Nonetheless, our fears were unfounded. After arriving in Rome late on Saturday, Dec. 13, we woke up early on Sunday and did what we always do when we want to explore a new city. We ran. And for the first time in several weeks, the sun came out in Italy.
Just one block from our hotel, we ran into this park and discovered these old ruins. Unlike other trips, we did not have the time to research the sights of Rome before coming. That perhaps was a blessing as just about everything we saw in Rome was a pleasant surprise. I challenge anyone to find a city with such a rich and clearly visible history.
We wound our way through a couple of narrow streets before entering this park, with several ruins of its own, and suddenly seeing the Colosseum rise from behind a hill. Later we returned to our hotel and woke up Melanie and Steve, my sister and brother-in-law, who had flown in from London to meet us for the long weekend. Taking advantage of the beautiful day (probably high 50's and sunny) we headed back to tour the Colosseum.
At 8:00 am when we had run by the Colosseum we had the area to ourselves. Now returning at mid-day, the place was crowded with tourists. After getting harassed by several tourist guides, we finally caved and paid for a tour - which turned out to be a smart choice.
Our older tour guide enjoyed his hyperbole. He entertained us by describing over-and-0ver again the delirium that erupted in the ancient Roman crowd as they watched some hapless beast or gladiator get torn apart limb by limb.
Susan, with Melanie and Steve in the background, watching a brutal gladiator contest.
In the center of the Colosseum, with the stadium floor long since eroded away, you could observe the labyrinth of undergound passages that were at one time filled with a myriad of animals - beasts - captured from the distant margins of the Roman Empire.
Susan, with Melanie and Steve. With some more tattered clothing, the three of them could front a poster for a "Feed the Hungry" campaign.
We then continued our tour by visiting the Palatine Hill, just a short walk away. While the Colosseum met our expectations, the sights on this hill blew us away. There were 100's of ancient monument, columns, temples, and tombs.
A good view of all the ruins on Palatine Hill with the Colosseum in the background.
Susan played with this photo to get it to look historical (minus the modern road and streetlights).
Susan & I, graffiti, and the Colosseum. Melanie and Steve, coming from London, seemed surprised by the amount of graffiti in Rome. We told them they should see Eastern Europe. The graffiti "artists" in Budapest seem to know one English word for sure (starts with an "F") and seem to love Jean Claude van Damme (who doesn't?).
Real men don't ask for directions.
Susan in front of a Fontana di Trevi. I don't remember it's history, but I do know it was one of the fountains featured in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I think the albino killed some guy here (or was that the Da Vinci Code?).
The Pantheon
More ruins...
Monday, Dec. 15
We played our hand well. After touring the Colosseum and Palatine Hill on a beautiful Sunday, we visited the Vatican when the rains returned on Monday. That was fortunate, as most of the places to see in the Vatican are indoors - except of course the plaza.
The Basilica of Saint Peter
After walking through St. Peter's we then went to the Vatican Museums.
Susan in the Map Room (I don't know it's official name, it just had a lot of beautiful painted maps)
This was another time where our lack of expectations left us totally surprised. The Museums are no ordinary collection of museums. Instead, you make your way through a seemingly endless maze which connects building after building filled with amazing artwork until you reach the finale: the Sistine Chapel.
Seems to be some sort of inquisition.
I stumbled upon this painting in the Museums, a painting that I had read about while teaching in St. Louis. The man sitting on the steps in green (left-center portion of painting) is Averroes (or Ibn Rushd), a Muslim Renaissance man from Spain. I taught about him when I taught a unit on the "Arabic Renaissance" which preceded and influenced the Italian and European Renaissances. I felt this was important for students to learn about how the Middle East, North Africa, and Islamic Spain were such important centers of science and learning at the same time Europe was undergoing the "Dark Ages." This is in contrast to the view we have of the Arabic world today.
St. Peter's Square which isn't a square. All the history that has taken place here, and all the four of us could think about is the ridiculous scene from Angels and Demons where the main character jumped out of a helicopter chasing the imposter pope (again I may have the details wrong - but its fiction)
Steve and Melanie like to where all black. So they get a black and white picture.
Piazza del Popolo
I took this photo because of the tall monument and the two temples behind it. But, in retrospect, it looks like a 70 foot tall phallic symbol.
Piazza Navona - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or 'Fountain of the Four Rivers' by Bernini
We stumbled on these ruins by chance. After finding a tourist sign in English, I was shocked to learn that this was the place where Julius Caesar was assassinated just over 2050 years ago. Who would have suspected we would stumble upon a place like this? Susan, however was just mesmerized by all the cats that had made this archaeological sanctuary a home of their own.
You really feel like you are in Europe when walking on a winding, crooked, cobblestone street.
Palatine Hill at dusk
Our last night in Rome. This was the night that I did not spill the wine (unlike the previous night - I don't handle my wine well).
