Day Five: Palatine Hill, Forum and Colosseum

Our fifth day in Italy was all about ancient Rome. We planned to walk with the kids a few miles away and visit Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Like their father, Seamus and Finn share an interest in history. Before we left, we tivoed lots of shows on The History Channel and the Travel Travel about various ancient Roman themes. They were familiar about the Rise and Fall of Rome. They knew the history behind the Colosseum. They were familiar with the famous Roman emperors. We also allowed them to watch Gladiator, which Seamus loved and Finn slept through. As we ate our last breakfast at the B&B, I felt confident the day was going to go well. The boys were excited and seemed prepared for the days events.

Palatine Hill was our starting point for the day. Matt and I didnt visit this landmark when we traveled to Italy in 2007. We were looking forward to seeing its attractions: namely the home of Octavian/Caesar Augustus and his wife, Livia and the ruins of the famous Circus Maximus. Palatine Hill is exactly that - a hill. We would have to hoof it a bit, but from from its lofty elevation we were promised beautiful gardens and a fantastic view of Rome. We would also be able to easily access the Forum from the Hill's location so it seemed the most logical starting point. After a small wait, we entered the area and started climbing. The boys took the hike in stride, though it left me a bit winded. Along the path up the hill were many remnants of ornately carved marble columns. Seamus enjoyed climbing and sitting on them - much to my horror. More than once I chided, "Do you have any idea how old that is? Get down NOW!" Sometimes he listened; other times he pointed to another guest doing the same thing and used it as reasoning for his behavior. Unfortunately, we were dealt a small blow upon arriving at the top. Some attractions including Caesar Augustus and Livia's home were closed. It seemed we picked the wrong day to visit Palatine Hill. The mood of our group plummeted and the boys meandered around the top of the hill with an aimless, restless energy. Matt stood shell shocked. The stories he had prepared to share didnt have the the same "wow factor" without the landmark to accompany it. Though the gardens and views were quite beautiful to me, Palatine Hill left the boys feeling disappointed and irritable.



Our spirits rose upon entering the Forum. There was so much to see there - so much history to process and absorb. Though some attractions were closed due to restoration efforts (Matt was particularly upset with the The Curia's closing,) the area as a whole did not upset. The kids were particularly impressed with the small area thought to be the location of Julius Caesar's assassination. Matt walked them to the altar area where flowers are always present in remembrance for the slain emperor. My favorite parts of the Forum were the large arches dedicated to Titus and Septimus Severus. The detail in each illustrates such extraordinary precision. A small personal note: the past two times we have toured the Forum, we have done it by ourselves with the aide of guidebooks. Matt always does his homework and gave us great tid bits about the area, but the next time we visit Id like to see the Forum with a tour guide. Both in 2007 and during this past trip, I overheard guides sharing bits of information about the ruins to their paid groups. Their stories quickly captured my attention and I only heard a tiny bit of their knowledge. Given the immense breadth of information and history focused on that one spot, Im guessing a tour guide would be a beneficial way to experience the Forum.



By far, the highlight of our day was touring the Colosseum. For the boys, it totally lived up to the hype. Even before we got inside, the mere sight of that famous building had us giddy with anticipation. Because we had read and seen so much information on the Colosseum before leaving the US, the impressiveness of the building and its history was not lost on the boys. They got it. At one point while we were inside, Finn and I talked at length about how architecturally brilliant the colosseum was built. He said to me "The Romans must have been really good at math to build it so well." He's right! When you see the Colosseum up close and understand that it was built over 1900 years ago, the impressiveness of its engineering and subsequent survival is powerful. Its a remarkably, solid slice of history and its aging quite beautifully. We should all be so lucky. ;) For Matt and me, it was really gratifying to share the Colosseum experience with our sons. Taking them there was something I never in my wildest dreams thought Id be able to do. It was a dream come true.



Touring Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum took us the better part of a day. We were hungry and tired after several hours of walking among the great Roman ruins. We grabbed some pizza and paninis across the street from the large Vittorio Emmanuel Monument and snuck in a couple more pictures before catching a late afternoon train back to Florence.




It was sad for me to say goodbye to Rome. It was/is my favorite city in Italy. The people in Rome were stylish, funloving, helpful and kind. The city felt alive but to me it never felt scary or too large. I think one of the key reasons I loved Rome so much was the neighborhood and the B&B where we stayed. The B&B Locanda all'Orologio was situated in a lively yet quiet neighborhood centrally located between Piazza Navonna, Camp di Fiore and the Vatican. There were pedestrian only streets in neighborhood that were lined with great places to eat and shop. When we walked the small alleys and streets, we felt like we were among real Roman poeple going about their day. It was lovely. Matt and I knew the area so well; it almost felt like our neighborhood.

We stayed in Rome for 2 days - not even close to being enough time to do the city justice. However, I feel confident we made the best of every minute we had in that beautiful city. I will always be grateful for the memories we made together in Roma.