Life in the Ruins

On the way to Rome, I had come to the realization that my time in Italy was coming to an end. Who knows the next time that I will be back in these cities? I made a commitment to enjoy my time to the fullest by trying new experiences and taking it all in. The difference between Rome and Venice was night and day. While Venice was a calm and quiet city on the water, Rome was a loud and fast-paced city filled with tourists. We took taxis to our designated apartments. As our taxi zigzagged through the crowds, I admired the old architecture and ruins preserved from the Roman Empire. But what we were most excited for among the ruins were the golden arches. McDonald’s stood proudly within walking distance from the men's apartment. We tossed our bags down and immediately grabbed a quick lunch. Believe me when I tell you that, after five weeks, no delicacy can match the meal of a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke with ice. I won’t disclose how many times we visited McDonald’s, but let’s just say we were content by the end of our trip. We met up with Horner for dinner shortly after, which was a strange meal of Italian burgers. A slab of rare meat with a slice of ham, lettuce, and mozzarella cheese were sandwiched between wrinkled buns and served with oddly sliced potato wedges. The flavor was definitely unique, but I personally would have chosen Mickey D’s over it. Everyone at the table ordered tiramisu, but one unusual dessert caught my eye. A frozen sweet made up of beets and carrots and topped with a sweet sauce was simply titled “purple”. I chuckled to myself wondering who would ever choose such a strange dessert. But then I remembered my promise. I was going to step out of my comfort zone in this city, and I was going to start with the “purple”. The waiter brought out the tiramisu for the table and set a small grey sphere with thick yellow sauce in front of me. The frozen treat possessed the sweet flavor of carrot and a savory flavor from the beet. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted, but I wouldn’t say it was one of the best desserts I’ve had. It didn’t matter though, they don’t have “purple” anywhere else.

Our first night was spent touring the city at night. One narrow walkway expanded into a massive square displaying the Pantheon. Its magnificent columns and inscriptions were lit for all to see. The square was packed with tourists hobbling around for the best pictures and merchants stalking them with useless trinkets. We stopped to touch the coarse marble and observe the front of the structure. Our next stop was the Trevi fountain. I was stunned by the beautiful sight of marble statues towering over the rushing water. Hundreds of tourists squeezed to the front to get a closer look. Coins glistened in the water casting the ripples’ patterns onto the statues. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of the girls lean towards the water. She was drinking from the fountain. My immediate reaction was disgust; hundreds of dirty hands splashed the water, and coins covered the floor. But again, I remembered my promise. Although it sounds a little nasty, how many others can say that they’ve drank from the Trevi Fountain. “Try it,” she called to the group. I cupped my hands in the water and tasted it. It was refreshing and surprisingly sweet. Most of the group just laughed, but I didn’t regret it, even when the guard whistled at us to stop.    

        The next day we trekked to the Vatican Museum. Every painting and sculpture was astounding, but one that stuck out to me was the statue of the river Nile. The statue is a personified image of the Egyptian river surrounded by children and crocodiles. A miniature sphynx symbolized the nation of Egypt. This sculpture, along with multiple Egyptian obelisks throughout Rome, struck me because they reminded me of all the history that happened here. Both Egyptian and Roman emperors ruled over the city, and they left their marks on the city through the art that remains. Only a few exhibits later and we were standing only a few feet away from Raphael’s “The School of Athens”. It was incredible to view this work so closely; I knew about this painting since I was little, and I was now standing face to face with this masterpiece. Plato and Aristotle discussed philosophy as the rest of the crowd studied math and science. Shortly after this painting, we stepped into one of the most renowned exhibits in the world: the Sistine Chapel. Depicting numerous scenes from Scripture, apostles and saints leapt out from the ceiling and appeared to be almost lifelike. We forced our way into the mass of people staring in awe, trying to get a glimpse of every detail. “The Creation of Man” was at the center of the work, and I still couldn’t believe that I was actually here seeing what I had only read about. I started spinning around while facing the sky, each story coming to life. A voice over the radio suddenly shouted out to the crowd to remain silent as this was a holy place. It did not take long for the whispers of tourists to return to a roar, ruining the peaceful enjoyment.

The Colosseum was another stop that took my breath away. I had seen innumerable pictures of the stadium and heard hundreds of stories of the gladiators, but the real thing exceeded expectations. The remains of the arena filled my mind with images of what it must have been like to witness the fights at the height of the Roman Empire. Bright green parrots zipped through the air and landed on the top of a set of columns, watching the crowds trudge through the exhibit. The ground floor was missing, which allowed a perfect view into the underground tunnels of the stadium where wild animals and gladiators were held. The entire structure left me to marvel at how they could create something so vast with none of the technology we have today. The Colosseum, like so much of Rome, made me feel small in comparison to the great power that the city possessed.

The night life of Rome is what truly surprised me. Unlike Venice, the city seemed to come alive at night. Both Italians and tourists filled the streets and restaurants as live music could be heard at every corner. There were dance clubs and wine tastings everywhere you turned. While tourists stayed at the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, Italians could be heard singing off key to popular tunes as their friends watched in embarrassment. You’d think the contrast would ruin the city, but it appears to almost connect everything together. “The entire city is so janky,” one angry student muttered as we tried to survive the crowd. Although I couldn’t disagree, I have to admit that it didn’t really bother me. Ruins from the Roman Empire were left next to 18th Century buildings and gelato shops. All of the city’s history could be seen in what remained.

Everyone had left their mark on Rome, and even now, Italians cultivated the compilation of generations. Part of me wished that the ruins could be preserved apart from the modernized city, but another part of me knew that it was their city, and they were living their lives. It was incredible to me how their thrilling lifestyles can coexist with their reverence to the past. It reminded me of my own promise. They too were enjoying their lives to the fullest and growing through their experiences. There is something for everyone in Rome, whether it’s exploring the art and history, enjoying the intense action of the night crowd, or finding your passion in a city of ruins and opportunity.