Day 3: Ancient Rome

The map got us again! After breakfast we headed to Ancient Rome. We were completely frustrated by finding the Forum (the center of the Republic for 1,000 years) so we were not off to a good start. Then when we did find it, it was poorly labeled so our guide book was even difficult to use. We struggled through it, and 2 hours later we found the ticket booth to Palatine Hill to buy our combo tickets to the Hill and the Colosseum (another tip from Fodor's to avoid waiting in line at the Colosseum for tickets which is always crowded). Palatine Hill was the birthplace of Rome and where the leaders built their homes---very cool. We wandered there for about an hour before heading to the Colosseum. It was hot, hot today so we were pooped. There was a huge line to enter the Colosseum and morale was low so we decided to eat lunch in the area then come back when the lines went down. A sandwich and slice of pizza later, the entrance line went down, and we passed through security. We passed the very long ticket line, thankful for the tip on combo tickets at Palatine Hill, and entered the Colosseum. It's huge and impressive, but we were done in no time at all. It was just so hot and really not a lot to read and see. On the people watching front, it was a treat, as we could not get over the number of people posing for photos here. I'm not just talking a "smile for the camera shot", I'm talking it looked like a series of modeling shoots...hilarious!

We walked to Mamertime Prison---the most famous of prisoners was St. Peter. There is an imprint of a face on the staircase wall which is said to be his. Supposedly the guards shoved him into the wall, and the wall gave way and left an imprint of his face.

The map started working for us, and we found St. Clemente in no time. This is one of the older churches in Rome. Finally, we headed to St. Giovanni in Laterno, the papal residence until the 1300's. It was pretty incredible inside. It's most famous for the outside, where there are saints gyrating on the top (yes, you read that right). Interesting...






We walked back to the Colosseum area at 4:15pm. We were finally in the shade, and it was none too soon! We took a break at a cafe around the Colosseum and enjoyed a panini and more people watching. We were back on our feet by 5pm to the hotel. We pit stopped into San Andrea de Valle, the church by our hotel. It was stunning---the second largest dome in Rome.







After a few minutes there, we hit the hotel for a nap and shower before supper, which finds me here updating the blog. The hotel has two computers in the basement so blogging here is easy. More to follow tomorrow...