6/22 When in Rome...

SATURDAY!  What a wonderful day.  Today was the day that Lexy and I decided to head to Rome on our own to check out the more touristy stuff.  Paula and her family were going there too, so we traveled together.  We got into Rome around 9, which was perfect timing, because by the time we were off the metro the Colosseum had opened.  

The
Colosseum

The metro stop at the Colosseum was fun.  You walk out of this shabby, dirty hallway with tagging all over the place packed with people, walk up some stairs, and poof!  Right in front of your nose are the towering walls of the Colosseum.  I stopped dead in my tracks.  I knew what it would look like, but I wasn’t expecting that.  Absolutely spectacular.  Lexy and I tried to stay together, but this is certainly one of those places where you are looking up and around so much staying with a party is difficult if not impossible (so totally bring a leash for the husband if you go).  I ended up alone after just a few minutes, which worked out pretty good.  There are two levels that you can visit.  I started on the upper level, looking down into the arena.  They have a small section of the arena floor rebuilt to show what it would have looked like.  When it was originally in use they covered the floor of the Arena with sand, and the scientific name of the type of sand they used actually translates into "arena."  The sand was necessary to soak up the copious amounts of blood spilt during the games and prevent the combatants from slipping. Under this stage the basement and lower levels are laced with small holes, these are where the pulleys and ropes would have been to help raise animals and sets onto the arena floor.  Apparently they used to bring up entire sets to help make the games more interesting.  In one set they brought up a wooden whale which then released 50 bears.  Can you imagine a wooden whale that large being brought up by pulleys filled with bears?  That just boggles my mind thinking about what they were able to do.  

The colosseum was built in only 8 years.  This is a very short amount of time for the period.  For example one of the churches in the area took over 100 years to build! The reason they were able to do this so quickly is because Emperor Vespasian looted a temple in Jerusalem during the Siege of Jerusalem.  He returned with huge amounts of gold, large golden menorahs and other objects of gold (you can see these depicted on his memorial arch) that he melted down to make coins to fund the building of the Colosseum.  He also returned with thousands of Jewish slaves to use in the construction process.  To celebrate the opening of the Colosseum there were 100 days of feasts and games during which 10,000 gladiators and 5,000 wild animals were killed.

Gladiatorial games were held until 404AD when they were abolished by the Emperor Honorius. 

The Colosseum looks in such disrepair today because it was basically "recycled."  The marble and metals used in the structure were taken out and used for churches or other building projects.  There was also a large earthquake that did some damage to the structure.  I always thought it looked the way it did do to weathering, but that’s just not the case.  

Oh!  I should discuss the name!!!  It’s not really the Colosseum.  It’s the Flavian Amphitheater after Titus and Vespasian’s dynasty.  The name Colosseum came from a statue of Nero that used to sit next to the amphitheater named Colissus Solis.  Hence, Colosseum.  This statue is no longer there, but you can see the bronze that covered it in the Vatican.

Around the outside of the middle level where we were able to get to, there were statues and writings explaining about Roman culture, how they made statues, constructed the buildings, stones they used, so much amazing information!  It would take an entire day to go through the Colosseum properly.  After looking around for a few hours, I met back up with my group and we took off to grab some lunch.  Course I stopped by a little gift shop and bought Drew a little Roman coin.  Shhhh, don’t tell him!

At this point Paula and her family decided to part ways with us, which worked fine.  Great people to be around, I’m glad we got the morning together.  Lexy and I took off to lunch, then decided to hit up the Forum.  During lunch we kept trying to think of what the forum was, and neither of us had a clue.  After seeing it, I have to say it was even more awesome than the Colosseum.  

