Exploring Rome

Mornings in our new home, “Palazzo Bizarro”, provided some challenges- particularly in the bath. Trying to manage the shower head without hitting your head on the overhead beams was worth a few laughs.

We headed to the main street bordering Trastevere and hailed a taxi to take us to our morning tour, “Rome Antiqua”. The tour group, Scala Reale, was an American run group that used American PhD candidates as docents. Richard, our guide for Ancient Rome, was an interesting sort- a mid-westerner who had an absolute passion for the classics. Our small group- the two of us and a Canadian couple started out at the Colosseum.

The Colosseum: Begun by Vespasian shortly after 70 AD, it was opened by Titus ten years later. It was built on the site of a lake in the grounds of Nero’s palace. It was the site of gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights. The oval shape has four stories: three tiers of arches, each with a different type of column- Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian – and a flat fourth story. It has 80 arched entrances that allowed easy access to 55,000 spectators. There were three special gates- one for the emperor and his family, the Gate of Life for the victorious gladiators and the Gate of Death for the vanquished.

Wild animals were kept caged beneath the arena’s floor. They were brought to the stadium level on rope-pulled elevators.

Ancient records tell of the Colosseum’s inauguration which lasted 100 days. It attracted Romans from all parts of the empire and involved the slaying of 5,000 animals.

Arch of Constantine: The foundations of this arch date back to the time of Hadrian (117-138 AD) and most of the decoration on the arch celebrates several other emperors. But, this triumphal arch was redecorated and dedicated in 315 AD to celebrate Constantine’s victory over his co-emperor Maxentius. He claimed that he owed his victory to a vision of Christ.

Arch of Titus: Erected in 81 AD by the Emperor Domitian in honor of the victories of his brother, Titus, and his father, Vespasian in Judea, it has a carving of a triumphant procession of Roman soldiers carrying off spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem. It’s said that Roman Jews will not pass under this arch.

We walked to the Palatine. According to legend, Romulus and Remus were brought up here by a wolf in a cave. Augustus was born in a simple house on the Palatine. When he became Rome’s first emperor, he wanted to remain in his family home, but was pressured to build the first imperial palace on the hill. Every emperor after Augustus lived here, and most of the them added their own new royal palaces.

The most extensive ruins are those of Domus Augustana and Domus Flavia, the two wings of Domitian’s palace. The Domus Augustana was the private part residence of the emperor, the Domus Flavia for official functions.

Circus Maximus: Once this was Rome’s largest stadium, today it is a long grassy esplanade where people run or walk their dogs. It is set in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills and once had grandstands that could hold 300,000 spectators to watch horse and chariot races.

Basilica of Constantine: This was originally the largest building in the Forum with 3 huge coffered barrel vaults. It was used for the administration of justice and for other government business.

From there, we headed to the Roman Forum, the center of political, commercial and judicial life in ancient Rome.

Temple of Antonius and Faustina: The temple was erected in 141 AD under Emperor Antonius Pius in memory of his wife Faustina . It was converted to a Christian Church in the 11th Century and was dedicated to San Lorenzo in Miranda.

Temple of Castor and Pollux: There are only 3 surviving columns from this temple. The first temple was probably dedicated in 484 BC in honor of the mythical twins and patrons of horsemanship, Castor and Pollux. It’s said that the Roman emperor Postumius promised to build a temple to the twins if Rome was victorious in the battle against the Etruscans (499BC). Some said the twins appeared on the battlefield and helped the Romans to victory. Then, they appeared in the Forum and the temple marks the spot.

Temple of the Divine Julius: Built to honor the first mortal elevated to divinity, this temple stands on the site where Caesar’s body was burned after he was assassinated in 44 BC.

Basilica Aemila: This is the second oldest basilica ever constructed (179 BC) and was one of four basilicas in the forum used for business transactions and legal proceedings.

Senate (Curia Julia): This is the fifth building to stand on this site and was the site of the Roman Senate for years.

Rostra (Speakers Platform), the podium from which the leaders of Rome addressed the throngs of the Forum below.

Arch of Septimius Severus: Erected in 203 AD to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the accession of Septimius Severus. The reliefs celebrate the emperor’s victories in Parthia and Arabia. Originally the inscription along the top of the arch was to Septimius and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. But, after Septimius died, Caracalla murdered Geta and had his brother’s name removed.

Temple of Saturn: This temple was built in the Ionic style where Clivus Capitolinus Road- leading uphill-joined Via Sacra. It was erected in 497 BC to honor the god of the harvest and prosperity. >>

Campidoglio: Of the 7 hills of Rome, the Campidoglio is the most sacred. Its origins stretch back to antiquity (an Etruscan temple to Jupiter once stood on the site). Michelangelo laid out the long, sloping steps and the Piazza del Campidoglio. He also positioned the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius in the center.

After 4 hours of walking, my feet were blistered, we needed money and lunch. We took care of the money, finding an ATM and then bandaids for my feet. We got tickets for Domus Aurea for the following day. For lunch, we headed back towards the Colosseum and found a quaint little spot on a side street with a waiter who looked a bit like an Italian Jay Leno.

Before heading back to Trastevere, we stopped by a little café- for a $10 beer! Then, we grabbed the J4 bus and found our way back towards home. We ran into a Fulbright scholar who was just settling into Rome and she took us for a walk through Trastevere searching for a market. She also recommended a local restaurant, so we found a small café close to our hotel, had some wine and waited for it to open (European dining times- the restaurants don’t even open until 7:30 or 8:00).