Rome 1

After Bologna, we got back on the train and headed south to Rome. We had a nice hotel in the heart of Rome and thus had good walking distance to all the sites we wanted to visit. We were in Rome for 4 days and packed those days with MUCH sight-seeing! Clearly, Rome had the greatest amount of architectural beauty and overall history. We spent most of our time visiting and waling among the various outdoor sights. We did force the children to visit a couple of museums, but not many. We again have LOADS of pictures from Rome, and will only display a few on these 2 pages for your viewing enjoyment!

One of the main sightseeing days was spent tourning the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. Here is a shot from Palatine Hill. It is the site of the earliest sections of Rome. Apparently the Romans built one structure on top of another and so there are layer upon layer of interesting ruins in Palatine Hill!

Another shot of the Palatine Hill area. It was right in this area that Caesar was killed!

This is a picturesque view through one of the ancient arches towards the more modern Rome. The large white building in the lower right is the Monument of Victor Emmanuel II (the unifier of Italy). It is controversial because it is so conspicuously white and was bulit on the location of some more ancient architecture, which it clearly replaced.

Apparently one of the major benefits of the Palatine Hill region of Rome was a spring that could always be counted on for a freshwater supply to the area (even during a seige). This is a portion of this spring that still is producing to this day!

Here's a shot of the inside of the Colosseum. We were unaware that the bottom of the Colosseum was actually wood with a series of trap doors and sand covering the floor. Apparently they would open the trap doors to release the lions from underneath or to drop the victims into the pit. The sand was used to "sop up" the blood. Nasty race, we humans!

Of course no trip to Rome would be complete without a visit to the Colosseum! This is one of the more famous views of the outside of the Colosseum.

Like Venice, Rome was also exceptionally beautiful at night. This is a shot over the Tiber river.

Here's another shot of Rome from the Palatine Hill area. Again, note the big white building in the lower center-right (the Monument of Victor Emmanuel II). This section of Palatine Hill is supposed to be the location of the birth place of Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome. Good ol' Romulus apparently killed his brother Remus to be the first king of Rome

Here's a shot of Steve and the girls in front of the lovely, white Monument of Victor Emmanuel II! Doesn't Sophie look like she is having NOTHING BUT FUN???