A Day in Ancient Rome

Day 2 (well technically day 3) in Rome began with a brisk walk past the National Monument Of Vittorio Emanuele II towards the Colosseum. The monument is across from Piazza Venezia (another Piazza!) and commemorates the first King of unified Italy. However, they wanted to build it so fast that they used poor quality marble and it needs cleaning constantly. So while we were there they had the scaffolding up so they could scrub it clean before the tourist season hits. It was still epic though.And then, as we turned the corner, I saw it. The ancient ruins, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum in the distance.
I was on cloud nine. I have always wanted to see the structures of the Ancient Romans. I mean, they were architectural geniuses. Not to mention they were brilliant in war tactics, city planning, and empire ruling. I think the epic-ness of their empire is apparent in structures like the Colosseum.
The Colosseum (or Flavian Amphitheater) was finished in 80 AD and could hold up to 50,000 spectators. Here, gladiator battles, Classical plays, animal hunts, and even executions entertained the people of ancient Rome.
Afterward we did a quick run by the Arch of Constantine and took some wonderful Kodak moment photos and were off to Palantine Hill.
Palantine Hill was one of the seven hills of Rome and supposedly where the she-wolf that saved Romulus (the founder of Rome) and Remus (his twin brother) lived. It sits above the Roman Forum on one side and the Circus Maximus on the other. It's no wonder why this was a popular place for Roman Emperors to build their palaces.While there isn't a lot of the palaces left, you can still see how grandeur they were meant to be. They overlook amazing sites and the trees and gardens that surround them make it one of the most peaceful places in Rome. I swear, I could have sat up there all day enjoying the quiet

Below is a view from the top of the hill. Despite the peacefulness of it all, we were on a mission to see the Roman Forum before it closed, so off we went.
This was my favorite part of our tour through ancient Rome. It was so nicely preserved and if you closed your eyes you could imagine the cobblestone streets and all the buildings as whole. Laura had lent me her Rick Steve's "Italy" book and it served as a self-guided tour through the forum. As he said, "If you think this is just a pile of rocks, remind yourself that Cesar once leaned against these rocks."
It's usually not so busy during the off season but Kim and I paid a visit to the forum the day before the Ides of March, the day in which many Italians still pay homage to Cesar's death.

I fully enjoyed my day in ancient Rome and spent it blissfully geeking out over every structure and stone ruin. To say the least, this day had gone over much more smoothly than the day before. While we were still weary of Rome, we felt we had gotten to know it better and were a little more confident in ourselves.