Rome!

One of the great things about our cruise was that each morning we awoke in a different place. One morning our ship docked very early in Civitavecchia, the port city for Rome. It takes about an hour to get to Rome from port, so we were on our way by 8 a.m. We passed the Cathedral of St. Paul and the Circus Maximus on our way to our first destination in Rome, the Colosseum. Originally called the Flavian Ampetheatre, construction began in 72 a.d. and it took about 8 years to complete. The Collosseum is unbelievably huge, and could seat 50,000 spectators! Our guide led us on a tour inside the Collosseum where she explained that there were lots of battles fought here, but this was not the place where Christians were killed. A much larger venue was needed for that purpose and, she relayed to us, the Romans used the Circus Maximus for the Christians.

This is the inside of the Colloseum. Most of the seating is long gone, but our guide explained that the most important people sat closest to the stage with higher rows intended for those of lesser status. Slaves and women occupied the very top levels. This photo was taken at ground level, so those alleys you can see would have been under the floor. That is where the prisoners were held while awaiting their turn in the arena.

The floor has been partially reconstructed to give visitors an idea of what it might have been like inside. Apparently there is also an historical reference to a sea battle being fought here. This would have occurred before the floor was added. It is believed that the lowest levels were flooded and ships were floated in the middle of the arena.

The large cross marks the spot where the Emperor would have been seated. 

 There were several "gladiators" hanging around outside, posing for photos. 

After spending some time at the Colosseum it was time to head off for the Trevi Fountain and lunch. We walked from the Fountain to our luncheon spot, and were treated to some beautiful buildings along the way. 

You can see that this is quite a steep climb up. Can you guess why it was built like this
instead of with steps? The answer is that the ancient Romans wanted to be able to bring horses
all the way up to the doorway!

We were amazed to see bits and pieces of ancient columns and sculptures lying along the way as we walked. Our guide explained that the ancient Romans were early recyclers. Once the Colosseum was no longer in use craftsmen came and took pieces to reuse in whatever new building they were working on. Each time there is any excavation work done in Rome there is a high likelihood of uncovering something from the ancient city.

Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world. It marks the end of an aqueduct that carried water to Rome. Made famous by the movie "Three Coins in the Fountain", visitors flock to Trevi Fountain daily. It is said if you throw a coin into the fountain you are guaranteed a return visit to Rome. It is estimated that almost 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. That's about $3800 US at today's exchange rate! Scott and I realized early on in the day that we want to return to Rome to explore this city further, so, yes, we left a couple of pennies in the fountain.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch, but our day was far from done. During the afternoon we went to Vatican City to see the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. At the end of the day we were definitely tired, but what an amazing day we had!