ROME--PART 2

THE COLOSSEUM--OPENING DAY AD 80!

No visit to Rome would be complete without spending time at the Colosseum. This was one of those places that sent shivers up my spine when I realized that I was actually standing in the place where chariot races were held and gladiators fought to the death, all watched by Julius Cesaer et al.  WoW.

Yes, you've seen this image a million times, but it was just not possible not to take this picture.

The underground ruins

What the arena would have looked like in the time of Julius Cesaer. All of those alcoves contained hundreds of statues for decoration.

THE FORUM

Located between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, the Forum was the civic core of Republican Rome. It was the political, commercial and religious center of Roman life. What you see  here today are the ruins of not one period, but of amlost 900 years, from circa 500 BC to AD 400.

Like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum was a place of pure magic. George and I walked along the same streets, trod on the same stones as Cesear and company. So much history was made within the confine of these ruins, it boggles the mind that so much is still here to bring that history to life. We spent a better part of an entire day here. I don't think we wanted to leave.

Excavation continues

Tempo di Vespasiano and the Arco Di S.Severo



 Detail: Arco Di S. Severo. The detais that remain are amazing.

Tempo di Vesta

It was a dark and stormy [day]...Really!

Overview

WHERE IN THE WORLD ...

"Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome."

~Robert Browning

During my time away from blogging, my husband and I did some traveling and spent time in Italy exploring the big three--Rome, Florence and Venice. Each city had its own unique beauty, energy, art and history. We quickly fell in love with this country that holds so many secrets of the past. And of course, want to go back to all of those places we didn't get to visit on this trip.

Just to be sure we wouldn't forget this trip, I managed to snap 1,270 photos. Editing was a feat, as I didn't want to eliminate any of them. But edit I did. I'd like to share some of those images with you.

I'll start with Rome. Once we settled into our hotel, we discovered that we were very close to the Trevi Fountain, so with guidebook and map in hand, we headed for this well-known landmark.

TREVI FOUNTAIN

 I have to admit, the fountain was not quite what I had expected, but the reality proved even better. It was so much bigger and so much busier than I had imagined. We passed by the fountain several times and each time the place was crowed with sightseers, especially at night. But somehow, this wasn't a negative (I generally don't like crowds when I'm trying to see something for the first time) and the throngs added a certain street energy that I quite enjoyed. We decided to subscribe to the adage "When in Rome..." So we equipped ourselves with gelato, found ourselves a place to sit and just absorbed the convival atmosphere, the beautiful sculptures and the sounds of the falling water. Amazingly, after a while, the noise and the crowds seemed to recede into the background and we found ourselves in a little pocket of isolation where it was just the two of us and the fountain. And yes, we threw our coins into the water. I really hope this ritual has some teeth and we find ourselves back here again one day.

SPANISH STEPS

Scalinata di Spagna

Built in 1723 (with French funds), the Spanish steps got its name from the Spanish Embassy to the Vatican located on the piazza. Another crowded venue, the Steps have always welcomed tourists--18th century dukes and duchesses on their grand tour, 19th century artists and writers in search of inspiraiton--Stendhal, Honore de Balzac, William Thackery and Byron to name a few. Made me less inclined to complain about another crowed venue.

At the bottom of the steps on the piazza is the Fontana della Barcaccia (Fountain of the Unfortuate Boat) by Bernini.

Trinita dei Monti

Cathedral at the top of the Spanish Steps

View from the top of the Spanish Steps. I absolutely fell in love with all of the rooftop gardens and terraces. I could easily imagine myself sitting there of an evening sipping wine with my camera at the ready to snap a beautiful sunset over the city.

At the top of the Spanish Steps to the right of the Cathedral is Via Gregoriana. We were faced with that age old choice of which fork in the road to take and we chose the right. Here was a lovely, quiet and elegant street with beautiful doorways and a most unusual house we later learned was the Palazzetto Zuccari.

Doorway, Via Gregoriana

Palazzetto Zuccari

Shaped to form a monster's face, this house was designed in 1592 in the Mannerist style by the painter Federica Zuccari. The eyes of the monster are the house's windows and the entrance portal is through the monster's mouth. A really amazing structure. A lot of restoration work was being done so I wasn't able to get a really good shot of the "face" but this window gives you a good idea of the uniqueness of the house.

PS - For those who were following my other blog, Picture Perfect Moments, I ran into some problems that caused me to delete the blog and start over. The new address is: http://www.bayside2-pictureperfect.blogspot.com.. I hope to see you there.