ROME
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An iconic sight, of course, is the Colosseum. It used to be covered with travertine marble and the stones were held together with iron pegs. Today, the potholes seen in the exterior walls of the Colosseum are all that remains. Borrowing from Greek structure, the Romans placed two classical Greek theaters end to end and came up with the design for a huge Amphitheater. The citizens attending events at the Colosseum were given numbered tickets that matched the Roman numerals carved in the gates on the outside columns for easy entering and exiting access.
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Arrival in Rome
And then, what a surprise when you suddenly arrive in a wonderful world of ancient history and classical sights!
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The Sites
Our tour guide happily answered all our questions. We learned that admission to the Colosseum was always free and events were sponsored by politicians. The Colosseum opened in 80 A.D. with a 100-day celebration in which 2,000 men and 9,000 animals were killed.
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You should definitely visit the Roman Forum. It was the place where Roman life happened, the place to meet up and hear gossip, buy goods and food, elect political leaders, listen to orators and worship the gods.
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Leaving the Colosseum, you can see the Arch of Constantine, erected in 315 A.D. to commemorate the victory in battle of Emperor Constantine against the Roman tyrant Maxentius. Battle scenes are carved at the top of the Arch and it is one of the last great monuments of Imperial Rome.
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The Temple of Vesta is located at the eastern end of the Roman Forum. A holy place with a circular footprint housed a constant fire. It was believed that as long as the fire burned, Rome would stand. The keepers of the temple were a group of Vestal virgins selected at the age of six.
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The Vittorio Emanuele II Palace stands on the Piazza Venezia. It was built to pay tribute to the first King to unify Italy. The marbled monument with its equestrian sculptures is seen as too big, too white and too pompous by some. It houses the tomb of the First World War’s Unknown Soldier.
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The next stop was St. Peter’s Basilica. The line was extremely long (an estimated two-hour wait!) and we had to maintain a schedule, so we could not go in, unfortunately. But I did have time to take pictures in the plaza with my daughter, Dawnielle.
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When traveling, flexibility is indispensable for you to have a wonderful experience. I try to pack a little bit of that in my suitcase. Our plane got to Rome late, so we didn’t have time to go visit the Trevi Fountain. Since this was all new to me and I didn't know what I was missing anyway, I decided I'd just have to go back and visit another time.
After lunch, we were back on the bus for a quick ride around Rome’s historic city center and then on our way to Volterra. |