On Monday the group walked to the Colosseum in the afternoon. I walk pretty quickly, and I had trouble keeping up with Sherrie and Dr. Rea, who were worried we would miss our appointment time at the Colosseum. We wove in and out of groups of people at a brisk pace all the way from the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (commonly referred to as the "Wedding Cake") up the street to the Colosseum. I could see it all the way down the street, and gradually more and more of it came into view. From my perspective the left half of it was covered in scaffolding, which is the part of the Colosseum that is the tallest and most intact. Once the group caught our breathe we listened to Dr. Rea as she explained the origins of the Colosseum to us. She also described the Arch of Constantine that was directly behind her as she spoke.
We then entered the Colosseum, which I think is aptly named as it is enormous even in its relatively dilapidated state. We climbed a set of steep stairs to the upper level, where we looked out at what remains of the stadium floor. I tried to imagine how impressive it would have looked back when it was first built, with the floor complete and covered in sand, white marble covering much of the stone, and retractable awnings to provide shade for those in attendance. I wish that it still looked as it did then because I am not sure I can truly imagine how magnificent it was. I was awed by the experience, and grateful that we still have the Colosseum as a testament to the achievements of the ancient Romans.
Tuesday afternoon we visited the Roman Forum, which is right next to the Colosseum. Whenever I heard about the Forum as it is today I pictured a flat, dusty rectangle with a few columns and the footprints of some buildings. What is actually there is much more complex. The ground is far from flat as much of the Forum was built on the Capitoline hill. While almost everything there is in ruins (with the exception of a few temples that were converted into churches) archeologists have unearthed many remnants of temples that are still identifiable as buildings. We saw the house of the Vestal Virgins, the Law Courts, and the Rostra, where orators would stand and speak (or have their heads and hands displayed after their deaths, as in the case of Cicero). I wrote down in my notebook as many descriptions and names of the sites as I could, but there was so much there to see that I know I missed some. I took a bunch of pictures, though, so that I can at least remember what everything looked like.
We also got to climb the Palatine Hill and see the remnants of the supposed Village of Romulus. We walked through the remains of the Imperial Palace, which was so incomprehensibly large that I have no idea how the Romans built it. As with the Colosseum, my mind is incapable of picturing the ruins as they used to be, even though much of it remains. The President of the United States lives in a shack in comparison, that is how large the palace was. Unfortunately we weren't able to go into the Palatine Museum because it is closed for renovations for Augustus' 2000 birthday.
It was a long, tiring afternoon and I forgot my sunscreen, but the weather was cooler than is usual for July and there was a nice breeze most of the time. I find the ruins to be beautiful, especially since they are what remains of buildings that truly were beautiful once upon a time. I enjoyed my afternoons walking where the Romans walked, imagining what they would have seen. I am so lucky to be able to spend the next few weeks continuing to explore ancient sites and living in the heart of Rome.
This weekend I am off to Florence with the entire group. I'll return to Rome on Sunday, with a post about the weekend to come shortly thereafter.
-Allison
Inside the Colosseum
View of the outside of the Colosseum
The Arch of Constantine
View of the Roman Forum from on the Palatine Hill
Domitian's Stadium, part of the Imperial Palace complex
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