Paul was so focused on trying to find our Airbnb that he didn't notice the view down the street until I showed him the picture! This was right around the corner from our Airbnb!!!
On the way to the grocery store
Our airbnb is down the road behind Paul in the video
We took a guided tour of the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum.
Altar in the Temple of Caesar (Julius Caesar)
Caesar's body was cremated on this site. The funeral was held here. "When Caesar's body was burned, his adoring fans threw anything at hand on the fire, requiring the fire department to come put it out. Later, Emperor Augustus dedicated this temple in his name, making Caesar the first Roman to become a god." Rick Steves Italy
Temple of Antoninus (Emperor Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161) and Faustina (his deified wife)
House of the Vestal Virgins
"Chosen from noble families before they reached the age of 10, the six Vestal Virgins each served a 30-year term....Their sacred duty was to be ceremonial homemakers, tending the temple-home of the goddess Vesta. They brought water from a sacred spring, cooked sacred food, polished the ritual silverware, and--most importantly--made sure the hearth fire never went out." Rick Steves Italy
If they served their term faithfully (abstaining for 30 years) they were given a huge dowry and allowed to marry. If they didn't they were buried alive!
Basilica de Santa Francesca Romana in the former Temple of Venus and Roma
Arch of Titus
panels depicting the triumphal procession after the fall of Jerusalem
Basilica of Constantine
only 1/3 of the original Basilica, a mammoth hall of justice.
Umbrella trees brought from Spain and France by Mussolini
Farnese Gardens
Domus Tiberiana
Arch of Constantine-commemorates when Constantine defeated Maxentius in AD 312, became the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire and legalized Christianity
The Colosseum
built in AD 80
covers 6 acres, could accommodate 50,000 people
"As Romans arrived for the games, they'd be greeted outside by a hug bronze statue of the emperor Nero---100 feet tall, gleaming in the sunlight..." Rick Steves Italy
Only part of the wooden floor has been rebuilt so you can see the underground passages where animals and prisoners were held.
"...imagine being an ancient spectator arriving for the games. Fans could pour in through the ground-floor entrances; there were 76 numbered ones in addition to the emperor's private entrance on the north side. Your ticket (likely a pottery shard) was marked with your entrance, section, row and seat number. You'd pass by concession stands selling fast food and souvenirs, such as wine glasses with the names of famous gladiators. A hallway leading to the seats was called a vomitorium. At exit time, the Colosseum would "vomit" out its contents, giving us the English word. It's estimated that a capacity crowd could enter and exit in just 15 minutes." Rick Steves Italy
Trap door where animals were raised up to the floor.
Wher the cross is is where the emperor sat.
Everywhere we walked in this part of Rome there were Ancient Roman ruins and archeological sites. We sat here to eat our gelato.
Forum of Augustus 27 BC-14 AD
Temple of Mars Ultor
Trajan's Column
"...140 foot column decorated with a spiral relief of 2,500 figures trumpeting the emperor's exploits." Rick Steves Italy
Behind is the Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary at Trajan's Forum
Victor Emmanuel Monument
"...monument to Italy's first king, built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's unification in 1861, was part of Italy's push to overcome the new country's strong regionalism and create a national identity." Rick Steves Italy
"With the rise of Fascism in 1922, the Vittoriano became the setting for the military parades of the authoritarian regime of Benito Mussolini. After World War II, with the institution of the Italian Republic in 1946, the monument was stripped of all its Fascist symbols and reassumed its original function as a secular temple dedicated to the Italian nation and its people." wikipedia
"The 43-foot-long statue of the king of his high horse is one of the biggest equestrian statues in the world. The king's moustache forms an arc five feet long, and a person could sit within the horse's hoof." Rick Steves Italy
Michaelangelo's stairway up Capitoline Hill
"Of Rome's famous seven hills, this is the smallest, tallest, and most famous--home of the ancient Temple of Jupiter and the center of city govenrment for 2,500 years.
Theatre of Marcellus and Portico of Octavia
Tiber River
Temple of Hercules Victor
Walking to our airbnb
More stairs!
Drying laundry. I wish I'd taken pictures before we made a mess!
The most uncomfortable bed of the trip. A sofa bed.
I didn't get a picture of the kitchen and bathroom but they were very small. But the location (being so near the Colosseum and Forum) made up for the uncomfortable bed and no view from the apartment.
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