My stay in Rome started out on a good note when I checked in to my dorm room at Colors Hostel, a 10 minute walk from the Vatican. Colors was clean, and well run, and I enjoyed my stay. They have no curfew, and a fully equipped kitchen.
As a history buff, I was totally stoked to explore Rome. The first thing I did after checking in (in the late afternoon), was to take a peek at the Vatican. It was awesome (I'll talk about the Vatican in a separate post). I then moved towards Castel Sant'Angelo, and crossed Pont Sant'Angelo a fantastic bridge covered with figures of angels sculpted by Bernini and his students.
From ther
e I made my way to Piazza Navona, which features Bernini's master piece, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (the Fountain of the Four Rivers). The Piazza is a busy place in the evening, with many good restaurants, and buskers.My journey continued along to Il Vittoriano a huge structure near the centre of Rome, passing several churches along the way. From the top of Il Vittoriano, you get fantastic views of the Roman Forum.
From here I took Via dei Fori Imperiali. The road slowly rose, and when I got to the highest part, I was looking down at the Colosseum. I must have stood there for 10 minutes just staring, and trying to fix the image in my mind. The Colosseum is an amazing structure when seen in daylight, but when lit up at night it is INCREDIBLE! I think I spent an hour walking around the outside of the Colosseum, taking it in, and taking pictures from every conceivable angle. Phenomenal! Day one in Rome couldn't have gone better.
Later that night, after returning to my hostel, I started reviewing my pictures, and found that it was impossible to hold a camera completely steady. All of my night pictures were a bit blurry. I had even tried holding my camera against a light post to steady it. Two things crossed my mind; one, I had to find a way to steady my camera, and two, I had to go back again at night and retake all of those pictures. The second part wasn't really much of a hardship. The next day, I found a person selling camera stands at Pont Sant'Angelo. I got one for 7 Euro. It has been the best 7 Euro I have ever spent. From that point on, all of my night shots have turned out perfect.
Day two in Rome. I decided to tour the exterior of the Vatican (I was meeting a friend later and promised to the do the Vatican then). The Vatican is the single most impressive structure I have ever seen (as it was designed to be).
I made my way over the the Pantheon. Very cool building. All of the marble work done inside is amazing. The masonary dome is the largest ever built. It is a truly incredible piece of architecture. The biggest let down with the Pantheon, is that when you exit, across the Piazza, there is a McDonalds. That just shouldn't be allowed!
From
the Pantheon, I strolled over the Trevi Fountain and had a gelato. The fountain portrays Neptune's chariot being pulled by Tritons and sea horses. After enjoying my gelato, it was time to head to the Roman Forum.
I started by passing through the Arch of Settimio Severo. An impressive bit or architecture. I know I'm repeating myself, but the Roman architecture is awesome. Give yourself at least a couple of hours to wander around the site, including Palatine Hill. My walk through concluded with passing under the Arch of Titus. Next stop, the Colosseum.
The Colosseum is an architectural and engineering marvel. It could seat 50,000 people, had three levels below ground, and could be flooded for mock navel battles. Wow! The inauguration of the Colosseum lasted 100 days, and saw 5,000 animals killed. The Emperor Trajan once hosted games that lasted 117 days, and saw 9,000 gladiators fight to the death. Again, wow! Sitting there I could imagine gladiators fighting to the death against wild animals or other gladiators; or Christians being torn apart by wild animals or burned alive.
Later that night, I made my way to the Vatican, Pantheon, and Colosseum to take my night shots. Day two in Rome -- pretty awesome!
Day three in Rome. Went for a picnic with some girls that I met at the hostel. We toured Castel Sant'Angelo, and walked down to the Roman Forum where we had our lunch. Hiked over to the Trevi Fountain and had some gelato. Later went out for supper. After dinner, we made our way to the Spanish Steps. Day three in Rome -- still good.
Day four in Rome I spent checking out some impressive churches, the Crypta Balbi, and some catacombs.
To summarize my stay in Rome -- AWESOME. I liked the Colors Hostel, loved exploring the Churches and ancient sites. Good food. Good wine. Would love to go back again.
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