We made the most of our first day though and headed off for the Colosseum. After cramming onto the bus and subway, we finally arrived at the Collesseum to be greeted by the summer toursit crowds - the place was packed! But we got in relatively quickly as Tim had booked tickets for us online beforehand. It really is an amazing piece of engineering and architecture, not to mention the history tied to the place. You definitely imagined the battles that went on, as well as the thousands of people sitting and watching the events unfold in the terraces.
The crazy thing about Rome is that no matter where you walk, you stumble across either old ruin sites, beautiful piazzas (squares), or stunning churches. After the collesium, we headed back to the campground to hit the pool and have a nap as the heat has been pretty sapping (33C+ most days), even for someone used to Texas heat. We have been also trying to just eat local food wherever we go, and even though its been simple lunches of local produce, mozarella cheese, and italian bread, it all just tastes so good! That night I did get stuck into a nice tuna fettucine pasta dish, but just about enjoyed the Peroni (Italian beer) on the side as much as the pasta.
We woke early the next day to head back in the city and check out the Pantheon and a local market. To get from the campground into town requires a bus and a subway train which can be really hard work alot of the time. They are always crowded, stinking hot, and you often have to keep your wits about you as gypsies and pickpockets are always lurking about. We had an older guy on the train in front of us just about get pickpocketed, but an Italian man next to him noticed that a gypo had unzipped his bag when there was a bit of pushing to get on the train (a trick they like to employ)so he then pushed her and booted her off the train. Good on him I reckon. The stations are also places where they are around looking for unsuspecting tourists to scam or pickpocket, so traveling like this can be hard going some days.
The Pantheon was another amazing piece of architecture and engineering. Inside its ceilings were covered in intricate paintings, and there was also a tomb of a former King who unified Rome. Unfortunately Tim had to make tracks to Verona, so after the Pantheon we stopped in at a nice Italian bakery for some pastries and an espresso to keep us going. After Tim left we finished up our day by visiting a local market and then making our way back to the campground to sit by the pool for the rest of the afternoon with more Peroni's in hand.
For me, the highlight of Rome was on our last day when we headed to the Vatican City. Unfortunately since it was Sunday, the Vatican museums were closed, but we were able to check out St Peters Basilica which to my surprise really blew me away. Inside the Basilica, the ceiling is covered with amazingly intricate paintings, including work on the main dome from Michelangelo. As we finished up at the Basilica and were on our way to the metro, we noticed a big crowd heading toward the square, so we turned around and joined the masses waiting for the Pope to make an appearance. At midday on the dot he came to the window and began a reading (in Italian obviously, so had no idea what he was talking about). Again as it was the heat of the day we headed back to the pool for some recuperation before heading out in the evening so I could grab some evening shots of the Colleseum, Roman Forum, and Piazza Venezia-Vittoriano.
Next stop Sorrento...
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