Italy Vacation - Day 5

Ahh, it was great to wake up in such an ancient city this morning!  Today we are taking on the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Del Popolo...and a few other side churches that struck our interest.

I'm posting this pic because I like it even though it's blurry.  I would like to have taken more, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, so this is the best I could do...rats!

The Flavian Amphitheater  aka..The Colosseum

This structure is 2,000 years old and truly is massively colossal!  It was built by the Romans who pioneered the use of concrete and the rounded arch, without either element the Colosseum could not have been built on such a large scale.  It's primary usage was for gladiator contests and public speeches such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical Mythology.  When killing became a spectator sport, the Romans wanted to share the fun with as many people as possible, so they stuck 2 semicircular theaters together to create a freestanding amphitheater.  In its day, it held 50,000 spectators.  They even had sailors rig up a canvas roof to cover the entire top thus providing shade for the fans--the first domed stadium!  This must have been a sight to see.  This was where ancient Romans -- whose taste for violence was the equal of modern America's -- enjoyed their Dirty Harry and Terminator...LIVE!  Gladiators, criminals and wild animals fought to the death in every conceivable scenario.  The new bit of reconstructed Colosseum floor gives you an accurate sense of the original floor and the subterranean warren where animals were held, then lifted up in elevators.  Released at floor level, the animals would pop out from behind blinds into the arena--the gladiator didn't know where, when or by what he'd be attacked.  Thank you Rick Steves for that descriptive paragraph and bit-o-history!!

ps..if you're wondering where the beautiful stone that originally covered the Colosseum is, you just need to look around town a bit...it's in this church and that church.  This home or the next...you just have to keep a sharp eye out!!

The facade was four stories and decorated with Greek Doric, Ionic & Corinthian columns.  Don't worry, that's just a fancy way to say ground level, second story, etc. just lets you know where the columns were.  it's all about location, location, location!!

The hypogeum (literally meaning "underground") was connected by underground tunnels to a number of points outside the Colosseum. Animals and performers were brought through the tunnel from nearby stables, with the gladiators' barracks at the Ludus Magnus to the east also being connected by tunnels. Separate tunnels were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins to permit them to enter and exit the Colosseum without needing to pass through the crowds.


Substantial quantities of machinery also existed in the hypogeum Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props, as well as lifting caged animals to the surface for release. There is evidence for the existence of major hydraulic mechanisms and according to ancient accounts, it was possible to flood the arena rapidly, presumably via a connection to a nearby aqueduct.  Thank you Wikipedia!

Help!  I'm being attacked!  Eaten Alive...aaaahh!!!

I'm sure people were wondering who that weirdo was??

I believe we're standing near the Emperor's Box.  Across the stadium, where you see the stripes in the rock (those are made of marble by the way) is where the Vestal Virgin's Box would have been.

 

From the Colosseum you have great views of the Forum & the Arch of Constantine

Part of the Forum, ancient Rome's birthplace and civic center.

  Arch of Constantine

This arch has great historical significance to the world of Christianity.  It marks one of the great turning points in history--the military coup that made Christianity mainstream.  In AD 312, Emperor Constantine defeated his rival Maxetius in the crucial Battle of the Milvian Bridge.  The night before, he had seen a vision of a cross in the sky.  Constantine--whose mother and sister were Christians--became sole emperor and legalized Christianity.  With this one battle, a once-obscure Jewish sect with a handful of followers was now the state religion of the entire Western world.  In AD 300, you could be killed for being a Christian; a century later, you could be killed for not being one.  Church enrollment boomed. ( I had to throw in some more Rick Steves commentary...he cracks me up!)

part of the Forum

Someone was searching for someone named Marco in the crowd today.  They kept saying, "Marco, Marco"...Trent leaned over to me and said very quietly..."Polo"!!  For some reason, I don't think they'd have been amused with our little joke.

After the Colosseum we were starving, so we headed over to the Pantheon to get lunch and relax under its shadow.   It's located at Piazza Rotunda which is a lively place filled with cafe's and gelato shops.  We ate sandwiches and enjoyed talking with the store owner, he was pretty cute.

The Pantheon is the only ancient building in Rome that's been in use since it's construction.  That's quite a track record!  The structure is amazing to see in person.  We sat here a long time just watching the passers by and looking at the Pantheon....then we went in!

 The huge pillars holding up the portico are each made from a solid piece of granite.  They were shipped in from Egypt and are the biggest in Italy.

These are the original bronze doors.  This doorway is immense, you can see how dwarfed the people are.

The dome is 142 feet high and wide.  It was Europe's biggest until the Renaissance.

Between the two of us, we took a lot of photos of the skylight, couldn't help ourselves.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.  The classical architecture and brilliance found in this building are beyond anything I've ever seen.

This is the tomb of Raphael.  He is said to have been greatly influenced and inspired by the Pantheon's architecture.  He requested to be buried here, along with Italy's first two kings.

here's the proof....TRENT & MILLIE WERE HERE!!

Afterward, we noticed we were still hungry.  All this sight seeing and historical greatness had left us famished.  So we had gelato and crepes!  It was so good, that we came back to this particular establishment later for secondsies!

After satisfying our sweet tooth we meandered in the direction of the Trevi Fountain.  On our way we stopped at the San Ignazio church.  This is the home of the false dome.  I couldn't get a decent photo because it was just too dark.  Apparently the locals didn't want a real dome built that would block out their sunlight.....so a fake one was painted on the ceiling above the altar instead.  You have to stand in a specific place in order for the dome to seem real, otherwise it's pretty distorted.


This fountain is from the baroque period.  A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are ensured a return to Rome.  The coins in the fountain are used to feed Rome's needy.

The Spanish Steps...138 of them!

view from the very tippy top.

These are a few photos of another church we explored.  It's called Santa Maria sopra Minerva Church.  The outside is very plain, but the inside gorgeous.  I was in love with the stained glass windows and cursing the limitations of my current camera and lenses!!  But I still like how the pics came out.

Michelangelo carved this muscular Christ Bearing the Cross for the church in 1521.  The bronze drapery covering his nakedness was added later.

We walked up through the busy shopping district and took a rest at the famous Piazza del Popolo.  This huge oval shaped piazza marks the traditional northern entrance into Rome.  The two twin domed churches have the cities main drag between them.  It goes all the way down to Piazza Venezia (which is where we saw the Van Gough exhibit and where the Forum & Colosseum are).

I got a good kick out of this public drinking fountain...I thought the "community cups" were a nice touch!

**Rome hot chocolate...5.5