salvete!

Welcome back to my blog. We're getting ridiculously close to the flight home now, and I am extremely excited to get talking about today. Today was a good day, and not just because I doubled up on gelato.

I also grew two feet

Expectations vs. Reality

As you might have noticed, being in Italy was pretty different from what I expected. Specifically, there are tons of people around, all the time. That did not really fit in with my mental picture of austere Renaissance churches and stately ancient ruins. It has still been a great experience, don't get me wrong, but I was a little disappointed that I would not experience the barren glory of my mental images. That is, until our visit to the Via Appia.

The Appian Way

The Via Appia is a road that leads to Rome, built very early on in the city's expansion. The buildings remaining on the site are from a development begun by Maxentius in the fourth century AD while he was emperor. It contains a racetrack and an arch, as well as some other structures. There is also a building that was turned into a castle. I love castles.

The people that run the Via Appia also had dogs. I got to pet one.

I was definitely more excited than Elizabeth about this.

There was no one there when we reached it early in the morning, at the crack of 10 am. I am sure that this, in part, is due to the difficulty of reaching the area. It is several miles outside of Rome proper, and there is only one bus route that goes there. It is also competing as an attraction with the Basilica and Catacombs of St. Sebastian, which was the first underground cemetery in Rome and the home of the third most important saint of Rome. I was perfectly fine with this.

At the racetrack, we got to climb on the spina, the structure that runs down the center of the track. This was pretty mind-blowing. Firsst, we got to touch it. Second, we got to stand on it. We were basically taking the same route that charioteers would take during funerary games! I was the first one on, but it turned into a procession later on.

So awesome. 

After visiting this site, we went into the museum that housed some of the pieces that were found in the remains of the buildings. You guys, this place was turned into a castle during medieval times. Full-on castle.

Ignore the anachronistic garden hose and this could be an abandoned set from Game of Thrones.

The only residents of this castle were pigeons now, but just looking up at it left me breathless. 

After walking around the Via Appia, we went to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian. We had a guided tour, which was disappointing for two reasons: the tour was large, containing too many people, especially since there were a couple groups outside of our own, and because of that we skimmed past all of the side rooms and did not spend nearly enough time inside. Also, they did not allow pictures. That was a bummer.

I am pretty disappointed that we waited this long to come out to the Via Appia. It is by far my most favorite place that we have been to on our trip. I loved it. 

Gelato

We got gelato when we got back, as well as after our roommate dinner.

First time was strawberry and dark chocolate at the local place.

Next was peanut and cookie at a new place.

The new place was okay. The cones were real waffle cones, but I definitely got stiffed one flavor. The cookie gelato had a whipped cream base, and the peanut flavor was flavorless unless I got a bite of actual peanut. In this case, it was fine to stick with a familiar classic.

Coming up Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be on my way to England! I'll be hanging out for the day. That account will be saved for Thursday though. Tomorrow I will be doing more of a summation of the trip. 

Ciao!

Day 15 - Lemon Cream and Cheesecake

Ciao!

Welcome back to my blog. As of this writing, I have not had any gelato today! It's early though. I did not abscond to France. Still in Italy. 

Rome's Most Numerous Residents

Rome is a city of 2.5 million people. I am beginning to suspect that the animal population is even higher. For the last two weeks, I have been conducting studies on the animals of Rome. Here are the species I have identified.

Rattus aerealis

Common Name: Pigeon

Habitat: Just, like, everywhere

Description: Pigeons are incredibly common in Rome. Their two most common activities include pecking fruitlessly at the ground and engaging in unsuccessful mating displays. Reports have also been made of pooping on both important historical monuments and the tourists who ogle at them.

Pigeons are useless except as a form of entertainment, for example when they attempt to order gelato.

"Are you're sure you don't have breadcrumb flavor? Then can I just get the cone?"

Corvus arsonus

Common Name: Crow

Habitat: Wherever there are lots of other birds

Description: Crows have quite a bit of history in Rome. They were often looked to by augers for signs from the gods. In addition, a crow scavenging still-burning food from a sacrificial altar caused the destruction of the Casa Romuli. If Nero knew that, he might have blamed them for the fire of 64 as well. 

Laridae vocala

Common Name: Gull

Habitat: Outside of windows. Especially when people are trying to sleep

Description: The gull is a staple in Rome, partially because it seems so out of place. If you look at Rome on a map, the only water source is the Tiber. However, there is an abundance of windows for flocks to congregate near. Gulls, like pigeons, are known to perch and even raise young in historical locations such as the Imperial Forum and the Baths of Domitian.

Why yes, that gull is well-positioned to poop on passers-by

Canis lupus adorabilis

Common Name: Puppy

Habitat: Outside shops and in parks

Description: Puppies have one real job in Rome: to go around and look cute. They can be found on- or off-leash, and they are generally cool just hanging out. They will occasionally be seen in historical sites such as Pompeii.

