First Day in Roma

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On Friday Daph and I took the Euro-Star train to Rome. The fast speed train (180kph) was a comfortable and convenient way to travel the long distance to the capital. The Termini, Rome’s inner city train station, is huge and full of people with one thing on their mind, how do I get from point A to point B? The place was chaotic, what an introduction to Rome!

One enduring memory of Rome is of tourists everywhere holding-up maps trying to understand where they were and how to get to their next destination – not easy to do hmm! 32 degrees, what a hot day to be walking the city.

On our first day in Rome we visited the Colosseum, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Fontana Di Trevi and the Quirinale.

The Colosseum was built in just 5 years of uninterrupted construction between 75 AD and 80 AD. The Colosseum had the same function as a modern stadium where athletic games were held. The origins of professional gladiatorial battle emanated from the Colosseum, only 2% of gladiators survived the fighting. 9000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre.

The Fontana Di Trevi is not only celebrated for its amazing sculptured water fountain but for the legend that whoever drinks or throws a coin in the fountain will ensure they return to Rome.

Unfortunately, the day after we visited Fontana Di Trevi a mentally unstable local resident vandalised the fountain with a hammer. The story was all over Italian television the next day.

In my mind the Pantheon is the stand out building in Rome, both architecturally and historically. It is referred to as the ‘glory of Rome’, and is the city’s only architecturally intact monument from classical times. In 609 AD Pope Boniface IV changed the pagan temple into a Christian church, ensuring the preservation of the building to the present day.

We started our trip to Rome from Portogruaro at 5am, travelled 3 hours on the train and spent 8 hours pounding the pavements of Rome on our first day. We became hopelessly lost making our way back to the hotel and stumbled into our room after 8pm. Our feet felt numb with all the walking and we slept well.

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Photos

Piazza Navona
A nice tasty lunch was had at the Piazza Navona under the shade of an umbrella trying stay out of the heat of the day.