Roma 29 Dec 2007
Our next goal in our sightseeing quest in Roma was to reach St. Peter's Basilica, which is in the Vatican City. In order to get there, we needed to walk roughly northwest from The Forum. This path would take us through the heart of Medieval Rome. At the height of the Pax Romana, the city of Rome boasted a population of 1,000,000 inhabitants. By the middle ages, Rome had shrunk to a burg of about 50,000. Ferile packs of dogs roamed the streets. The little human population that remained crowded into the Medieval equivalent of tenements along the Tiber (constituting a westward demographic shift of population center of gravity, as it were). The result is a charming labyrinth of narrow alleys, ripe for exploration. This might have been my favorite part of being in Rome. I LOVE exploring.
Our next goal in our sightseeing quest in Roma was to reach St. Peter's Basilica, which is in the Vatican City. In order to get there, we needed to walk roughly northwest from The Forum. This path would take us through the heart of Medieval Rome. At the height of the Pax Romana, the city of Rome boasted a population of 1,000,000 inhabitants. By the middle ages, Rome had shrunk to a burg of about 50,000. Ferile packs of dogs roamed the streets. The little human population that remained crowded into the Medieval equivalent of tenements along the Tiber (constituting a westward demographic shift of population center of gravity, as it were). The result is a charming labyrinth of narrow alleys, ripe for exploration. This might have been my favorite part of being in Rome. I LOVE exploring.
I snapped this photo because Katie's family name is Montanaro. Sure, it's spelled differently, but the coincidence is worth a photo.
Charming Medieval Roman building.
Charming Medival Roman alleyway
Finally, we have reached the Tiber (il Tevere). These are fun ruins in the Tiber. Until recently, the Tiber was more of an embarassment than a resource for the Romans. Centuries of neglect and pollution had made it a revolting flooding hazard (like the Scioto River, in Columbus). To cope, the Romans build tall walls along the banks and forgot about it. Fortunately, environmental efforts in the past several decades have made the Tiber lovely, again. There are bike trails along the banks, where one can view ruins in the water. Once crossing the River, we would reach the Vatican. Fun, fun, fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment