Karen & Steve's 14-Day Tour
Europe Through The Back Door
- 2008 -
Rome - A Modern Ancient City
Rome to us was like stepping into a world that connected the past with the present. It was as though the ghosts of ancient times shared the city with all who visited and lived among her ruins.
We also felt the romance that was so alive in the artistic piazzas and the warmth of everyone we met while we were there.
Not only were the historic sights of Rome exciting to Karen, so was this elevator in our hotel.
It was amazing how we felt so at home in every place we stayed while on our tour. While in Rome we stayed here at the Hotel
Sonia.
This was going to be a very busy day for us. No sooner we were settled into our hotel rooms when we were traveling
the metro from the Termini station to the Colosseum.
The very first sight we had after emerging from the metro station was the awesome view of the Colosseum.
Like stepping through a time portal, we were transported into the ancient past all the while surrounded by the sounds of progress.
While we toured Rome, we were guided by a local tour guide who added so much to our visual experience. We, took more pictures
than we could ever share without boring an interested friend or family, but the fact is that we were so overwhelmed with
the magnitude of historic greatness that was all around us.
From the Colosseum it was a short walk through the present before we were once again transported into the past as we entered
the gates of the Roman Forum. There we learned about this once-upon-a-time center of power and commerce and this tour wet
our appetite to continue learning even after we got home.
Overall the Forum looked to us like a disorderly hodgepodge of a collection of ruins at first; But with our guide's help, we
were able to see beyond the ruins and visualize what life in Rome was like over two thousand years ago.
The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina (141 AD) was like seeing 3-dimentional snapshots of time. By the middle ages
most of the forum was buried under debris. The debris was once as high as the door. When it was converted to a church the
green door was added to access the inside.
The Temple of Saturn (42 BC)
The Temple of Vesta (4th century BC)
From the Forum, we traveled through modern Rome once more before reaching our final historic destination - The Pantheon.
Back to modern Rome with cars, motorcycles and scooters being driven by women in heels.
Alive with art and music.
Campo de' Fiori - a place we think of whenever we hear Dean Martin's song: "Arrivederci Roma".
Dinner at Restorante la Carbonara in Campo de'Fiori.
Rome Part 1
