Italy
Mamma Mia ......... Italy !!!
Tribute to Saurabh Maheshwari
Dedicated to the fond memories of a dear friend who left us so early and abruptly.
He was a bundle of joy and flash of light for all those around him.
He was full of life and energy. We all miss you, my friend…
Why Italy? Because every pebble has a story to tell!! My fascination with Italy started long ago, back during my school days. The history, mystery, culture, the Kings, the Emperors, the Inventors, the Artists and the Philosophers all motivated me to visit Italy. This great motivation became a reality in 2010 during my tenure in Turkey. My trip started on 8th September 2010 from Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul via Turkish Airlines flight TK1837. I was accompanied by my good friend Saurabh. He was a co-worker whom I had met a few weeks earlier while working in India and went on to become my closest pal during our work assignment in Turkey.
The 2.5 hour long flight landed at Leonardo DaVinci International airport in Rome at 5 am. From the airport we took the Airport transfer bus to Roma Termini Railway station which was a half hour ride. After dumping our luggage at the locker facility in the station we boarded our 6.30 am train to Florence, which was our first date with history in Italy. The train ticket costed around 22 Euros and took us nearly 2 hours to reach Santa Maria Novella, Florence.
The historic city of Florence is the birthplace of Italian Renaissance and the current capital of the Tuscany region. It is on the banks of River Arno and is about 100 square km. Our first stop in this great city was the Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a small square designed by Guiseppe Poggi and built on a hill with a terrace, offering a panoramic view of the city. From the terrace we can see the Ponte Vicchio Bridge, the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall) and the bridges across River Arno. The square is marked by the majestic bronze statue of David facing the city.
From Piazzale Michelangelo we crossed one of the many bridges across River Arno and made our way to the Uffizi Gallery. It holds some of the best collections of Renaissance Art in the world including Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration of Magi, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch and Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait as a Young Man. The entrance fee for the gallery was 22 Euros and we had to wait in the queue for more than an hour to get inside. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the gallery.
A 2-minute walk from Uffizi Gallery took us to the Palazzo Vecchio, which is the Townhall of Florence. It was built between 1299 and 1314 as a palace and later converted as the state workplace of the administrators. There is an entry fee of 10 Euros to see the inside of the building.
We walked further along the stone paved streets of Florence for another 600 meters to reach the magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore also known as Duomo di Firenze (Cathedral of Florence). It is the second biggest domed cathedral in the world. Its construction was completed in 1436 and the dome was designed by Fillipo Brunelleschi. It is a truly majestic construction faced with polychrome green and pink marble panels .
After spending a good 1 hour at the Duomo, we walked along Via Ricasoli for 500 meters to reach our final destination in Florence, the Galleria dell’Accademia. It is the second biggest art museum in Florence and it houses Michelangelo’s world famous sculpture David. This has been the home of David since 1873. The entrance fee was 8 Euros. Here also, like the Uffizi, cameras were not allowed. But we somehow managed to sneak a picture of Michelangelo’s real David using a secondary camera.
The next morning, we started early from Florence and took a bus to the city of Pisa. It was a 1.5-hour ride costing 8 Euros. The main attraction in Pisa is the Piazza del Duomo, which consists of 3 structures – the Pisa Cathedral, The Baptistery and the most recognizable structure in the world – The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The construction of the Tower was started in the 12th Century. But due to the unstable ground and the weight of the building, the structure began to tilt causing the construction to be abandoned. It was later completed in 14thcentury with a tilt of 5.5 degrees. There is a 30 Euro entry fee for the tower and to the observation gallery on the top.
After spending a few hours at Pisa we took the train from Pisa Centrale station to Rome Termini. It was a 3.5 hours slow train costing 33 Euros. We reached Rome, picked up our luggage from the locker and headed straight to our hotel Fawlty Towers. The hotel was a back-packer’s hub with limited facilities but was just a stone throw away from the railway station. It was a budget hotel/hostel costing 15 Euros per night.
The next morning, we bought tickets for the Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus City tour valid for 2 days. The ticket prices as 28 Euros for 2 days. The bus covers all the major attractions in the city.
Our first stop was one of the oldest Basilica’s in Rome – Santa Maria Maggiore. It is the largest Catholic Marian church in the world (Mother Mary). It was built in the 5th century during the time of Constantine the Great. This is one of the architectural marvels in Rome.
From Santa Maria Maggiore, we hopped on the bus and went straight to the great Colosseum. It is the iconic amphitheater built between 70-80 AD during the time of emperor Vespasian. It could hold up to 65000 spectators and was used for gladiator contests, public gatherings, public executions and other spectacles. It also has underground compartments for the participants to wait and get ready.
