Rome: Part 1

Buongiorno! I've just returned from a week in Rome and it was wonderful! Rome is overwhelming in terms of its frenetic activity, the scale of the ancient ruins, and the amount of amazing art and architecture. It was no doubt an impressive city during the height of the Roman Empire, and it remains so today.

My first day in Rome, I took a walk around the old city to get the lay of the land. Here are some photos from my walk, although I'll save the photos of the Colosseum and Forum for later.

The iconic Victor Emmanuel monument. Built in the 19th century but in the style of ancient Roman architecture. 

Trajan's Column, with depictions of Rome's victories inscribed in a spiral design. Amazing that this is 2,000 years old and still standing!

Trajan's Market. Again, amazing that so much of this is still standing.

Trajan's Forum.

Another view of the Imperial Forums.

The main avenue is lined with statues of emperors...

And this guy dressed as a statue.

I think this is also part of the Imperial Forums.

The next day we toured the Colosseum. Our hotel was right down the street from the Colosseum, and we walked by it nearly every day, so I have a ton of photos of it. I'll post them all together, even though they were taken on different days.

Here you can see all the tunnels that were underneath the arena. It would all have been covered by a wooden floor, as seen on the left.

On the far left, you can see some of the seating, which would have encircled the whole stadium.

You also get a good view of Constantine's Arch and Palatine Hill (above), and the Temple of Venus and Rome (below) from the top of the Colosseum.

Christian churches were often built on top of pagan ruins, as seen here. The half-dome in the foreground was part of the temple, and the structure next to it is a 12th-century church.

I think that's all for now. More to come!