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Published: December 19th 2006
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Sunday morning and it was wet. Our umbrellas were in one of our suitcases, but it wasn’t actually raining. We had breakfast at the hotel and it was ok, but nothing special. We then proceeded to walk to the Colosseum from near Villa Borghese, where we are staying, and it took us about 45 minutes to get there. I had washed my pants and underwear and socks the night before, and thought they would dry in time, and while Kel’s shirt did, none of mine were dry. I was using the hairdryer to try and dry them more without much success, so I started the day in damp underwear, damp socks and damp pants…so much fun when it is such a cool morning! (NOT)
I would suggest getting there when it opens at 9am and pre booking your tickets. You can go through a much shorter queue. Many of the big attractions you have to go through security, which is pretty much the same as airport security, and you have to take your jackets off as well. The audio guide to the Colosseum was great, I wouldn’t go there and not get the audio guide as it helps to know
what you are looking at.
The feeling of being inside was pretty surreal. You start the audio guide tour on the top level and work your way around to the bottom. On the walk there and outside the Colosseum there are mean dressed as gladiators and approach you to have your picture taken with them ‘for free’…we weren’t going to fall for that again! Nothing is ever free…be careful of strangers who approach you is all I can say!
Anyway, back to the inside. They have reconstructed some of the wooden floor of the arena where the gladiators would have fought, and underneath that is a whole heap of rooms where animals, weapons and props would have been kept. You keep walking around and you see the Arch of Constantine, and then you can look out over the Palatine Hills as well. You can see where there would have been stairs going to the upper levels where the commoners would sit on wooden bleachers as well. Your social status would determine where you would sit. If you were a senator, you would basically have your own marble seat with your name engraved into it. When you died, your
name would be chipped out and your successors name chipped in.
Part of the reason only half the very top is still there is because they stole the materials to build other monuments in Rome…it sounds like a common practice in those times…you run out, you pilfer it from somewhere else (this also happened with the Vatican).
After the Colosseum, we went over to the Roman Forum and Palatino (we had a combined ticket for the Colosseum and Palatino, not that they really bothered checking the tickets at the Palatino).
The forums were amazing. To think that they were over 1000 years old just blows your mind. There were so many ruins, and chapels and what not, and there was also Julius Ceaser’s grave, which was pretty cool to see. You really need a full day to see the Colosseum and Palatino and forums. There is so much to see there that you have a hard time to take it all in. Another thing that astonished me was how big everything was. You can easily see why it could take 30 years to build some buildings, especially with the amount of marble they seem to use!
Senator's Seat
This is how the Senator's seat was known The Palatino was pretty amazing as well. Walking up the stairs was a killer when you have been coughing so much and you nose is blocked and asthma is wreaking havoc, but you push through the pain. You have to in such a wonderful city. From the top of the Palatino you get wonderful views sweeping the city. It’s a shame it was overcast that day, but it was still cool. There were lots of gardens and ruins to see, and there was a small museum of statues and artifacts as well. Sometimes I couldn’t be bothered making the effort to see some of the stuff, but I did, and I felt it was worth it. I think I’d kick myself if I didn’t.
We had been walking non stop since about 7:45am and it was nearly 2:30pm and I was knackered. By about 12:00 I was having to sit down every 15 minutes. My feet were killing me, and our shoes aren’t the best for walking in Rome, and my fitness is questionable as well, although I think it’s getting better. So many hills and stairs to climb to see anything good!
We walked back to Piazza
Gladiators
These guys offer to have their photo taken with you 'for free'...remember nothing is free, and be prepared to pay for their 'services' should you have your photo taken with them Venezia, which was also a very impressive building and caught a cab to Piazza di Spagna, which the taxi driver was saying ‘il complicado…see…complicado’, and to be honest, it wasn’t that complicado…it was more so to get to our hotel the day before! We had lunch at this place called Café Leonardo, where I had the best lasagna I’ve ever had. Not rich at all and the nicest, fresh lasagna sheets you could get. The food with the exception of dinner that night has been great.
We went to dinner on Via Sistina near Piazza Baberini that night, and I had a margarita pizza which was pretty lame, (I’ve had better) and Kel ordered cannelloni with tomato sauce, and it had meat in it! It was the first time he’s seen cannelloni with meat in it, and the tomato sauce?? It looked like something you would bring up after a big night…it looked foul. Luckily Kel could share my pizza which was good, because it was big and half filled me up plenty!
Arrivederci!
K'nK
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Eva
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Caesar's grave
This is not Caesar's grave, but the remains of his temple, built after he was proclaimed deified.