Spring Break Part Five: Ancient Rome

Wednesday we decided even though it was a little rainy to buy an umbrella and walk down to tour the Colosseum and some of Ancient Rome.  We joined a tour and the Roman guide was pretty fun, he showed pictures of what everything used to look like and listed all the inaccuracies in movies like Gladiator.  The tour then walked over to Palatine Hill, but the rain was really starting then.  We still strolled along the ruins.  When we got hungry we left for lunch in a tented cafe and had more pizza, this time more brick-oven style.  We went back to the hotel for a nap and to make dinner reservations.  We got a little lost finding Ristorante Maccheroni but it was so worth the trouble! This was the best meal of the trip so far.  We had bread, a mozzarella appetizer, then pasta and grilled vegetables.  We tried our best but couldn't finish it all, it was sad to leave the delicious food behind.  We hadn't realized it, but that night was La Notte Tricolore, the 150th anniversary of Italy as a country.  The city was lit up, people with flags everywhere celebrating till 2am or later.  We finally found Piazza Navona and spent some time enjoying the fountains.  The day was great, I am just disappointed in the scans of my black and white photos, I will have to have them re-done soon!

We passed this Opera house on our walk

The Colosseum

The Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Another

The umbrella-d crowd walking the ruins of Palatine Hill

The statues of the Vestal Virgins

The statues of the Vestal Virgins

I love a statue missing something

Tom under an arch

The Arch of Constantine

The most delicious dinner we couldn't finish

Tom took a photo for these folks at Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

Another fountain in Piazza Navona

Another fountain in Piazza Navona

The streets were full of flower shop carts which seemed to be open all night

The crowds gathered around the buildings lit up for La Notte Tricolore