ROMA MIA

So what is there not to love in Rome? Was our three days there really enough to soak it all in? I mean there was barely enough to time to really get to know the Swiss guards al Vaticano. At least us girls got a pleasant night out on the town with them boys in a quaint lil' bring-us-back-to-Toronto bar, called I Botticelli, right near Piazza Navona, a highly reccomended night spot. Not to mention Kristine's birthday countdown that we sang in English, should have sang in Italian, and was learning to sing in Swiss German. Not only were the boys so well composed at work at the entrance gentle at handling traffic and fashioning their 16th century uniform elegantly enough, but they also were fun-loving and talkative out at night. So, it was 6 OCAD raggazze with 8 Swiss raggazi, oh what a night!

I was so keen on finding out who the so called designer of the Swiss uniforms was, supposedly Michelangelo was told to us, but Christian said to me that part of his drawing was put into the final fashion design. I dug up some facts about this uniform online:

1)The uniform was first worn in 1506 by the swiss guards first entering the Vatican for Pope Julius 11th

2)The blue, red, and yellow colours are attractive and traditional to the Medici.

3)With passing centuries, there have been a few minor changes, but on the whole the original dress has been maintained.

4) Commonly thought that Michelangelo designed the uniform, but it would seem he had nothing to do with it.
Raffaelo certainly had influence in its development, since he was the fashionisto in general in Italy during the Renaissance, visible through his painting.

Rome took my second visit and I still do not feel like I scraped its surface. I mean looking out from inside of il Colosseo I was spellbound! Looking out from one of the archways into the centre of the amphitheatre and out to the archways lit from the sun bursting through the other side moved me. A truly magnificent architectural space. An ancient playground, holes in the walls, calls for an unforgettable game of hide and seek. There is so much time passed here and time to be spent within these rugged walls. I would'nt have hesitated a moment to crawl into one of those worn-out niches to hideaway and spend the night.