Rome

Day 2 - History

We got up nice and early and had a breakfast of Pizza, which in Rome is more like a cheese sandwich. Excellent cheese is something that I really miss in Korea, and so it was great to be eating it again. After breakfast we jumped on the metro and shot across town to the Colloseum.

Anne and a centurion outside the Colosseum. He was very friendly, and only told us afterwards that we should pay him five Euro.

The first sight of the Colloseum was amazing. Visiting this place was the realisation of a dream I've had since I was twelve years old. I was fascinated by the Romans, and this was really bringing it to life for me. After queuing for the better part of an hour, I finally got into the stadium. I was a little disappointed to discover that the whole thing was made of bricks. I was hoping it would have been big blocks of stone. Unfortunately, most of the stone was removed for other building projects around the city after the Empire fell, including St Peter's.

The arena of the Colloseum. It would have been covered with wood and sand. The spaces beneath were storage for weapons, and space for machines to lift scenery onto the arena floor.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the place, and it was truly fascinating. We got guide books and an audio guide, which was well worth it, but we were disappointed that the wooding flooring over the arena was closed to the public. The most interesting nugget of information was that the gladiatorial matches were a public spectacle and therefore free.

The Temple of Venus and Rome from inside the Colosseum.

We left the Colosseum quite satisfied with what we had seen and headed up past the Temple of Venus and Rome and on to the Palatino where we spent a relaxing hour away from the crowds ambling around beautiful Roman gardens and the ruins of villas. There were benches scattered around the place so I took the opportunity to write some postcards while we were resting. The Palatino is a small hill where the richest Romans maintained their palaces. Bordered on three sides by the Collosseum, the Circus Maximus and the Forum it was prime real estate back in the day.

The ruins of the Palatino, a hill on which rich Romans had their palatial villas.

Following the natural tourist trail, we exited the Palatino straight into the Roman Forum, another open space filled with ruins. It took but a small stretch of the imagination to imagine ancient Romans ambling about the place, going about their business. At this point in the day the weather changed and the clouds that had been filling the sky for the morning slowly drifted away leaving beautiful blue skies.

The ruined grandeur that was the Roman Forum, the political and religious centre of ancient Rome.

After the Forum, we came across another art museum. Now, I've heard that too much of a good thing is bad, but it wasn't until now that I could really say I appreciate it fully. I'd seen enough amazing and beautiful art. Anne went in alone and I had a look around Piazza Venezia, where the Alter of the Fatherland is located. I thought the building was incredible and in keeping with the feel of Rome, but I heard that the fact that it's only 100 years old leads the locals to dislike it. It was a good climb and very windy at the top.

The Altar of the Fatherland, built a mere 100 years ago to celebrate a unified Italy, is not favoured by the locals who call it 'The Wedding Cake." The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located here.

After an hour I went back to the art museum to collect Anne and though tired we decided to see one more thing before heading back to the hotel for a rest. That thing was the Trevi Fountain.

Tourists flock around the Trevi Fountain, perhaps the most misleadingly and undernamed item in Rome. It isn't a fountain, it's an artificial waterfall with statues of Gods and horses, and exquisitely beautiful (composite photo).

Let me say something about my travel philosophy here. I like to read just enough to be able to find my feet when I'm traveling, but not to much as to spoil any surprises that I may encounter. There have been times when I've shot myself in the foot with this philosophy, missing things that I would have wanted to see if I'd known they were there, but my first sight of the Trevi Fountain was worth all the misses I'd seen on previous trips. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and it was made better by the fact that I didn't know anything about it beforehand. It wasn't just a fountain, it was the front of a palace covered with statues of Gods and horses. Water didn't shoot up as it does in most fountains, but flowed down, almost like a natural set of rapids. There aren't many places that make me want to have my picture taken there, but this was one of them.

Anne and I at the Trevi Fountain, one of the worlds most romantic spots.

We tossed in coins and made wishes then left. We walked to the nearest metro station, and took a train back to the hotel. I took our laundry around the corner to be washed and then we ate dinner at a really nice restaurant nearby. The waiter was a real character, and had perfected the art of spending the absolute minimum time at each table, almost throwing knives, forks, spoons plates and even food onto each table.

The Rome Subway System, crowded, smelly and covered in graffiti.

After dinner, Anne went to bed, but I wanted to get some night shots of Rome. I had brought my big, heavy tripod so was determined to get some use out of it.

The Colosseum by Night

I walked almost the same route that we had before, except for two differences. Firstly, the Forum was locked up so I had to walk around it, and secondly, I took a detour to get my first look at the Pantheon. More on that later.

Lit up and shut up, the Pantheon at night time.

Footsore and exhausted I managed to navigate myself onto a bus (the subway had closed by that time) and get back to the hotel. I took the time to put my camera battery into the charger before falling into bed.