Roman Holiday Part 2: So Many Sites to See

Wednesday we slept in a little, and prepared for walking all over Rome. Our feet, though sore, were starting to get used to walking on the cobblestone sidewalks of Europe's streets.

We took the shuttle into the city, and promptly hopped on the Metro to the east side of Rome so we could walk westward throughout the day back to our shuttle stop.

The sites started with the basilica of St. Giovanni (St. John in English). It was a large cathedral, and had many art works. I'm glad we saw it first though, because it wasn't nearly as nice as the cathedrals we'd see later.

We then walked down a main street toward the Colosseum. One of the most impressive things is that you can see it coming from 1/2 a mile away. It's a grand site to see peaking out on the horizon as you look down the street.








The Colosseum itself was a marvelous structure to view. It was so large, and so much of it is still in tact. The stone structure itself was as large as I'd imagined, yet the stadium floor area was smaller than expected. It was a little larger than the floor of a modern basketball arena. The floor was only partially built out from the walls, to give you a view of what it would look like, but also to expose to you the maze of hallways and cages under the floor. It was interesting to think how many people would go there for various events, some of them against their will.

We walked up the hill past the Arch of Constantine, the Arch of Titus, and into the heart of the Roman forum. I'd say it is a 1/2 mile long and very wide area of Roman ruins. It's just amazing to think how small our lifetimes are on the continuum of time.

The Pantheon was our next stop. Having seen the replica of the Pantheon in Nashville, TN, this stop was not what I expected. The Pantheon in Rome was turned into a Cathedral by the Catholic church in the 7th century. So instead of statues to Roman gods and goddesses, there are now statues of saints, artists, and royalty. How different is it really??? But I guess we can make good or bad of any situation. But I found the architecture of the building intriguing, especially the open hole in the domed roof, which is for the prayers to ascend to the heavens.

As we walked through the streets of Rome, we stopped in several smaller cathedrals all adorned in gold and marble, with centuries old artwork throughout. Each was another picture of the Catholic church's history and teachings. It was easy to see the stories told by many of the works of art. The biblical stories that are meant to inspire the next generation to learn about God.

We had eaten pasta for lunch, so we stopped at a pizza shop for dinner. It was delicious pizza. Roman style pizzerias are mostly like any deli in America. They stock the counter behind glass with pizza which is rectangle. When you ask for a piece, they cut off a smaller rectangle, and heat it for you in a small oven. It was a cheap good meat. It made me wonder about all the health codes we have in the states... these pizzas had been sitting out for who knows how long. But we're still alive, so I guess it was okay.

We were very tired from all the walking and picture taking we'd done. And there was still so much more to see...