The Big Shebang

Hotel delle Province, April 29, 2015, 10:42 p.m.

When told this morning that the plan was to visit the Coliseum today, Maddie protested.  Shouldn't we start with something smaller?  Why do we want to do the big shebang today?

I don't know if the Coliseum and the Forum are the big shebang, but they are certainly shebang-worthy.

First stop was the Metro station nearby, the Bologna station (immediately named the "baloney" station).  Reiner bought transit and museum passes, and we all headed for the ancient part of the city.

Yes, when you come out of the Metro station, the Coliseum looms over you like something that just stepped off a bottle of parmesean cheese.  It's enormous, hulking, iconic. We had sunshine this morning, so that rust color of the brick stood out as so much more vibrant than I ever imagined it might.  

The next thing you notice about the Coliseum is the enormous crowds of people around it.  Hundreds of tourists, of course, but also hundreds of street vendors.  These ubitiquous features of Italian tourism remind me of the "brella" salesmen that clogged the streets of Florence back in 1999.  But, in these new times, the hot item was not a "brella" but a selfie-stick.  Everywhere you turned--selfie-sticks for sale.  Some vendors sold other items, like scarves or little toys, but the stick was everywhere.

The second thing you might see are the ugliest gladiators you can imagine. I'm so sorry, Princess Brenda, but there was no Maximus here.  There was no Lucius Vorenus for me, either.  Instead, the ugliest, pudgy, big-nosed, scruffy men, wearing capes that were nothing more than yards of flimsy material and "armour" that looks like it was made for a child's Halloween costume, offered to pose, for a price, for pictures with the less discriminating of the tourists.  Ugh!

Once through security (cursory bag check and sweep with a wand) and the ticket line, tourists are free to wander around at will.  There are two levels open to regular tourists like us, with special tours providing access to the underground and highest floor.

Not everyone was immediately impressed

Even once inside, some visitors remain impassive

Without a selfie-stick!

Finished with the Coliseum, I met up with the girls at the Arch of Constantine, built to commemmorate his victory over his rival, Maxentius, in 312.  The Arch was gorgeous, both close up and from the viewpoint of the upper floor of the Coliseum.  Up the hill we climbed to the entrance to the Roman Forum, the outdoor museum that has now been declared to be Maddie's favorite site so far.

The Arch of Constantine as seen from the upper level of the Coliseum 

I, took, found the Forum to be amazing.  You literally step into the heart of the ancien  city, with ruins everywhere and miles of paths built of dirt and rock and broken stone that zig-zag through them.  Maddie wanted to see EVERYTHING!  She pulled us along as she explored every pathway, every little nook and cranny.  One of the coolest places was the Cryptoporticus, a 400-foot long tunnel that may have been built by Nero to connect the Palatine and Forum with his palace.  This may have been the place where Caligula was assassinated; I'm happy to report his ghost did not bother us as we meandered through.

Maddie captured the fauna....

....and Heidi the flora  

After several hours at the Forum, we finally went through an exit and found a little cart serving cold drinks and snacks.  We copped a squat on the side of one of the walkways leading up the Capitoline Hill.  That's where Maddie and Heidi made some new friends.

Back on the Metro and back to the hotel to chill out for a little while.  Then we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Ill Tunnel, grabbed some gelato and cookies at the little cafe on the corner, and came back to the hotel.  In the end, I walked nearly seven and a quarter miles today, and I don't regret a one of them.  Watching Maddie and Heidi get actively engaged with the history they were seeing made me just beam with pride and pleasure.

Before I close, I want to send a shout out to my reader Suzi*1 to say thanks for her kind comments and to say that we all miss her like crazy!

Nighty-night, Roma....