Rome is built for giants. That was my first thought as we rode the escalator out of the Metro stop and immediately found
ourselves surrounded by the huge columns of a building sitting on a open square with some giant fountain in the middle. And we weren’t even anywhere important.
Everything in the city is big. The ancient architecture, the baroque fountains, the public buildings – everything is built to impress with its grandiose size. And impress it did.
With just a short time in Rome, we limited ourselves to just a few of the highlights. With Rick Steves as our guide, we saw Michelangelo’s famous Moses statue and did a night walk across town to see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Four Rivers Fountain, and the highlight, the Pantheon.
Wow, that Pantheon is impressive. We talked about it in my art history class. It was the inspiration for the Duomo in Florence, Saint Peter’s in Rome, almost all the architecture in Washington D.C., and, of course, the SMU logo. But nothing prepares you for seeing it in person. It’s a magnificent sight.
The next morning we did the Coliseum and laughed at the “scragliators” – skinny men dressed in gladiator costumes to take pictures with tourist.
From there tried to re-imagine ancient Rome at the forum and then wound our way to a great little out of the way restaurant for an authentic Italian lunch experience. On our way home I made a brief detour to see a museum that had two pieces by Parmiginino. Our last evening in Rome was spent on a nice stroll through the main shopping district (Note: if you want to look like you fit in – you need BIG expensive sunglasses. Everyone has them) and a pizza dinner on a cute side street. And, I can’t forget, Rome’s best gelato (per Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love) from San Crispino! I had
the honey and chocolate – delicious!
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