We woke up this morning with tickets for a 10 am tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. After a late departure, an emergency bathroom stop, and navigating Republic Day preparations, we made it to the meeting spot in the nick of time to join the tour. Putting our headsets on, we made our way to the first stop, the Colosseum. As we approached it, we took a few pictures to try and capture the size, but, like most things on this trip, it was impossible.
Crossing the street, we passed by Ludus Magnus, the gladiator training facility that was connected via an underground passageway to the Colosseum. You can still see where the gladiators would live and train to fight for the amusement of others.
From there we moved into the massive line to get into the Colosseum, which went much quicker than we expected, thanks to our tour group. The guide did an excellent job describing the history of the place, how it was built, when it was used as an open air quarry, and the different activities that were held here. It did not disappoint.
When we were finished up at the Colosseum, our guide took us over to Palatine Hill. She gave us a quick overview of the area before leaving us to our own devices. Zoe wanted to do a little more journaling, so we found a spot in the shade and she sat in her favorite chair to document what we have done so far. After that we began making our way up the hill when Zoe saw a bunch of trees. Cheryl pointed out how good they would be to climb, so Zoe scaled as many as she could.
At the top of the hill we wandered around taking in all of the ancient sites. Zoe enjoyed posing in front of a number of them. Sometimes she made her "totally over it" face, while other times she had that amazing smile. At one point she was peeking through a wall at Cheryl, which was super cute. We eventually made it back down the hill to head into the Roman Forum.
There were even more impressive ruins to see as we strolled along the centuries old pathway through the forum.
After all of the sites, it was time to get something to eat. Of course there was another quasi-legal Vespa sitting on our way to food, but it was totally worth it. We eventually made it to a place that had pizza that they cut with scissors and then charged by the kilogram. I may have asked for one too many slices, but I'm super glad I ordered the potato pizza, because Zoe took a bite! She actually said she liked it, but never took another bite. We'll still call that progress.
She also tried the tiniest little bite of Serrano ham. She didn't particularly enjoy it.
Food in our bellies, we made our way around the corner and up a hill to peek through the Aventine Keyhole. The line wasn't long, so we decided to wait it out. While Cheryl and I were in line, Zoe did a little more journaling and took in the local fountains. When you look through the hole, you get a miniature view through a garden of the dome of St. Peter's, which you can't really see in our picture, but if you look it up and you'll see pictures of what we actually saw.
The next stop on our list was the Mouth of Truth; however, the path there took us past a beautiful rose garden, so we made a quick stop to smell the roses and snap some pictures. The path also took us passed the Circus Maximus and some more fountains, which were enjoyed by all. When we got to the Mouth, there was a line, so Zoe did even more journaling before it was our turn. Once we were inside, Zoe was disappointed that Cheryl did not actually get bit by the giant stone maw. It was time to head home, but not before stopping for gelato behind the Pantheon.
After relaxing for a spell, we went out for dinner at a restaurant called Margaritas and had more delicious food. It was then time for dessert, so we went out to Giolitti and man, did we make a mistake not coming here the first day! Zoe had an adorable, little gelato pop, while Cheryl and I each had a "small" cone, one with pistachio and the other with caramelized fig. It was amazing!
Once we got home Zoe wanted to play a game she called Checkers, but was unlike any game of checkers I had ever played before. It involved bottle caps, some coins as the board, rocks with pips on them to act as dice, and new rules being added after each turn. She kept taking my pieces, and eventually won, but I could not explain to you how.
And that was the end to our very full day. Believe it or not, Flickr actually has even more pictures than what you have seen above. Check them out, if you dare!
Crossing the street, we passed by Ludus Magnus, the gladiator training facility that was connected via an underground passageway to the Colosseum. You can still see where the gladiators would live and train to fight for the amusement of others.
From there we moved into the massive line to get into the Colosseum, which went much quicker than we expected, thanks to our tour group. The guide did an excellent job describing the history of the place, how it was built, when it was used as an open air quarry, and the different activities that were held here. It did not disappoint.
When we were finished up at the Colosseum, our guide took us over to Palatine Hill. She gave us a quick overview of the area before leaving us to our own devices. Zoe wanted to do a little more journaling, so we found a spot in the shade and she sat in her favorite chair to document what we have done so far. After that we began making our way up the hill when Zoe saw a bunch of trees. Cheryl pointed out how good they would be to climb, so Zoe scaled as many as she could.
At the top of the hill we wandered around taking in all of the ancient sites. Zoe enjoyed posing in front of a number of them. Sometimes she made her "totally over it" face, while other times she had that amazing smile. At one point she was peeking through a wall at Cheryl, which was super cute. We eventually made it back down the hill to head into the Roman Forum.
There were even more impressive ruins to see as we strolled along the centuries old pathway through the forum.
After all of the sites, it was time to get something to eat. Of course there was another quasi-legal Vespa sitting on our way to food, but it was totally worth it. We eventually made it to a place that had pizza that they cut with scissors and then charged by the kilogram. I may have asked for one too many slices, but I'm super glad I ordered the potato pizza, because Zoe took a bite! She actually said she liked it, but never took another bite. We'll still call that progress.
She also tried the tiniest little bite of Serrano ham. She didn't particularly enjoy it.
Food in our bellies, we made our way around the corner and up a hill to peek through the Aventine Keyhole. The line wasn't long, so we decided to wait it out. While Cheryl and I were in line, Zoe did a little more journaling and took in the local fountains. When you look through the hole, you get a miniature view through a garden of the dome of St. Peter's, which you can't really see in our picture, but if you look it up and you'll see pictures of what we actually saw.
The next stop on our list was the Mouth of Truth; however, the path there took us past a beautiful rose garden, so we made a quick stop to smell the roses and snap some pictures. The path also took us passed the Circus Maximus and some more fountains, which were enjoyed by all. When we got to the Mouth, there was a line, so Zoe did even more journaling before it was our turn. Once we were inside, Zoe was disappointed that Cheryl did not actually get bit by the giant stone maw. It was time to head home, but not before stopping for gelato behind the Pantheon.
After relaxing for a spell, we went out for dinner at a restaurant called Margaritas and had more delicious food. It was then time for dessert, so we went out to Giolitti and man, did we make a mistake not coming here the first day! Zoe had an adorable, little gelato pop, while Cheryl and I each had a "small" cone, one with pistachio and the other with caramelized fig. It was amazing!
Once we got home Zoe wanted to play a game she called Checkers, but was unlike any game of checkers I had ever played before. It involved bottle caps, some coins as the board, rocks with pips on them to act as dice, and new rules being added after each turn. She kept taking my pieces, and eventually won, but I could not explain to you how.
And that was the end to our very full day. Believe it or not, Flickr actually has even more pictures than what you have seen above. Check them out, if you dare!
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