December 2004 Archives

Everything you've seen on this blog so far concering Rome we saw on our first day, although some pictures were taken on subsequent visits. Rome is very accessable and the sights are concentrated in a walkable area. On day 2, we decided to pay a visit to the Pope, or at least his house. 

When Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon in 120 A.D., he probably wanted it to last a while. And last it did, remaining the largest dome on Earth until the Rennaissance, and after that influencing countless artists across the globe.  Finding the Pantheon on your first day in Rome can be a challenge, as the streets of the Old City twist and turn with a logic that takes at least three days to sink in.  Along the way you'll feel like an explorer journeying through the ever-turning narrow streets:

And you'd be best to watch out for the Vespas, scooters that seem to have the right-of way everywhere and often travel at speeds considered unreasonable under the laws of physics:

But at some point, you'll turn a narrow corner, and you'll see great columns on a piazza. The Pantheon.

Inside, the 2000 year old dome is very impressive, and completely intact.

Now a church, the inside of the temple is decorated with Rennaissance art.

Also on the Piazza is a lovely fountain.

All is not pristine, however. What's wrong with this picture?

At night, Rome transforms. It's like seeing two different cities. Because Roman life restarts at 6:00, you get more vacation time for your money than in many American cities, which can sometimes shut up like a drum at 5:00.  The fountain takes on a new personality at night.

And the Pantheon looks more mysterious.

As we leave, we wander through the narrow streets again, past the many flower vendors to find a bus (many run every 5 minutes) to take us back to our temporary home.

Aaah, the Forum. As in THE Forum, where the most important Roman government buildings, to this day, still at least partially stand. A vast area between the Colosseum and Capitoline Hill, the best overall views can be had from nearby Palatine Hill. We visited The Forum several times during the week, discovering new sights each time. 

Update: Since my trip in 2004, the Italian government has instituted a fee to visit the Forum. This is a bit sad, as one of the highlights of our trip was just casually walking through this extraordinary collection of ruins - and not-so-ruined, for that matter - as if it was just a thoroughly integrated part of the city, and returning to it on a whim.  But if the ruins are to be preserved in roughly their current state, funds are necessary, and the Italians felt that cordoning off the area and charging a fee was their best option. If you go, get the combo ticket to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Forum (they are all right next to each other, and you will need a full day). 

Just across from the Colosseum is Palatine Hill, containing the palace built by Emperor Domition. According to the Rick Steves guidebook, Domitian built the palace to distance himself from nasty Emperor Nero, who's house we visited later in the trip. Domitian liked to have enough room in a house to stretch his legs, that's for sure. The path weaves through ruins such as Domitian's private stadium, where he had his own personal chariot races:

The round structure in the middle is where the Emperor sat, 2,000 years ago, and watched his athletes perform.

The arena was of course guarded by more of Emperor Burlusconi's vicious lions, this one apparently having given his leg in service:

Romans have loved fountains for a long, long time. Domitian had a modest one in his backyard.

When visiting Palatine Hill, be careful not to stub a toe. It could hurt more than you think. This thing is about the size of a St. Bernard.

Views abound, including all those famous Roman domes that seem to go on endlessly in the distance. And oh yes, we'll be visiting those domes in excruciating detail later on. Well, excruciating for us, as we climbed one of them--relatively easy for you.

Dad posed with a standing portion of the old palace.

We exited with a view of the Colosseum, which was very convenient for the Emperor.

In front of the Colosseum, Italian Police Uniform #1. We'll keep track of how many we see.

Coming next: where the Romans kept their treasure.