June 10
We arrived in Roma , Italy!
Our
Guest House, Profuma Hotels, is just down the street com the Colosseum.
When I look out the window of our room, there it is in all its ancient
glory!!
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| Front of the Profuma Hotel |
After
checking in, Vince and I wandered down the street, seeking a bite to
eat. We settled in at the Royal Cafe, just across the street from the
Colosseum. Vince ordered pizza (of course), which was wonderful.
We walked around the Colosseum a bit then returned to our room for a good night's sleep.
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Vince outside the Colosseum
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| Colosseum view from Royal Cafe |
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| Constantine's Triumphal Arch--commemorating his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312 |
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| The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch. This was the model for many other arches. |
The
photos that follow are from the ruins of the Foro Della Pace or the
Forum of Peace. Vince and I marveled at the columns (you can see them
lying down in the photos). They are quite large and some of them are a
single piece of marble.
The following day we had a morning tour of the Colosseum scheduled. One
of the most interesting facts I learned is that the holes in the
Colosseum were caused by the removal of the bronze clamps. These were
removed so that other statues and metal objects could be made. The same
is true of all of the marble from the Colosseum. It was removed to be
used in other buildings in Rome.
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| You can see the large holes in the columns and walls |
Standing inside the Colosseum, looking
down into the arena was amazing. To think that ancient Romans stood in
the same spot, preparing to watch their version of entertainment, was
mind blowing! If I was very quiet, I could imagine hearing the shouts
of the gladiators, the cries of the prisoners, the roars of the animals.
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| Inside of the arena. The floor of the arena is missing, you can see into the underground area. |
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| left side view of arena |
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| right side view of arena |
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| Colette standing outside the Colosseum |
The
myth of the "thumbs up and thumbs down" gesture being used here was
explained by our tour guide, Salvadore. He said that this gesture was
not used by the audience to tell the emperor whether or not to kill
someone. Rather, it was an open handed, spread fingered gesture used by
the emperor to indicate his wish to cut the jugular of a participant.
He hand was moved from shoulder downward, with the thumb down,
indicating a cutting motion. Also, gladiators were not killed on
purpose, as they were professionals and killing them was a waste of
money!
We
also toured the Roman Forum and Palintine Hill. The ruins which
remain, coupled with my own knowledge and Salvadore's explanations,
allowed me to float back in time and see the Romans going about their
daily business in the Forum.
We also saw the supposed spot where Julius Caesar was cremated after he was killed,
March 15, 44BC. Every year, Roma celebrates this assassination. I would like to find a reading selection to use to honor that event.
Palintine
Hill is a labyrinth of ruins of the palace and buildings where the
emperor resided. By the time Vince and I finished trekking around the
ruins of this ancient city, we were quite ready for a rest. I
,unfortunately, started out the morning with a headache, which due to
heat and exercise and not enough water, bloomed into quite a sick
headache by the time the tour was over. We stopped for a bite to eat,
and headed back to Profumo for a rest. After two Advil and a 3 hour
nap, I felt much better. However, by this time, Vince was sleeping, so I
rolled over and awoke at midnight! Thus ended our first day in Rome!
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| Ruins of Roman Forum |
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| Location of Julius Caesar's cremation |
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| Ruins of Roman Forum |
The second day in Rome, we walked down to the Circus Maximus, which is
nothing more than a field in a valley, with obvious ruins. Not much
remains of this chariot racetrack of the ancients, just the suggestion
of the idea.
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| Circus Maximus |
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| Circus Maximus |
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| Circus Maximus |
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| Vince looking over field that once was the Circus Maximus! |
We continued our walk around the city, enjoying the parks and the
architecture. The buildings are a mix of old and new, a beautiful blend
of styles. We found one park full of rose bushes, which provided us
with an overlook that spread the city out in front of us! Not only was
it beautiful, but the height enabled a wonderfully cool breeze to blow.
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| View of Rome |
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| View of Rome |
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| Views of Rome |
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| Tiber River |
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| Altare della Patria, also known as the 'wedding cake' monument |
The Altare della Patria monument is the largest monument in white marble. It is visible from many areas of Rome due to its squarish shape and the whiteness of the marble. The monument was controversial since its construction destroyed a large area of the Capitoline Hill with a Medieval neighborhood for its sake. It does, however, house the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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| Front of Church |
A little more walking and we found this beautiful church. The Church of St Ignazio is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, who was the founder of the Society of Jesus.
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| Center of ceiling |
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| Ceiling Frescos |
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| Ceiling |
The church was unexpected, but extremely beautiful and peaceful inside. It is hard to imagine actually being able to attend services in such an ornate place. This church dates from the 1600's, and this was the style of church building and decorating in Rome at the time; I am so amazed at its continued existence and beauty.
A short walk later, along with a pizza and some gelato, we come upon the famous Trevi Fountain. Much to our surprise, there was no water in the fountain! Rome is undergoing major repairs and cleaning to many of the historic buildings and monuments. Trevi Fountain is just one more piece of history receiving a facelift! It is still very beautiful.
Next, we visited Vatican City.
The church was unexpected, but extremely beautiful and peaceful inside. It is hard to imagine actually being able to attend services in such an ornate place. This church dates from the 1600's, and this was the style of church building and decorating in Rome at the time; I am so amazed at its continued existence and beauty. 
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