When in Rome...

So for Stu's birthday he wanted to go to Rome.  So off we went...  We took the train on Friday night and walked to a nice little place close by, the Hotel Taormina.

For dinner we walked a short distance to a sidewalk restaurant, too touristy!...neither the food nor the service was worth going back for.

We got up early on Saturday to a cold and rainy day.  We figured we didn't come all this way to stay in the hotel, so we swam to the metro station.  When we left the station close to the Coliseum luckily the rain stopped, of course by that time we were both soaked from the knees down.  We still had some time to kill before our reserved time at the Coliseum so we meandered through the alleys and streets up to see the Saint Peter in Chains church.

The basilica was built in the middle of the 5th century to house the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter while imprisoned in Jerusalem.

According to legend, when Empress Eudoxia (wife of Emperor Valentinian III) gave Pope Leo I the chains as a gift, he compared them to the chains of St. Peter's first imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison in Rome and the two chains miraculously fused together.

The statue of Moses by Michelangelo, he felt that this was his most life-like creation. Legend has it that upon its completion he struck the right knee commanding, "now speak!" as he felt that life was the only thing left inside the marble. There is a scar on the knee thought to be the mark of Michelangelo's hammer. The statue was completed in 1515.

The tomb of Julius II, a colossal structure that would have given Michelangelo the room he needed for his superhuman, tragic beings, became one of the great disappointments of Michelangelo's life when the pope interrupted the commission and had him start work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The original project called for a freestanding, three-level structure with some 40 statues. After the pope's death in 1513, the scale of the project was reduced step-by-step until, in 1542, a final contract specified a simple wall tomb with fewer than one-third of the originally planned figures.

The weather was starting to clear as we made our way over to the Coliseum.

The Arch of Constantine is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill. The arch was erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312 AD. Dedicated in 315, it is the last of the existing triumphal arches in Rome.

The Coliseum or originally named the Flavian amphitheatre is in the center of Rome, Italy and is the largest amphitheater ever built during the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering--mostly built by the Jewish slaves.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the direction of emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus. Additional modifications were made during Domitian's reign (81–96). The Roman name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name.

Listening to the iJourneys audio tour.

The Arch of Titus stands in a slightly elevated position on a spur of the Palatine Hill at the entrance to the Forum. Its religious significance lies in its depiction of the sacking of Jerusalem and its sacred temple by the Romans in 70 AD. Now cleaned and restored, the arch was erected in 81 AD, shortly after the emperor's death, to celebrate the 70 AD sack of Jerusalem after the great Jewish revolt.

Proof that the Roman Empire has fallen...  If you have enough money you can have your picture taken with one of these "gladiators", between their smoke breaks...

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Coliseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

The underground here is much deeper than that of the theater in Capua, but then again I guess things were done on a much grander scale here.

It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Coliseum games.

Pope Benedict XIV declared the site a place were Christians had been martyred  and thereby consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed the Stations of the Cross. To this day on Easter Friday the Pope leads the Stations of the cross, and a meditation is read at each of the fourteen stages of Christ's passion situated around the Perimeter of the Roman Colosseum.

When we finished with our tour of the Coliseum at the bar right across the street with a caffiene jolt and a bite of pastry....

I caught this little cutie in a long line of Fiat 500's, we know it's a Fiat, but couldn't find it on the internet anywhere, sure was cute though!

Ok, all rested up, off to the Basilica of San Clemente

Along the way, looking back at the Coliseum, time is definately taking it's toll.

This was a really cool chruch, 3 different levels, we couldn't take any pictures, so check out the link. Basilica of San Clemente

On the way back to the metro with the Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument way in the back.

The Palatine Hill

On our way from the metro to the Bocca della Verita or Mouth of Truth via the Cicrus Maximus

It turned out to be a beautiful day, meaning the line to get into the Mouth of Truth was crazy long, so I just snuck a shot through the fence.

The reason for its unshakeable fame is a rather macabre legend associated with the mask since ancient times. If a liar puts their hand inside the mouth, they will lose it.

This legend probably originates from Roman times. It is said that the rich wife of a Roman noble was accused of adultery. The woman denied the accusations, but her husband wanted to put her to the test by making her hand inside the stone mouth. Knowing perfectly well that she was lying, the woman used a very clever strategy. In front of a group of curious bystanders who had gathered around the Mouth of Truth, the man who was actually her lover embraced her and kissed her. She pretended that she didn't know him and accused him of being a madman and the crowd chased him away.

When she put her hand into the mouth, the woman declared that she had never kissed any other man apart from her husband and the poor madman who had just kissed her. In this way she was certain that she hadn't lied and her hand was saved. The betrayed husband saved her honour, but the Mouth of Truth lost its credibility and it is said that since that day it no longer carried out its function as a right and unappeasable judge.

The Theatre of Marcellus is an ancient theatre built just before the Roman Empire. Its ancient edifice in the rione of Sant'Angelo, Rome, provides one of the city's many popular spectacles or tourist sites. It was named after Marcus Marcellus, Emperor Augustus's nephew and who died five years before its completion. Space for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar, who was murdered before it could be begun, it was completed in 13 BC and formally inaugurated in 12 BC by Augustus. Now the upper portion is divided into multiple apartments, and its surroundings are used as a venue for small summer concerts; the Portico d'Ottavia lies to the north west leading to the Roman Ghetto and the Tiber to the south west.

But first before we head down to check it out...it's time for lunch!  By this point we were pretty wiped out and need a break, and what a great spot!

Our waiter Luciano, was a kick!  He recommended the porcini mushrooms, so we both had the same sauce, mushies with garlic and just a little spice...I had the gnocchi,

and Stu had the fettuccine, they were both great!

And a plate of cheeses for dessert.

All rested up...now back to the theater

We were just amazed that this huge canter levered marble overhang has defyed the laws of gravity for over 2,000 years!  Pity the poor tourist when the forces of nature come into alignment!

A lone piece of marble hanging.  All surfaces were covered with this white travertine marble.  If you can see the holes in the wall, that was how the mable was hung.  If you can imagine everything covered in bright white with the colors of the frescoes...brilliant!

Again approaching the vittorio Emmanuelle Monument this huge building houses the tomb of the unknow soldier.

And this is just the side!

Tucked away in the corner of the Piazza Ara Coeli in between the Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument and the Capitoline Hill is an ancient apartment house.

The Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitol Square), its buildings and the broad staircase leading up to it were designed by Michelangelo for Pope Paul III, who wanted a majestic setting for the reception of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V on his visit to Rome in 1536.  As it turned out, the square wasn't completed until the 17th century. Standing guard at the top of the staircase are two imposing statues of Castor and Pollux.

Not sure which one this is, but imposing indeed! Please note that the camera angle is misleading---that's an arm! Sorry girls........

Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome in Roman mythology, were the supposed sons of the god Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. Romulus is considered the first King of Rome. According to myth they were nursed by a female wolf underneath a fig tree, and were able to survive.

The Roman Fourm

The Arch of Septimius Severus

Trajan's market is said to be the first mall ever!  The upper part was surely used for offices while the lower part in front of the Trajan's Forum had specialty shops selling oil, wines, seafood, groceries, vegetables and fruits.

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

By the time we finally got the the entrance of the Forum it was closing in an hour and we didn't want to be rushed through, so we'll just have to come back!

Ciao Roma...until next time!