Day V - The Colosseum

Today I embarked on my journey to the Colosseum. The sun was shining, I was over dressed and of course I wore the wrong shoes. This little fact allowed me to feel great sympathy for the gladiators walking around in their sandals. Good god those poor men, no wonder they were such good warriors, they were angry...their feet were killing them..;-) But..enough about feet and sandals, this is NOT a fashion blog.

 

I decided to walk the museum first before I went in...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look closely...there is graffiti on these slabs

 

 

 

 

I was in awesome wonder of this amazing piece of history....Here is what I learned...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I bid farewell to the colosseum.

 

 

 

 

I came upon the Arc of Constantine...

 

 

 

 I went to the Roman Forum, it was a blessing to walk the paths of such beauty and history.First stop Palatine Hill ....this just made me laugh.

 

 

 

 

The Palatine Hill (Latin: Collis Palatium or Mons Palatinus) is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres^[1] above the Forum Romanum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other.
It is the etymological origin of the word "palace" and its cognates in other languages (Italian "Palazzo", French "Palais" etc.).

 

 

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine Hill was the location of the cave, known as the Lupercal, where Romulus and Remus were found by the she-wolf that kept them alive. According to this legend, the shepherd Faustulus found the infants, and with his wife Acca Larentia raised the children. When they were older, the boys killed their great-uncle (who seized the throne from their grandfather), and they both decided to build a new city of their own on the banks of the River Tiber. Suddenly, they had a violent argument with each other and in the end Romulus killed his twin brother Remus. This is how "Rome" got its name - from Romulus. Another legend to occur on the Palatine is Hercules' defeat of Cacus after the monster had stolen some cattle. Hercules struck Cacus with his characteristic club so hard that it formed a cleft on the southeast corner of the hill, where later a staircase bearing the name of Cacus was constructed.

 

 

 

 

 

I then ascended down to the Roman Forum..

 

The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano) is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

It was for centuries the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history.^[1] Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archeological excavations.

 

 

 

Last but not least...some random shots on my way to the colosseum..

 



 



 

 

 Back to my room to rest my sore feet...Ciao.