Father’s Day at the Colosseum

This morning I woke up to two excited girls who wanted to make Father's Day special even though we were in a hotel room in Rome. They had brought the absolute sweetest cards and gifts, reminding me that I am incredibly lucky and honored to be their dad. I also got a new outfit that was perfect for Rome (pictured below).

After a relatively quick breakfast at the hotel, we hit the streets for a little shopping and strolling through some of the amazing neighborhoods of Rome on our way toward Flavian's Amphitheater.

If you have never heard of Flavian's Amphitheater, you may know it by it's more modern name, The Colosseum! Built almost two thousand years ago by the third emperor of Rome, this amazing structure could hold 70,000 spectators who watched gladiators fight, exotic animals hunted in re-created forest scenes, and the execution of prisoners. We followed a guide for over an hour while she shared ten times more about the history of the Colosseum than any of us could absorb.

Today, it is hard to describe the contrast between how much of this giant structure is still intact but also how little of the details (stadium seating, any of the hundreds of statues that used to fill each arch, etc.) remain.

We had the opportunity to go down near the floor of the Colosseum where the action took place. It is an active archaeological sight today and looks like a honeycomb of crumbling brick rooms. Originally, under the arena there were all the services necessary for the shows: cages for the animals, stores, tools, and lifts that raised the beasts through trapdoors placed on the floor of the arena. When wild animals were in the amphitheater a fence was erected all around the podium. The fence had wooden rollers on top, in order to prevent the beasts from climbing over. During the show, for the comfort of the audience, sail-cloth awnings covered almost the entire seating area for shade.

From the Colosseum, we walked over to the the adjacent Palentine Hill which included the first three palaces of Rome after the republic was replaced by the empire, as well as the Roman Forum (original economic center of the city), the senate building and the Circus Maximus (chariot racing grounds). It is hard to describe how many crumbled layers of ancient history are on display on and around Palentine Hill.

Finally, after a long hot day walking through the ruins of ancient Rome, we said goodbye to our guide and found a nearby cafe where we were able to refuel with cold drinks and a traditional Italian pizza.

Once we had our energy back, we headed to our hotel where the girls went for a quick swim in the rooftop pool. Our sister-in-law, Josie, had met up with us in Rome the day before on the last leg of her trip through Italy and she joined us for an Aperol sprintz at the pool bar and then dinner at an amazing local restaurant.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Rome and take a train down to Napoli and then a car to the Amalfi Coast. Rome has been good to us but we are also looking forward to the next leg of our journey.

Arrivederci!

Matt, Laura, April & Fiona