Perfect Weather for Dusty Ruins and Throwing Pennies in a Fountain

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Today the focus was on those Roman ruins! I walked down Via Cavour and made my way towards the Colloseum. The tour groups were definitely out in full force early in the morning! So I continued on down to the Palatine ticket office. The entrance ticket gives you access to the Palatine, the Roman Forum and the Colloseum. You definitely cut down on the waiting time if you buy your ticket at the Palatine ticket office and then do the Colloseum later. I also invested in an audioguide which comes with a handy dandy map. So ticket and audioguide in hand, I set off to see some ruins.

My visit started at the Roman Forum. It is really hard to fathom when looking at these ruins what the buildings must have actually looked like. You get some glimpses but some have so very little left that it is very hard to even begin to imagine what that would have looked like all of those years ago. Case in point … the Temple of Castor and Pollux only has those three columns left!

I remember loving the Temple of Romulus because not only is it practically intact, it has this amazing copper door (the original) which has of course oxidized into this amazing green colour. When I was last here, I was only able to see the outside so how excited was I to see that you could actually go inside. There are still some of the original wall decorations that are clearly visible.

The Temple of Vestals was also another surprise for me this time around. Last time, it was closed off and you could only peak in. My last visit was also in February so there was nothing really in bloom. This time, the Temple of Vestals was not only open but it was this beautiful green space. The three pools were bordered by beautiful pink flowers and they had also restored some of the statues of the vestals.

This then took me to the Palatine Hill. The Farnese gardens were beautiful. The orange trees were filled with oranges and everything was so green. I was also very lucky in my visit in that I got to go in House of Augustus. They limit the number of people that go in at one time in order to preserve the original wall decors that can be seen. There was a bit of a wait but it went quickly enough (I've got nothing better to do anyways!). When I walked out, the guard that had lead us in was gone and as I followed the path towards the exit, I noticed that the gate was closed. There was a guard there and he let me out but they were not letting anyone else go in for the day. So I was one of the very last people to see it for the day. Dumb luck!

It was then time to cross over to the Colloseum. There were still crowds but because it is such a huge site, you don’t really feel crowded. The “gladiators” were out in full force entertaining the tourists. And the vendors were also out in full force trying to sell you hats, parasols, tours and cold water.

I mean what can you say about the Colloseum. It is enormous and for the most part, it is still standing (I mean that is like a miracle really ... it was built in 80 AD!!!). You can see places where the seating areas have been worn down to the point where it just looks like one smooth slope. You look at it and you wish that the walls could talk. There are definitely some stories to be told, some gory stories at that. Actually maybe it is better that the walls don't talk ... it might keep me up at night. Just a fascinating site to visit.

From there, I decided to go to another one of my favorite sites in Rome … the Pantheon. To get there, I had to make my way down Via dei Fori Imperiali. This is normally a very busy street but it looks like it gets closed off on Sunday and is turned into a pedestrian area. So great … you could just wander around and not have to think about dodging a scooter or scared that you were going to get hit by a car. The Italian drivers are not the most patient (and they are definitely horn-happy). There also seemed to be a lot of celebrating … a lot of young guys with pink and black t-shirts were singing, waving flags and just general rowdiness (that’s not the right word … it’s not like they were obnoxious or anything … far from it). As you can see, they were more than happy to pose for a picture! I am going to venture a guess that it had to do with soccer.

So I made it to the Pantheon which is just as I remembered it. There are just some really interesting things about this place. First, the fact that it is still standing is simply on account that it was at one point converted into a church. The building is also in symmetry in that the width of the dome is exactly equal to the height of the building. There is of course the famous oculus, the hole at the top of the dome. When you look up you can see the bird flying by. The guidebook also lists feeling the rain on your face while in the Pantheon as one of the great “freebies” in the city. What also gets me is the fact that when you look at the back of the building, there is this kind of ditch around it. It’s rather deep … probably a good 8 to 10 feet. It was not built like that but it just actually shows how much ground level has risen since the Pantheon was originally built.

From there, I continued my walk and decided that I should go throw my penny (or 2 centimes) in the Trevi Fountain. Throwing a penny in the fountain apparently guarantees your return to Rome … it worked for me last time! Like I mentioned before, last time I was here was in February so not the high season. There was definitely a huge difference in the size of the crowd that had gathered around this fountain. Last time, I remember just walking up to it. We had time to take photos, sit on the steps and eat gelato. This time around was a little bit more chaotic. It wasn't unpleasant though ... there is still a lively atmosphere around it. I did manage to eventually make my way to the edge and dip my hand in. It was so hot that I would have gladly re-enacted the scene from La Dolce Vita where she throws herself in the fountain and starts dancing around. Heck … I would have fished out the coins if they asked me to. That water seemed mighty enticing! So I threw my coin in … let’s see what happens! You never know!

And that’s how I would end my day … my poor feet felt like they were on fire by the time I got back to the hotel. I am so going to need a podiatrist when I get home.

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Photos

13 Arch of Septimius Severus
with Temple of Saturn in the background

18
Spot where Julius cesar was cremated

22
View of Temple of Castor and Pollux from Temple of the Vestals

Comments

[JF]

Palermo
Most definitely soccer. http://www.ilpalermocalcio.it/it/home