Roma two: Jordan

The next morning we woke up and headed out to see Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori, and the synagogue. On the way over to Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori we stopped into some of the little churches scattered around Rome. This probably wasn't the best idea given that it was Sunday.

Piazza Navona is taken over by an incredible fountain. Behind that is the church of Saint Agnes in Agony which, despite its name, is quite beautiful. I found it odd there are actually multiple churches in one piazza. The piazza is scattered with local artists and tourists looking to buy their works. There are cafes and people scattered around hoping to find refuge from the over hot sun.

After Piazza Navona we went to Campo de Fiori which is a small square that somehow holds both new and old. On the one hand the campo is made of cobblestones and buildings that have obviously been around a while, but on the other hand there is a one room cinema currently playing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (no, I did not go see it).

After Campo de Fiori we headed to the old Jewish ghetto. There are two main synagogues and a museum in the ghetto and the security is surprisingly strict. At the gate entrance to the synagogue our bags were searched and a semi menacing looking guard told us no pictures were allowed on the other side of the gate. We went in and headed down to the museum. First, we took a tour of the two synagogues. One is a small Sephardic synagogue and the other is a large beautifully decorated Italian synagogue that Pope John Paul II once came to. The history of the Jewish community in Rome and the current state of the Rome's Jewish community are really interesting. For example, when the Jews were first ordered into the ghetto they were told they could only have one synagogue. They built only one synagogue building but it held 5 different synagogues. Today there are 13 synagogues in Rome and the system of membership is really unique. You belong to the Jewish Community not to any one synagogue.

After visiting the synagogues we stopped at a Kosher fast food restaurant because, well, it was a kosher fast food restaurant. Then, we went back to the hostel. At the hostel we met our two new roomates Kirsten and Lisa, from Germany. The four us went out to dinner at this little restaurant whose tables spilled out into the cobbled street. We enjoyed, as is normal in Italy, way too much food.

After dinner we decided to find a place to go out. We wandered back to Via del Corso (one of Rome's main drags). We heard loud music and a lot of people up ahead and decided to check out. We ended up at some Irish pub that was packed with people. The music was really good, mostly classic rock and everyone knew all of the songs, even our German roomates.

We found out that all of the people were actually on a Pub Crawl and when they left, the party pretty much left with them. We decided to tail the Pub Crawl and see what was up. When we got to the next club/bar they told us it would be 10 euro to join the pub crawl for the night. Figuring that was where all of the people were, we went ahead and joined. We ended up having a really good time and hanging out until 4:30 am.

The next morning we slept in a little bit then hopped on the metro and headed to Vatican City. The first thing you see of Vatican City is the huge imposing stone walls. You follow those around the corner to get to the museum entrance. We skipped the line (since we had reserved tickets) and went in without any problem. My first stop was to go see the Sistine Chapel. I wandered through all of the incredible rooms, apartments, and chapels that lead to the Sistine Chapel. One of my favorite things about all of these rooms were the ceilings. The design and detail of each ceiling was different ranging from statue to frescoe and my neck was sore by the time I was done. My favorite three rooms were the map room, the Raphel rooms and of course the Sistine Chapel. As you walk towards the Sistine there are signs everywhere saying (and showing) no photos and no flash. I walk into the Chapel, saddened by the fact that I will not get to take any pictures when I see a crowded room of about 300 or more people all taking pictures, both with and without flash. What a relief.

After that I went into some of the different areas of the Vatican Museum. I really liked the paintings collection which ranged from 13th century altar pieces to Renaissance paintings by Carvaggio, Raphael, and other great artists. Sadly the only DaVinci hanging in the Vatican Museum is under restoration. The museum of early christian artifacts was also pretty neat.

From the museum we headed out for St. Peters Square and Basilica. The Basilica is incredible. Richly decorated in gold and marble, it seems to go on forever. The art and architecture of the Basilica are absolutely incredible. Sun pours in from high set windows making the Basilica glow. The floor is tiled marble and the ceiling are all vaulted and domed. The paintings, frescoes, statues and mosaics are all beautiful. Even the tombs are wonderfully done. I honestly think it is impossible to describe. Its much easier to see in pictures (which will be up on facebook soon).

From the Basilica we headed down into the Vatican Grottoes where all of the Popes (and some cardinals) are buried, including Pope John Paul II. Its a little creepy down there with all of the marble tombs and the attempt at quiet by too many tourists. Its interesting though that this is how the Catholic church has chosen to honor its late Popes.

After the Basilica we walked over to Castel Sant Angelo which I only wanted to see because of Angels and Demons (dorky I know). It was just nice to be able to put a real place with the climax of that story.

From there we took the metro back to our hostel to get ready for another night with our German roomates. We went over to the Spanish steps to meet the Pub Crawl and ended up having a great night. It was a fun way to end an incredible trip!