Scenes from Italy: The Colosseum and the Vatican
We had a very packed day of sight-seeing in Rome on Monday. We started off with a tour of the Forum, the center of social and political activity back in the days of the Roman Empire, and then we made our way into the Colosseum, where we marveled at its sheer size and ingenuity in engineering. To think that this was a sporting arena for 50,000+ spectators in ancient times is just amazing. And the exposed central area shows the remains of what used to be elaborate passageways and waiting areas for gladiators and exotic animals who were hoisted up through trap doors by pulley elevators.
Our tour of the Vatican was very interesting as well. My legs were pretty tired from all the walking but it was worthwhile to see all the famous paintings and sculptures as well as the grand architecture of St. Peter's Basilica. And of course, seeing the Sistine Chapel firsthand definitely made Michelangelo's feat seem even more amazing. That it has survived all these years (with the help of many restorations) is just incredible. Oh yeah, we also got to see a display of Pope-mobiles through the years, from chariot to luxury sedan. Seeing the Forum/Colosseum and the the Vatican on the same day was very interesting. Mel and I heard on our Rick Steves' audio guide track about how, in many ways, the Roman Catholic Church was a continuation of the Roman Empire -- the Senators became the bishops, the basilicas where pagan gods were worshipped became the churches, and the Emperor became, who else, the Pope.
