Europe 2007 – 6/26/07 – Rome. Click here for pictures.
We slept a little late this morning because yesterday was so long. Once we are dressed we walk to find food. This morning we are going to try a supermarket. We each get some fresh bread, cheese, a banana, and a carton of milk. It was very inexpensive and plenty of food.
Our first stop this morning is the Coliseum. We get there around 9:30 and the line is already huge. To our amazement, we get to skip the line because our Roma Pass is our ticket in. Once inside, we wonder all around the bottom level viewing the staging area for gladiators and the warm-up area underneath. Then we go up to the top level to get some photos of the whole area. We cal also look out into the city.
We exit the Coliseum and walk over to the Roman Forum. Here we continue our journey into the ancient Roman Empire. This was their downtown area – Temples to the gods, the Senate house, the Hall of Justice. We see the place where Julius Caesar was burned after his assassination. We look upon the house of the vestal virgins who guarded the never-ending flame. Finally we see the Capitol Hill.
After our walks throughout the Roman Forum, we proceed to the emperor’s palace – Palatine Hill. This was a huge palace with gardens, a throne room, and even a personal race track. We explored the entire area and go some great shots of the city. Because the palace is set on a hill, you can see the Circus Maximus and Roman Forum very well. We also saw the tin hut for Romulus and Remus, and other living quarters for various emperors. Finally we toured the massive garden area.
After Palatine Hill, we walked back down through the Forum to the base of Capitol Hill. We went into a small church which is the site of the Mammertine Prison. This is the location the prison which held Peter and Paul. There is a hole in the floor where prisoners were lowered down into the prison.
We ascend out of the prison and walk to the Capitol Hill Museum. Inside the museum we viewed several statues including a massive replica of Marcus Aurelius on a horse. His son, Commodus was viewed outside of the room, because the people did not like him. In fact, there was a portrait of Marcus Aurelius earlier in the museum and Commodus had been removed from it. We also saw the famous status of Romulus and Remus with the she-wolf. Finally, we saw some of the ruins from the Temple of Jupiter which was found around Capitol Hill.
Once we finished our “Caesar Shuffle,” it was time to take a rest. We eat a quick snack and take a look at our guidebook to see what is next. We thought about going to the National Museum but decided to get a few more churches under our belt. First, the Bocca della Verita. We watch the movie, “Roman Holiday” prior to our journey so we had to stick our hands in the mouth of truth. I thought I almost saw the mouth close on Shawn’s hand. It was a long line, but we got our pictures. We also caught a glimpse of the actual church.
Our next church was the famous St. Peter-in-chains. It was somewhat difficult to find this church as it was hidden and did not have the usual domed roof. Once inside, we first went to the Moses statue by Michelangelo. It is a massive tomb built for Pope Julius (the pope who also commissioned the Sistine Chapel). His remains are on a mantle above the Moses. But the true focus of the church is the two sets of chains on the altar. The story says that they were both worn by Peter on two different occasions and when they were placed together, they miraculously joined.
The final church for today was Santa Maria Maggiore. This church is dedicated to Mary. Upon entering I was asked to put a scarf around my waist because I was wearing shorts. No other church has asked me to do this, but it is a small price to pay to get to see the inside. This church is supposed to contain remnants of the manger. There is a statue of a pope praying at the altar, but had difficulty seeing any pieces that looked like the manager. This is also the burial site of the Bernini family – we have seen tons of his paintings, sculptures, and architecture throughout Rome. There is also several paintings that depict the story of Moses, but these were difficult to make out.
After visiting all of these churches, we are very tired and hungry. We pick a restaurant close to our hotel. It was recommended in our guide book (later we discover that we at the one next door to the recommended in our book). It was delicious – Shawn had steak and I had a margarita pizza. For dessert, we went back to the gelato shop. Shawn had chocolate, creama, and chocolate chip. I got chocolate, amareno, and cheesecake. It was excellent.