Fellini's Roma: A Beautiful Mess? (And Does it Even Matter?)

Okay, so I finally got around to watching Fellini's "Roma" from '72. Man, what a trip. It's basically a movie ABOUT Rome...and that's kinda it, right? I mean, plot? Fuggedaboutit. But that's Fellini, isn't it? It's like he just points the camera and says, "Okay, Rome, do your thing!" Which, to be fair, Rome does *very* well. The fashion show scene alone, with those crazy ecclesiastical outfits, was worth the price of admission. And the highway excavation scene was kinda terrifying, honestly. Like watching a forgotten world being unearthed. It reminded me a little of some of the weirder parts of "8 1/2", but dialed up to 11. I'm trying to think what it reminds me of when it comes to the classics. Maybe a bizarre cross between some of the set pieces in "Cleopatra" (Liz Taylor version, obviously) and the dream sequences from an old Ray Harryhausen flick? Look, I'm not gonna pretend I *understood* everything. A lot of it felt deliberately obtuse, like Fellini was just messing with us. And honestly, I'm not even sure I *liked* it all that much. But I can't stop thinking about it. Maybe that's the point? It's like a fever dream you can't shake. Anyone else get this feeling? I'm curious to hear what you guys thought. Was I just expecting too much plot from a Fellini film...again?