Rome Day 2

After a good night's sleep we were ready to hit the cobblestone streets of Rome! We booked a 3-hour guided tour of the Colosseum and Ancient Rome. I tried to stay away from paid guided tours on the trip for a couple of reasons: 1) the cost, 2) the guided tour groups are really annoying at packed locations, and 3) most places have free or very cheap audio guides that can do the exact same thing. However, with Ancient Rome being in ruins I thought it would be smart to have a guided tour to give us an idea of what we were looking at. The tours were surprisingly great. We had 26 people in our group and each person was given earbuds with an FM transmitter. The guide had a microphone on that was transmitted to each person's earbuds so she/he didn't have to talk loudly and we could hear completely well without having to fight for the front spot. :)

The Colosseum was amazing. It is hard to describe the massiveness of it! The tour guide did a fabulous job at really explaining what went on at the Colosseum. Construction of the Colosseum began in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80. I can't believe that this structure was completed in only 8 years. Amazing. The Colosseum could accommodate 50,000 spectators who entered through no less than 80 entrances. There are four stories, with the lowest being reserved for the most prominent citizens; the lowest class citizens were placed at the very top. Below the ground are rooms with mechanical devices and cages containing the wild animals. The cages could be hoisted, enabling the animals to appear in the middle of the arena. The photos that I will post show the underground areas (kindof looks like a maze). Only a portion of the arena floor is shown (it's the brown section that looks like sand).

Emperors used the Colosseum to entertain the public with free games. The games were a symbol of prestige and power and they were a way for an emperor to increase their popularity. Games were usually held for a whole day or even several days in a row. They usually started with comical acts and displays of exotic animals (elephants, tigers, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, panthers, leopards, bears, etc) imported from Africa and the Middle East and ended with fights to the deaths between animals and gladiators or between gladiators. These fighters were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned prisoners. It is unknown how many people and animals died here but it is said that during the first games (which lasted for 100 days) over 9,000 animals were slaughtered and over 5,000 people died. Weird idea of entertainment they had, huh?

After the Colosseum, our tour took us to the Roman Forum. This is located in a valley between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill. It originally was a marsh, but the Romans drained the area and turned it into a center of political and social activity. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. When the Roman Empire fell the Forum became forgotten, buried and was used as a cattle pasture until the Middle Ages. Much of the Forum has been destroyed. Columns and stone blocks are all that remain of some temples. The Arch of Titus and the Arch of Septimus Severus still stand and are in good shape. Like many other ancient Roman buildings, stone blocks have been removed from the Forum and used to build nearby churches and palaces. Today, archeological excavations continue along with constant restoration and preservation.

After the tour, we ate lunch at the very first restaurant we found with air conditioning (it was hot!) and then went back to our apartment for a couple hours. We went back out exploring in the evening after it had cooled off a bit. First, we headed to the Pantheon. This building dates back to 125 AD and was a temple dedicated to every known god. During its time as a temple, statues of gods filled the niches. Animals were sacrificed and burned in the center, the smoke escaping through the only means of light, the oculus. After Christianity replaced paganism in Rome, the Pantheon was abandoned for a time. In 609 AD, the Pantheon was consecrated as a Christian church.

From here we walked to Piazza Navona. Oh, how we loved this piazza! The piazza has two fountains: at the south end is the Fontana del Moro and at the northern end is the Fountain of Neptune. As is the norm in most of the piazzas, there are many small cafes surrounding the piazza with customers dining outside. There was a small "band" playing music at one end near a fountain that we sat and listened to for awhile (I actually have some video of them that I'll try to post later). There was also a mime in the middle of the piazza that was hilarious. At one end was a section with many people selling art.

From here we headed to the Spanish Steps / Piazza di Spagna. The steps are featured in practically every film based in Italy so it was a must-see. As usual, the steps were crowded!

Finally, we headed to Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). This is the largest baroque fountain in the world and certainly one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain is absolutely gorgeous but the main reason for going is to throw some coins in the fountain. The legend is that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you are ensured to return to Rome. It is estimated that 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day! That's quite a haul! We tossed our coins to ensure our return to the eternal city. :)

We walked to a small cafe nearby for dinner and of course had some gelato afterwards. Come to think of it, I think this was the day of double gelato...I had gelato near the Pantheon too. :) When in Rome...