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Cross Town
There are two subway lines that crisscross Rome, and many buses that fill in the spaces. However, everything is within walking distance for the more athletic tourist. In the morning, we took a different route across toward the Spanish Steps. We got to see many different ruins, fountains, etc at almost every turn. The highlight of this walk was definitely the Pantheon.
Pantheon
Constructed in 27BC, this temple was supposed to celebrate all of the pagan gods of ancient Rome. It is built in a circle and used to house
the statues of different gods and goddesses. The whole in the center of the dome lets in enough natural light to keep the place bright and also act as a sun dial. The building was given to the Catholic Church by one of the later emperors, after Constantinople. The church wasted no time in changing the statues and purpose of the building to show their dominance over the old religion. The names of a couple popes
are now inscribed on the wall to remind us of our history. I thought it was all a little sad, but the building is very well preserved precisely because of the work of the church. For a panorama of the inside of this circular structure, check out the
QuictimeVR.
Enjoy Rome
After some great pizza on Via Mercede, we had to meet our tour group at the Colloseum. There are tons of tourists in Rome every summer, and everyone wants to see the same stuff. It all seems kind of silly in a way, but then again, all of Europe, and the Americas can trace its history to Rome somehow. Maybe it is good to learn a bit about it. Enjoy Rome is a cultural organization that seems to target
Americans, or at least English speakers. They offer walking tours of Ancient Rome, the Vatican, and even in Florence and other places. I am not a big fan of tours, but sometimes it is hard to understand ruins and old buildings without an expert to paint the picture for you. Suzi did a great job.
Evening
After a thoroughly exhausting tour of the colloseum, forums, and a couple piazzas, we were again on our own. 10pm. The city is quite lively at night. Some of the backstreets are a bit dark and dirty, but when you come upon a plaza, the city comes alive. We wandered up to Giolitti's for the famous ice cream recommended to us by many sources. I had a big cone with coffee, tiramisu, and banana ices. Very classy. We walked back to the Fountain Trevi to do some more people watching. The sites in Rome are expensive, but the atmosphere is free. We had another late-night shower and then off to bed.
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