We spent our last day in the eternal city exploring its most famous and ancient attractions: The Colosseum, Roman Forums, and Pantheon. We were expecting a walk after exiting the station leading to the first two places, and needless to say, we were quite surprised to find that the metro exit was only a couple yards away from the actual Colosseum. The ticket line for the Colosseum was quite daunting, but luckily I had done my research and decided it was best to see the Roman Forums first, which were right next to the Colosseum.
A word of advice for those who want to go see the Colosseum and the Roman Forums: The ticket you buy at either booth applies for both the Colosseum and the Roman Forums, so it’s best to buy your tickets at the Roman Forums rather than the Colosseum. The line was SIGNIFICANTLY shorter, and we only had to wait about 10 minutes. Better yet, see the Roman Forums first while you’re there.
Another piece of advice: Download Rick Steves’ free app and download the walking tours for Italy. I downloaded some for the Colosseum, Roman Forums, and other places during my stay in Italy and if you can get past the cringe-worthy puns he sometime says, its actually very informative and interesting. I shared headphones with my friend, and we wandered around the Forums together, immersing ourselves in the history.
Atrium of the House of Vestal Virgins with 2 pools
One part of the Forums I found particularly interesting were the ruins of the House of Vestal Virgins. The Vestal virgins were priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. They were very important women because they kept the hearth burning in the temple of Vesta at all times, which signified the power and strength of the city of Rome. These women were specifically selected at the age of 10 and were required to dedicate the next 30 years of their lives to serving at the temple and of course, remaining a virgin (you were buried alive if you didn’t follow celibacy). As if to make up for the next 30 years of their lives as well as their love lives, they had posh living conditions in a 50-room palace complete with an outdoor atrium and double pool. To be considered a Vestal virgin was a high honor and came with many significant privileges, which included a pension after your 30 year term as well as the freedom to own property, vote, and make a will as well as a special place of honor practically everywhere.
House of Vestal Virgins
Sweeping view of the Roman Forums
After seeing the Forums, we made our way back to the Colosseum. (If you have your tickets from the Roman Forums, don’t bother standing in line and make your way straight for the turnstiles 🙂 )
At the peak of the Roman empire, this incredible feat of architecture could hold 50,000-80,000 spectators who came to see gladiator battles as well as public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, as well as reenactments of famous battles and dramas based on mythology.
As seen in the picture above, there was usually a stage made of boards which were then covered with sand to soak up all the blood. The tunnels underneath (which are what we see now) are the remains of rooms used to house prisoners and animals who were to be used in the games.
Throughout the day I kept on wondering what these places would have looked like at the height of the Roman Empire. My friend even remarked with a tone of regret, “I wish everything wasn’t so…ruined.” All we were seeing was the skeleton of an Empire that ruled for almost 450 years and I began to have an immense respect for their people in the past as well as their descendants in the present.
At the end of our visit, my friend Tiffany convinced all of us that she had found the perfect location for a Colosseum picture, and we all proceeded to stand in front of the Colosseum one-by-one for one more picture. We then took a group picture, and made our way to find something to eat.
While at the Colosseum gift shop, we took a peek inside some of the books and took note of some of the recommended places to eat. However, we struck out, and the famous pizzeria ended up being closed. However, we ran into a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria, where I had the best slice of pizza.
I WISH I HAD WROTE DOWN THE NAME OF THE PLACE. All I know is it was in the area of Trastevere, which doesn’t really help 😦 It turns out, this place had about a million awards, and I stopped feeling sorry for myself that our original option was closed.
Best tomato and pepper pizza ever.
This is actually a picture of my friend’s pizza because I inhaled mine in about 5 seconds. Funny story, when I got my slice, it was cold, and they usually reheat it for you before they give it to you. So being the silly tourist I am, I went and asked them if they had a microwave or something where they could heat it up for me. The owner looked at me with a “silly tourist” expression and retorted that it was fresh tomato, which doesn’t taste good if its reheated. So I ate it cold, and I probably could have eaten a whole pan, hot, cold, or whatever the temperature. It was that good. Afterwards, we went over to a nearby cafe to have dessert and rest a little before we stopped at our last site.
A delicious and adorable strawberry tart I had.
After getting our fill of food, we headed to our last destination: the Pantheon. By the time we arrived there, it was drizzling and already dark outside. Nevertheless the Pantheon was still magnificent.
Pantheon
The Pantheon was built to be a temple to the pagan gods of Rome and is now one of the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome. One of the main reasons why it is so remarkably preserved despite its pagan history is because it was later converted to a Christian church. Its architecture is particularly interesting because of its dome and oculus, as well as its slanting floors, which serves to drain rainwater that enters through the top.
The Pantheon also houses some famous tombs, including that of the renowned artist Raphael.
After touring the Pantheon, we grabbed some gelato (no day is complete without gelato) and made our way back to our Airbnb, satisfied with our last day in the Eternal City.
Lindsay In Wanderland 