Rome again, Rome again

Once we disembarked we took the train back to Rome to see the rest of the city we missed during our stop at the Vatican city.  Mom's first reaction to the Colosseum was priceless. . . "I just can't believe it!  This is incredible!  I can't believe I am here!" . . . hehe.  (I got it on film but unfortunately the process for uploading video on blogger.com is not working at the moment.  Maybe someday it will work and I can upload some videos).

 

 

 

The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world!  Construction was started in 70 AD and was completed by Titus in 80 AD.  It is estimated that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests as well as many different public spectacles.  When in the interior of the Colosseum we could see where the floor used to be and beneath it the various cages to hold animals and men for the contests.  It is still quite unbelievable that these types of games actually took place in history.

Above is the Arch of Constantine ~ A triumphal arch built in 315 dedicated to a victory of Constantine won in 312

 

The Roman Forum is an ancient plaza surrounded by several important ruins of government buildings at the very center of Rome . . within walking distance to the Colosseum.  It was the center of ancient Roman public life.  This site is in constant excavation and it was crazy to see the same site from a Youth on Missions Trip years ago that was now completely dug up and unearthing more ruins from below.

 

The Pantheon (above) is a Roman temple constructed "to all gods" and was built in 126 AD.  Unfortunately it was closed so we were only able to see it from the outside this time.

 

Gelato continued to be a favorite "snack" throughout our Italian journey . . . such smoothness. . . sweetness. . . coolness . . . and the colors!! Such bright, vibrant colors! 

 

Our last stop for the day was the Trevi fountain . . . the most famous fountain in the world! And for good reason!  It is absolutely beautiful!