This picture will never not be my favorite

Felis catus feralis

Common Name: Kitty

Habitat: Largo Argentina and other ruins

Description: Kitties in Rome do not have owners. They live in things called cat sanctuaries, where they generally lounge about on old temples and stuff. Apparently, the kitties at these cat sanctuaries can be adopted, but they tend to be shy of humans.

They also don't give a damn about signs

Extinct Species

There are some species that are no longer seen around Rome, but can still be found depicted in ancient art. These depictions are important because they show the existence of these species in a way that is still considered iconic today.

Obviously, the most famous wolf in Rome was the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus. However, this Etruscan depiction seems to be quite dissimilar from modern-day wolves found in the United States and elsewhere.

Owls were used as symbols for wisdom and used to identify the goddess of wisdom, Minerva or Athena. They are also super adorable in ancient depictions.

This image of a coyote is much more recent than the other images of extinct animals in Rome. This may indicate that coyotes could still be found in the city as recently as the 1990s.

I would like to give a special thank you to Suzanne Timm, who provided the picture for the crow and the first picture for the puppy.

The Gelato (UPDATE)

My roommates and I went and got gelato after dinner.

I got lemon cream and cheesecake.

Day 14 - Coconut and Banana

Buena Sera!

Welcome back to my blog. Thanks for reading, as per usual.

The Walking Trend

I have been keeping track of my activity over the course of my time in Rome with a FitBit purchased in preparation for the trip. Week three has just started, and I am starting to notice a trend. All last week, I was consistently hitting well over 15,000 steps, or around seven miles. Starting a couple days ago, however, I have been walking around less and less.

Isn't this bar graph neat though?

I am still walking a ton, admittedly. Due to the exploratory nature of class time, we end up walking around a bunch. However, I have been much less inclined to do things outside of class, on my own or with others. It seems to me like many of the people in my group feel the same.

Excitement vs Fatigue 

It has been a great deal of fun to walk around in Rome. Personally, I am fine going out by myself if the situation presents itself, and I have been doing plenty of going out with my group or my roommates as well. However, recently I have been returning to the apartment after class ends, maybe stopping for gelato, and calling it a day. I am guessing that is not what my teachers had in mind when they planned out the schedule.

Early on, the group would meet and be together until 5 or so. We would get home sweaty and tired, but most of the time people would hop into the shower and then go out to dinner, or go to the Trevi Fountain. Now, our apartment is quiet as people take naps and eat cereal or home-cooked pasta. Personally, I sit in bed, watch videos online, and fall asleep on occasion. 

That really was not what I expected when I signed up.

The first week, I did a lot of sleeping. I was jet-lagged and unused to the amount of walking we were putting in on a daily basis. The second week, I did a lot of walking. I had sites to see and things to do. I was happy to just be in Rome. I took pictures because I had never seen so many nude statues in my life. That sort of thing.

Now, walking around Rome is taking on more of a been-there-done-that feel. Hey, there's the Roman Forum, again. And the Colosseum. Isn't the metro big? Hey, this gelato place has a bunch of flavors I have seen before. You know you are suffering from something when you are cynical about the most wondrful ice cream in the world.

Seriously, this stuff is so good.

At this point, I am beginning to wonder if I have been spending too much time in Rome. This is a possible explanation for the fatigue I am feeling. After all, there is only so many times one can pay 5 euro for pizza before getting tired of it. Stop charging me five euro for pizza. I can get the same amount for two.

A Proposed Solution

I wonder if Lisa, our instructor who looks at the blogs, will read this post. It is not a blog day, so she doesn't HAVE to. But I have been thinking about my experience a lot in the last couple of days. 

One of the ways that I would get more out of this trip, rather than spending the day in my room where the only difference between here and home is that at home I have A/C, would be going outside of Rome more. We got three "free days" on the trip. One was spent in Pompeii for most of us, which while technically optional, is not really something I consider "missable" on my trip. There are a couple of days where we start late or end early, and I wish those were used more efficiently. I would hike for hours a day in the Italian heat if it meant that I got to see Florence, Milan, Venice. 

I have seen so many museums I can occasionally dream of frozen people made out of white marble. There is very little to distinguish one museum from another, besides maybe a headlining piece that no other museum has. That really isn't enough, in my opinion, for the price of admission and the hours wandering aimlessly around. 

Maybe I am on the wrong trip if I wanted to see more of Italy than just Rome. Maybe I could have just gone out on my own for a couple of weeks, going around Italy or even Europe and experiencing more than just the gelato, the traffic, the tourists of Rome. Then again, before this trip I am not sure if I would be capable of doing that, either alone or with family or friends. Maybe the planning of this trip could have taken into account budding wanderlust. Or maybe it's just me.

I've gotten 100% on my last two weeks of participation grades. I wonder if losing out on the third week's points would hurt my grade any... There's a train station nearby.

