Colosseum
As mentioned previously, we are using the Roma Pass to enter the Colosseum. Coming out of the metro station, the huge Colosseum came into sight. There are quite a huge crowd at the open ground. There are several Italian men dressed in ancient Roman amour where you could take photos with them for a fee; they reminded me of the movie ‘Gladiator’. There are also several guides who approached us and asked if we wanted to join their guided tour. There are two lines of people queuing at the main entrance. Belinda and I decided to first go round the Colosseum to admire the outer structure. Part of the Colosseum is undergoing some maintenance work at the moment. As mentioned previously, we are using the Roma Pass to enter the Colosseum, hence we could skipped the long queue and walk straight to the entrance. First we have to put our bags through an x-ray machine scan and then we need to validate our Roma Pass at the entrance gate to get in.Inside, it takes a bit of imagination to picture how this ancient arena looks like in its glorious days. What it felt like being a spectator watching the gladiators battling with wild animals or with one another; for glory and for their own lives. The center stage is no longer present, the underground waiting area for the gladiators and the animal captivating area is now visible from the top. However, the authorities have rebuilt a small section of the center stage to help us understand how it would have looked like in the ancient days.
Roman Forum & Palatine Hills
Just next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum (free admission), set in a valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills. Throughout the era of the kings, the republic and the empire, the Forum was the political, religious and social centre of the Roman world. Here you need even more imaginations and some knowledge of the Italian history. Otherwise, you will end up like us, seeing rocks after rocks on the vast open ground and not know what we are looking at. With that said, I just walked around and took photos. It’s a good day with clear blue sky making it a perfect background for photo shoot. I would think that this would make a great location for outdoor wedding photos. Legend has it that the Palatine hill was home to the she-wolf who suckled Romulus, mythical founder of Rome, and his brother Remus. Pantheon
Walking outside of this building we didn’t realized that it was the Pantheon. It’s still a wonder how this 2000 yrs old temple was erected. Its dome is a half-sphere made of poured concrete without the support of vaults, arches and ribs. The oculus in the middle of the dome allows in light and also rain. If you look closely at the pillars outside the entrance, you will notice some slight differences in color and materials used. This interesting fact is pointed out in Bel’s guide book. Outside the Pantheon is a piazza, where there are several horse cartridges for hire, some Africans touting (fake) branded bags and paintings. Looking out from the front of the Pantheon into the square, the building walls painted in orange, blue sky, black cobbled stones floor, all of these make perfect photo setting.
Piazza Navona
I am quickly attracted to the setting of this piazza as soon as I set foot here. The piazza is rectangular in shape. There are rows of cafes at the side. In the middle of the square are filled with artist and painters drawing and painting while selling their finished art works. At the two ends of the square are 2 fountains where tourists rest their foot and also take memento photos. Here lies the Renaissance architect Bernini’s masterpiece, Fountain dei Quatro Fuimi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), where each of the river god statues represents one of the four continents of the globe: Ganges for Asia, Danube of Europe, Nile for Africa, and Rio de la Plata for the Americas.Piazza Campo dei Fiori
The once execution place during the Inquisition is now home to a bustling flower and vegetable market Monday thru Saturday mornings. In out first attempt, we came a tad too late hence only seeing the cleaners sweeping the floors and clearing the garbage left from the morning market. But we made it the second morning to see this Italian market, which resembles the ‘pasar pagi’ (morning market) that we have in Malaysia. Flowers, fruits, vegetables, fishes, dry groceries and souvenirs, are up for sale. Belinda bought some Murano glass souvenirs here while I as usual just took photos. Trevi Fountain
Passing through some narrow alley, following the small signpost, listening to the sound of the gushing fountain water, we arrived at Fontana di Trevi. Be prepared to fight with the other tourists in this forever crowded place in trying to get a good shot of you posing in front of the fountain with minimal interference from other ‘unwanted’ people. Be patience for others to get out of your way and be quick once the coast is clear. The custom is to throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain to ensure your return to Rome; while a second coin grants a wish. We of course did out part to follow the custom. With every tourist tossing at least a coin into the fountain, you can imagine how much money was accumulated at the bottom of the fountain. Every morning, the authorities will come and collect the money, which will be donated to the charity organizations, which is a pretty good idea. However, Belinda told me that she once saw a documentary show on TV where there are a group of people who came before the authorities and collected most of the money from the pool and made themselves rich. When the show was first broadcast, these people stopped their ‘activities’ for a month or so, but they soon continued their act of stealing the money again. The Spanish Steps
Designed by an Italian, funded by the French, named for the Spaniards, occupied by the British, and now under the sway of the American ambassador; it has long provided a major gathering place for foreigners and locals alike. We came here after dinner and there are quite a number of people sitting at the steps, chatting, resting, people-watching. It’s quite difficult to take photo under the dim light as I did not have tripod and there weren’t any stands or short poles that I could used as my tripod. There’s a church at the top and while on top, you could actually see the dome of the St. Peter’s basilica from afar. Villa Borghese
This is a huge park, where the Museo e Galleria Borghese is housed in a 17th century villa, with an extensive and impressive art collection for over 300 years. It’s best to call and make reservation beforehand to ensure entry to the galleria. When you call, the officer will give ask your family name and the time that you wished to visit and then give you a reference number which you need to produce when purchasing the admission ticket. We used the Roma Pass for this. The ticket counter is below the house (basement), but half the queue is lined up outside on the ground. After purchasing the ticket, you need to follow another queue where you are required to store all your belongings (bags, camera, water bottles etc). Nothing are not allowed inside the gallery except your guidebook and your wallet. Upstairs, its up to you how you want to explore the art collections in the rooms. In each room, there are information cards explaining the art pieces in the room.
