The Colosseo…magnifico!

May 11, 2011, Day two


BAM!  This is our first sight after stepping out of the subway station before our guided tour of this magnificent colossal creation.  It was absolutely breathtaking…this, I must say, truly confirmed that we have arrived Rome!

Btw, outside the Colosseum and other ancient sites, you will find Centurions and Gladiators offering (some quite aggressively) to pose with tourists.  Unless you want to fork out €20 for that shot, don't bother. If you don't pay, they will chase after you!

Our tour of the Colosseum included access to the underground level which just recently opened to the public and is limited to special tours.  As we took our journey through the tunnels where lions and tigers once roared from their cages and gladiators sharpened their swords, you can hear the echoes of the Romans cheering for a horrible, bloody battle. Francesca, our tour guide, was very skilled in making us focus and imagine this ancient civilization come to life.

these illustrations display how it would've been back in ancient times

pulleys and ropes were operated to connect passages, open gates
and hoist cages from the basement into the arena

Upon climbing the third tier did we understand the magnitude of this amphitheater.

Flavian Amphitheatre was it's true name; it could hold more than 50,000 spectators who viewed gladiatorial contests, hunts, and mock naval battles when the Colosseum was flooded. Exotic animals from all over the world were brought in to fight the gladiators. During it's inauguration, In 100 days 9000 wild animals were killed to celebrate the opening of the Colosseum.  Over time, approx 500,000 people died and over 1 million animals.

that's the underground level where we started our tour

I am now on the third tier of the Colosseum.  The first and lowest tier was for the senators, ambassadors and vestals. The second tier was reserved for the wealthy class and the third tier was open to the public.

We took a walk through the nearby Palatine Hill and Roman Forum which are

straddled by the brick and marble ruins of what was the imperial city of Rome.

The relic columns and arches hint at what an architectural marvel the space once

was during the peak of the Roman Empire.

Constantine's Arch

House of the Vestal Virgins
The Vestals were freed of the usual social obligations to marry and bear children, and took a vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the study and correct observance of state rituals that were off-limits to the male colleges of priests.

Arch of Titus

the great Menorah, spoils from the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem

walking on the original paving was pretty cool

Ara Di Cesare -- behind this is where Julius Caesar's body is buried

our tour guide, Francesca

We booked all our tours with Dark Rome Tours who's associated with Viator Tours.  We had very positive experiences with all our tours and thus, highly recommend them.  http://www.darkrome.com/


Lunch was a mushroom-prosciutto and an eggplant pizza and a spicy salumi panino which we picked up at some random pizzeria since I was too hungry to look for one of our researched spots.  3.75 stars.  Enjoying our "picnic" at Piazza Venezzia 5 stars.

behind us is Palazzo Venezia

Palazzo Venezia - site of the famous balcony where Mussolini declared war on France

We decided to take a stroll over to Piazza Navona and found ourselves at the Pantheon.  The Pantheon was cool...especially after learning how they built its dome.  Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and is considered the finest remaining example of Ancient Roman architecture.

modern Centurion checking his blackberry

Fontana di Piazza della Rotonda (Fontana del Pantheon)

Just four blocks away, was Piazza Navona where we took a gelato break at Gelateria Tre Fontane (there are 3 fountains in this piazza).  

La Fontana del Moro (the Moor Fountain) represents a Moor, or African (perhaps originally meant to be Neptune), standing in a conch shell, wrestling with a dolphin, surrounded by four Tritons 

Piazza Navona

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or "Fountain of the Four Rivers" created by Bernini

In the centre of Piazza Navona facing the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is the Chiesa di Sant’Agnese in Agone (see first image with the fountain), its facade designed by Bernini’s bitter rival, Borromini. Some suggest that the statues of Bernini’s Fontana dei Fiumi are shielding their eyes in disgust from the sight of Borromini’s church, but the truth is that Bernini completed the fountain two years before Borromini started work on the facade and in fact the figure is shielding its face to indicate that the source of the river at that time had been undiscovered.  


We did more walking through this modern city and accidentally ended up on the other side of the Tiber River at Castelo St. Angelo.  This is where the Pope retreated when times got dangerous.

Tiber River

Tonight's dinner was very exciting for me because my favorite Italian dish, the carbonara, is hard to find in SoCA, at least a good one.  And I've been fearful of trying them after a few bad experiences; however, given that the carbonara was born in Rome, it was on my "must do list" and Roscioli was highly recommended by many Chowhounders. (www.chowhound.com is a food blog we follow that has a huge following of Italian foodies, specially in Rome).



We started with their famous burrata. The outside of these decadent balls is a wrapped skin made from stretched sheets of mozzaerlla; the soft, buttery center is made from fresh cream and unspun mozzarella curds.  Roscioli's burrata comes from Andria, it's served with pepperoni (semi-dried cherry tomatoes), and olives, drizzled with olive oil and finished off with grated black truffles.  5 stars.

this is what a burrata looks like before it's served

My carbonara was (as I drool) purely divine...the  pasta was perfectly al dente, just the right amount of creaminess from Paolo Parisi's eggs (goats milk fed Livorno hens), delicately-sharp flavor of pecorino romano contrasted by 3-kinds of peppers, and instead of the typical panchetta, they use crispy guanciale (spiced pig's jowls).  5+ stars. They are so popular for their carbonara that they sell a "kit"!  

Brad had the spaghetti with San Filippo Cantabrian anchovies 4 stars.  Btw, not only does Brad love anchovies, but we've heard (and we can confirm) that the anchovies here are so fresh they are nothing like the ones we have in America.  This dish was a tad bit too simple for Brad.

complimentary cookies with nutella

After dinner, we took a stroll to Camp De'Fiori just steps away from the restaurant.  There was very little activity which is contrary to what we've heard of this place so we walked over to Piazza Navona instead and had gelatos while enjoying the fountain and more  people watching.

Campo De''Fiori

As you've probably noticed, we've been eating quite a bit of gelato.  With all the gelaterias in our face,  it was truly difficult to resist.  And honestly, they are lighter than most dolci served in restaurants.  Ok, I feel better now that I've justified it for myself.