Touring Italy — Roaming Rome
Arriving in Rome, we headed straight to the main attraction — the Colosseum. This was part of another combination tour we booked through Viator (similar to Naples). I learned several amazing facts about the Colosseum that I’d like to share. Firstly, did you know that the Colosseum is actually called the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the Flavian family dynasty? The title Colosseum is believed to have been nicknamed after the Colossus Neronis, which was a giant bronze statue of former Emperor Nero that was moved beside the Flavian Amphitheatre — it has since been demolished. The Colosseum itself began construction in 70 AD under Emperor Vespasian and was completed in approximately ten years under his son and successor Titus. Despite being built nearly two millennia ago, this engineering marvel still stands tall as the largest amphitheatre of its kind in the world.
The Colosseum was built under Vespasian and Titus to win over the Roman people and gain their approval. The project was funded through the loot acquired from the Second Jewish Temple during the Siege of Jerusalem. Many of the precious materials that lined the exterior of the Colosseum have now been looted themselves and leave nothing more than holes in the walls. Earthquakes are mainly responsible for the collapse of the main walls along the south side of the amphitheatre.
The entertainment provided by the Colosseum primarily consisted of Gladiators battling one another or fighting wild animals, usually to the death. Other forms of entertainment that did not involve bloodshed were circus acts, chariot racing and theatre. It is also believed that the floor was occasionally flooded to host spectacular mock naval battles!
Citizens knew their place and would enter through one of the 76 numbered entrance points to their seat. People sat according to their social class with the wealthy and influential sitting near the bottom with the best view and the poor sitting higher up (not much has changed in modern stadiums, has it?). The Emperor box and Vestal Virgins sat across from one another with senators lining the first rows of seating; the senators’ investments in gladiators translated to popularity and votes. The picture below displays the cross where the Vestal Virgins would sit.
By having Roman people watch fighting events instead of engaging in it themselves, the stadium was rather effective at minimizing rioting in the city. This allowed the Colosseum to act as a release valve for the Roman people’s aggression, while simultaneously keeping people extremely entertained and happy. While most of the events were horrific displays of violence, it was undoubtedly fun to watch and allowed both the rich and poor to enjoy entertainment together, which unquestionably made Rome a much more unified city.
It is truly amazing walking throughout the inner bowl. Despite the extensive damage the Colosseum has undergone, you can still get a very good idea of what entertainment inside this structure must have been like. The Colosseum was estimated to hold between 50,000–70,000 people.
Under the floor was a set of tunnels and holding places for gladiators and wild animals used for entertainment. These tunnels used a lift/pulley system to raise people and animals through trapdoors from below into the arena. When I visited, a portion of a floor was suspended over the tunnels to better visualize what the main stage would have looked like.
Unfortunately, the tour zipped through the Colosseum very quickly; I wish we could have spent even 30 minutes longer to further explore and better appreciate this magnificent structure. Nevertheless, we had to move on to the equally impressive Roman Forum! This is where the Senate, as well as the Republican government itself, began. Located between two of the seven hills of Rome, Palatine and Capitoline Hill, this area developed as the centre for the Senate House, government offices, as well as the place for numerous temples and statues. This was a political and commercial hub — think D.C. mixed with London.
Not much stands in the Roman Forum anymore but what has survived is quite remarkable. The first of which is the Temple of Vesta.
Next, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.
The Roman Forum also held the Temple of Caesar, almost none of which remains. It’s the structure with the makeshift roof.
That roof was built to protect something very important; the ashes of Julius Caesar. Presumably, anyway. To this day people pay their respects and throw coins to this leader figure.
The Arch of Titus, which depicts the events of the Siege of Jerusalem, is located just to the south-east of the Roman Forum.
Now walking up Palatine Hill, we arrive to the houses of the emperors. Well, if they still existed that is. There’s nothing more than crumbled walls at this point. The tour guide explained how once one of the emperors built their home here, several others built theirs right beside the existing structures. This created a row of emperor residences side-by-side.
