Rome (Coloseum, Vatican)

Rome has got to be one of the coolest cities EVER! There is so much history everywhere... the people are cool, the traffic is crazy, and its beautiful...


After our first night in Rome at the Trevy Fountain, we got up and visited the Coloseum, the Roman Forum, the Chapel of San Clementi, and the Capotiline Museum.

Coloseum

 Outside the Coloseum, near a part that was renovated in the 1800's

 View of a temple that Emperor Hadrian constructed near the site of the Coloseum.

 Arch of Emperor Constantine. This was made of several parts of other arches which Constantine had torn down and moved to the site.

 First level

 A look inside...

 Side of the Coloseum that is collapsing... the white line marks the original line of the walls that have already fallen...

 Museum exhibit of the lifts that used to bring animals and gladiators to the stage to fight for the crowds entertainment...

 View of the same temple from the second level of the Coloseum

 Constantine's Arch from the second level

 The area underneath the now lost stage where animals and gladiators would have been organized and led to their deaths...

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 Cool cross scratched into the wall of the coloseum

View of the Palace of Victor Emmanuel (the big white building).... Romans think this building is the ugliest thing ever.


The Roman Forum 

After the Coloseum we ran over the the Forum to take a look... We saw all the political and religious ruins. There was also a medieval church that had been converted into an exhibit on Nero.

 See the columns? Those are where the political functions of ancient Rome were undertaken

 Details on the columns and truces of some of the structures..

 Cool painting inside the Nero exhibit... entitled 'The Coloseum's Next Victims'

Back of the coloseum where all the cracks are... It's gonna fall down someday...


 

The Capitoline Museum
This Museum holds a huge collection of historical artifacts... there's no way I could have seen everything... even if I had a few weeks to look...

 haha Denise and Tori... in the back Lindsey and Jim... Total accident pic lol

 I don't think they would have appreciated it but it would have been a cool pic if I'd made it inside...






The Vatican

Went to the Vatican... Saw the Museum... Drew a column, saw the Sistine Chapel (which was beautiful btw...), saw the Basillica of St Peter.... I'm not Catholic but it was still cool to see all the stuff... The pope was home, but we didn't get to see him...

 Perritos!!!!

 Rafael's representation of the Tranfiguration

 The Garden of Eden

 Denise dancing in the piazza...

 The ceilings inside are amazing...

 This hallway was like a mile long and every square inch was a fresco...

 Rafael... The  School of Athens

 Outside the Basillica

 The 'Holy Door'... only opened every 25 years

 There were some pilgrims there from Germany/ Switzerland and they had started their mass so we had to leave..

 Swiss Guards... Anyone wanna wear those pants lol

After being at the Vatican all day we wrapped it up with a visit to the Coloseum at night... couldn't get a pic with the sunset and the coloseum so this'll have to do :)