Eleventh Day - Rome

September 30th, 2008

This whole trip was great, but this day was truly a highlight. On this day, we decided to visit the famous Roman sites, and started off with the most famous of all: the Roman Colosseum. We took the subway to the stop just outside the Colosseum, trying to time our arrival to be there almost as soon as the gates opened. Because we already had purchased Roma Passes, we skipped the long ticket line and walked right up to the front (nice tip from the Rick Steve's guidebook).

The Colosseum is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It also regularly appears on the various updated lists of Seven Wonders of World. It is considered the pinnacle of Roman engineering, and it was pretty cool to see.

The Colosseum is such a magnificent structure, it is too bad it was used for slaughtering animals and people for the entertainment of the crowds. (The traditional games had animals hunts and combat in the morning, with execution of criminals at the lunch break, and then fights to the death between gladiators in the afternoon.) Because the main floor of the Colosseum has collapsed, you can look down into the level below the arena surface - this is where the cells were that stored the people and animals slated for the upcoming events. There was an elaborate series of elevators that could bring the doomed to the surface for surprise entrances. Sometimes the arena was flooded so that mock ship to ship battles could be staged.

We walked around the two levels that are accessible. You can't walk out onto the arena surface, or down into the prisoner cells, nor visit the emperor's seat, but there is still a lot to see. The Colosseum is big. It held more than 50,000 spectators, yet it was designed with such an abundance of stairways and ramps that the whole place could be emptied in ten minutes.

Outside the Colosseum were a couple of guys trying to make a few euros by having tourists pose with them - one guy was dressed as a centurion, the other guy as Caesar. These guys were entertaining and rather funny, so Rose decided she would pose with them.

The Arch of Constantine is a landmark that stands right next to the Colosseum. It was erected to celebrate the victory of the Emperor Constantine.

The famous Forum is just beyond the Arch of Constantine. The buildings in the Forum are heavily damaged - some of them have just a column or two standing. You really have to use your imagination to picture how it must have looked in its glory.

On the hill above the Forum is the Palace of the Caesars - this is Palatine Hill, where Augustus first constructed his imperial complex. We wandered through these ruins too. There is a lot to see! On the far side of the Palatine hill is the Circus Maximus, the site of famous chariot racing. But all that is there is today is a large grassy field, which was kind of disappointing.

After lunch, Melanie and split from Mom and Rose, and took a walk across the heart of the city, trying to visit as many of the famous fountains and obelisks that we could find. Starting from the Train Station, we walked across the city to Castel Sant' Angelo, and then to our nearby apartment. Along the way we saw the Trevi Fountain, the column of Marcus Aurelis, the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona and a bunch of other iconic monuments. We tried to visit the Baths of Dioclesian, but they were closed. We walked up Quirinale Hill, the tallest of the famous "seven hills of Rome" so we could see the obelisk standing in the center of Piazza del Quirinale. There is a palace there, but you can't go inside.

Our walk was a nice adventure. We traced one course through the streets in order to maximize the number of fountains and obelisks, but another person could easily chart a different course to see the fabulous churches. The modern city exists with all these remnants of ancient glory scattered throughout, it has so much history. A superb day of visiting!

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Colosseum

Panorama View of the Roman Colosseum Outside the Colosseum, Rome Entrance arch to Colosseum, Rome Walls of the Roman Colosseum Arena floor in the Colosseum, Rome Beneath the Colosseum, Rome Panorama Interior View of the Roman Colosseum Panorama View of the Roman Colosseum Stairs in the Colosseum, Rome Colosseum, Rome Inside Colosseum, Rome Arch of Constantine, Rome Roman actors with Rose

The Arch of Constantine

Arch of Constantine, Rome Carvings on the side of the Arch of Constantine, Rome Arch of Constantine, Rome The Arch of Constantine, Rome

Forum of Rome

Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in the Forum, Rome The Arch of Titus in the Forum, Rome The Arch of Titus in the Forum, Rome Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum Colosseum and Forum Ruins in the Roman Forum Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in the Roman Forum Temple of Romulus in the Roman Forum The Curia, the Senate House in the Forum, Rome Temple of Saturn in the Forum, Rome Arch of Septimus in the Forum, Rome Column of Phocas Forum, Rome Temple of the Vestal Virgins in the Forum, Rome Carving detail for Caesars Palace on Palatine Hill Ruins of Caesars Imperial Palace Rome Ruins on Palatine Hill, Rome Palace Ruins on Palatine Hill, Rome Circus Maximus

Walk across Rome (Obelisks & Fountains)

Obelisk near the train station of Rome Fountain of the Nymph, Naiada, in Piazza della Repubblica, Rome Fountain of the Nymph Rome Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, Rome Triton Fountain, Rome Obelisk in Piazza Popolo, Rome Trevi Fountain, Rome Trevi Fountain Rome Statues in the Trevi Fountain Rome The Trevi Fountain, Rome Trevi Fountain, Rome Statues at Piazza del Quirinale, Rome Obelisk in Piazza del Quirinale, Rome Obelisk standing in Montecitorio Piazza, Rome Obelisk in the Piazza Montecitorio, Rome The Column of Marcus Aurelius, Rome Column of Marcus Aurelius, Rome Obelisk in Piazza della Rotonda, Rome Fountain at base of obelisk in Piazza della Rotonda Rome Piazza della Rotonda Rome Fountain in Piazza della Rotonda, Rome Front Portico of the Pantheon, Rome The Oculus hole in the roof dome of the Pantheon, Rome Interior of the Pantheon, Rome Interior View of the Pantheon Obelisk on the back of Bernini Elephant, in the Piazza Minerva Rome Berninis Elephant in Piazza Minerva, Rome Fountain of the Moor in Piazza Navona, Rome Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Navona, Rome Fontana Nettuno, Fountain of Neptune, Piazza Navona, Rome Obelisk in Piazza Navona, Rome Obelisk in Navona Piazza Rome Sunset over the Tiber and Saint Peters, the Vatican, Rome Sunset on Castel Sant Angelo, Rome The moat around Castel Sant Angelo, Rome