A short distance from this is a field that opens up to a great view of the Colosseum and surrounding city. It’s amazing to think that some of the most powerful men in history grew up here and that I was standing in their backyards, peering over Rome the same way they would have.
This wrapped up the tour and we were now off to explore Rome on our own! So many of Rome’s attractions are located so close to one another that it doesn’t take more than a short walk to see something new. While we had passed Trajan’s Forum on the way to the Roman Forum during the tour, we went back to better examine the remains of this ancient site.
Without question, the highlight of this area is Trajan’s column that was erected in 113 AD. The column has a spiral bas-relief that depicts Emperor Trajan’s victory over the Dracians.
One of the biggest surprises in Rome has to be the gigantic Altar of the Fatherland. This building is the largest “monument” made out of white marble in the world — and it shows.
A building this large doesn’t come without its own set of criticisms, however. Firstly, the monument is not built in a typical Roman style, but more of a style you’d find in Greece. Secondly, to make room for the placement of this building on Capitoline Hill, a Medieval neighbourhood was destroyed and built on top of the ancient site. Many people I met in Rome referred to the monument as “the wedding cake”, clearly alluding to the cost and design associated with large, overdone cakes. Despite all of the criticism, this is still one of the nicest structures I’ve seen and simply gives off that “wow” factor each and every time I view it. If nothing else, the Altar of the Fatherland gives you the closest idea to how magnificent Rome may have looked if all of the structures were as pristine as this one.
The inside of this building is a historical museum covering many topics of Roman history. You can climb to the upper levels for free and if you continue to walk past the outdoor elevator, you will eventually reach a terrace that looks over Trajan’s Forum and beyond. This is a truly magnificent find and makes for some stunning panoramas!
There’s even a great view of the Roman Forum if you walk to the back of the building!
For the remainder of our time in Rome, we hit up all of the major tourist attractions left outstanding, which included the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
Opened in 1725, the Spanish Steps are a set of 135 steps that connect the Bourbon Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.
Trevi Fountain is indisputably the most famous fountain in the world and while I’d seen pictures of this fountain for years, seeing it in person was truly inspiring. What struck me the most about this fountain was the sheer size of it; spanning nearly 50 meters in width!
It was now time for the attraction I was most excited for — the Pantheon. For a long time I had admired the Pantheon but it was a certain TED talk that really got me excited for this attraction before coming to Rome. This building has a circular inner concrete roof that is supported by nothing but its incredibly calculated stress and weight distribution design. The fact this roof has stood for nearly 2000 years and will continue to stand for millennia after is a nod to the intelligence of the Roman architects of the time. As a result of this masterful engineering, the Pantheon is arguably the best preserved building in all of Rome.
As I walked through the front entrance, I underwent an almost religious experience as the sound of orchestra reverberated among the acoustic walls. To my surprise, there was an actual orchestra playing a variety of classical pieces that only enhanced the visit.
In the centre of the roof is an open hole called the oculus; an eye to the gods. Not only does it serve a functional purpose (such as heat escape and air ventilation), it was likely the first religious, concrete complex where looking up at the heavens meant physically seeing the sky and clouds above. Standing underneath the oculus is just something you’ll have to experience firsthand. It’s incredibly hard to capture the magnificence of the rounded roof with nothing more than a camera, but I tried anyway.
One final stop before heading to the Vatican was eating along the Tiber River — the main waterway in Rome. Truly a great, historic place to rest after walking all day.
That brings us to the end of this city. Rome was a real eye-opener and I’m grateful for how much I learned in such a short period of time. It’s unfortunate that we’ll never experience Rome the way the Romans did, but for what still remains, it certainly continues to leave a lasting impression! This really is the Eternal City!
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This blog entry is part of the publication Robert Cekan Travels & was originally written on August 7, 2014
Robert Cekan is a young entrepreneur and proud Hamiltonian. He is the founder of the Hamilton discovery website True Resident, as well as Cekan Group, a property management group. He is also a Hamilton REALTOR® with Ambitious Realty Advisors Inc., Brokerage and an active blogger.
For all of Robert’s projects, please visit robertcekan.com
