When in Rome ...

Visiting landmarks is a major part of visiting Rome.  You're remiss if you don't take in these amazing sights.

First up the Coliseum and the Forum...

 

The Coliseum

 

The Coliseum is an amazing site when you consider how long ago this building was created.  The horrific history can be unsettling and makes you wince and cringe a bit but it's a truly amazing structure.  Time, earthquakes and the stripping of monuments to create the Vatican are almost criminal but it happens all over the world.  When you consider what's it been through it's amazing that it's still standing at all. 

 

 

 

 

What's left of the interior.

 

 

 

The Arch of Constantine erected to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius.  This arch seemed to excite my son more than the coliseum itself.   There are more images of this than anything there.  We picked up a beautiful marble relief bust of this arch in the gift shop.  It sits pride of place in his room now. 

 

The Roman Forum is right next to the Coliseum - the previous home of the marketplace surrounded by the ruins of ancient government buildings.  These are the ruins of the oldest structures in Rome  It was also a practice place for the gladiator fights and the spot of the famous Chariot races.  We missed some of the more impressive areas of the site mainly because we didn't do a tour and just kind of wandered in.  I recommend a guide for this one.

 

 

 

 

An ancient stadium on Palatine Hill.  Believe me you start to realize how much of Rome is built on hills when you walking everywhere. 

 

At this point I began to notice a bit of a glow on the images taken with my camera.  I had no idea what it was and was worried that the camera was broken.  The images from this day didn't turn out very well so I'm not going to post them.  Instead I'll show others from here. 

 

 

The Arch of Titus commemorating his capture of Jerusalem.

 

 

 

My souvenir was bookends of the Three-columned Temple of Vespasian and Titus

 

 

The tower of Santa Francesca Romana.

 

Purely by accident I found out what was wrong with my camera.  The lenses were filthy.  I cleaned the lenses just before we left for Italy so you can image how filthy Rome is when you consider that my t-shirt was black when cleaned my lenses with it and my white Nike's looked disgusting by the time we left Rome.  A sort of black soot is everywhere.  You really need a good shower afterwards.

Jet lag kicked in big time at the Coliseum and the walk back was really more than I could take.  I found out later that a taxi from one end of Rome proper (inside the old walls of Rome) is only 8 euro's (about $12.00).  Had I known this sooner I would have used them more.  We were really dragging our heels from jet lag while there.

 

Next up... the Tour...

  

Conquering Rome ...

Or should I say Rome conquering me. Jet lag - a 9 hour time difference really does affect you - throw in the heat and humidity of Rome (I now understand why Romans shut down in August) and I suffered.  After we survived the drive from the airport to our hotel (it appears that all Rome taxi drivers think they're Mario Andretti) we crashed in our hotel room and after forgetting to place a wakeup call we missed a whole 24 hours and the tour I booked.  Apparently I don't travel as well as I used to.  I rearranged our tour for the next day and we set out to find the Coliseum.  I found that Rome is a strange puzzle.  You're assaulted with contrasts - amazing Roman architecture which I love and the most delicious cooking smells, which don't disappoint (I'm convinced that Roman's are the best cooks in the world - they really know how to eat), and then you're assaulted by the intense smell of urine, beggars and street vendors.  And then there is the pollution.  I tended to take pictures on an upward angle I noticed when I returned.  At least that way I was able to prevent the crowds from walking into my shots and eliminate the negative aspects of Rome.  I was also disappointed to find out that a lot of the monuments in Rome are under repairs.  If you're planning a trip I recommend you go sometime next year when they'll be completed.  This didn't stop me from seeing the details and admiring the beauty of the ancient city.  Still jet lag wiped me out this time more than ever.  I was also dealing with puffiness everywhere after the flight so walking a lot which you do in Rome was a strain.  I will however admit that it was good for me and I found my stride by the time we left.

 

 

Typical street in more affluent area of Rome

 

 

Just up the street from our hotel was the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

 

 

Side entrance - I was struck by the amazing doors in Rome - very heavy and then leading into the inner area which leads from there to the inner apartments.  

 

 

I never went in, but this is the interior of this amazing church set in a really beautiful palazzo complete with the prerequisite fountain. 

 

 

 

 

This was my favourite building in Rome - just across from the church.  The architecture was a real draw for me.  I would love to see behind those shutters.

 

 

 

On our way to the Coliseum - how do those trees grow so high up there? 

 

Next up - The Coliseum and Forum....