Coming Up Next Time

I may or may not be in France by then. We'll see. Until then,

Ciao!

Day 13 - Strawberry and Honey Walnut

Bon Giorno!

In Rome, you see a lot of examples of architecture and aesthetic from all sorts of different periods of time. Medieval things look appropriately grand, ancient things look appropriately old, and new constructions look appropriately garish relative to both in a way that resembles asphalt repairs on the cobblestone streets. Seeing the contrast leaves me wondering about how things got the way they did.

A Note on the Fall of Rome

Maintaining awesome temples and civic buildings takes the money of an empire. There is a reason the streets of America are not lined with marble-covered buildings, as sweet as that would be. There is just no money for it. When Rome started to decay, the signs were obvious. Buildings were no longer maintained and stripped of any decoration that might be repurposed like marble and iron.  As traditions fell away, lost to things like fighting barbarians and finding food, monuments became useless unless they filled one of those needs. The banks of the Tiber would flood and coat constructions in layers of silt so deep that they disappeared until the 20th century.

Eventually, as Rome stabilized as the residence of the Pope, it began to become grander. Projects were started to glorify God. Popes built fountains and moved around relics of Romes past, such as obelisks first stolen from Egypt by the emperors of old. Any relics remaining were slipped into the Vatican's. Collection, or spirited away to the British Museum.

I was serious about the obelisks.

Rome is locked into a game I like to call "Preserve, Reuse, Forget." Anyone who has ever been to a sleepover should be familiar with the game "Marry, Bang, Kill." PRF is like that, except for with giant pieces of history.

Preserve

Preserve, obviously, corresponds to marry. This is the stuff that is still around and kept in what is more or less the same shape as it was when it was used for its original purpose. Many things that are preserved were only discovered recently, which has done a great job of keeping them from being destroyed. 

For example, the Imperial Forum could have been razed and appropriately turned into a shopping mall.

There are a couple reasons for the time and money to be spent on preservation. A big one is that it is a huge tourist attraction. The Colosseum gets visitors upon visitors, all throwing euros around in order to look down at a place where blood had to be drained to keep it from pooling. I would know. I've done it twice on this trip.

However, not everything can be preserved. Rome is a city of over two and a half million people. There is not enough space for every discovery ever made to be roped off, and the money for the ropes certainly is not there. Very few people will pay to take selfies in front of the Temple of Minor Incarnation of That One Guy unless there were an awful lot of dicks on it or something else that was unique and interesting. 

Reuse

Reusing a building is the equivalent of saying that it was fun while it lasted, but you're only good for one thing. In the case of buildings, it is being a building. 

Take the Pantheon, for example. No one really knows what the Pantheon was used for originally. It may have been a temple to all of the gods, or something like that. What people do know is that it is huge, and its dome is the neatest thing since the freestanding arch.

Majestic, huh?

The dome is truely a marvel of Roman engineering. The oculus, that giant hole at the top, was positioned so that every year on April 21st, the day of Rome's founding, the light hits the porch outside of the temple. It's crazy amazing in there, and the Pantheon is in pretty much in it's original shape after it was rebuilt in the second century. When we visited, however, something told me it was not being used for its original purpose.

If only I could put my finger on why...

The Pantheon is now owned by the Catholic Church, and has been for quite some time. If you were so inclined, you can even attend mass there. 

The fate of reuse tends to be reserved for especially cool buildings, with solid construction. These buildings have stood the test of time long enough to be filled with crucifices. While I am all for keeping these buildings around, reusing them tends to make them good for visits once in a while, but not something I would really want to spend a lot of time with.

Forget

One of the things about killing or forgetting is that the thing that is gone does not just disappear like a vampire on Buffy. It can still hang around for a while, unacknowledged and unappreciated. You can see them, but they are nothing more than a curiousity, one of the many sets of columns in a city that has so many it might as well be Enron's budget spreadsheet. 

We passed by what is thought to be the Hadrianeum today. It is not a sure thing. The reason no one is sure is because this is all that is left:

And for every set of columns, there are five that were destroyed by one calamity or another, referenced in a letter at one point but no longer at street level. These are the things that no one can be bothered to actively look for, because what would finding them mean? They are probably lost underneath all of the streets of shops that sell cheap souvineers and overpriced olive oil.

Rome as a Whole

I am really enjoying my time in Rome. I am a very nostalgic person, and Rome appeals to my sense of adventure and love of history. And somehow, the knowledge that those cobblestone streets probably hide more relics of Rome's past? Those make the experience even better than if everything was behind ropes.

Gelato

I have been hiding my gelato experiences within my posts. Somehow, I could not work it in today.

I have started getting multiple flavors on my cones. It makes the experience more varied than getting just one and having to repeat myself.

Coming Up Next Time"

I review Italian cheeses. Or something. I will think of something.

Ciao!