When in Rome...
Trip Start
May 24, 2008
1
6
12
Trip End
Jun 23, 2008
Rome,
Lazio,
Italy
Saturday, June 7, 2008
House of Augustus, Palatine Hill
. We were refreshed after our meal and the delicious Italian coffee, so we headed out to find the Pantheon. After carefully consulting her map every few minutes (we all look so American so why not embrace being tourists?), Nina navigated us through the curving streets to the Pantheon. Of course my camera died right as I whipped it out to take a pic, but it didn't ruin the moment of marveling at the ancient building's incredible beauty. It certainly is an architectural marvel and we spent some time just looking around in awe at its beauty (both inside and out!). After walking around for a few hours we returned home to freshen up and head out to dinner at the restaurant Da Fortunata - one of the recommendations from Nina's family friends, the Stones. The view facing the Pantheon was fantastic and the food was delicious (we all ordered pasta dishes, which were all just incredible!). I don't think I could ever get sick of the food in this coutry...Anyway, after dinner we wandered back to the Campo de' Fiore and grabbed drinks at a couple of the many bars in the area. We met two new friends, recent grads from Hamilton College, who we ended up sight seeing with all day today. The area was packed and definitely a fun place to hang out after dinner.
Today we headed to a few more of the endless sights in this city (seriously, walking down the street every day we run into the most amazing ruins and buildings....it's unbelieveable)
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
. We tackled the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. We decided to pay a little extra to go on a guided tour of all three areas in order to bypass the incredibly long line. It turned out to be a great decision as our guide was great and we learned some interesting stuff. For instance, at Palatine Hill the emporer's palace included a "vomitorium" to allow guests to relieve themselves during the 8 hour feasts consisting of 15 different courses! There were of course other fun facts but I just couldn't resist including that one. We were also fortunate enough to see the house of Augustus, Rome's first emporer. His house was actually located below the current ruins because the Emporer Domition (not sure the spelling) built over all of the existing structures during his reign in order to build one giant palace for himself. However, the ruins of Augustus' house are still there and have just been recently opened to the public. We had to wait awhile to see it as they only allow six people in at a time, but it was definitely worth the wait. The building is over 2,000 years old and still contains some of the original wall frescoes. It was an incredible sight to see! However, we're not sure how much the Italians truly appreciate this treasure - while we were there, one of the workers accidentally kicked off a piece of the wall, then quickly shoved it away. Oops...so glad they're only allowing six people in at a time for conservation purposes...Im still struggling to remember the Italian I learned when I studied in Florence my junior year of college. It's pretty sad how little I retained but I do make a feable attempt. Of course, like in France, I say something in very broken Italian and most respond in perfect English. Oh well at least we're trying and not just assuming everyone speaks our language.
I have to run now as my time is running out (it goes so quickly!) and I have to get ready for our night out. We plan to go on a Colosseum Pub Crawl. I'm sure it will be all tourists, but it should be fun. And we get a free tshirt for the coverage charge so who can resist. I'll try to write more at the end of our time in Rome as I'm sure there will be so much else to report. Ciao for now!
Comments
ROME!
A coliseum pub crawl. I must add it to my life to do- list. I love reading your blog. What fun! Stay safe and have fun. I love you all! Mom (Renee)