Today was a walk through history. We had a short 10 minute walk to the Coloseum to meet our tour director. We spent the next four hours on a guided walking tour that covered the Coloseum, the Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum. Our grandchildren had studied this in their world history classes, and I think it meant a lot for them to see what was discussed in class in person.
Construction on the Coloseum began in 69 AD and completed in 80 AD. It was and still is the largest standing amphitheatre in the world. It is located in the center of Rome, next to the Roman Forum. This structure would hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. It was estimated the average attendence was 65,000 people. It had many uses during this time, I think mostly of the gladiator spectacles, made famous through the years by the movie industry. It was used for any number of public spectacles, to include animal hunts, public executions, and reenactment of historical events, to name a few. The use of the building as an entertainment venue ceased in the early Middle Ages. Like today, its use was repurposed. Later uses were for housing, workshops, a fortress, quarters for a religious order, and a Christian Shrine.
Even though it fell ito disuse through the centuries, it is still recognized as a symbol of Imperial Rome. It was named as one of the "new 7 wonders of the world". Today it is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions.
Next on the list was the Palentine Hill. According to Roman mythologey, this is where Romus and Remus were found by the she-wolf Lupa that kept them alive. The name Rome came from Romus. It is believed that people lived in this area since the 10th century BC. Moving forward, this area is one of the most ancient parts of the City of Rome. A number of Imperial palaces were built here and it was mostly occupied by houses of the rich. Today it is a large open air museum.
The last part of the tour is focused on the Roman Forum. Basically this area was the center for the government of Imperial Rome. For centuries this location was the center for day to day activities of ancient Rome.
If any of this is of interest to you, read the books, visit Rome, and make history come alive. As I mentioned, our apartment was a ten minute walk from the Coloseum. Along our walk, through a very pretty park, there are numerous Roman structures left over from yesteryear.
After our tour, we had lunch and went back to our apartment. The kids decided they wanted a break from pasta and pizza and said they wanted a hamburger for dinner. Beth found a local hamburger restaurant that had good reviews. The T&C Burger Lab. It is considered the best hamburger restaurant in Rome and had over 360 five star reviews. Our review made it 361.
After dinner we went back to our apartment and packed an overnight bag. Tomorrow we will take a train to Sorrento and take a tour of Pompeii on Tuesday.
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| The All American hamburger |
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| What is a hamburger without fries |
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| Granna, Riley, Ethan, Granddaddy |
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| Palentine Hill arena |
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| Monument outside the Coloseum |
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| Location of many activities |
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| Interior shot |
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| Waiting on our tour guide |
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| Fifty years later. Long way from Wilcox County |
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