Rome - Day 3

This day was a bit more relaxed than our previous two days.  I was so exhausted, even after a good nights rest.  So after breakfast I went back to the room to read for a bit while Patrick used the computer.  When Patrick joined me I begged for a nap before we set out.  It was glorious, and I felt well rested after.  So we set off on our way.  Our tour for the day started off at the Capitoline museum, up the road from the Colosseum and Roman Forum.  There is a sculpture there of Romulus and Remus with a she-wolf. 

The legend is that Rome was founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus.  They were born of a god to a vestal virgin, their Uncle left them in the wild to die.  A she-wolf came across them and adopted them as their own.  When they were grown they were restored to their regal birthright and decided to found a new city.  They couldn't decide on where the city should be built and turned to priests to interpret the will of the gods.  Eventually that led to Romulus killing Remus, and the foundation of Rome.  There is a very famous statue that you will see throughout Rome, and it has been housed in this museum for some time. 

After we toured the museum we grabbed lunch from a cart and sat down to people watch and eat.  After we filled our bellies we went to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill.  The Roman Forum has existed one way or another since the 7th century BC.  The area was originally a marshland until it was drained to be used by the ancient Romans.  The forum was originally used as a political arena.  Temples were added beginning in the 5th century BC, and later once Christianity was adopted those temples were converted to Christian Churches.  Now the forum is overrun with tourists and tour guides.  There is so much history and so many artifacts that I think it might be nearly impossible to maintain and preserve the sight.  I fear that after a couple hundred years the site may be lost, though I hope that is not the case.

Next up: the Colosseum.  What a magnificent structure!  Construction was started between 70 and 72 AD, and finished in 80 AD.  The arena could sit 50,000 people, and used for multiple events.  It was mostly used for contests between gladiators and public spectacles.  Its history is very violent and bloody.  Now it's Rome's biggest tourist attraction and has strong Roman Catholic ties.  Every Good Friday the Pope holds a procession there.

Patrick found out that the Ecstasy of St. Theresa, a sculpture done by Bernini, was near our hotel and wanted to visit.  So I found our way to the church St. Mary of the Victory.  Once we arrived there we discovered that  Mass was being said, so we were not able to make our way into the church just yet.  We sat on the steps to decide what our next move would be, but we killed enough time that mass finished.  We made our way into the church and saw the sculpture.  It was really beautiful and I was glad that we went to see it.

On our way back to our hotel we decided to find some dinner.  Originally I really didn't want to eat near our hotel because the area was where a lot of tourists stay.  But we found a nice little restaurant and sat down to a truly excellent meal.  We started with caprese and bruschetta.  After that Patrick had veal saltimboca and I had gnocchi with gorgonzola.  It was delightful definitely the best meal I've had since being here. 

All in all our time in Rome was fantastic and we were very glad that we went.  Once we got back and picked up our car we happily discovered that we did park in long term parking (which we were hoping was the case).  We made it back to our home (or hotel) and felt really good about our first trip.  We're certainly looking forward to many more trips. 

As a side note, I apologize if some of my blog posts read as a short history lesson, but I really love history and find it very interesting.  I love learning about places and art, I hope that you find it a bit intriguing and not too boring.  I promise my posts won't always read like a text book, so please don't give up on me.