Rome

Rome

After Venice, I was initially a little disappointed by the city of Rome. In Venice, right after we got off the train station a beautiful canal and beautiful structures stood right in front of us and all around us. But with Rome, when we got off the train station, it looked like we were just in another old city. But Rome did not disappoint. 

Day 1: Colosseum

The first day we went to the Colosseum. No matter how much grandeur we were expecting, we could not have expected a more amazing structure. It was very crowded and chaotic but it was large enough to hold everyone without getting in the way of us enjoying the stadium. 

And here it is! One of the most amazing structures that still stands!

Fortunately AB looked it up beforehand and found that it was important for us to get tickets for a specific tour to see the underground portion and the upper ring. However even when we booked on the first day when it was available, all the English tours were booked, so we had to book an Italian one. It turned out okay, although we didn't understand the tour guide, neither did about 15 the other people on the tour (American and Chinese).  We just listen to the American tour guy giving a tour to the other five people who were American, and looked up things on Wikipedia.

Inside the Colosseum. With the tour we got to go to the ground level here. You can see the Hypogeum below.

Here is a model of what the trap would have looked like to lift animals/slaves/people onto the stage.

View from the hypogeum

The history of the Colosseum was very interesting. Apparently it was used not just for Gladiator fighting, but also for regular performances like theatricals. Also because it was dedicated as a Christian structure, it was relatively spared of destruction.  Seeing the underground portion was very interesting, because that's where they stored the animals and the slaves. They also showed us a rebuilt of the trapdoor that lifted animals and slaves up onto the main stage.  Going up to the upper ring was very interesting too, because we got to see an overall view of the Colosseum from above. The size of the stadium was amazing, and it was also sad to see how much of it was destroyed.

View from the top floor (accessible by tour only). The seating areas are gone.

 

Arch of Constantine viewed form the Colosseum

Temple of Venus and Roma viewed from Colosseum, largest temple of Ancient Rome, constructed in 121. Destroyed by an earthquake in 9th CE.

Palatine Hills 

Since the Palatine Hills were right next to the Colosseum, we thought we would just visit the Palatine Hills and Roman Forum the same day as the Colosseum, but I think it was a bit of history overload for us. The Palatine Hill is supposed to hold the Lubercal, which is the cave where Romulus and Remus were found and kept alive by the she-wolf Lupa.

What the palaces on Palatine Hills looked like in the past. You can see the remains of the aqueduct featured in the back.

Hippodrome (stadium) on the Palatine Hills, that acted more like a sunken garden.

Remains - probably of Domus Augustana, which consisted of an outer room, huge pool with temple island, several other rooms around a semicircular hall, 2 level courtyard, and a long gallery with wings overlooking the Circus Maximus and its races.

The Palatine Hills were also where the wealthy lived in the past. This included royalty and politicians. However much of the structures from the past have become ruins. We could imagine how grand it was in the past, and it was sad to see that not much of it was left. Some of the buildings would have been bigger than Disney World. We could imagine the old living rooms, bedrooms, or Hippodrome (Stadium), and rooms where they entertain their wealthy guests. There was marble and art from all over the world. Despite all the ware and tear the buildings have withstood, we could still see certain intricacies such as the detailed patterns in the ceilings and mosaic floors.

Part of the Domus Severiana, last extension built by Septimius Severus. He ran out of "hill," so the arches were to build the building up to the level of the other buildings.

You can visit the House of Augustus and Livia (we didn't). The House of Augustus is supposed to the birth place of the first emperor of Rome, Augustus.

Roman Forum

What the Roman Forum may have looked like in the Late Empire looking from the South.

