When in Rome...

     Last weekend was our group trip to Rome. We started the journey bright and early Thursday morning by taking the train around 7:30 am. After arriving in Rome and settling into our hotel rooms, we all took taxies to the Colosseum. You have no idea how excited I was about the Colosseum, I love Roman history and I have written papers, studied books, and watched documentaries about the Colosseum. So this was a real treat for me!

     Our tour guide was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the history of the Colosseum, I found what she had to say to be fascinating. I will just give a brief recap of what she told us: The Colosseum was completed in 80 A.D. after only seven years of construction. It was the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman empire and it was used for mock sea battles, gladiator fights, animal hunts, and dramas based on Classical mythology. We had the opportunity to go underneath the Colosseum where we got to see where they kept the wild animals and gladiators before the fights. The gladiators were slaves and prisoners who were purchased specifically for these bloody fights. If the gladiator survived a certain number of fights, then he earned his freedom. But more often than not, they would not survive that long. We got to see a bit of the ancient engineering which I have a hard time understanding, but from what I remember, they used a system of elevators to raise the gladiators and animals onto the stage above them. The Romans were really big about spectacular entrances, and a wild beast or gladiator making an entrance from below the ground certainly would be entertaining.

Tunnels and engineering systems underneath the stage of the Colosseum.

An underground tunnel inside the Colosseum. 

   

     What really fascinated me was the mock sea battles. Pictured above is a port where they woud've kept a small sea vessel. They would use some sort of irrigation system to fill the Colosseum with water, and then the ships would float out onto the stage. However, after the expansion of the Colosseum and the addition of tunnels, cellars, and underground passage ways, it was no longer possible to fill the Colosseum with water and continue the fake sea battles.

      After the fall of Rome, the Colosseum was badly damaged by an earthquake and suffered several centuries of loitering. Finally, in the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV decided to preserve the Colosseum as a memorial for early Christians who were martyred. Although Christians were probably killed in the Colosseum, they weren't killed as a spectacle as originally thought. They were basically used as food for the lions(gruesome thought, I know). Most Christians weren't actually martyred in the Colosseum but in the Circus Maximus where the chariot races took place. The idea that they were killed as a spectacle in the Colosseum was actually a mistranslation. However, thanks to this mistake, the Colosseum was preserved.

     I could go on about the gruesome tales of the Colosseum, but I think I'll stop here. Below are more pictures for you to enjoy:

     After the visit to the Colosseum, we went to the Roman Forum which consists of the ancient ruins of several government buildings and temples:

Acanthus leaves which are used as decorations on Corinthian columns.

Relief of the Sack of Jerusalem on the arch. This is how the Romans were able to afford the construction of the Colosseum since they stole so much gold. 

     After the Roman Forum, we went to see the Pantheon with a rotunda that has a hole right in the center of the ceiling.

     The next day we went to the Vatican and started out in Saint Peter's Basilica. While inside, I was taking in the rich surroundings of the basilica when I look to my right and what do I see? Only Michelangelo's Pieta, no big deal! I had to do a double take and then ask myself "Is this the real Pieta?" It certainly was! That was an exciting moment for me since the Pieta is one of my favorite sculptures by Michelangelo.

This is on the bridge leading up to the Vatican. There are several statues that decorate the sides.

Saint Peter's Basilica

The Pieta. It was hard to get a good picture since it is several feet behind glass.

     Up at the front of the basilica, you can look up and see the gorgeous details of the inside of Saint Peter's Dome. The dome was built by Michelangelo and it stands directly above the bones of Saint Peter.

     The most exciting part was when we got to go into the crypt underneath the church. It was fascinating to see all the tombs down there. At the very end was the tomb of Saint Peter, and if you look very closely, you can actually see some of the bones. There was also this gorgeous little chapel down there, very close to the tomb of Saint Peter.

     Afterwards, we toured the Vatican Museums which are overwhelmingly huge. My favorite rooms in the museums were the Egyptian exhibit, Raphael's rooms, and the Sistine Chapel.

Laocoon and his Sons (this is Greek, not Egyptian. I just kinda stuck it under the Egyptian stuff, haha.)

     I especially enjoyed Raphael's Room of Segnatura, which has the famous School of Athens. Not only were the frescoed walls amazing, but the ceiling was absolutely stunning! There are four women on the ceiling above each fresco, who represent the great categories of the human spirit: theology, poetry, philosophy, and justice. I just love the way Rapheal paints with such vivid colors and interesting compositions, he is one of my favorite artists.

     I also really enjoyed seeing the Sistine Chapel since Michelangelo is my all time favorite Renaissance artist. However, it wasn't as exiting as I thought it would be just because I had seen and studied the frescoes so much that it really wasn't a big surprise. In other words, it was exactly what I was expecting. It also would've helped if the lights had been on since it was so dark in there. Another annoying thing about the Sistine Chapel is that the guards are so mean in there. Our professor was just quietly lecturing us when a guard comes up and tells her to be quiet, even though there were other people talking in there. Well, the professor, being the person she is, continued speaking to some of the students but in a very quiet in subtle manner. The guard continued to suspiciously eye her. She just told us, "I think he likes me. He can't take his eyes off of me," and continued to talk to us. Well, the guard didn't like that and he got pretty mad, so he comes up and angrily starts speaking to her in rapid Italian. She just stubbornly tells him, "Sono una professore! I'm a professor!". Then the guard takes her to the end of the chapel and sits her in "time out".  She did not look too happy. After that, I basically just stared at the ceiling for a few more minutes before deciding that I was so exhausted that I needed to go back to the hotel and rest.

     The next few days were a blur of visiting museums, churches, and walking around the city. I enjoyed seeing these huge pieces of a colossal statue. I'm standing next to the hand for size reference:

 
    Pictured below are some more really famous statues, along with a random Medusa head that I was fascinated by:

Capitoline Wolf

Boy With Thorn, also called Spinario

Wounded Soldier

Equestrian Statue

Venus

     I will just conclude this post saying that Rome is a spectacular city. I wish I could've stayed there longer because I feel like we barely saw a quater of it, but I had a blast! I would definitely recommend that everyone see Rome at least once in their lifetime.