I must admit that my first impression of Rome was not so great. It is a huge, sprawling, bustling city.
Coming from weeks spent in quaint, tranquil, picturesque pristine towns, I was a bit overwhelmed by the vibrancy and vigor of Rome. My guidebook calls Rome "magnificent and brutal", I could not agree more. It took me about 4 days to adjust to the pace of touring this extraordinary city and by the 6th day I was wistful about leaving!
Our apartment is in the heart of "downtown" within a few minutes walk of the Spanish Steps, both the Triton & Trevi Fountains and just downhill from the Borghese Gardens. But even better than location is that it is "modern". Translation: It has all the 20th century conveniences that I take for granted- microwave, dishwasher, full sized shower with ample hot water, washing machine that washes a load of clothes in less than 2.5 hours, bathroom with a vanity... It even has closets so we can take our clothes out of the suitcases...
At nearly 5 weeks into our trip, it is great to be in accommodations that are a little more like home.
So...
As the city itself is overwhelming, so is the task of blogging about it!
Instead of tracking our daily "pounding of the pavement" (we averaged about 4-5 miles a day walking & visited some sites more than once) I have decided to post our explorations by era, neighborhood or event...
First up- ANCIENT ROME:
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| Inside the Colosseum (true name- Flavian Ampitheatre)- where Gladiators, slaves & Christians lost their lives |
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| The Arch of Constantine - built a century later right outside the Colosseum to mark the military coup that made Christianity the official religion of the empire |
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| Circus Maximus- where horse drawn chariots raced 1500 yrs ago & boys race today *Photo also shows a small part of Palantine Hill in upper left corner where the emperors chose to live* |
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| The Forum- where anything important in the Roman empire took place |
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| The Arch of Septimius Severus (1st African born Roman emperor)- built to commemorate battles won in Mesopotamia |
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| Trajan's Column- another monument built to celebrate a Roman victory |
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| Colosseum at night |
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