Honeymoon Travelogue: Rome Edition

I went on a honeymoon in Italy while on a business trip to Germany assigned by my company.
Writing it like this sounds mysterious, but the point is that after my business trip to Germany ended, I flew to Italy, met up there, and had my honeymoon.
It was an exciting and beautiful 8-day trip.

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At the airport

I took a flight from Munich Airport and arrived at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport at 12:30 PM.
Right at the start of the trip, I was hit with lost luggage. My mood was completely "oh my god..."

But one saving grace was that the male staff member who helped me at the counter was unexpectedly kind and handled things politely.
(Looking back, it was something I felt throughout my entire trip to Italy: I had the impression that Italian men were quite polite in their service. It's not that the women were cold, but it was the men who left a lasting impression on me as being pleasant.)

In any case, it was my first time experiencing lost luggage in my life.
I filled out the application form at the counter near the baggage claim, submitted my passport, and completed the various applications. From then on, once the luggage was found/arrived, the airport would deliver it to my hotel.

There were 6 hours left until my husband arrived at the airport.
According to the original plan, I was supposed to check into the hotel in Rome first.

But on this day, I had a hunch.
Thinking there might be a chance I could pick up my luggage today,
I decided to stay at the airport until my husband arrived as my time limit, and wait for the luggage to arrive at the airport.
Thinking about it now, it's strange why I thought that, but in the end, this decision was a huge success...!
About 5 and a half hours after filing the lost luggage report, I received an email stating that my luggage had arrived at the airport.

I immediately rushed to the airport staff, showed them the content of the email, and told them I wanted to pick up my luggage, and they handed me some paper. Then, pointing to another staff member standing in front of the security checkpoint, they said only one word: "Talk to that person." By the way, it was a female staff member.
But at the time, I was so happy and excited to be able to recover my luggage on the same day that I wasn't discouraged by the staff's cold response. I spoke to the security checkpoint staff, passed through the security checkpoint—not a back-door entrance, but a back-door security check—and safely recovered my luggage at the baggage claim counter.

I successfully cleared the hurdle of lost luggage.
I arrived at the hotel that night, and from the next day on, I was able to go sightseeing without any worries.

City sightseeing

In Rome, you encounter heritage sites just by walking through the city.
Moreover, since many of these heritage sites date back to before the Common Era when you trace their history, one cannot help but admire the depth of the accumulated history.

It's a cliché observation, but when you say before the Common Era, in Japan, people were hunting with bronze or iron spears, or agriculture was just beginning. When you compare it, it's staggering to see how far ahead Rome was in terms of civilization.

Colosseum (Colosseo)

Personally, it was my favorite among the heritage sites I visited.
It's in textbooks and is a heritage site that is the definition of a classic, but
when I saw it with my own eyes, my heart was moved by its power and the beauty of the architecture.

When you enter the Colosseum, the spectator seats are arranged in a way that surrounds the main stage, and the top spectator seats are at a quite high position.
It is the site where humanity's first theater-style experience took place, reminiscent of modern arenas and American football stadiums.

What surprised me most was the mechanism of the venue.
It seems there was a "human-powered elevator" in the space under the central stage, and the mechanism was such that wild animals were placed in the elevator, and people would pull ropes to make them appear on the stage.
It is said that the spectators were overjoyed by the performance where wild animals appeared as if by magic.

Since what was taking place inside such a magnificent building were duels between warriors, battles with wild animals, and executions, it is also a place deeply soaked in blood.
If what had taken place here were peaceful theatrical experiences like operas or songs, the world might have been a little more peaceful afterward.

St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)

Honestly, I can't believe it was made by humans.
A basilica with such persuasiveness that it makes you believe in the existence of God.

The ceiling is quite high, and it is a space where the hymns of the choir echo beautifully.
The paintings on the ceiling and murals, as well as the marble sculptures, were filled in without a single gap.

I cannot help but wonder how people in the past built such a structure when there were no heavy machinery or machines.
I have seen various churches throughout my trip to Italy, but St. Peter's Basilica was by far the most overwhelming, moving, and a place I felt glad to have visited.

However, even though I purchased the entrance ticket in advance with a designated time, I was made to wait for nearly 3 hours until I could enter, so the operation is the worst.
But once you enter, it's a place that hits you so hard that the stress of the waiting time blows away all at once, so overall, I have no regrets about going.

Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani)

The museum located within Vatican City is also a must-see.
Boasting one of the largest collections in the world, honestly, there were so many exhibits that even a full day was not enough to see them all.

Must-sees include the statue of Perseus with the head of Medusa and the Laocoön and His Sons statue, depicting them being constricted by sea serpents. While you can feel the eeriness of Greek mythology, the sculptures themselves are beautiful, showcasing the golden ratio and muscular aesthetics of the male form.

Vittoriano (Altare della Patria)

We hadn't planned on visiting, but while walking around the Colosseum, we saw something that looked like a temple on a hill, so we were curious and decided to visit.
At the top of the long stairs, a pure white building and rows of sculptures stood out beautifully against the blue sky.
After looking it up later, I found out it was built as a monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the father of Italian unification.

When we paid the entrance fee and went inside, the sight of tall columns lined up was breathtaking.
What was especially good was that there were few tourists, so we could take our time taking photos while overlooking the city of Rome without worrying about other people.

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The food was also wonderful alongside the sightseeing, so I think I will write about it in a separate article.