Day 15: One Final Fling in Roma

We took an early morning taxi to the Palermo airport for our one-hour flight to Rome. It was impressive. Wait, more like it was amazing to see the way Italian airlines take care of those with special needs. Once we got Lori hooked up with a wheelchair, the special care kicked in. They took us aside and then shuttled us to a different part of the airport. Lori had her own escort, that wasn't me, who pushed her across the tarmac to a personalized panel truck. Once loaded, we were driven right up next to the plane, placed on a lift and entered in our own door as everyone else got on board on the other side of the plane. And just like that, we were good to go.

Once we arrived in Rome, the quality service continued. We watched as a funky and even better vehicle pulled up next to us on the tarmac. They rolled Lori off the plane and onto its elevated lift. A young girl named Sarah, who loved to speak English, took over as her personal escort. We dropped off our bags in a storage area for the day, Sarah wheeled us out front of the terminal where we met Ron and April, caught a taxi and back to Rome we went.

Once again, we found ourselves looking for a landing spot - one where we could eat - during Italy's mid-day shutdown. Luckily, we found a restaurant where we spent the next three hours sitting, eating, visiting and enjoying the laid-back Italian eating experience. They brought us some super thin "bread" as well as traditional Italian bread to start. They must have known we had a ton of time to kill because they were in no hurry to get our orders, which was absolutely fine. 

When the waiter did return, we ordered a grab-bag-of-an-appetizer of potato croquettes, fried rice balls with tomato sauce and cheese, fried mozzarella, stuffed olives, crab legs and zucchini flowers. 

Again, time passed but we didn't really care. We eventually did have the chance to request lunch. I ordered fettucine with porcini mushrooms. And yeah, it was tasty.

We ate, we talked, we ate, we laughed and enjoyed the afternoon. After spending the majority of our trip off the beaten path of Italy's most popular tourist locations, we knew we would be wading back into throngs of humanity for the rest of our last day in Rome. We caught a taxi that took us to the Colosseum. I had seen it, sort of, when I toured Europe after my mission in late 1983. But back then, it was late November, rainy, dark and cold for my first visit. 

What amazed me as we approached it was its sheer size. This thing was huge!

With a base of about six acres, the Colosseum was the largest ancient amphitheater ever built. It is 205 yards long, 170 yards wide with 80 ground-level entrances and its outer wall is 157 feet high. Funded in part by the plundering of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, construction began in 72 AD and concluded a mere eight years later. It could hold anywhere from 50,000 to 80,000 people and hosted a myriad of events including gladiator fights, animal hunts and even mock sea battles. Earthquakes and stone looters took their toll on the site over time but it stands and remains as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

A little gladiator in action just outside the Colosseum

The Colosseum grounds are about more than just the massive stadium. To the immediate west is Palatine Hill (see photo below) which was home to the rich and famous back in the day. Anybody who was anybody lived on Palatine Hill. But its place in history goes back much, much earlier. Ancient Roman mythology has it that a cave on Palatine Hill was the location where a she-wolf nurtured and raised Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers who eventually founded the city of Rome. Another popular ancient legend that happened on Palatine Hill was the slaying of Cacus, a fire-breathing giant who terrorized people living in the countryside, by the Roman hero Hercules. 

Between Palatine Hill and the Colosseum lies the Arch of Constantine. Built between 312 and 315, the Roman Senate commissioned the arch in honor of emperor Constantine after his victory over fellow emperor Maxentius. The arch went up in the location marked by the ancient route of Roman triumphs and was used as an example for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and other similar structures around the world.

There had to be thousands of tourists around the Colosseum site but they were spread over a large area. That was going to change with our next stops. We tracked down a taxi and got into Francesco's car. As we made our way across town, we learned Francesco came from an ancestral line, so to speak, of transportation providers. His father was a taxi driver and his grandfather earned a living with a horse and carriage. We also quickly learned that Francesco was a kick in the pants who freely provided both tourist information and critique of his own town. 

