Jessica in Rome

Still up to no good nothing these days, but I am getting plenty of sightseeing done in my own city. If you remember my plea for where to go on vacation, I have roughly decided on Cinque Terre, Siena, Florence, Venice (Verona and Treviso) and possibly Amalfi. I have been to all of them except Siena and Cinque Terre, so they are at the top of the list. I am just waiting for my sister to get into town at the end of the month then we will be off on my “real” vacation. (Ferie for me is going to be August and September and maybe a bit of October!) WooHoo!

SO, we who have been to Rome know about the big, white monument in Piazza Venezia, The Vittoriano. BUT, there is now a whole new way to see it! A few weeks ago the highest deck on the monument opened up with the help of a large, glass elevator provided by a private company. The tickets are 7 Euro each, but the view is amazing! If you live here you must do it, if you are a tourist I highly recommend it. 7 Euros is a bit pricey when you have to pay for almost every other monument, but this one is definitely worth it (my advice: skip the Castel Sant’Angelo and use the 5 Euro towards this). The view is much better than Gianicolo hill in my opinion, as you can easily see all the major monuments without much movement (to see St. Peters on Gianicolo you have to move to the other side of the hill). Sadly, I couldn’t see Trastevere (unless D and I are completely blind and dumb). Additionally, the high powered binoculars are free! We could almost see or house!

The Vittoriano has an interesting history. It was built as a monument to the King Vittorio Emanuele II, who is known as the first king of a unified Italy (1870). It was designed in 1895 and completed in 1925. There was some controversy over the monument due to the fact it destroyed part of the Capitoline hill and a medieval neighborhood, but today most people accept it and admire its presence. I have always been fond of this monument because of its sheer size and beauty. I also get teary-eyed over things of national pride, like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier inside. There are always two members of the military that guard the eternal flame outside the tomb. The body of the unknown soldier was chosen by Maria Bergamas in honor of her only son who went missing in WWI.

Entering the monument is free, but the ride to the top and some special exhibits in the Vittoriano Museum have a fee. Remember not to sit on the steps in front of the monument, it’s prohibited.

Without further ado, here are the pictures!

Statue of the Goddess Victoria:

Road to the Colosseo:

The Forum:

Jessica, Tourist:

The long lost decendant of Cristoforo Colombo:

Eur: Palazzo Della Civilta Italiana:

St. Peter and the Vatican:

Rome:

More history on the monument can be found here. Info on the Unknown Soldier was taken from Home of the Heroes website. And if you want to see a clip of the Vittoriano and Colosseo being blown up in a huge super storm from the movie The Core (2003) click here and fast forward to 1:25- Very entertaining!