Benvenuti a Roma (Welcome to Rome!)
We arrived in Rome in the early afternoon and hit the tour trail running. We dropped our bags at the hotel and made our way to the Pantheon. On the way, we saw street performers, a man walking his pet pig, and plenty of obelisks and fountains.
When we got to the Pantheon and looked up, it was amazing! Words cannot express how grand it was. It was immense in size and surrounded by a piazza full of little cafes and restaurants. When we looked through the opening we were beyond ecstatic to finally see this work of architectural beauty in person. There we met our local guide Francesca, who showed us inside and shared with us the historical background of the Pantheon.
We then continued on to Capitoline Hill and walked up the stairs surrounded by statues. The Capitoline Museum was at the top and from the outside we could catch a glimpse of a smaller replica of Michelangelo's David. We then descended the hill and caught our first view of the Roman Forum which provided us with a glimpse into the remains of ancient Roman Civilization.
From there we walked down into the Forum where our local tour guide, Francesca gave us a personalized and passionate history lesson on the significance of the Forum and why she is proud to be a Roman. Then we walked a short distance out of the forum and right into the Coliseum. I had watched Spartacus on TV and was looking forward to visiting this location which inspired the series. However I received something more in the way Francesca brought us to the days when the Coliseum was the main stage and a place where Romans bore witness to sights and sounds of people and creatures they had never seen before and only could have imagined otherwise. Through her words I could look around the ancient stadium and appreciate what it represented to the people at that time. From there we caught a bus back to the neighborhood where we would have our dinner together.
Roman Travel Tip # 1: When taking public transportation in Rome, always wear your money belt. While riding the bus from the Coliseum, someone tried to pick-pocket our tour guide.
Roman Travel Tip # 3: Don't get conned into paying too much for those Roman trinkets being sold right outside of the Coliseum or other tourist locations. Shop around, everyone is selling the same thing and if you look further down the street, or in a shop you will find the same trinkets for a better price.
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Roman Travel Tip # 2: When in Rome,
Walk Like A Roman. In Rome, there are
many streets without crosswalks. The only way across is to walk with intent.
Make eye contact with drivers. Do not slow your pace or hesitate out of fear of
getting hit by a car. The place where we gained experience with this was on our
walk to the Victor Emmanuel Monument. From the direction we came in, there was
no other way to get there other than crossing 5 lanes of traffic on a busy thoroughfare
without a crosswalk. The first time, we did it with a crowd of what appeared to
be experienced Romans. On the way back, we did it on our own, leading the way
and stopping traffic in our quest across the street. And amazingly enough, we
made it across safely and with others in our wake.
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