Walking down the street not far from our hotel, Chris was first to notice the iconic walls of the Colosseum peeking through the modern office buildings. Finding our tour was a bit more difficult the next morning since the area is huge, and tour companies stake out their spaces with flags around the park. Finally, we were shuffled into a group of English-speaking tourists with our guide Matteo.
Matteo expertly steered us through the long lines of visitors and X-ray machines in the entry of this first-century amphitheater of limestone and rock, which was the largest in the ancient world. He spoke perfect English, although a bit too quickly to follow easily through my headphones. His focus, unlike our experience at the Vatican, was much more personal as he tried to recreate the experience of a common Roman citizen as he attended an over-the-top event at the Colosseum in the first century A.D.
Matteo pointed out how the commoners sat in the nose-bleed seats and entered the stadium through numbered entries far from the elite. Once inside, the audience was treated to contests between gladiators, animal hunts that included hundreds of animals from as far away as Africa and Asia, battle re-enactments, and the execution of Christians.
He explained that commoners were given tickets to these extravagant shows, which lasted for hours, to ensure their support of the emperor. The games were first described, by a Roman poet, as “bread and circuses,” which is a phrase that means to generate public approval through diversion or distraction by satisfying the populace through food (bread) or entertainment (circuses). It’s interesting how human nature is still controlled by feeding our immediate desires.
Matteo also described how the Colosseum looked back in the day, its columns covered in beautiful mosaics in rich colors. However, over centuries, anything of value had been carted over to the Vatican to add to its rich coffers. Maybe no one complained because the Romans had originally built the Colosseum with wealth gained from ransacking Jewish riches in Jerusalem — and, no doubt, because of all the Christian blood spilled as part of gameday festivities. The view of the many cells and extensive hallways under the ground floor of the Colosseum showed how the intricate shows were created to wow the crowds.
The tour lasted more than three hours and included a trip up Palatine Hill, where we could see the Colosseum, the Forum and other remains of government buildings to imagine the glory of ancient Rome. It’s hard not to imagine what will last in Washington D.C. two thousand years from now and what tour guides will say about the legacy of our own culture.
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum on our first-time trip to Rome was a must for both of us, but we also loved finding other surprises throughout the day on our own. I really wanted to see the Pantheon, which I’d seen often in photos. The architecture, still considered perfectly rendered, of the ancient Roman temple features a massive round dome, with a circular opening at the top that brings in light throughout the day, and its huge bronze doors. Of course, the line of tourists was long, but it moved quickly as visitors simply walked in and around the circular space and out again.
Nearby, with the help of other tourists, we also found the beautiful Trevi Fountain — GPS doesn’t always work that well. Again, on this sunny May afternoon, the popular site was overrun with tourists, so we dropped our coins in the fountain. Hmmm, we definitely stood with our back to the fountain and threw them in. But I guess the tradition says that you should use your right hand to toss a coin over your left shoulder. This will apparently ensure good luck and that you will return to Rome in the future. If you have another two coins on hand, throwing the second coin into the Trevi Fountain will let you meet the love of your life, while the third coin will have wedding bells ringing. (We should have checked out the specifics a bit more before we went!)
We also found another beautiful Catholic Basilica, the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, just down the street from our hotel. We got there after the building had closed for the night, but there was a service going on outside in front when we arrived. The nuns welcomed guests to sit in the chairs with lighted candles, and we decided to stay for a bit. We listened to the chanting and finally realized that the nuns were reciting the rosary — and suddenly the service wasn’t so mysterious anymore.
More yummy restaurants and views from a rooftop bar — just beautiful!
We’re off to the Amalfi Coast!
Between Land and Sky 