Rome - Day 84

Date: November 10th, 2009
Distance: None
Country: Italy
Song of the Day: Open Sky - Edentree

Woke up and got a few things ready. I downloaded some Rick Steves audio tours. I was going to put them on my two Zunes, but only one was charged. Zoe and I were going to see the Colosseum, so I guess we would have to share.

Getting to the Colosseum wasn't hard. It was a bit interesting though. The area surrounding it is filled with ruins. All sorts of ancient roman sites. Some excavated and just left without much explanation. It seems so out of place to have ruins in the middle of a major city. That is Rome, I guess. My American eyes aren't used to something that is ten times older than my country.

Outside the Colosseum you can find people hawking just about everything. Men dressed as centurions prowl around looking to take a picture with you. Others sell trinkets and baubles. The most annoying are probably the guys trying to be your tour guide. My suggestion is to get in line as quickly as possible. Once there, the price was 12 euro. So, damn expensive.

The Colosseum itself is spectacular, though. Most of what is left is the brick and concrete structure. The steps and white marble facing are mostly gone. In many ways it is like a dinosaur where all that is left are the bones. If you step back you can almost imagine what it was like, though. Thousands of riotous fans in a beautiful white marble building watching blood sports. As an engineering feat it is fairly impressive. You can see why mastering the arch was one of the major successes of ancient Rome.

The Rick Steves audio guide was also helpful in painting a full pictures. It was a bit odd since there was only one Zune for Zoe and I. She described walking around and listening to it as a three legged race. The guide did point out a lot of cool features. It also Pointed out a great view over the Forum starting with the ruins of the Temple of Venus and Rome. There was also a sort of museum on the upper floors. This gave a bit more information on the workings of the Colosseum. In addition they had objects found during the excavations. These included dice and sewing needles. It did a lot to complete the picture of what seeing the gladiatorial games would have been like.

From there we grabbed a bit of lunch, and then headed back to the Forum. I had noticed the ticket was good for the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. It was also good for two days. So the 12 euro price wasn't that bad afterall.

Unlike the single monolith that is the Colosseum, the Forum is a collection of buildings. Each has its own history and timeline. Together they formed the core of the Roman empire. The Via Sacra. The Temple of Vesta. The senate house. One of the most impressive things was probably the Basilica of Constantine. This was a building used as a court and gathering place for lawyers. Let me tell you, it was huge. There are only three side arches left, but them must be about 100 feet tall. This would be mirrored by three more on the opposite side. The center would then have been covered with taller arches. If you lived in a hut at the time it must have been awe inspiring. They also had a good example of how the ground level changed and how things were reused. The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina was reused to house a church that is built almost 10 feet higher.

From there Zoe and I wandered up to the Palatine hill. I wish I had a bit more explanation of what all the ruins were. Still, I am fascinated by ruins. It was just wonderful to see them right before sunset. The whole area seemed to glow with orange and reds.

From there Zoe and I wandered down to the Pantheon. This would sort of complete the ancient Rome part of the tour. What a place it is, though. Really, the dome is the reason to see it. Just staring up at the concrete dome with its beautiful and simple coffering, the oculus right in the center is wonderful. I wanted to just lay on my back on the floor and stare at it for a while. I didn't think the security people would appreciate that though. It was cool to watch the blue sky darken until it was almost black as the sun set.

The building does have its modern uses though. Rome is full of things built on and reappropreated. I guess it was made into a church in the 7th century. That is what has generally saved it from desctruction over the years, and is still used as a church. It is also the final resting place for artists (Raphael) and kings (Victor Emmanuel II). These functions seem almost at odds with what is, at its heart, a Pagan temple. The area below the dome is also decorrated oddly as well. In some areas the original walls have been faced with marble and guilding. In others are the original roman brickwork is visable. This would have also been faced with marble, but that was presumably looted over the years. Still, I think the best part is the simple and elegant concrete dome.

From there Zoe and I wandered over to Piazza Nouvona to meet up with her friend Nick. I guess he is doing his last semester in Rome. We found a nice little restaraunt with slow service. At least the food was good, and we weren't really in any rush. Just sat around talking for a while. After dinner, Zoe and I bid farewell to Nick and then headed off through the city again.

We ended up at the Trevi Fountain. I found it interesting that half dome of the fountain looks exactly like what is left of the Temple of Venus and Rome. The city is full of re-use. Pagan temples were rebuilt or reappropriated as churches. Marble from the Colosseum was used to build medieval churches. Even ideas, like the cross-hatched half dome of a ruined temple was recast in the Trevi fountain. After that though (and a gelato), it was time to get some sleep.

-Dravis