From the Palatine Hills there was a gorgeous view of the Roman Forum: from the Colosseum to the Senate House. This was where ancient government buildings and temples were located. It was also known as the marketplace where all the hustle and bustle was. Triumphal processions, public speeches, criminal trials, and commercial exchanges took place there. We wish we had listened to Rick Steve's guide, but the lonely planet guide also gave a good picture of what the Forum used to look like. At the southern end was the Arch of Titus that the Arch Du Tromphe was modeled after. There were also ruins of the Temple of Vestal Virgins, the Regia (ancient royal residence), and the Shrine of Vulcan that became the Comitium, where Senate had formal gatherings. The judiciary and Senate later moved to the Basilica Julia built by Julius Caesar.

View of the North. Left large columns are remains of Temple of Saturn. Temple of Vespasian and Titus next to it. You can see the Arch of Septimius Severus. The 3 columns in the foreground is the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The small columns in right lower area are remains of the Temple of Vesta.

Right bottom are remains of the Temple of Vestal Virgins. At top are the remaining columns of Temple of Antoninus and Faustina converted into a Roman Catholic church, which helped its preservation. To the right, the circular building is the basilica Santi Cosma e Damiano (saints of medicine), which incorporated remains of the Temple of Romulus.

To the south:

Looking to the South. Colosseum in the background, and Arch of Titus just before it. The arches of Basilica of Maxentius is partially visible to the left.

In the North, stands the 8 remaining columns of the Temple of Saturn which also functioned as a bank. Near it also stood a few remaining columns and pedestals of the Temple of Concord, Vesta, and Castor and Pollux. People performed animal sacrifices before them. 

Because the area used to be a marsh and sediments from the flooded Tiber would settle there, the level of the Forum had been rising with people paving over the sediments. 

It was a super hot day, so we took refuge in a tiny super expensive cafe inside and ate some yummy ice cream popsicles. We also waited forever for the bathroom because there was only ONE bathroom open for the entire place! We didn't get to walk through the whole thing...We were historied out. 

Trevi Fountain

We slowly strolled to the Trevi Fountain, featured in the film La Dolce Vita. It was beyond crowded. There were so many people we couldn't even reach the fountain to touch it. It was tradition to throw a coin using your right hand over your left shoulder backwards into the fountain, meaning that you'll come back to Rome someday. Alan warned me multiple times not to do it because I might hit somebody since we were standing several feet away and on the steps. I insisted on doing it the proper way. Sure enough, when I threw it, it hit some guy's leg. The guy was so nice, he gave me back my coin and Alan threw into the fountain facing forward. All the coins from the Trevi Fountain are collected daily and given to donation. After they made a law forbidding people from taking coins from the Trevi Fountain their profit increased significantly.

Piazza Navona

We continued our Excursion to the Baroque Piazza Navona. This is what one-way imagined to be the quintessential Roman Piazza. There were street artists, musicians, people sitting outside of restaurants getting a drink and enjoying the view. In the very center is Bernini's Fountain of the Four rivers. The four figures represent gods of the four major rivers: the Nile (Africa), the Danube (Europe), the Rio de la Plata (America's), and the Ganges (Asia). On top is an obelisk with a dove holding an olive branch representing the emblem of Pope Innocent X's family, whom, this fountain was dedicated to. The Pope's palace faces the fountain as well as the Church Sant'Agnese in Agone. 

The Ganges long oar represents it's navigability. The Niles head has a cloth draped upon it meaning no one knew where the source of the Nile was. The Danube touches the Pope's coat of arms because it was the closest to Rome. Rio de la Plata is sitting on a pile of coins represents riches from the New World. He is also scared by a snake meaning rich men's fear that their money could be stolen. A myth has it that the Rio de la Plata is cowering from the church of Sant'Agnese, fearing this structure built by his rival Bromini will crumble on him.

We continued on to the Pantheon, but it was closed that day because of a Holiday. We decided to enjoy a nice meal in a small restaurant featured in the Lonely Planet, and we took the bus back. But we had to walk quite a ways to find a bus ticket as it seems all the bus ticket stations close around dinner time. For those visiting, note that there is an app to download for easy access to bus tickets!