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Our next major goal before getting to our wintering spot of Gaeta was to get to Rome. We had a pleasant sail from Pisa to Salivoli using that as a quick stopover. We didn’t even get out of the marina that evening, just registered with the office, got the wi-fi code and did some research on Rome as we figured we could take a day to explore. We know that isn’t even close to enough time to “do Rome” but as it appears to be easy to get to Rome from Gaeta, we will plan another trip to Rome via train.
The 2
nd night we made it to a lovely anchorage where we were by ourselves for the evening. It was a great evening for sitting in the cockpit and enjoying the sunset. There was an interesting staircase that came down to the waters’ edge here but we couldn’t see where it led to – it was almost tempting to put the dinghy in the water to explore, but relaxing for the evening won out.
The following day, Sept 27
th we made it to Port di Roma which is actually near Ostia. We took the rest of that day
and the next to explore the shore near the marina as well as take a walk into the train station so we knew where it was as we planned on catching an early train the next day into Rome.
What do you do when you only have one day in Rome? Our answer was that we had to get to the Coliseum and the Forum. Fortunately we found out that we could buy tickets online for the Coliseum so we had those in hand when we arrived. Only thing is that the system when you get there isn’t that well marked out – they had two lines, but no signage of which line to get into until you were actually in the entrance. With the line being very long on the outside, it was a trick, but finally got into the correct line, picked up our audio-guide and we were off.
The Coliseum is huge and you get a sense of it quite quickly as you climb up very steep stairways. It is always interesting when climbing ancient stairways such as these to see how the steps are worn due to the numbers of years they have been
used. It is the largest amphitheatre ever built which was started n 72AD and completed a mere 8 years later in 80AD. It is 615 feet long and 510 feet wide. The height of the walls is 157 feet and as it is a free-standing arena in the center of Rome it is indeed impressive.
The funding used to construct this was from the spoils from the Jewish Temple after the Great Jewish Revolt in 70AD which led to the siege of Jerusalem. Not only did the emperor Vespasian have the spoils to fund his amphitheatre, he also had taken approximately 100,000 Jewish prisoners who were brought to Rome after the war and used as the manpower needed to make this Coliseum a reality.
It could hold between 50,000 – 80,000 spectators and the average size for any performance was about 65,000 people. They used it for gladiatorial contest as well as other public spectacles such as animal hunts, executions, dramas and re-enactments of famous battles. It was pointed out that these were open to all to see for free – everyone from the wealthiest citizen to slaves, prostitutes and working class citizens. This allowed all to see
the Emperor as a “real person” and one that was generous to provide these spectacular events for them.
It started as a place for entertainment, but later it was used for housing, workshops, a fortress, and even as a Christian shrine. The last mention of gladiator fights appear to be in 435 AD with animal contest continuing until at least 523 AD. In the late 6
th C. a small chapel was incorporated into the structure and housing areas were added under the arches with those being rented out until the 12
th C. In 1349 it was severely damaged by earthquakes and much of the tumbled stone were used to help repair palaces, churches and other structures. The 14
th C. saw a religious order moving in and they remained there until the early 19
th C. Fortunately there was an effort in the 1800’s to make some repairs to the building. The sub-structure was also partially excavated at this time with it being full exposed in the 1930s.
The fact that the sub-structure is exposed gives us a view of where the animals were kept and the intricate system that was used for lifting and lowering them from ground level
to the sub-structure. You also had to try to picture how difficult this must have been as they used a wide variety of animals such as lions, tigers, bears, leopards, bulls and even elephants. Just think of having a mixture of these types of animals in the “basement” and having a system in place to move them within the “hallways’ as well as raise and lower them between that area and the ground level. These lift systems were also used for the scenery used for the theatrical presentations held here.
After learning about the history of the Coliseum and what this space provided for those that lived in Rome, we took time to wander the streets of the Forum. The forum was originally the marketplace and was the center of day-to-day life – everything from the local market, a place to hear public speeches, view criminal trials, watch military processions or just come to visit with others and find out the news of the day. The forum as a result was the political, religious and commercial center of the city. Its most important monuments, temples and halls of justice were centered here. While wandering through with the aid of
our audio-guide we were able to attempt to visualize how active a place this must have been. Temples were built to honor men that had been immortalized after death for all to worship (and were typically emperors). One such example is the Temple of Caesar built in 29 BC located at one end of the forum.
Rome is surrounded by seven hills and the Forum is located in the valley between two hills, the Palatine and Capitoline Hill. We were running out of time in the day, but we did have a chance to wander through Palatine Hill. It is the most central of the seven hills and it is where Augustus built his palaces. It is a huge area with numerous ruins giving you just a glimpse into what it must have been like if you have a good imagination, a good audio-guide and good signage. As Palatine Hill is located 40 meters (131 feet) above the forum it also gave us a wonderful overview of the extent of the forum itself. You knew it was a large area with numerous structures to investigate and learn about, but from this higher vantage point, it showed the overall layout
of the forum and all that it contained.
We knew that we would not do Rome justice with only a day trip, but it gave us a taste of what is here and convinced us even more that we have to plan a trip to learn more about this city and what it has to offer. We are very glad that there is a wonderful train system in Italy which will allow us to do this once we get to our winter base of Gaeta.
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