Wednesday February 25, 2009

Rome - a short break

Last week we had a short break in Rome. Having now seen the historical buildings especially those dating back to the Roman period I can confirm Rome was not built in a day... Do you know why the city has its name? It all relates to Romulus and Remus .

Anyway most people have heard of the major sites and the first we saw was the Coliseum.

The picture does not do it justice. Like all the major Roman buildings it is HUGE. The 'stage' where the fights took place has been excavated to show the cells where the animals/gladiators stayed while they waited for their turn to entertain the crowds. The good news is that travelling to Rome in February the queues were short and it was not boiling hot as it can be in the summer. In fact it was quite chilly. After looking over the Coliseum we walked over to the Forum area where a lot of the remains of buildings exist - sadly not very well signed. Near to this is the Palatine hill where people like Cicero had their flashy houses. In the Forum area was a small monument built by Julius Caesar's wife to indicate the place where he was cremated after being killed. On this monument people had put fresh flowers...

We visited the Pantheon a Roman temple later used as a church. It has an amazing Dome roof. The Roman's were clever devils and they knew how to build the dome using light materials that made the construction easier. Again there were not many people in it so you could enjoy it.

In Rome there are countless churches. Most of the larger ones had fantastic painted walls and ceilings. Unlike other countries they did not mind you taking photos.

Of course the site people always go to is the Vatican city a state within the Rome city. St Peter's is an amazing church, it makes the other churches in Rome look ordinary. You can go to the top of the dome (cuppola). The first part of the journey is by lift. When you get out of the lift you enter the inside of the church and walk around the 'base' of the dome which has a walkway around its perimeter with a high wire fence to stop you or any objects falling onto the people below. You then continue your journey up the dome to a viewing area outside.

Another place everyone goes to is the Sistine chapel. This is part of the Vatican museums. You could easily spend a day looking at the gathered gifts presented to the popes over the years. Once in the chapel no photos are allowed but the painted walls are awsome. There is more information and pictures here . For me the picture on one end wall "The Last judgment " by Michelangelo is just fantastic and I could have looked at it for hours.

So my only downside of this trip was the cost. The pound/Euro rate is not in our favour. We made the fatal mistake of going in a cafe and ordering without seeing the prices. We were fleeced for seventeen Euros for a fanta, coffee and a measly sandwich. To make matters worse the toilets were blocked, smelly and not working. They needed some Roman technology.

A final picture of the Trevi Fountain where you throw money in to ensure you go back to Rome.

All in all a great trip.