Paige and I have agreed to basically split the blogging of our backpacking trip so I’ll take it from here on out, though I’m sure she’ll have some much-needed injections (my memory is pretty terrible).
On August 13th, we picked Kali up from the airport and, after dropping her luggage off at Riccardo’s, made our way to the Colosseum. We got a tip in Barcelona from a girl from Vancouver about how to bypass the 45 minute to an hour wait for entry into the Colosseum. There is a park of ruins opposite the Colosseum called Foro Romano…we bought tickets for this park (at one of the ruins, the Palatino) that also granted us entry into the Colosseum. Sure enough, we were able to walk directly past hundreds of people and straight in.
“Il Colosseo” was every bit as incredible as I had always dreamed it would be. Something about looking directly into the past of one of the most dominant civilizations of all-time is a pretty awe-inspiring thing. I tried to picture what the atmosphere would have been like 2000 years ago for someone outside of Rome when marble, some of which still remained, lined the walls and walkways. I’m sure walking through the corridors, one’s nostril’s would’ve been filled with the musty smell of 50,000 sweating under the burning Mediterranian sun as the racious crowd roared in approval at whatever spectacle was being displayed in the center of the arena. Maybe the putrid smell of the hypogeum (the two-level subterranean network of tunnels beneath the floor of the arena where animals and prisoners were kept) would seep through cracks in the marble and the screams of those slain would pierce one’s eardrums. Oh, to be a time traveller.
After the Colosseum, we made our way through the Palatino and into Foro Romano, a large archeological-looking site where dozens of ruins stood or laid. Walking through Foro Romano was spectacular in its own right as it offered a glimpse into the majesty that was Rome. I just could not imagine being from out in the countryside, having never seen anything larger than a two story farmhouse, and stepping into the streets of Rome – it had to be overwhelming. In Foro Romano we saw, among other things, the Arco di Settimio Severo, the Basilica di Massenzio, Colonna di Foca, the Arco di Tito, and the Casa dei Vestalli. What a day.
Finally, we ended the day by going back to Riccardo’s house where he had, as he’d done the night before, prepared a traditional two-course Italian meal complete with wines from various regions in Italy. I can’t put into words how amazing Riccardo was (both as a cook and as a host) and how excited he was to help us experience and learn about his culture. We ended the night with a delicious cup of coffee and rested up for the next day.
