On the second day in Rome, we were wandering around when we saw a gathering going on in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (Saint Mary of the Angles and the Martyrs), which was only about two blocks from our hotel. Although we have no idea what the purpose was, it was fun to watch the people and the band. We also ventured inside the Basilica, which of course, was beautiful.
Later in that day, we headed towards the Colosseum since we had signed up for an afternoon walking tour. Our first view of the Colosseum was as we turned the street corner and it loomed in front of us. We were to wait by the arch (which, like the many arches in Rome, was built to celebrate winning a battle) near the Colosseum for our tour guide. We went there a half hour early so that we could eat our picnic lunch (bread and cheese—same thing every day since we could pick it up at our breakfast buffets). But, it turned out that there was a communication problem between the hotel and the tour company, so our tour guide never showed up at the arch. Once we had passed the tour time, we called the tour company. (This was the first time we were really glad we had decided, before we left, to get an iPhone and turn on International service so we would have a phone in case we needed it.) We called just in time since the tour was about to start, and they wondered where we were. A few minutes later, we were with the tour group.
Originally, wooden seats covered the stone sides of the Colosseum. Also, the stage that has been built for events that take place in the Colosseum was actually part of an entire floor that covered the "dungeons" where the wild animals, prisoners, and gladiators were kept as they waited to be part of the games. Our tour guide insisted that, although it is commonly said that Christians were killed in the Colosseum as part of the games, this atrocity never happened.
After we left the Colosseum, our tour proceeded through another arch to the Roman Forum. On the way, we took the picture of the twin iron chariots on top of a building across the way. The Forum was a center of business in ancient Rome and is now a collection of pillars and foundations. The wall showing right behind the tour guides' head was covered with dirt up to where it lightens (about at the top of her head). Modern-day Romans excavated the area and revealed the whole wall as well as all the other pieces of the forum. The sculpture of a She-Wolf depicts the legend of Romulus and Remus –two brothers who were raised by a she-wolf and then founded Rome. Our tour ended at the top of a hill behind the Forum where a current government building (peach-colored building with the two sets of steps meeting at the door) and two large museums were situated. Although we understand that these two museums are especially good ones, it was already late in the afternoon, and these museums were not on our list to see. So, we walked back to our hotel.
The next day, we went to find the Cemetery of the Capuchino Brothers. On the way, we took pictures of a Smart Car (because there were so many Smart Cars in Rome) and the Chiesa sculpture wall simply because we happened upon it. We could not take pictures in the cemetery, but the picture of the monk holding the skull is on the outside wall. Within the cemetery, the monks used the bones of dead monks to create mosaic designs. It really was quite unusual!
The lineup of scooters shows the popularity of scooters in Rome. Due to the narrow streets and the shortage of parking, scooters are very popular. Also, the scooter drivers are allowed to dart in and out amongst the cars, so they can get around through the heavy traffic much easier than can cars.
Since Rome is a hilly city, we often found ourselves at high points with great views of the city as well as of the roof-top patios. Also, we came upon many big, old churches that were not on our list to see, but were almost always amazing! This particular one actually had a service going on, but it was full of tourists anyhow.
The view of the high-fashion shopping street leading up to the Trevi fountain shows the throngs of tourists that were in Rome even though it was February, which is supposed to be an off season.
Near the Spanish steps is located one of the largest and fanciest MacDonald's in the world. The picture of the urinal is in MacDonalds and shows the TV screen, which was showing ads. Apparently the Romans want to take advantage of a captive audience! The restaurant was very crowded, despite having over a hundred seats. We stood in line for 30 minutes to get some French Fries just so we could say we ate there! After we left McDonald's we had a picnic lunch on the Spanish Steps (again, courtesy of our buffet breakfast carry-out).
While looking for the Pantheon, we happened upon these old pillars onto which a newer building had been built. The pillars were on one side of a big square, so we thought we had found the Pantheon. But, after passing by the shop with the wooden motorcycle and the silver guys (who became very animated whenever someone donated to them), we found the Pantheon. It turned out to be much more elaborate than the pillars we had first found and thought were impressive. The Pantheon was originally a Pagan temple, but is now a Christian facility.
Again, the many scooters around Rome and back to the Trevi Fountain. This time, we through coins in and made wishes since we had not done so when we were first there. On our way back to our hotel, we encountered more squares, more sculptures, a wedding, palm trees, a Burger King, the chariots we had seen from the Forum, remnants of the catacombs showing between houses, and an interesting iron fence. That night, we attended the LaTraviata Opera at a gorgeous church. The photo showing the inside of a church with the altar covered with a white cloth overlaid with a green cloth is the church where we attended the Opera. The picture of Ellen in her coat sitting on a chair is right after we got inside for the opera. We sat next to Karen and Ray from near Birmingshire, England. We met them while we were waiting in line to get in. Naturally, we couldn't take pictures during the show. Afterwards, back in our room, since it was our last night in Rome, we took a picture of our room, which we felt sad to be leaving.
On our second-to-last night, we ate at "Est, Est, Est," which our hotel desk guy recommended. We had great pizza. On our final night we ate at Ristorante Strega, which was a few blocks away and also recommended by the guy at our hotel desk. The ravioli was fantasic!!
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