Rome and the Vatican, My Favorite Places

Rome and the Vatican

Piazza Venezia, as seen from the Altare della Patria, Rome.

Photograph taken by Markus Bernet (2004). Source: Wikimedia Commons

Although I spent only a few days in Rome, it took only a few days to decide that the Eternal City was one of my favorite places. My experience of Rome came in the form of an OU study abroad program in the summer of 2014. We were led through much of the city by a professor who seemed to know everything about anything you could point out, be it an obscurely positioned building in some narrow back street or the Coliseum. Had I visited Rome sans scholar, my experience would have been far less rich.

Fortunately for anyone visiting Rome, a knowledgeable tour guide isn't necessary. Should a visitor have only a general picture of Italian history, as I did, an appreciation of artwork, architecture, and engineering will suffice. I couldn't help but be struck by the idea that I was walking the same streets and passing through the same doorways as innumerable emperors, writers, and artists.

A trip to Rome is all very well and good. However, to visit this city without visiting the Vatican is equivalent to having antipasti at every meal, but never a primo. On the way to the Sistine Chapel, visitors are almost rushed past masterpieces that would be the centerpieces for numerous other museums. As beautiful as the Sistine Chapel was, a place more awe-inspiring was only a few minutes away. If I had to pick a favorite place more specific than Rome or the Vatican, it would be St. Peter's Basilica. That the basilica is enormous certainly helps to make it a marvelous place, but the art therein was what held my attention the longest. It was with bittersweet feelings that I had to turn away from Michelangelo's Pietà and return to Rome. To leave such artistic genius was a disappointment, but to have ever seen it was an extraordinary experience.