26 Oct 2009
The trip from Nice to Rome was brilliant with magnificent landscapes. The view was especially beautiful traversing the French Alps into Northern Italy. I must have passed through at least 75 tunnels on my way. The Alps begin around Monaco, track north into Switzerland and skirt along Northern Italy, into Austria and south, terminating in Albania along the rugged coastline of the Adriatic Sea ... see map below.
Once in Rome, I had no trouble finding my hotel which is about a mile from the coliseum (650 m) and the hotel has parking for the car at a reasonable price.
The following are shots taken yesterday with the first three being pictures of Monaco.
It was after the tunnel shown above that I took the wrong fork in the road. That was a result of not paying attention to the road, but to the scenery that was blowing me away
After taking this next shot, I noticed that the service area sign had "ovest" or "west" on it. I was supposed to be going east!
So, up to the next exit for a turnabout I went to head towards Rome and not away from it. This only took me one hour or so out of my way but I didn't mind as I had seen some memorable sights.
It's a little past 12 noon here in Rome and I'm about to walk to the Coliseum and Palatine Hill. To see the Coliseum and to go down into the Catacombs have been two of my must do before I die, requirements. I hate to think that this may be bringing me closer to death, but philosophically speaking, each day lived is one day closer to death.
27 October 2009
Veni, Vidi, Vici
I was taking pictures of the actors that were dressed as Gladiators at the Coliseum and was coerced into having a picture taken with them for 10 Euros, of course. See shot above.
I didn't know that wrist watches were regulation gladiator gear. It must be a Timex... takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
As I walked from my hotel to the site of Ancient Rome, I was first greeted by these views...
The wait to get into the Coliseum was well over an hour. I found a tour guide and paid her fee along with the price of admission and was escorted right into the amphitheatre with little delay.
It was well worth the extra Dinero or shall I say, Euros, to see the structure through the eyes of the tour guide who told the history of the Coliseum with all the incidentals.
I was always under the impression that the Coliseum was falling apart from age and erosion. That is not the case. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church began to dismantle the structure due to the lack af available building materials and built the Vatican with the pieces that are now missing from the Coliseum. The church removed all the marble pillars and all of the statues were recyled as the church considered them pagan artifacts.
Also removed were all the amphitheatre seats that were also made af marble. Below is a photo that shows the last remaining seats.
The next part of the tour took us to Palatine Hill which over looks the Roman Forum and was where the emperors had built their palaces.
Stadium of Domitian
Domus Flavia
The above shot is of a mosaic left in the ruins of the palace of Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor and dates back to 15 BC
The following are pictures of the Roman Forum to which adjoins the area of the Coliseum, starting with the House of the Vestal Virgins, the temple of Venus and Julius Caesar, the Senate and the view towards the Coliseum.
And finally, our requisite shot of some honeys from the grounds outside of the Coliseum.
I didn't make it to the Catacombs yesterday and will be making the attempt today. I'd also like to visit the Vatican but I don't think I'll have time as I'll be leaving Rome for Florence tomorrow. One needs at least five days in Rome to catch all the sites. I shall return in time to see the rest.
Next stop... The catacombs of San Callisto Click Here
