Italy Adventures - Wrapping Up Roma

For those who didn't see 

(this posted in error last week)

Happy Italy Tuesday! Thank you for joining me as I re-cap our trip to Italy. It's funny, some things I am discovering for the first time as this trip seemed to fly by so fast that I didn't have the time to appreciate all we were experiencing! 

Today, we explore the Colosseum and take a walk along some of the streets of Rome. Just to remind you, we only spent one whole day (along with the previous evening) in Roma, we could have spent so much more time soaking up all the history it has to offer.

Anyway...off to the Colosseum:

 

One can't help but be in awe, and maybe a little sad, when they come upon the Roman Colosseum. It is the largest standing elliptical colosseum and, in it's prime, could seat 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. Completed in 80 AD this travertine, granite and Roman concrete structure was used for...well, in my opinion, horrible things including "hunts", gladiator battles, and other violent shows of power.

Our guide kept reminding us that this was a different time, and Romans consisted of mainly warriors who 

thrived on these types of "entertainment".  Above, you can see the only remaining marble seating area that may have been used for some of the more elite warriors.

You can see the "seating area" on the far left of center. The "stage" would have spanned the top of the oval warehouse area (used to store everything from battle supplies to slaves and animals). I will say again, despite what the colosseum was used for,  the architecture was absolutely amazing. It has withstood major earthquakes and 2000 years of wear and tear and, although in rough shape, it is still standing.

We did get to glimpse the Circus Maximus, where you could close your eyes and imagine a Ben Hur

type chariot race being held! 

Palatine Hill overlooks Circus Maximus and is said to be one of oldest parts of Rome.

Now, let's move back to the City of Rome and see what other historic beauty we can find....

 I could gaze at these quaint cobblestone streets. earthy building colors and textures all day. The wrought iron gates and street lights just added to the ambiance!

The Palazzo Montecitorio built in the late 1600's, is now home to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Italian Parliament.

The obelisk above once held the Horologium Augusti or Sundial of Augustus. Originally built in 10 BCE, it was excavated in the 1500s. The sundial itself is said to have been destroyed, but the obelisk now stands next to the Palazzo Montecitorio

Here is the the Pantheon, an ancient Roman Temple built in the 2nd century AD.  The Pantheon has been a Catholic church called the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs since the early 600s.

The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. The fountain has been featured in the movies Roman Holiday and Three Coins in a Fountain.  Unfortunately it was closed for the collection of all those coins while we were there. Then again, without the water "fountaining" you can see just how detailed the stonework is in this snap.

Trajan's Column - Thie detail on this was amazing (check out the video for more footage). The column is full of carvings depicting the victories of Emperor Trajan in the Dacian War (during the early 100s AD).

Here is the video I put together of both the Colosseum and our Rome meander:

We'll end tour visit to Rome with this snap. 

The view reminded me of a Billy Joel song from back in the day...

Scenes of an Italian Restaurant

We are joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for the 

Happy Tuesday Blog Hop this week!