Italy: Day 4

I feel like I need to begin this post with an important part of our vacation.  Gelato. I probably shouldn't mention that I had it 6 times in 5 day, but it was vacation and we did a TON of walking to make up for it.  A local told us about this amazing gelato place called Giolitti. The crowds were crazy, but it was definitely worth it.  The first time we went I chose chocolate and nutella.  I'm not a huge chocolate ice-cream eater, but Marc said that it was amazing. He chose strawberry and white chocolate. He wanted me to try his and bless his heart he shouldn't have.  He was so sweet to trade with me and the next two times we went to this gelateria I ordered strawberry and white chocolate.  Probably one of the best sweets I have ever eaten. Nothing but full disclosure on the blog. ha!

Monday morning we woke up to some light rain and dark skies. No time to sleep in and take it easy as we had a tour of the ancient ruins scheduled. On our way we passed this beautiful building, The Altar of the Nation.

The Arch of Constantine

Ancient Roman roads.  Over time they have worn down and eroded.  All of the stones used to be touching with no gaps. Many of the roads were made of basalt.

In order to stack the heavy stone used to build the Colosseum the Romans build scaffolding to stand on.  Each hole here is where the boards of scaffolding would be placed as they moved up the columns.  Later they would be filled in a plastered over, but over time they became exposed again.

We chose a tour that took us underground below the main level of the Colosseum.  This area would have had a wooden ceiling with sand on top for the gladiators. Today the roof is gone, but you can see where it would have been laid.

The arched areas in the back of this picture are where they would have kept the animals.  They would have the wild animals that were used for hunting events, but the Romans also brought in exotic animals for a circus of sorts.

This model shows how the animals would have been put on a platform, raised by a pulley system, and then a trap door would open to give them entrance to the arena.

Arch of Constantine from the top of the Colosseum.

We were also able to go to the top level. What an amazing structure that was built so long ago! In this picture you can see where they have added some of the flooring to show you what it would have been like.

After the Colosseum we walked over to the Roman Forum which served as a political center of the empire. I'm sure it was a bustling area at the time. This is the Arch of Titus. It was built in 82AD to honor Titus who had captured the city of Jerusalem.  It has carvings of some of the items taken from the city including what is believed to be the first sculpture of a menorah.

We have seen many street performers over the years, but this one was a first for us.

The Trevi Fountain - unfortunately it was under restoration.

Another little gem that my friend Laura directed us to was Sant’Ignazio Church. This painted ceiling took our breath away. She said that it tricks your eye to seeing a huge expanse of space ascending to heaven. There are two marked spots for where to stand for the best impression. Outside of the Sistine Chapel this was probably my most favorite artwork.

We stopped by the Pantheon next. This is the most well preserved building from the ancient Roman empire and it dates back to the 2nd century AD. The painter Rafael is buried here.

Our little gelateria was near the Pantheon so there is a very good chance we swung by there after our visit.

Another amazing day in Rome came to an end.  It's still surreal to think that a week ago we were on the other side of the world walking among ancient ruins learning about the history of the Roman Empire - most of which I had forgotten since middle and high school.

Italy: Day 3

We arrived in Rome after dark on Saturday night. We stayed at another small 6 room hotel that was nice. After another challenge finding the hotel we settled in for the night.  We had an early morning wake-up to meet with the tour taking us to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius for the day. A lot of the city shuts down on Sundays so this was a good adventure to take. We had a couple of great tour guides that helped keep us entertained and learning during our bus ride to Pompeii. In 62AD an earthquake shook the region.  Many of the people fled the city, but some remained to rebuild and claim their neighbors property.  In 79AD Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the city in ash, fumes, and heat.  The city was covered, preserved until the 1700's when real excavation began.

Mount Vesuvius in the background.

Bath house.

Original paint that has survived almost 2100 years.

Streets in the city with the stepping stones that would have been used to walk across during times of flooding.  This was one of the main streets with the stores lining each side.

 

The next pictures were a little difficult to view. Those people that stayed after the earthquake all lost their lives.  They either died of extreme heat or suffocation.  When the city was being excavated one of the archeologists realized that people would have been buried and their bodies eventually would have decomposed. He was able to then drill holes in the ground where he knew bodies would have been. They then poured plaster in the hole to fill the cavity where the bodies were.  The details are amazing, but your heart tightens a little thinking of what they were experiencing in their last moments of life. 

A dog that had been chained up.

I can almost picture him curled up, holding his face as he took his last breath.  What an awful way to die.

After visiting Pompeii we had lunch in Naples. It was probably the best pizza we had during our trip. Then we loaded the bus to head up Mount Vesuvius.  Mt. Vesuvius is an active volcano and last erupted in 1944. The scientists believe they will have at least a 3 day warning of when it may erupt again.  We had a great driver, thankfully, and we made it safely up the volcano.  The top portion of the volcano has to be hiked and it was intense.  There are no trees for shade and it was much more difficult of a hike than Sweat Mountain or Stone Mountain here at home.  Or at least that's what Marc said.  I haven't hiked either one. But we made it to the top for some amazing views.

The crater at the top of the volcano.

We returned to Rome late evening and headed back to our hotel for some rest.  We had another full day ahead of us on Monday. When you are in Italy for 5 days you pack as much into your days as you can.