Rome: Day 2 (8/14/19)

My new roommates showed up late last night (Lukas from Mexico, Alon from Israel, Dan and Nikola from the UK) and we chatted until around midnight about places to visit, so I got some insider info on places to visit here in Rome as well as Naples if I ever go.

Got up early, around 7, and was out the door headed for the Vatican museums by 7:30. Its an hour walk from the hostel but its not too hot out this early, and I got to see the city which was cool. Unfortunately I arrived at the entrance to Vatican City only to find out that the museums and Sistine Chapel are closed today and tomorrow for a national holiday. So instead I hiked a few minutes backward to Castel Sant’Angelo, which I thought would just be a pass-time but it was actually super cool! I took a break halfway to munch some lunch by the Archangel Michael statue before touring the upper floors which were originally living quarters for the pope during times of war. I ended up spending over 3 hours wandering about the castle proper - I didn’t even touch the surrounding grounds since it was over 90 degrees outside and I was not about to walk around in the sun if I didn’t absolutely need to.

Instead of heading straight back to the hostel I opted to take a scenic route and make a big loop southward and hit a few fountains. I ended up having a snack break at a gorgeous city overlook, which had a great view of all the major Rome tourist locations, including Castel Sant’Angelo. A little further on I turned off the main road onto a forested path which descended past the Japanese botanical gardens and into the city proper. Of course the gardens were also closed for the upcoming holiday.

I walked past the Colosseum as well, which was jam-packed with cranky, overheated tourists. Tickets were sold out (no surprise there tho) but I did walk up a nearby hill to escape the mob and visit a super old church which had some impressive paintings. They were nothing compared to the next church I found, which I only ducked into to escape the heat/sun. Large ceiling murals, skeletal sculptures, and organ cased in gold, the chains of Saint John, AND Michelangelo’s super famous sculpture of Moses! Like, what are the odds that the random church I stopped at was the Basilica di San Pietro! Recharged, I took a neat little underground stairway and a few roads to the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. In terms of overall fancypants-ness it definitely takes the cake. Absolutely massive, a gold leaf ceiling, life sized statues, murals, stained glass, the works.

I was super dead at this point and returned to the hostel for a much needed 3 hour nap. Woke up just as Alon from Israel got back and we went out for diner at Xiang Zi, a Sichuan restaurant downtown. The menu was massive, page after page with everything from grilled fish to ox innards and all the dumplings in between! I was feeling a bit adventurous I so ordered red rabbit soup. It was hot, it was spicy, like really freaking spicy, and loaded with flavor - 9/10 very good! (but a little painful to too eat) Also got a few steamed dumplings which were delectable and gone in about 30 seconds.

Alon and I chatted for a couple hours about various topics, mostly about cultural differences in the places we’ve been and food edicate. On the walk back we touched on public education in Israel and public views on war/politics in the States. Planning to take it easy tomorrow, since stores won’t be open due to the holiday. Might hit the nearby zoo and museum in Villa Borghese