Roman Adventure Day 3

Well, it is still hot as heck, but we are better prepared today.  Everyone has water and snacks for the duration of our tour of the Coliseum, The Forum, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.  What a day it has been.  The sun was bright and hot as predicted,  This was a walking tour and walk we did.  We started at Vittorio Emmanuele in the center of Piazza Venezia. We took a cab from the apartment and were quite early so enjoyed watching the crazy, wild traffic of cars, buses and the ubiquitous motor scooters. They are all nuts. You do take your life in your hands to even cross the streets. ( as we had been warned)

We start walking and soon are deep into the old Forum ruins.  What a sight.  We can watch from a wall high above the floor of the area and  then progress until we are right in the center of the old Roman Forum.  We are awed by the history and what is left for us to view.  All are well over 2,000 years old and some areas in quite good condition. 

By the time we reach the end of the Forum, we can look ahead and see glimpses of the Coliseum.  Our guide is good as she keeps our group of 15

                                      together as we enter the madness inside the Coliseum.  There are thousands and thousands there ahead of us, yet she maneuvers us to claim a space along a railing so we can see and take photos.  

It was so hot that we cherish every little piece of shade and wait there until others catch up and the guide continues.  Lydia was fortunate to have a lift that was working today, and she and Jerry rode up to the top in the lift.  The rest of us made it up the steep steps for a better view.

From the Coliseum, we took the bus to Trevi fountain where there was more madness with a crush of tourists, all waiting to throw their coins in the fountain.

 

We are close enough now to walk to the Pantheon and as we wind our way through the narrow alleyways and streets, it wasn't long until the Pantheon loomed largely in front of us.  What a phenomenal piece of architecture.  We are able to freely move in and out of the building and are in awe of the immensity of the structure considering the time in which it was constructed. ( 27 BCE first time and reconstructed in 126 AD by Hadrian).  This is still the world's largest un reinforced concrete dome.

                                                                               

We are thinking that we can't walk another step when our guide takes off toward Piazza Navonna.  We can't afford not to follow as we have no idea how to get home from where we are.  The Piazza is crawling with Carabinieri (police) as  if something is happening in the square,  We saw nothing but pigeons and people. This square ( which isn't square) was  once a water sport playground for one of the Roman leaders after the water area was filled in at the Coliseum. 

By now, we are starved and our guide leads us to a local favorite restaurant where we gasp for water and then order our lunch.  Our trip back to the apartment was another hair-raising ride in a cab.  We know why they tell tourists not to even think of driving in Rome.