I went on a tour of Rome in December of 2024. I normally travel on my own staying at rented apartments and figuring it out as I go.  I went on a Road Scholar tour for seven days in the Eternal City and it was educational and well-paced. When I first landed at the Rome airport, I needed to freshen up.  I was really impressed with the bathrooms. They were super modern. When you entered there was a lit number indicating how many unisex stalls were available.  Each stall that is available has a green light indicating it’s free, you wave your hand and the door slides open to a private stall with toilet and sink. You wave your hand to close and then again to lock it.  All of it was touchless and hands-free. Simply amazing.

We all stayed at the Hotel Dei Mellini which was a small hotel along the Tiber River near the shopping district of Prati.  There were loads of restaurants and mostly high-end shops. For most communal dinners we could walk to a local restaurant and we were invariably the first group there at 7 PM. The restaurant would be full by the time we left at 9 PM.  Our group totaled twenty folks all over 60 from various parts of the United States.  Our fearless leader, Bruna, did a great job of keeping track of us all as we navigated the ancient streets of Rome. The term we all learned almost immediately was finding “Zebras” or the marked crosswalks. Bruna explained that if there was a Zebra and no traffic light that we (the pedestrians) had the right of way. She frequently, and bravely, walked out into traffic several times stopping motorcycles and taxis to let us cross a street on a zebra crosswalk. I soon learned that to get around I had to be acutely aware of where the “Zebras” were to find the best way to my destination.  There is no telling where a Zebra might be placed, sometimes it’s in the middle of the block, sometimes I had to travel a block out of my way in order to find a Zebra to get to my destination.  When in Rome on foot, follow the Zebras.

Our first day in Rome was spent at the Capitoline Museum which sits atop “Capitoline Hill”. The palazzo in front of the museum was designed by Michelangelo in 1536. It contains a treasure trove of sculptures countless busts of the over 80 emperors who ruled Rome. There is a bronze sculpture of a she-wolf nursing twins Romulus and Remus which is the origin story of Rome. There several versions of the story but Romulus is the victor and he founds Rome in 753 BC. In addition, there is an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius from 173 AD and parts of the Colossus of Constantine including the head and a foot (the foot alone was 6 feet long) of Roman emperor Constantine the Great. The real secret to the Capitoline Museum is the vantage point to see all of the Roman Forum which is centuries of various ruins dating back to Julius Caesar and the 7th century BC. The Pantheon is a marvel of a structure that was built in 609 AD on a site that was a temple during the reign of Augustus (27 BC- 14 AD). It is an engineering masterpiece and stands today as it did in 609 AD with it’s large circular dome and 30 ft. oculus or hole in the center of the Rotunda. So, when it rains, the water falls through the oculus and down to the floor where drains sweep the water away.  It’s simply amazing.

We went to the Colosseum and Roman Forum the next day. The Colosseum was originally named the Flavian Amphitheater for the emperors of the Flavian dynasty who ruled 69 – 81 AD and built the Colosseum. It held 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.  Our guide said that 10,000 exotic animals from Africa and 5,000 gladiators and slaves were killed here for sport in a 90-day period. They have recreated one of the trap doors from which an animal would be transported up to the arena. It has endured a fire and an earthquake in 1349. It has been torn apart and picked over to build other structures in Rome. There are thousands of pot marks that were left behind from iron clamps that held the stones together. As we walked through the Forum, we kept hearing about recycling and how one marble pillar from one structure was recycled into another structure some 3 centuries later. Limestone from the Colosseum was used in a church 200 years later. When we walked through the Forum, through the Arches and various structures left behind from years of emperors, popes and dictators, we walked on black basalt.  As we stood below the Arch of Titus, there are the original black rocks that Julius Caesar walked upon some two thousand years ago. In the middle of this bustling city just yards from the Colosseum. Rome is deep in history.

Our guides were constantly talking about recycling and the Teatro di Marcello which is a great example of lasagna or layering. It started construction under Julius Caesar in 17 BC. First it was a theater until the 4th century, then it was used as a fortress in the Middle Ages, then in the 16th century it was a residence for Orsini which was built on top of the original ruins, by the 19th century apartments were built above the lower floors. You can plainly see from the side that there are 3 distinct layers from 2000 years of existence for various purposes. Some very impressive lasagna!

Vatican City is the city state that sits in the center of Rome. It houses the pope, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Throughout our travels there are countless buildings, monuments and statues marked clearly with whichever pope had paid for the monument.  Since there have been over 280 popes, there are A LOT of monuments and A LOT of lavish, opulent works of art and they are housed in the Vatican Museum and the rest of Vatican City.  We were fortunate to receive a one-hour class on the Sistine Chapel before entering this remarkable space whose ceiling and final judgement were painted by a captive Michelangelo.  The figures appear 3D in this hallowed space. St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and I would bet that 30% of it is covered in gold. The guide told us as we entered this cavernous space that if it looks gold, it is gold. I was most overwhelmed by the Vatican Museum which is basically the opulent attic for 2000 years of popes acquiring or demanding various works of priceless art. One of the hallways we walked down was three football fields long covered from floor to ceiling with artwork and tapestries. 

I found Rome to be chaotic, energetic and wondrous. The history of dictators, emperors and popes all ruling this city along the Tiber River. It went from 2 million people to 20,000 people between the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.  Those that are still here are vibrant, resilient, welcoming people. All roads lead to Rome and I’m so glad I was able to experience its deep history, wondrous art and irresistible food.