Finalmente, arriviamo a Roma! Arriving early in the evening, around 5:30-ish, we decided to hit a cathedral just for fun, accidentally joined a mass, found my bookstore (who knew!?!) and had some delicious dinner (my favorite appetizer every--focaccia and a salad of arugula, baby mozzarella, and cherry tomatoes . . . yummmmmm!), were serenaded by an accordion player, then decided to walk towards the Colosseum.
Down one street, across to another, and as it rounds the corner, our collective breath was taken away! Words simply cannot describe how incredibly AWESOME the Colosseum is. And I mean that in EVERY sense of the word! It is overpowering, amazing, and . . . WOW. Honestly, I couldn't speak. I was doing pretty well to just breathe. Dave and I were both so astounded at the sheer magnitude . . . not to mention that it was all lit up and there was a full moon--AMAZING!!! We wouldn't have seen it this way on the cruise! We had a tour the next morning that went inside and around the Roman Forum. We couldn't wait!
So, next morning we set off, find our tour, and head around and into the Colosseum. And we thought you couldn't add any more superlatives to describing this amazing structure, we found more. From seeing the senate seats, the second story, the animal cages, the spot where the Emporer's throne was . . . Ho. Lee. Cow. It was SO INCREDIBLE!!!! Definitely top ten of our favorite parts of this trip!
Down one street, across to another, and as it rounds the corner, our collective breath was taken away! Words simply cannot describe how incredibly AWESOME the Colosseum is. And I mean that in EVERY sense of the word! It is overpowering, amazing, and . . . WOW. Honestly, I couldn't speak. I was doing pretty well to just breathe. Dave and I were both so astounded at the sheer magnitude . . . not to mention that it was all lit up and there was a full moon--AMAZING!!! We wouldn't have seen it this way on the cruise! We had a tour the next morning that went inside and around the Roman Forum. We couldn't wait!
So, next morning we set off, find our tour, and head around and into the Colosseum. And we thought you couldn't add any more superlatives to describing this amazing structure, we found more. From seeing the senate seats, the second story, the animal cages, the spot where the Emporer's throne was . . . Ho. Lee. Cow. It was SO INCREDIBLE!!!! Definitely top ten of our favorite parts of this trip!
I know, we look super-giddy and not-a-little dorky, but please bear with us--we were a little excited. : ) So after the Colosseum, we went to Constantine's Arch (did you know most of the sculptures on that arch were stolen from other monuments around the city? Apparently not having any sculptors you like living nearby allows you to "borrow" sculptures you liked for your archway . . . hmmmmm) Palantine Hill was another incredible spot--the place where the Emporer's Palace once stood. (Yeah, I live next door to the Colosseum. The monstrous castle? yeah, that's mine. Want to come watch chariots race in my private rotunda? We could hang out at my personal spa after . . . ) The Roman Forum was next, topped by a visit (and picture, of course!) of the alter where Caesar was cremated.
Yeah, we were there.
Non-stop amazement!!!
For those of you who want to hear the nitty-grittys, I'll tell you about my fountain obsession in Rome--not the big ones, mind you, although those are pretty famous too. They have THE COOLEST drinking fountains! I only took a couple hundred pictures of them, according to Dave. They'll have their own spread in the photo book, just in case you're curious. ; )
Back to Rome: There are some 20-odd obelisks made at this time period, and Rome has 13 of them. Each is in front of a majorly important cathedral (Demons and Angels-style), or piazza. I think we saw nine of them! Not going to bore you with an obelisk collage, just know they are cool and some of them have hieroglyphics on them. However, they don't say anything, just pretty pictures. Funny, I know. Welcome to ancient architecture! Kind of like us, where if it looks cool, we don't care if it means anything. : ) We walked to the Piazza del Popolo to meet our afternoon tour. (Note to future Rome-visitors: This is the group to go with! Both of our tours from this company were fantastic. The other company we used was VERY disappointing. Do not use "When In Rome." blech. blech. blech.) Our second tour was just six of us--sweet! We went down the Street of the Baboon, so named for this hideous sculpture (also named, The Baboon):
Gross, huh? Yeah, I think so too. It's funny, though, because all the shops along this street are part of a Baboon Association, committed to preserving the legacy. They even have signs:
So anyway, to make a long story shorter, we went on to see the Spanish Stairs (funny, because they were built by a Frenchman, made famous by Englishmen (authors like Byron and Shelly, Keats, and such--double bonus for us English majors!), yet somehow are called Spanish . . . go figure!), the palace of Barberini, the Trevi Fountain (yaay!!!), the Piazza Navona and Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), and last but definitely not least, the Pantheon. Another amazingly incredible building--current architects still cannot figure out how it stands. They have entered the data and measurements of the Pantheon into the AutoCad system (which as I understand it, is designed for structures and figuring out how to build buildings of certain proportions--you architects out there may correct me!) and this state-of-the-art, modern computer system says that a building of this proportions cannot stand. The center of it is empty, the only support being the exterior walls. The concrete that makes up the ceiling grows lighter and more porous as it reaches the top of the building, until the part right around the oculus is pumice. It is exactly the same height as it is wide (142 ft), and Raphael is buried there. Not surprisingly, there is a piazza outside with an obelisk. : )
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