Rome Part 2

Thankyou for your patience in waiting for our next blog and photos ….. we thought that Rome would be an easy week for us, after the hectic two weeks we had in Tuscany….. how wrong we were!  Our feet are protesting, our legs are aching…. We’ve done nothing but walk from 9am until 6 at night. Exhausting, but satisfying!!

We commenced our week in Rome by independently exploring the ancient centre from Capitoline Hill down to the Forum, and then  to the centre of entertainment, the Colosseum.The great ampitheatre took eight years to build and whe completed in AD80 staged deadly gladitorial combat and wild animal fights. The Colosseum could hold up to 55,000 people (We think this exceeds the capacity of AAMI stadium by some 4,000 people).

The Colosseum

The ancient centre is far more extensive than we initially thought and have arranged a guided tour later this week to further explore in detail. So much history ….. it’s truly amazing.



'oh dear......' Phew! No fibs today!



In the tradition of the movie, ‘Roman Holiday’ we both put our hand into the ‘Bocca Della Verita’’ (Mouth of Truth)which was once believed to have been a drain hole cover and now is located in the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. According to mediaevel tradition, the jaws would snap shut on people prone to telling fibs. Thankfully both our hands are intact!

We lunched at a little bar overlooking the Tarpeian Rock which is a cliff from which traitors were believed to have been throw to their death in ancient Rome. We wandered through the Don Ata with the statues of Castor and Pollux (not the ones from ‘Face Off’, the movie).

Tina and Patrizia

After wandering back to the hotel and freshening up, we then met Tina’s cousin Patrizia and her husband Vicenzo and their delighful daughter, Matilde. We shared a wonderful  late evening meal with them in their favourite restaurant. We plan to catch up again later in the week.

Yesterday we hit the famous Via Dei Condotti for and surrounding streets for some serious shopping (or at least, broswing, as most of what we saw was way out of our price range).

The Spanish Steps

We found our way to the Spanish Steps where we enjoyed our usual picnic lunch with a myriad of others with the same idea as us. Tina had a scare after buying warm, roasted chestnuts on the corner of Via Dei Condotti  where she felt she almost had her handbag/wallet stolen, but her  instinctives were on full alert and she was spared the anguish. Paul was on the other side of the road filming the whole thing, little did the thugs realise!  These guys have perfectly planned scams, they are very discreet, and to those who are unaware or too trusting, they must often succeed in their exploits. Their attempts at spoiling my holiday was foiled! It was obvious that the chestnut seller and the second guy were working together as their glance to each other was captured on our video. Travellers, be alert!



Throwing the three coins into the Trevi Fountain



Today’s hightlight (after  more pounding the pavement to browse at the exclusive shops) was Rome’s largest and most famous fountain, The Trevi fountain, completed in 1762. The site originally marked the terminal of an ancient Rome aqueduct built in 19BC to channel water to Rome’s new bath complexes. The fountain features Neptune in the centre, flanked by two tritons. One trying to control an unruly seahorse whilst the other is leading a quieter animal, symbolising the two contrasting moods of the sea. Along with hundreds of other visitors, we too threw our coins in to the fountain with the hope of again returning to Rome.



The Trevi Fountain

 

A short stroll away found us to the Pantheon. The circular temple, the ancient temple of the Gods, is fronted by a massive columned portico. Standing  inside the Pantheon, you can see the huge dome containing a nine metre wide oculus (open hole in the roof), which provides the only light. The Pantheon is lined with tombs containing the final resting places of the italian monarchs.

 

The oculus and the sun's light in the darkened Patheon



    

Our day ended with a refreshing home-made spritz (yes, Julie and GC, we’ve bought the ingredients to make our own!!!)  and a rest on our balcony before a well deserved meal eaten out nearby. An earlier than usual night to re-charge for another day of walking tomorrow!

Thankyou for those who are reading our blog, and for those who also leave us comments. They are always  greatly appreciated.

Sam and Rosa, we have received your comments and know that you share closely in our holiday as you were here not that long ago. Hope Jess keeps safe and enjoys every minute of her travels.

Angela, thankyou for your kind words, you too know what it’s like, to be here in this amazing country!

Murray, you were here only last year, and so you can easily understand the frantic  pace and the time out needed to stroll.

Take heart Bruno, Paul has taken to wearing pants again, don’t think the underpants ‘look’ was going to catch on outside Lucca.

Yr 2/3 and Miss Bateman, hope you are all well and keeping warm. I hear it is getting colder there, hope you haven’t had too many recess or lunch plays inside. Thinking of you all, I threw in extra coins  into the Trevi Fountain for your too!

Lau and Mic, hope you have settled in to your new house, can't wait to visit!

This is causing great controversy here, in Rome, a newly completed statue of Pope John Paul ll, love it or hate it, make up your own minds!

By the way, welcome to Winter, we're in Summer here!!!! bahahah!!!!!