The End of Rome As We Know It: Day Three

The Eternal City earned its nickname- and we just love Rome! Like the two days before it, our next - and unfortunately last- day was filled with one adventure after another. Had we a bit more time, we would have explored the city at a more leisurely pace. We still had the southern part of the country to see (Amalfi Coast and Sorrento) as well as our last stop, several days in Paris.

The breakfast room- Beautiful!

After yet another wonderful breakfast at the Hotel Ponte Sisto, we decided to walk it off to our next destination, a tour through the breathtaking ruins the Palatine Hill. Next would be the Colosseum, right across the street. We walked, but if you wanted to take the Metro, the Termini station is literally at the base of all the tour operators. 

My measly photographs do not do it justice. 

If you are planning a trip to Rome, you'll definitely include these two destinations in your itinerary. If you are interested in history, you'll find the tours go by much too quickly. (Make sure you also do the Scavi Tour, which you must book way in advance. It's a very limited group that gets in and can be quite a pain to get, but it is the neatest thing we've ever done anywhere. Make sure you go through the official site here.)

Back to the ruins. Be prepared to do a lot of walking and on a variety of street conditions. It's often uphill. It's often rocky. It's often difficult. But it is always worth the effort! Buy the icy cold water offered by street vendors. You'll need it. Even in the early winter months, it is quite hot. I wish I'd remembered a hat.

With the area's rich, rich history and incredible views of the city, this is something you do not want to miss. Any of the tours will do the trick. Know that you will be placed into groups of about 20+ people. If you want to hear the narration, and you should, stay close to your guide. The place is buzzing with people. You'll hear dialects and languages from all over the world. 

As with every civilization, the more the people engaged in debauchery of all types, the quicker they went downhill. Then, another conquering people would come in and set up camp. You see opulence in full color on this tour. The wealth of the city's richest patrons is easy to see as the architecture and stonework make this a place like no other. When you add in the stunning views, it is just magnificent. The four of us may have taken more photographs in just this part of the city than anywhere else on our trip together. 

All this stone makes it very, very hot!

With the Colosseum across the street, this is the tourist hub of the city. The Vatican may hold more people in the wide open spaces of the outer courts, but this area of Rome feels absolutely crushing at times. Hold on to your children. They can easily get lost, and parents urgently looking for little ones will have a hard time finding them after a few minutes. These tours are not stroller friendly. Rome is great for families, but Pre-School aged kids will not be able to get anything out of these tours nor can they handle the decaying steps and difficult paths. 

The Colosseum is a marvel of engineering and a place of bloody spectacle. According to history, the local people would come by during their breaks from work to watch the epic battles which took place. Sometimes, it was man to man, gladiator to gladiator. Other times, it was a criminal (usually a Christian because Christianity was outlawed then) up against the lions. In either case, man to man or man to animal, it was a bloodbath. Once the faith of those who follow Jesus was recognized, eventually this cross (above) was placed inside the great arena. 

At both the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, the security is very tight. You will go through a complete search and check much like you would at any international airport. Be prepared for long waits. 

A little lunch, please.

Completing our tours, we were hot and hungry. There are plenty of places near these attractions, but we decided we would walk about one mile or so into some of the neighborhoods in town, away from the tourists. We found this worked to our advantage and the food and drink were usually better and the prices lower.

We stumbled into this busy little locals hangout. Like a lot of Europe these days, English language menus are offered when they have them. It seems Italians in particular like Americans, as everywhere we went we were warmly greeted, and everyone seemed to enjoy interacting with us. (Later, contrary to popular opinion, we also found this to be true in Paris.)

This just belongs here.

Our midday break with salads, pizzas, and a nice beverage created a terrific stop as well as a chance to rest and talk about the morning's adventures. Friendly, relaxed service and excellent food. Great friends and lots of laughs. What more could you want, right?

From the top of the Spanish Steps. 

Refreshed and reenergized, there was still much more to see. If you want to meet the world in a famous city, go to the public squares. One of the most popular in Rome is the location of the Spanish Steps. There is a small (for Rome!) fountain and lots of people to be found before you ascend to the top. The walk up was not quite as bad as we expected it to be, and the view from the top (shown above) is more than worth your time and trouble. It was late afternoon. The crowds were thick but friendly, and folks began lining up to watch the sunset and wait for the bars on the upper tier to open. One young couple was taking their wedding photos and the top of the steps, making the most of a very charming location.

The worldwide popularity of the television show Friends continues on.

Walking the streets of Rome is an experience in both caution and delight. When cars do go through here, you've got to pay attention. But when there's a stretch of empty road, you have a chance to see some unique shops and cafes and well known clothing chains. People watching is fun here! There's a collective mentality I find all through Europe where being out socializing is just the norm. It's pretty common to find folks just relaxing with coffee or gelato and letting the world pass by. The pace of life seems a bit slower and more focused on relationships. Being is important. One unique thing I did notice is that although there are cel phones, people don't seem glued to them as they do in the States.  

The was our last night in Rome. You'd think we'd go out to a fancy place for an elegant dinner, but you'd be wrong. Instead, we went home to our hotel later in the evening and sat at the garden patio under the stars. We each chose a different glass of wine and sat back, feeling the blessing of God to allow us this adventure together. 

Tomorrow, we'd take off for the southern parts of Italy, the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento. We couldn't wait, but then again, we could have stayed in Rome for a full week and not seen enough. I'd go back in an instant. There's nothing like it on this earth. 

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)