Rome Was Not Built in a Day...But Don't Tell Us That

It is not easy to be in a city for the first time, far away in a place of rich with new possibilities. From the first step of the plane, train, bus, my mind burst into flames; wild sporadic excited chaotic beautiful fleeting flickers of thought. What to see, what to feel, where to go. I am trapped in tomorrow, I am desperate for gratification. And this is why we go. This is why we travel to unknown destinations, past the plausible.

But the mission of the Pork Chop Express is to maintain presence within the discipline of action. And so with our first experiments in action, we awoke to a city filled with monuments and traditions, churches and fountains, with one goal in mind: no plan. At first, we struggled to get out the simple tourist map handed to us the night before, but we decided to venture off a general direction and take off.

We were in a mood to see the whole of Rome in a day (might I add 'in a mischievous mood'). We could have walked 30 miles if that was needed. We found ourselves at the large park on the top of Rome and looked out of the whole city for the first time. It was unsettlingly beautiful. The park was a nice start. The park let out to the Piazza del Popolo, a place filled with statues from the Medici family and vendors from Northern Africa and India.

We made our way to a church atop the hill, Trinita del Monti. It was a small sanctuary, but at the time seemed like the largest church in Rome. We entered in and found no one, so in pork-chop fashion, I told Reinhardt to get the camera ready. I quickly jumped onto my hands and said cheese. Needless to say, we found a quick and quiet exit.

Laughing like school girls, we spent the next part of the day walking through this perilously historical city. The danger of turning the corner and having to stop at another grandiose unfathomable vista turned from exciting to daunting. From the Fontana del Tritone in the Piazza Barbarini, to the Trevi Fountain, we blasted down the cobbled roads and alleyways. We fell upon the Chiesa Catolica de Santi Vincenzo e Anestasio.

My camera felt like a fresh hand gun and was difficult to get the hang of at first. I was unsure where to point and shoot. My trigger finger was hesitant, my eyes overloaded with scene after scene. But the day demanded restitution in the form of visual memories, so I spat on, documenting one scene after the next.

Just after passing through the Piazza del Quirinale, we marveled at the tomb of the unknown soldier (Il Monumento de Vittorio Emanuele II). This is a modern monument to the skillful style of the Italians. Atop this impressive building the whole city can be seen from the center out. From all points, the building serves to combine contemporary relevance and historical respect.

The Basilica S. Maria en Aracoeli was also awe inspiring. We can not describe the massive spaces inside each location. Heavy sits the atmosphere in these churches and cathedrals. Solemn nuns and priests grace and greet amidst dim lighting by sitting in the pews.

Up to this point, we had seen polished Rome, a place where achievement had shown it's hight. We had yet to experience the Vatican, the museums, or S. Maria Maiggiore. But we felt we had a nice taste of the city, until we fell upon the ruins. We realized that Rome can not be conquered in a day. The far reaching ruins stretched across the south end of the city. Large walls were erected to prevent vandalism and preserve the archaeological site. So we left the ruins for more spectacle as the night fell upon in the sky.

We made our way through the Theatro Marcello. Carefully lit, the grand theater house was beautiful in the night. We began to see that Rome is a different city in the dark. The town becomes quiet and coldly lit, the monuments shine like scattered stars in the sky.

As it was our first day, we decided to head back for home. We pulled out the map and said, “where are we?” Finding our location we headed for our hostel. As is typical for the Pork Chop Express, we got amazingly lost in the winding streets of Rome. We passed the Colosseum, and moving in the opposite direction than desired, we wound up back at the tomb of the unknown soldier. It was jarring looking at the map and trying to make sense of things.

A protest was just forming in the Piazza below the tomb of the unknown soldier. Trying to understand this protest was completely out of reach for us. But the passion people displayed for what they believed in was apparent. What is Rome without a protest?

We eventually caught on, eager for bed, when, like struck by lightning, we remembered one vital piece of our traveling puzzle as yet unaddressed. No matter the vistas and culture of Rome, and unispired by the Italian vibrancy and style, our minds were only on one thing... ear plugs.