ROME – the Eternal City

Saturday – after the late night spent at the Vatican Museums we are a bit slow getting on the move this morning.  We hoped to be out and about by 8.30am but alas, that is not meant to be and we are still at the apartment at 11am!

 We did a bit of shopping at the local supermarket last night so we have some toast – with Vegemite of course – juice and fruit – oh, and of course good strong coffee.  Pondering today’s itinerary our first stop should have been the Mouth of Truth but as we had to get there early to avoid the long queues this is now out of the question.

This afternoon we have a tour of the Colosseum’s Dungeons at 4.20pm so we will head in that general direction knowing that we will not be disappointed with a lack of Imperial Rome.  Out of the apartment and it is hot, very hot, but not humid like Venice.  There are many street vendors with their little vans along the way so we stock up on a bottle of frozen water with the plan being that we will refill it at the many fountains.

Our first point of interest is the Piazza del Campidoglio (photo above) – another of Michelangelo’s sites.  You can practically see the heat of the day in the photo.  In 1546 Michelangelo drew up plans for the renovating the Capitol.  Completed in the 17th century, the piazza retains some of the original design.

At the centre of the Piazza stands a replica of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180.  He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus’ death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers.  The original statue is in the nearby Musei Capitolini

I could go on and on and put in hundreds of history lessons but that would only bore you to tears and make these posts longer than War and Peace, so the choice will be yours – if you want to read more about Marcus Aurelius click here.  That makes it easy for everyone.

Around the corner from this Piazza is a walkway that leads to the top of the Roman Forum – the heart of Imperial Rome.  But in the beginning there were Romulus and Remus.  The legend has it that the twin brothers were abandoned by their mother and raised by a she-wolf.

Moving along in the story they fight and Remus is killed by his brother thereby leaving Romulus to found the city of Rome.

From this point we can look down into the Roman Forum and also across the road to the Imperial Forum.

We will be spending a couple of hours at the Roman Forum later in the week so more about that visit when the time arrives but here is a photo to whet your appetite.  The main part of the Forum is the photo on the left. Excited?  I am!

We head down the steps and towards the Victor Emmanuel Monument.  You can read all about it at your leisure.

When Rome was liberated in WWII, the allied soldiers gave it the nickname of ‘The Wedding Cake’.  Victor Emmanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849  until, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878. The Italians gave him the epithet Father of the Fatherland.  This is a building that seems a bit over the top with statues but of course, keeping with tradition, parts are under restoration.  That’s Victor on his horse at the front of the Monument.

Considering the heat of the day it is surprising to note how many tourists are out and about, but then again, we are out and about aren’t we? Maybe time to find a little shade and enjoy a sip of our frozen water.

We dodge the traffic and cross the street to the side where Trajan’s Column is a highlight of the Imperial Forum.  This is not to be confused with the Roman Forum.

Sitting in the shade opposite the Column we relax and take stock of the situation and agree we definitely do not relish walking in  the burning Roman sun – lucky we have our hats, sunscreen, cold drink etc.

Mustering our enthusiasm we head down the Via Dei Fori Imperiali – the main roadway to the Colosseum.  We are on the left side of the street and we pass by more of the Imperial Forum.

Of course the mandatory restoration work is being carried out but there is still plenty to see.

There are trees strategically placed along the way so it is a good reason to stop in the shade, take lots of photos, sip on the icy water which is quickly melting and just imagine how these ruins looked many years ago.

Roman citizens dressed in their togas going about their business either shopping, meeting friends or participating in everyday Roman life.

This is the Temple of Mars Ultor or Mars the Avenger.

HISTORY LESSON : In the battle of Philippi in 42 BC, in which Augustus and Mark Antony (yes, THAT Mark Antony from Cleopatra fame) worked together and avenged Caesar’s death, defeating the forces of Brutus and Cassius, Augustus vowed to build the Temple of Mars Ultor (“Mars the Avenger”). The incomplete forum was inaugurated, after 40 years of construction, in 2 BC, adding the second monumental square, the Forum of Augustus.

Speaking of Caesar there is also this statue of the most famous of all Roman Emperors – Julius Caesar.

He holds out his arm to us as if to say ”This is my Empire, everything you see before you belongs to the citizens of Rome – welcome citizen and enjoy’.  I have seen many pictures of Caesar and also many movies including the infamous Taylor/Burton Cleopatra, as I am sure you have, but this statue seems somehow to capture the spirit and the character of the man.

Yep, my imagination is off and running again.

William Shakespeare even wrote a play about Caesar and he seems to sum up the man and say it best ‘This was the noblest Roman of them all; All the conspirators save only he did that they did in envy of great Caesar; He, only, in a general honest thought and common good to all, made one of them.  His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and say to all the world, ‘This was a man!’

Leaving Caesar in the shade of the trees (lucky him) we continue our walk and turning our attention to where we are going – this is our first glimpse of the Colosseum.

Such excitement – it’s a bit like standing and viewing the Parthenon in Athens for the first time.  As you can see there is a lot of restoration going on down the road but tucked away in a little alcove there is a Tourist Information Centre that also has a little cafe – so of course – time for coffee!

A lovely little place that makes wonderful strong coffee at a most reasonable cost, this cafe will become a regular highlight of our walks down this main thoroughfare.  We also discover they have Calippo ice blocks.  What a gold mine!

Highlight so far : The meet and greet with Julius Caesar