Rome Day 2 - 4 October 2022

Well - I almost don’t know where to begin! We’ve been on the go from sunrise to sunset, walked over 24,000 steps in the warm, sunny weather and taken well over 200 photos, which we’re now sorting through.

Our guided tour wasn’t until 10.30am, but you had to be there 20 minutes before - and we didn’t want to be late - so we were very early. Left Dave about 8.20 for the quick walk to the train station for the train at 8.40. It’s so much easier when you’ve done it the day before.

So many people waiting by the Arch of Constantine for their guided tours. Was organized chaos! Our tour guide, Ian was about 10 minutes late starting.  Really easy, just put one ear piece in, choose your volume, and good to go.

We started off with Palatine Hill, then the Roman Forum and lastly the Colosseum.

If we’d got our act together and preordered tickets, think we both would have been happier doing it ourselves instead using a tour guide. Really think the free Rick Steves audio guides are worth a go, plus once in a tour, you can’t linger when you want,and you’re constantly checking where the guide is so you don’t get left behind. There were 28 in our tour today. Ian said it was the busiest he’s seen the area in weeks - great!

There were a few people who must have regretted their choice in footwear by the end of the day - cobbles really do make you look where you’re going, one woman was wearing stilettos - utter madness! We may have both looked odd today, but had to be comfortable!

Once again, what won’t show from the photos is the hugeness of the buildings.

It’s also quite hard to imagine what the area looked like from the ruins left. The Roman Forum was the hub of daily life in the capital of the world’s largest empire.

We started off at the Arch of Constantine, and saw the other two arches, Settimio Severo (built AD203 by his sons Caracalla and Galba) and Titus (built after his death in AD70 to commemorate his victory over the Jews and the capture of Jerusalem).

It was important to the pre-Roman Etruscans who drained what was then a marshy land to build a temple here to harvest their food in 49BC. The Romans, in their rise to power, took it over and expanded it, transforming in physically with temples, triumphal arches and basilicas, and expanding its civic role to encompass the judiciary, commerce, trade and banking of the ever-growing empire.

The Via Sacra, which bisects the Forum, linked the Palantine to the Capitoline hills. The best preserved temple remains are of Antoninus and Faustina, mainly because it was converted into a Christian church in the 7th century.

In the white Temple of Vesta, the six Vestal Virgins, priestesses to the goddess of fire, kept the sacred fire alight.

Nearby are the three Corinthian columns that remain of the Tempio dei Castori (Caster and Pollux).

One thing which is good around Rome, is that there are quite a few fountains where you can refill your water bottle for free. However, if you need the toilet at the train station - it costs you €1 for the privilege!

Sorry Brian, if you’re looking for in depth history about today, you’ll  have to come and experience it all yourself! I’m amazed at how bad my memory for facts and figures is! Our guide Ian bombarded us with 3 hours virtually non stop facts - a lot I can’t remember already! However, it’s the same when I’ve done the guided walking tours in Guernsey - you remember facts which are of interest -but a lot aren’t necessary to store!

Anyway, I digress! We had to go through security for both the Roman Forum, and then the Colosseum - nearly 30 minutes wait, but Ian kept talking! No wonder we couldn’t get any tickets to go by ourselves - packed.

The Colosseum was built by three Flavian Emperors, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. Building started in AD72, and progressed fast enough for games to be held in the partially completed arena only eight years later. It holds 70,000 spectators. The elliptical structure covers about 6 acres. Externally it measures 188m by 156m and rises to 48m with a facade of three tiers of arches which are faced with three-quarter Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns and the attic has square windows. At the top were 240 brackets and sockets that anchored the velarium, a shade and bad weather canopy that could be pulled across the interior.

Spectators were arranged by rank, with humble citizens and women at the top, a special box, closest to the action, naturally was for the emperor, and ringside seats for the senators and Vestal Virgins.

The middle of the colosseum is a jumble of ruins.  In Roman times there was a wooden flooring, covered with canvas and sand - the word ‘arena’ comes from the Latin word for sand. Four principal entrances were used by the gladiators, stagehands and corpse removers. Far more dramatic entrances were made through trapdoors in the floor. Tens of thousands of animals were sent to Rome from all over the Empire to be slaughtered.

Gladiatorial games began in the morning with an elaborate procession, the prelude to staged hunts when wild animals were pitted against each other. Lunch break was accompanied by executions, a taster for the day’s climax - the individual gladiatorial combats.

We’ve seen arenas in both Verona and Nîmes, think they all offer something different.

By then it was 1.45 - time for lunch!

Aperol spritzers again! Just shared two starters - the rice and tomato deep fried balls with mozzarella, and rosemary focaccia with prosciutto - €37.

Didn’t really know where to go next. I’d read that the Baths of Caracalla were worth a visit. Another 30 minute walk. The jury is out for me! €16 for both. On the plus side, very few visitors! Again, absolutely huge. Some nice mosaics they’ve discovered.

Decided to walk back to see the Trevi fountain with some water in it. On the way we saw another colosseum - but with people living above it!

Walked up the steps to the Piazza del Campidoglio. Another couple getting married!

SPQR (Senatus PopulusQue Romanus) is on all the rubbish bins, water drains etc - which means the Senate and the People of Rome.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, just after was the Piazza Venezia.

Trevi fountain certainly busier today - and looks so much better with water!

Had another gelato - Tintin had a fruity berry number, and I had a white chocolate - €7, nice but a stupid system of walking through the shop to pay for them, pushing past others customers - and he wanted to charge me for four!

Time to head home. Tintin successfully walked us to a different Metro stop, then we changed and with about a minute to spare, jumped on the train home.

It’s our 36th anniversary of getting together, never would have thought we’d be spending it in Rome!

Oh - this is why I’ve been irritated by my bites - not very nice to look at!

Another day tomorrow - definitely haven’t given that any thought yet. Apart from - two days in Rome is enough for us, we could go back tomorrow as we don’t have to leave here until 6pm - but as with all our big cities we’ve visited, we’re usually happier with less people about! Fantastic to have seen it, but certainly tiring!