From the Colosseum, we walked to the Arch of Constantine, which was a triumphal arch built to commemorate the victory of Constantine over Maxentius. It was constructed around 315 AD and was located between Colosseum and Palatine Hill.
From the Arch we walked to the Roman Forum. It is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several ancient government buildings. Some of the remains which still stand tall are the Regia (8th Century BC) and Temple of Vesta (7th Century BC).
From the forum, we took another bus towards Piazza Venezia. It is the central hub of Rome where lots of major roads intersect. It is a magnificently huge building which was built in 1455 by Cardinal Venezia as his own residence and was later used as the Embassy of the Republic of Venice. It was also the location of many public speeches by Mussolini in 1930s
From Piazza Venezia, we went to the Pantheon, which is a cylindrical building with a 8 granite pillar portico. It was built between 27 BC & 14 AD during the reign of Augustus as a Roman temple and later converted as church. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome.
From the Pantheon, we took a short walk to the Piazza Navona which is a public space which used to host games and public gatherings. At the centre of the Piazza is the Fontana del Moro fountain which has a basin and 4 Tritons which was built around 1545 AD. After our long date with history during the day, we were dead tired and crashed to bed very early.
The next day promised to be one of the most important day in my life, as it was the day I was going to visit Vatican City.
We took an early morning Big Bus to the smallest country in the world which is enclaved within the city of Rome and is ruled by the Pope who is the head of the Catholic Church. The total area of the country is 110 acres with a population of less than 1000. Vatican city has 3 major buildings – St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum.
St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and is supposed to be built on the burial site of Saint Peter, chief among Jesus’s apostles. The old Basilica dates from 4th century AD. The present Basilica was completed in 1626.
Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the Pope. It is also the site of Papal conclave the process by which the new Pope is selected. The fame of the Sistine Chapel lies mainly in the paintings that decorate the interior, most particularly the ceiling and the Last Judgement by Michelangelo. Unfortunately, photography is restricted in the Chapel.
From Vatican city we walked to the Castle Sant’Angelo which is a cylindrical castle built around 130 AD. It was once the tallest building in Rome. It was built by Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself, was later used as prison and now a museum. It is on the banks of river Tiber.
Our next stop was the Piazza del Popolo (meaning People’s square). It is a large urban square in the north of Rome. It gives the first view of Rome for travellers entering Rome. It used to be an execution ground as well, until 1826. A huge Egyptian obelisk by Rameses II stands in the middle of the square, which was brought there in 10 BC by Augustus.
From the Piazza we walked to the Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti (The Spanish Steps). It is a stairway of 137 steps connecting the Piazza di Spagna at the base to Trinitia Dei Monti Church at the top. The church was under the patronage of Spain and the stairway was built to connect to the Spanish Embassy at the bottom. Near the bottom of the steps, we could see the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821.
From the Spanish steps, we made our way to the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Standing at 27 meters high and 50 meters wide, it is one of the most famous and recognizable fountains in the world. The fountain is at the intersection of 3 ways (Tre vie) which marked the terminal point of 3 aqueducts which supplied fresh drinking water to the residence of Rome for over 500 year. Visitors to the fountain throw coins with their right hand over their shoulder into the fountain for good luck. It is estimated 3000 Euros are thrown into the fountain every day, which is used by the municipality for the renovation and maintenance of the surrounding areas.
Across the Barberini square from Trevi is another famous fountain – The Triton. It was constructed around 1640, also to provide water to the aqueducts. One can just stand and admire the work of art as well as the marvels of the Romans in the field of urbanization including drainage and drinking water supply systems.
A short walk from the Triton took us to our last, but not the least point in my 3 wonderful days in Italy – Fontana dell’Acqua Felice (The fountain of Moses). What better place to end a great tour than at the statue of Moses. It is the terminal of Aqua Felice aqueduct and was built in 1588. The center piece of the Fountain is a giant statue of Moses, to symbolize the efforts of the Pope to bring drinking water to the area.
I also had the chance to meet my old friend from school days, Martin Jose after nearly 20 years. He is a doctor in one of the top hospitals in Rome. I thank him and his family for the warm welcome to his home and a wonderful dinner.
Next day we left Italy with a content, but heavy heart and a promise to return to this historic place. It was a dream come true for me to see the great Roman architecture and to be a part of it – unfazed and unshaken by the challenges time throws at it.
