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Published: April 28th 2014
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We were up early to get to the Coliseum today. Bus tickets were the first order of business as everything had been closed for the Easter weekend and there was no chance we were going to drive into central Rome. Those in hand we boarded the bus and managed to find the metro stop and get to the Coliseum very easily. If you are in Rome, google maps and the free smartphone app ProBus are great for understanding how to get around by bus. The stops all have which routes stop there and the list of stops for each route too so using the busses is actually pretty easy.
We had read about large lines at the major attractions in Rome but at 10am it was only about 20 minutes to get into the Coliseum. Unfortunately the next underground tour wasn’t until after midday and Em wasn’t going to be up for that much waiting. It is also 2 ½ hours long so that would have taken the whole day up.
The building is still incredible from the normal access areas. Walking in the footsteps of so many from so long ago is an amazing experience. The whole thing
was built over the top of Emperor Nero’s private lake which had begun construction not long before. This lake was fed by a system of channels and these were used to flood the original arena to host naval games as well. This could no longer be done after the lower levels were built beneath the arena floor. The entire floor was then supported on a massive timber structure and covered in sand. These lower levels housed the equipment for the games, the animals and the access ways for the gladiators and one passage exclusively for the emperors to enter the stadium. There were 80 winch operated lifts which could raise sections of the arena floor to lift men, stage sets and wild animals into the arena for the games.
A tip for those visiting – if the line at the coliseum is long, head across to the entrance to Palatine Hill. Tickets bought at either location are valid for both entries, so you can get your combination ticket there and head over to the coliseum without having to line up. You just go straight through the pre-booked entrance!
Anyway, after lunch, we set about exploring Palatine Hill and
the Roman Forum. This enormous site is completely fascinating and takes much longer to explore than just the coliseum. It is one huge archaeological site which was mostly excavated during the 19
th century. You can wander at leisure through the ruins of old Rome, seeing what was, for centuries, the centre of the world. Starting at the Arch of Titus, you can stroll down Via Sacre among the temples and ancient buildings, just as the ancient romans would have. What makes this so amazing is the access you have to the ruins – no fences or barricades, just wander through the site like it is your own back yard. At the far end is the Arch of Septimius Severus and the remaining columns of the enormous Temple of Saturn.
We left this amazing site and walked to the Pantheon. This temple is probably the best surviving example of ancient roman construction as it is completely intact. It was built around 60 AD as a place for all (pan-) to worship their multitude of gods (-theon). After the acceptance of Christianity, it was turned into a church and has been used for that purpose ever since – about 1600 years.
The huge stone pillars supporting the front of the structure are single pieces of stone and were quarried in north Africa, sent by ship across the Mediterranean Sea, by barge up the Tiber River and finally hauled by hand to the building site. This is also ‘the original dome’, inspiration for all the other domes around including the Florence cathedral, Saint Peter’s Basilica and even the American Capitol buildings.
Then it was on to the Piazza Navona, one of the largest plaza areas in Rome. It has three large fountains and is a favourite area for street artists to congregate. After exploring the piazza for a while and taking a break, we moved on to find the Trevi Fountain. What a crowd! Completed choked with tourists trying to throw their coin into the famous fountain, it was still pretty cool to join them and we all threw our own coins in too. Em threw 3 – does that mean 3 return visits?
After extricating ourselves from the masses, we set off for our final destination, the Spanish Steps. Our running joke is that anything important will have scaffolding and covers over it when we arrive – the Eiffel
Tower had scaffold under it, the main fountain at Versaille was being dug up for restoration, the entire Baptistry at the Florence Cathedral was under wraps, even the Coliseum was partially covered – and so it was no real surprise that the fountain giving the steps their name was enclosed and covered for restoration too! Oh well, Em had great fun running up the steps anyway.
A massive day but it was worth the walking. We are all completely exhausted tonight!
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