I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of it but he pointed out the balcony where Benito Mussolini stood to declare Italy was joining forces with Germany in World War II. That was kind of ironic because this same day, April 25, was Italy's Liberation Day, a national holiday celebrating the day that an Italian resistance movement overthrew both Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic. 

I told Francesco that my grandfather, Thomas Vernon Holyoak (photo on left), landed in Italy with American Forces to assist with the liberation. He said, "Then we will celebrate our independence and your grandpa today." I always loved that I got to serve as a missionary in Palermo 40 years after Grandpa Vern served there and throughout Italy as a U.S. soldier. Grandpa was always a hero of mine.

As we continued our tour of Rome, Francesco drove us past another well-known but newer structure - the Victor Emmanuel II Monument - more popularly known as the Vittoriano (Victorian). It's a can't miss shrine that sits on Capitoline Hill in the symbolic center of ancient Rome. It was built between 1885 and 1935 in honor of the first king of a unified Italy. Ironically, Mussolini hosted many military parades there with the rise of Fascism, but after his overthrow, the monument was stripped of all its Fascist symbols. Today, it is home to the tomb of the unknown soldier. Francesco was blunt. "It's ugly," he said. "Today's kids love it but my grandmother hates it."

Our next "stop" was one of the best preserved buildings in all of ancient Rome - the Pantheon. We didn't actually stop and go in. There were so many people that they made up a moving mass. And Francesco drove about two miles an hour right through the middle of them. Built in about 125 AD, the Pantheon was originally a Roman temple but has served as a church the past 1,400 years. 

Lori's "hero," Francesco

That pretty much was a wrap for our tour-by-taxi. "Have you visited Trevi Fountain," Francesco asked.

"No," we said.

"WHAT?! You have to! No trip to Rome is complete without it," Francesco protested.

The meter was running on the taxi but we knew he was right. It's not like we could just come back in a week or so. Who cared what it cost. And so we continued on. Again, it was another slow motion drive but Francesco navigated it like a pro. As it came into view, I was urged to get out and take a couple of photos. 

Like so many others, I'd seen it on the big screen in several movies but in person it was just so dang big! At 80 feet in height and 160 feet wide, it's one of the largest and best known fountains in the world. Built in the 1700s, it's called Trevi because it sits at the intersection of tre viae (three streets). It's also the end of an revived aqueduct that served ancient Rome for more than 400 years.

When I got out, I asked Lori if she was going to come. No, she said she would stay behind in the taxi. Well, apparently Francesco would have none of that. He basically told her to get out and enjoy the experience. Lori later said she was so glad that she listened to him. According to legend, if you toss a coin into Trevi Foundation, that's means you will return again to Rome. (Note to Lori: Mark strongly believes in this legend!) So when I somehow saw Lori among the throngs, well, we had some coin tossing to do! And yes, she got a big kick out of it!

One estimate has it that visitors combine to throw 3,000 euro coins into Trevi Foundation every single day. Another estimate back in 2016 was that tourists tossed $1.4 million worth of euros into the waters over the course of the year. If you're curious, the money goes to help those in need.

It was such a fun afternoon, not just to see the sites of one of the world's most famous cities but to ride shotgun and talk Italian almost nonstop with Francesco. At one point, he turned and asked, "How is it that you speak Italian so well?" 

I told him that Ron and I were missionaries together back in 1983. 

"But that was 40 years ago," he said.

Again, I was both really surprised and yet so pleased how the language came back to me. I just didn't expect it but I sure did enjoy it. We had Francesco drops us off at our Airbnb, a modern apartment, for the evening, and made plans for him to pick us up the following morning for our trip to the airport. 

Lori needed an ice pack so we went out in search of a Farmacia but they were all closed because of the holiday. What we did find was a bag of frozen peas. We also found a gelateria. I texted Lori and we brought a gelato back for her. Of course, I ordered lemon, my final gelato of our trip. 

Walls of the old city on the left

Once back in the apartment, we spent our final evening with Ron and April playing cards and swapping memories. What an awesome, awesome trip! And to share it with them made it oh so much better!