Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Last day in Rome - on to Naples and Sorrento


Had my last day in Rome today. I think I could have seen the highlights in 4 days, but the week I spent here allowed me to relax for a bit before heading on to the Amalfi coast. I spoke with a French-Canadian from my hostel today about some of the highlights in Naples, sounds like it should be a great time. Also looking forward to more ancient sites at Pompeii and Ercolano.
Some highlights from my last two days in Rome:
I spent an afternoon with Giulliana, a student at Grey College in Durham who is originally from Rome. The vista from the park above Piazza del Popollo was great
Last night in Rome - went to Trevi Fountain and had some Gelato with Aussies and a Colombian from my hostel
Went to the Borghese Gallery a couple days ago. They had a lot of famous works (famous enough to be recognizable even to me) - very impressive collection from Caravaggio (painter) and Bernini (sculptor)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

First full day in Rome!

Had a great day! Started out thinking I was going to the Pantheon, but ended up spending all day at the Colosseum and Forum instead. Not a wasted day in any sense - really interesting stuff. I took my iPod along with some free Rick Steeves audio guide tracks. He had about 30 minutes of information in both the Forum and the Colosseum. It's the first time I've really had to think hard about what used to be there rather than what's actually in front of you. A girl at my hostel has one of those books to show you what was there before. Really interesting to see the contrast. I met some fellow travelers from China (Jin and Jen) on my way from the Colosseum to the Forum and we struck up some conversation. We ended up touring the Forum together and acting as one another's personal photographers. It was a lot to see in one day, even though it's just one small part of the city. Tomorrow - the Vatican and the Pantheon! Ciao!

^looking out from the Colosseum to the Forum^
^Beautiful memorial for Italian vets in with great views the middle of the city^
^West side of the Colosseum^
^The Chinese couple I toured with^
^The 'Stadium' in the Forum, a good example of how the ancient part of the city makes you think about what used to be there, not what's still standing^