Get your Hand Out of my Mouth!

Before hitting the Roman Forum, our first visit today was to the famous Mouth of Truth, a sculpture with an open mouth, which supposedly bites off your hand if you are a liar (it didn't say anything about pianists, but I was a little scared). The mouth can be seen in the film Roman Holiday, and it proves to be a popular tourist trap even today. Visitors wait in an almost “Disney-like” queue line to place their hand (and a donation) inside the mouth and take a picture. This proved to be the most terrifying experience in Rome so far, and I was sure to check carefully before placing my hand inside. The Mouth of Truth is the most tourist-oriented attraction I have encountered so far in Rome (it even had a gift shop at the end). What is so great about this city is that it is not designed to be a tourist destination like Niagara Falls, but, rather, you truly feel like you are living in a real city. It shows a considerable effort on the part of the city, because I can’t think of any place with more tourist attractions than Rome. It is incredible to walk down the street and see an ancient monument alongside a quaint little street. The history is not separated, but, rather, it is integrated into the modern city. In the same way, I have only been here three days, but I already feel like I am a resident. Besides the bathroom size and lack of trash cans, it feels just like home!