Rome and Florence

As my first time in Europe, Rome and Florence are certainly impressive cities to see at first. I can see why they call Rome the eternal city. It certainly wasn't built in a day. The incredible attention to detail of the many works of art that fill these cities by master artists such as Bernini, Michelangelo, Borromini and others are awe-inspiring. Words and pictures cannot describe the immense beauty and sense of history that permeate this city. Of all the art history lectures I've sat through in college, nothing compares to actually seeing it in person. I often dreamed that one day I'd see and experience them in person, while viewing flat-colored projections of these famous works of art as my professor described them. Not having any plans to go to Europe anytime soon, I was given the opportunity to attend a work-related conference in Rome. How could I say no?

The amazing thing about Rome is that you run into something spectacular with every turn around the corner. It's very easy to walk all over the city seeing the historical sites because everything is pretty close together. Your feet may tire, but your eyes will keep you going. This city is so full of inspiration that it can last you a lifetime.

One of the first sites I visited was the Colosseum. I took the subway to get there and right when I stepped out of the station, it filled my entire view. It's an incredible structure that was designed for 70,000 spectators to be able to enter and be seated in a matter of minutes. One of my favorites is the Trevi Fountain (pictured top left.) How one can express such energy and motion in stone is quite amazing. The experience of viewing this site during the day versus night is very different. Either time the crowds are unavoidable. The Pantheon is another site that makes you wonder how they built it before the heavy duty machinery of our time. Everything of this city is built with such incredible scale that it feels like it was designed for a city of giants. But most spectacular of all has to be the Vatican City. I thought I had seen some enormous structures, but walking into St. Peter's basilica is perhaps the most amazing experience. Upon entering the basilica, I immediately felt the sacredness within this space. Built over a period of 120 years, it is gargantuan. The square that precedes the basilica is incredible as it is, but the interior is a sight that's unexpected. Again, how did they build these structures back then? They really knew what they were doing because they're perfectly intact to this day.

Florence is about an hour and a half away by the fastest train and is also a very beautiful city. I was only there for a day, definitely not enough time to see the entire city, but worth the short visit. The first thing I stopped to see was the Duomo. Also incredibly huge, the Last Judgement fresco inside the dome is quite a sight. Climbing the 463 steps to the top of the dome wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Once you emerge from the dark and narrow stairwells leading you to the top, you're greeted to a 360 degree view of the city. This city is well known for its fine leather goods. Believe me I was tempted many times to buy a nice leather bag, but couldn't justify the unfavorable exchange rate at 1.6 CAD to the euro.

There's a lot more I can write about, but I'm afraid this post is getting way too long and sounding redundant as I can't come up with any other words to describe the experience other than amazing, incredible and spectacular. If you haven't been to Rome or Florence, do yourself a favor and put it on your things-to-do-before-you-die list because it can't be missed. Photos are posted in my gallery and a video of this trip is forthcoming.