Day 3
A day full of exploration of the glory of Rome...
Stepping off the metro, we walked right into the Colosseum! Having seen so many pictures of it, just seems unreal seeing it up close. The line was crazy long, so we decided to pay the extra 8 euros for a tour guide which turned out to be great (gets you right in). Some interesting facts about the Colosseum:
- 60,000 people fit into the stadium
- They could fill it in 8 minutes because workers used whips to "encourage" people to walk faster
- Men and women shared public restrooms which was just a long marble bench with holes in it
- Gladiators needed to fight 7 years (2-3 fights a year) to win freedom
- Some men volunteered to be gladiators for the glory
- Colosseum was free to the public and showed the generosity of the emperor, even slaves could watch the games. Only actors were not allowed in (considered the lowest of society...).
- One emperor reenacted the story of Hercules killing a many headed beast by smashing the heads of 150 men. The men were given sponges to throw at him to represent rocks.
- Romans had 150 holidays each year
- Over 700,000 people have died in the colosseum. Guide said that if it was in England it would probably be considered haunted...
Afterwards, we visisted the Roman Forum and Palenstine Hill where Rome was founded by Romulus (after killing his brother Remus). We walked along the oldest road in Rome and looked at the ruins of the Palace and pagan temples. Went back to the Colosseum at night and it was amazing! Just laid in the grass for an hour gazing at it.
Day 4
After our long day of sight-seeing the day before, we relaxed a bit in the hotel and had a lovely picnic for lunch with food from a nearby supermarket. I think we passed as local Italians because the cashier kept talking to us in Italian and we just responded in grunts and nods which seemed to work.
We returned to downtown Rome and further explored the city. We visited the Piazzo del Popolo and several other fountains and pretty buildings along the way. Ate our 3rd gelato of the trip, the favorite flavor is strawberry (fragola)! We did a lot of people-watching because Rome is such a melting pot of people, and you seem to hear a different language every time you pass a group of people.
