Day 3 (4/27) - Our first full day in Rome

On our first full day in Rome we wanted to hit some of the ancient sites right away. The most obvious choice to start was the Colosseum. It’s truly amazing how much is still standing despite years of neglect and rampant vandalism. We were also impressed by how much the design, with all of its entrances and exits, has influenced stadium design throughout the rest of history.

From there, we headed up to the Palatine to walk around and view Augustus’ palace, looked down on the Circo Massimo and explored the various ruins. Unfortunately, a massive wind storm started while on the Palatine hill. The problem with being amongst ancient ruins in a wind storm is that there is a lot of,… DUST! Since we literally had dust and dirt blowing in our faces, we headed back down the hill into the Roman Forum. I especially liked the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, which was once a temple – the front portico of which is still standing. However, within the enclosure of the old temple ruins, the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda church was built centuries later.

What we didn’t realize is that as the storm picked up, the Forum acted as a virtual wind tunnel. We took refuge in the Curia and hung out with Trajan and the other emperors whose statues are housed there for a while. But there’s only so long one can examine the details of roman costume, hair styles and weaponry as carved into marble, and we ventured out again. After snapping a few pictures, our friendly storm brought us something we are very used to – rain. However, this was not the steady drizzle of the Pacific NW; rather, it was a heavy downpour. We took refuge in the Vittorio Emmanuel, and wandered through an exhibit on the history of Rome (all in Italian), before they finally kicked us out at closing time. Thankfully, vendors had appeared at every doorway selling umbrellas. As we headed back toward the Coliseum, the rain started to abate, and we walked along the Imperial Forum, taking in the sights and considering where we might score some tasty gelato. But the storm wasn’t done with us yet, for as we neared the Colosseum, the rain began again in full force, drenching us just as we reached the Metro station. However, it was not cold, and since we still had an appetite for gelato (who doesn’t?!), we bought some from the gellateria in the station and waited for the rain to subside so we could take some pictures around the Colosseum at night. The storm had other ideas, however, since the rain continued and did not look like it would stop anytime soon. In the end, drenched and shivering slightly after our gelato, we headed back to our hotel.