The Roman Experience!
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The trip to Rome was an awesome experience, to say the least. It was a very different type of excursion compared to the ones I have during each summer holidays. Instead of just traveling for the purpose of swimming and shopping, I went to Italy with the purpose of discovering its diverse history, culture, and politics. I was interested in finding out what made the country different than others, meaning that I was approaching the trip with a touristic style. I hoped that this would hopefully switch up the routine a little bit, and it definitely made me step out my comfort zone. Throughout the trip, I had many “first times”, such as going to an airport and flying out to a new country, visiting a European capital with one of the biggest tourist attraction sites, and most importantly, exploring most of the city on foot. To me, that was the biggest difference from any other trip, it was hard for us to rely on one Roman map we bought from the local store to find our ways inside Rome, in fact, we got lost multiple times and had to ask people for the right track. We were definitely walking at least 5 kilometers a day between our hotel, and places we were planning to visit. We did eventually use the metro on the last two days when we discovered its location and where it leads to, which was also a new mean of transportation for me. Regarding the city itself, I found the architecture to be the most impressive aspect of the city, it gives it a unique look compared to other places in Europe I have visited. Rome definitely does not have a modern look to it, with narrow streets, short buildings, and not many ventures for entertainment like malls etc… For the food, it was definitely the most delicious I have tasted, the pizza, lasagna, and pasta there are the best with no say! Although one thing I found odd in Rome is how just like in Morocco, they hire someone outside the restaurant to encourage people for eating at their place, which I didn’t see anywhere else in Europe, I found that pretty interesting. Finally, regarding the monuments themselves, they were impressive in terms of the way they are structured and their size, I was particularly impressed with Altar of The Fatherland, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum. Overall, this was the best traveling experience I have had so far and I am really looking forward to planning out more touristic trips in the future!
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For what purpose was the Colosseum formed for and what events use to occur there?
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The purpose of the Colosseum was to showcase the latest Roman engineering and building techniques in order for them to show off their wealth. It seated over 80,000 Romans to with a great view to watch Gladiator and animal battles.
What are some of the most famous artworks in Vatican Museum and what do they represent?
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The Transfiguration portrays the human nature of Jesus Christ. The upper half of the painting consists of light colors and showcase Jesus standing between the prophets Elijah and Moses. The lower half had darker colors because it's a soil like part of painting with a human below it.
The Laocoon is a sculpture that recalls the Trojan War. It was discovered in 1506 on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. It shows the Trojan priest, Laocoon and his two sons losing a battle to two sea serpents.
The Sistine Chapel shows the second coming of Christ on the Day of Judgment. From what we see in the painting, Jesus's position is in the center with the selected souls to go to heaven on the right, and those going to hell on the left. They get transported by Charon on the river “Styx”
What historical background does the Pantheon represent?
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The Pantheon was built by Emperor Augustus and Agrippa in 27 BC. It was dedicated to Romulus, their mythological founder. It later burned in a fire at 80 AD, and rebuilt by Emperor Domitian. In 110 AD, it was hit by lightning and got destroyed once again, giving Emperor Hadrian the responsibility to reconstruct it. This emperor was passionate about architecture and re-designed it together with the help of Apollodorus of Damascus, a famous Greek architect of the time who was later unfortunately executed. Ever since then, the Pantheon is still standing with us today, an impressive monument that represents pride and glory.
What does the artistic design of St. Peter’s Basilica represents or convey about its practiced religion?
The interior of the Basilica is massive and its artistic designs leave you speechless. It is divided into three naves, and opens up to the St. Peter’s Baldachin, which include an apse and the chair of St. Peters. This throne belonged to St. Peter in the middle age when he was the first pope of the church. Most masterpieces in the church were creations of Bernini and were founded since Paleo Christianity, like the bronze statue of St. Peter made by Arnolfo di Cambio for example. Finally, beneath the Basilica’s is the Grotte Vaticane, where we found the tombs of the main contributors to the church like John Paul II and Peter.