Again, up in good time to partake in breakfast and to get going before the “big” crowds hit the tourist locations. Today we are going back to the Colosseum area and going to walk through the Roman Forum and then on to the Pantheon – which is the reverse of the tour that Andrew and I did the year prior.
Can I say how much I LOVE cobbled streets? My arms are really getting a shake down! In fact my whole body vibrates going over them. Then there are the LARGE cobbled streets going up the hill from the Colosseum and those are even MORE fun! Nothing like some morning exercise and vibration to go along with it!
So we entered the Roman Forum (yesterday we figured out we had 2 day tickets which was really cool) and walked along between the monuments and various statues and columns for a while – it is basically a long area sunk down next to the main road leading from the Venetian Piazza. It runs quite a long distance from the Colosseum right to the road (which was under construction) that joins into the piazza. The ONLY concern that I had, which I had not shared with Liz, is that the last time I was here, we entered the Roman Forum from the entrance near the piazza and the elevator to go down was not working so I had to walk down the stairs, with Andrew carrying my walker. I was *hoping* the elevator was working to go UP today! And low and behold – they had a new elevator and it worked perfectly fine!
While we were in the Roman Forum, both Liz and I were in awe of the tall columns which had pieces of marble placed across the top of them – such as 3 columns with 1 piece of marble across the top of all 3 of them. These columns are SO TALL and it is a wonder how they lifted this marble up so high with human power only! They were AWESOME master builders in those days!
Next on the list of sights was the Pantheon – which is a circular structural wonder due to how it was built. As most people have heard by now, it has an oculus or eye up to the sky which is open to the elements. If it rains, the rain comes cascading down onto the marble floor of the building. The Pantheon is an active church and holds services on Sunday and special occasions. People just do not sit under the occulus!
The Pantheon was originally built in 27 BC, however it was rebuilt by Hadrian, whom most people associate the building with, between 118 and 128 AD.
The great concrete faced with brick dome rises from the surrounding walls and there is a “front porch” of Corinthian columns which support a gabled roof on the front. To enter the Pantheon, you go through some HUGE bronze double doors which are 24 feet high.
The Pantheon is remarkable for its size, its construction, and its design. Until modern times, the dome was the largest built, measuring about 142 feet in diameter and rising to a height of 71 feet above the floor. There is no external evidence of brick arch support inside the dome, with the exact method of construction never been determined. On success factor for the building surviving through the ages has been the excellent quality of the mortar used in the concrete. One thing that has been discovered is that the dome is strengthened by huge brick arches and piers set above one another inside the walls, which are 20 feet thick.
So after experiencing this wonder, we decided to have an early dinner on the way home to the convent. As we were really close to Trastevere, we returned to Mama Eats! where we had eaten with Anne and Richard the first day in Rome. A short walk later and we had arrived! We are becoming creatures of habit – AGAIN it is a mozzarella pizza and caprese salad to share! Now that we have been fed, it was time to walk back to the convent! As this is a pretty long walk for me, we decided to take the tram half way – why not add another mode of transport to our list! There weren’t any ticket machines at the tram stop and so we decided to just get on the tram that was approaching and see what happened. The French speaking family next to us did not have tickets either. Onto the tram and there was a ticket machine so we could purchase tickets! Liz tried first and we were not quite sure if it worked or not by scanning her credit card as she received no receipts. There were signs everywhere indicating if you did not have a ticket you could be fined. And low and behold, right between stops the ticket police appeared! So we showed him Liz’s credit card and said we were not sure if it worked or not and the policeman scanned the card and said there was a valid ticket charged to the card. Then he scanned my credit card and no ticket! Well Liz and I knew that as I had not bought one yet as we were not sure if we had purchased Liz’s correctly. The policeman looked at us, my walker and I said “we told you we were not sure if it worked or not”! So he then took my credit card and tapped it on the ticket machine and voila! I had a ticket too! No actual ticket – it just was charged to my credit card. Then we noticed that we were at the next tram stop and the French family quickly got off before the policeman could get to them…
So we took the tram a total of 3 stops or to the Venetian piazza. From there it was an easy, and well practiced walk back to the convent! I stayed in for the evening in my cute little hotel room while Liz went for another walk. Tomorrow is another day! The forecast has changed from rain to sun so we shall see what we are going to do on our last day in Rome!
