“When in Ro—” I don’t even want to say it.

Scrolling down, you’re expecting what—some pictures of the Coliseum, maybe some dude in a trojan outfit, spaghetti, a chariot maybe? The Pope? GOD?! Dim the lights, watch out for pick-pockets—it’s time to go Rome, Italy.

Did you know: The Coliseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater because it was built during the Flavian Dynasty, not because it was built by Flavor Flav. They were testing out this new thing called concrete. When the foreman asked, “Do you know how long this is gonna hold up for?” the head construction guy was like, “I dunno, but could you stop whipping me? Trying to mix concrete here and I don’t have eye protection.”

 

Did you know: Once the popes began running the show, they began looting the Coliseum of its materials, including metal and stone, to build their own shindigs like the Vatican. Some of these materials were important to the Coliseum’s structural integrity, leaving giant holes in the walls resulting in sections collapsing. Most of the ancient Roman buildings suffered the same fate, leaving only a few standing columns of what were once enormous buildings.

 

Did you know: The word “Arena” comes from the Latin word for “Sand”. The floor of the coliseum where the gladiators fought was made up of sand to absorb the large amount of “bodily liquids” spilled during the events. Gross.

 

Did you know: The dome of St. Peter’s Basilica was worked on by Michelangelo up until 6 days before he died. Not only that, the dude had major arthritis and he was still laying down bricks. The dome was finished after his death, and It is known by some as the greatest creation of the Renaissance. 

 

Did you know: Photos are not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel, and if you take one… well, nothing happens except you get yelled at. I don’t like being yelled at, so I didn’t take one. But here’s the Map Room inside the Vatican. 

 

Did you know: The Pantheon is one of the most well preserved temples in Rome and was converted into a church. Among the dead dudes inside is Raphael. Yes, that Raphael. The front of the Pantheon reads, “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built this.” Way to pee on it, Marcus. You can’t tell from the front, but there is a giant dome inside which it is famed for, and is the largest unsupported dome in the world. The hole in the middle is the oculus, pointing straight to the heavens. The floor of the Pantheon is also warped slightly, so that rain water would fall to the sides. Pretty smart for not having SolidWorks software.

 

Did you know: Nobody knows who invented Gelato or how it came about.

 

Did you know: Vespas and small cars are very common throughout the streets of Italy. My guess is because the side streets and alleyways are all cobblestone, narrow, and no real pedestrian walkways. To have a car is to not care about scratches, dings, and side-swiped mirrors. 

 

Did you know: If you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, this will guarantee that you will some day visit Rome again. Also, if you don’t throw that coin, you can spend it on a croissant and still return to Rome because DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY MONEY.

Visitor Tip: Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are very popular (free) tourist attractions within a 10-minute walk of eachother. Use jet lag to your advantage and go at 630a.m. (not during daylight savings time) and take a shot that looks like you’re there on a not-so-crowded night (above two vs next two).

 

Did you know: Rome is full of white- and pink-stone everything. I can’t even afford kitchen counter tops. 

 

Rome was fascinating. You can’t help but imagine yourself walking around in some drop cloth tied loosely by a rope belt, wearing sandals, and for some reason holding a small goat. If you can just be there in that moment, in Rome, history comes alive.

I believe that anyone who visits this place can walk away with a deeper understanding of themselves. For me, I felt that connection with Michelangelo’s art. When they asked him to paint the Sistine Chapel he was like, “Dude, I’m a sculptor.” He somehow learned how to mix paint, create color, and painted the most well-known ceiling the world, with one of the most recognized paintings in the world. Some people look up and admire it for what it is. I admire what it is, and the insanity that came with it: endless nights of thought, the revisions, the experimentations and failures, the passion to turn a client’s lame 12-image proposal to 175. I saw him climbing down from the however-many-hundred-foot ceiling, looking up and going “Damn it, the nose is too big!” and climbing back up to redo it. So is the life of the true artist: multi-disciplined, imaginative, never settling for a client’s lame 12-image proposal. I don’t know, maybe he did it in one go, or maybe he looked up and said “bleh, screw it.”. All I know is that he died in 1564, and 453 years later he’s still got it. Still got it.

 

#WHENINROMEDOASTHEROMANSDO. Ok that was it. There it is. Ciao.