Ancient Rome

We arrived in Rome on the night of the 30th. We've decided that we must have an attraction for strange/adventurous/slightly scary taxi rides. The cabbie that picked us up at the airport raced off towards Rome at speeds in excess of 160 km/hr (that's over 100 mph!). He was cutting off other taxis along the way and they were all yelling and shaking their fists out their windows. He was also obviously sick as he was hacking and coughing the entire way. Then he told us that he couldn't get us near our hotel next to the Pantheon because the Police had the roads blocked off for some festival. So he dropped us off a good 15 blocks from our hotel, or about a mile, and charged us 60 Euros for the priviledge! We hiked our packs on our backs and took off walking. We saw plenty of taxis driving past on the way there so what the cabbie told us was clearly a load of BS.
We finally made it I the hotel, where we were meeting up with Anna's parents Joe and Jeanette. Unfortunately, they had a similar experience with a taxi and had gotten lost on the way to the hotel, so we were all ready for a glass of wine!
The next day, we all walked through ancient Rome. There was actually some kind of Italian holiday festival going on involving a bike race through the city, so the streets were packed with onlookers and tourists. We waded our way through and took a look at the sites.

The ruins of the Forum above. The Forum was the market place in ancient Rome. It was also the site of the Senate building where senators debated the topics of the day. While they walked through the market, citizens would shout and heckle at them about the topics they thought were important. "We need better health care!", and "The people are hungry!" and the lobbyist was born.
The Forum is also the site of the tomb of Julius Ceasar. On any given day you can see people laying roses on top of his tomb. During the dark ages, few people were interested in ancient history, and the site of the Forum was used as a grazing pasture for sheep. Eventually, people realized the place was important and began excavating it. People say that modern Rome was built on the ruins of Ancient Rome. That is clearly evident at the Forum. The level of the Forum is 15 to 20 meters below the level of the street next to it.



The Forum. You can see here the difference between the street level now, and the street level two thousand years ago.




The Arch of Constantine. This was built by the Emporer Constantine sometime around 500 A.D. It is a tribute to the defeat of his enemies. Constantine was extremely productive during his time as emperor. He maintained the empire, and converted all the pagan peoples to Christianity. Those who did not convert willingly, were converted at the point of a sword. His work began the expansion of the Christian religion in Europe.




The coliseum. Acording to the guide we had the last time we were here, this is the most blood-soaked building in history. Millions of men and animals were killed during the Roman's reign, to the delight of specators. Marcus Arelius banned the games while he was Emporer, but they were resumed shortly after his death. A statue of Marcus Arelius stands at the top of the stairs next to the Ancient Roman museum, not far on the other side of the Forum from here. We walked around the Collesium for a while, but the line to get in was enormous, so we just apreciated the view from outside.




The massive Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This was built after World War II in rememberance of the fallen soldiers from Italy whom were never recovered. It is an impressive building, and the picture here doesn't do it justice.

The fountain of Neptune in Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona is where there is a permanent art market consisting of stands set up by all the local street artists. You can see everything from recreations of classic paintings, to rennaisance inspired work, to modern, abstract art. If any of you have been to our house, the painting we had hanging next to our dining room table is from this square.


The front of the Pantheon at night, from our seat at a nearby restaurant. This restourant is our base when in Rome, if you ever come here, make sure you find this restaurant and make yourself at home. Mike C. can attest to that!


Us at the Trevi fountain.



A wider shot of the Trevi fountain.
After dinner, it is customary to take a "Pasa Giata". It is a slow stroll to help walk off the mounds of pasta you just ate. Many people end up here, at the Trevi fountain. It is a large fountain, the size of a city block. People will get gelato, and gaze at the fountain lit up. Some will throw coins in the fountain and make a wish. Sometimes, their wishes even come true!