The Forum is right across the street from the Colosseum.  The entrance was a bit of a cluster, I lost Lexy just a bit in the line.  However, talk about making lemonade.  In my attempt to get back to her I bumped into this man named Blake who asked if I was with his group.  I said I was just trying to get to my friend and he said that he was giving a free tour.  I’m betting you had the same reaction I had to that.  Free?  Really?  I told Lexy when I finally got to her, and we both decided to watch from a distance.  Blake gives paid tours and this was a “trial” tour.  I am so happy we ran into him.  Blake spoke perfect English (he is originally from Baltimore) which seems oddly rare lately.  So, we had a tour guide we could understand in a place with nothing but crazy ruins with no signs.  Had it not been for his tour this would have just been a stroll through rocks.

Blake explained to us that the forum is where all of the emperors lived.  When a new one took over, they built their own home.  Can you imagine all these palaces in one area?  Astounding.  He took us to a dining room in the beginning of the tour.  Again, I would never have known what it was on my own.  The dining room was situated right next to a lowered arena, basically a small Colosseum.  This was for when the emperor didn't feel like watching games with 40-80 thousand other people.  Behind us in the dining room (where the umbrella pine now sits) there used to be a small temple.  This temple would be dedicated to what ever the current emperor's god of choice was.  As people entered through the front doors they would walk on a raised walkway directly to this temple where they would offer sacrifices to the god before entering the rest of the home.  Again, creepy to stand somewhere where animals were sacrificed.  We then saw the slave tunnels where the slaves would conduct all their work without being seen in the palace.  

Blake then described how frescoes are made.  I had no idea!  I had taken for granted that they had some form of paint in this time, but that’s not the case.  Apparently the people would put plaster on the walls, and while it was still wet they would apply something from nature that was the color they wanted.  Dried petals that have been ground up.  Dried egg yolks ground up...  These “paints” still survive in many areas today.  Simply amazing.

Oh wow, we saw so much.  The next area he took us to was full of beautiful buildings that had not been “recycled.”  The walls that were left in the palaces were obviously made of brick, however when they were whole they were faced with marble.  We could see holes in the walls where the hooks for the marble slabs would have hung. The marble is now in different churches around Rome!  We passed the first emperor's home, which was right next to the most recent emperor's home, Mussolini.  You know, I remember learning about Mussolini in ROTC, but when you live half a world away it just feels differently.  History is completely different when you are looking straight at the relics.

The last chunk of our tour took us to the Arch of Titus.  The Arch of Titus is just beautiful and served as the inspiration for L’arc De Triumph in Paris.  After Emperor Titus died his body was placed in the top of the arch.  I’m betting he’s not still there...  Just a guess.  We then visited some beautiful churches.  Interesting fact.  Many of the Roman buildings were not brought down and reused because they were then converted into churches.  It seems like incredible structures are commonly destroyed in war and disagreements, so it’s refreshing to hear that history was preserved this time.

Our tour ended at the tomb of Julius Caesar.  Blake had brought a very neat book with him that shows the “before” and “after” of a location.  He showed us what Caesar’s tomb looked like when it was built, then had us turn around.  Little to nothing is left of his tomb.  Not really surprising, seeing how much has been taken down.  The Circus Maximus where they used to have chariot races is now a park.  Another area like that has been turned into a piazza.  After hearing that I am grateful the Colosseum was preserved, although the reason is quite horrible.  Because Christians had been killed in the Colosseum Pope Benedict XIV decided to stop it’s destruction to make a memorial to them.  That’s the purpose of the large cross you see when you first enter the Collosseum.

Alright, I feel like I went to a really awesome history class.  For the record, Blake does lots of other tours, but they are a bit pricey.  I have the brochure if you are interested.

At this point Lexy and I were exhausted, so we decided to return home.  Nothing too exciting here, except for when the conductor decided to get snippy with her for resting her foot on another seat.  I think he only got so grumpy because I said “Non capisco.”  Apparently that now means, “I don’t speak Italian, so go ahead and yell at me and make mean sarcastic faces at me.”  We didn’t really care.  We were so tired we both found it quite funny.  I hope he has a better day...

Tonight we are taking off for a festival they are having in Scott’s Piazza.  From the sounds of it, Vegas is going to be a disappointment.  I hear there is sequence, an accordion, singing, and dancing.  This could be very interesting...