Roman Ruins

Saturday

3 August

Day 34

62 to go

Today was a big day! We had a much better night’s sleep and were up and ready to get started with our day. We were out the door by 9am and heading for the ticket collection point about 2.5km away. A good start to the days walking. 

The Google route took us passed the Pantheon, where tourists were already beginning to mill around and then down many interesting streets we had yet to wander. Thankfully we reached our destination easily and were able to collect our tickets along with some further information of things to do while we are here. 

We were headed for the Roman Forum, walking around the perimeter of the Monumentto a Vittorio Emmanuele and then finally locating the ticket booth to enter the substantial grounds of the forum. 

We took the next couple of hours to wander around the decayed buildings all showing moments of the past. There were places to wander by and buildings to enter. Some had museums attached that we were able to wander through and see the various collections or check out the remains of frescos on walls. 

All of the paths were cobbled or involved stairs, so you had to be aware of your footing. We stopped regularly for water breaks and time in the shade. It wasn’t as hot today and there was some cloud cover, but this tended to make it more muggy. 

We got our first glimpse of the Colosseum as we began the ascent to Palantine Hill. We wandered  around the structures, before entering the museum. We were glad for the shade and the air conditioning.

After completing this, we made our way down to a large marble gate, encountering the swarms of people once again. Our booking for the Colosseum was for 12, we still had half an hour, so we sat in the shade and ate the paninis we had picked up along the way. 

At 12noon, we entered through the turnstile and security screening and then began our walk around the structure. We had access to the arena floor, so we went there first, dodging the many tour groups all being talked at. We took in the views before us, imagining what it would have been like when it was operational. 

From here we made our way up to the upper level, where we could look down on the arena. We likened it to Optus stadium at home, just no food and beverage outlets. With our exploration complete, we left the crowds behind and went in search of the metro.

We made our way into the streets and alleys, opting for a quick drink in the aircon, before continuing on to the Manzoni underground station and catching the train back to Lepanto. We completed the trip, walking back to the hotel for 2pm.

With sore feet, tired legs and weariness, we happily stayed in the room for the next few hours, giving ourselves time to refresh before thinking about heading out for the evening. 

It was 5pm before we were ready to wander again, this time we had no real purpose, instead we just followed roads we had not been down before and it worked a treat, encountering Fontana della Baraccia, Piazza de Spagna, Spanish Steps, Colonna dell’Immacolata, Trenita dei Monti, Terraza Viale del Belvedere,  terrazza delpinzio, and piazza delpopolo. There was a lot of walking, but it was lovely, as the weather was just right. 

We stopped at a small cafe for aperitivo, aperol spritz and a small antipasto plate and then later we stopped at a restaurant for a pasta and a salad. All of the food was delicious. 

Once dinner was done at 8.30pm, we made our way back towards our room, happy to rest up for the evening and prepare for another day in Rome. 

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