Today, we visited the Piazza Navona and admired the huge space with its 3 fountains and its obelisk.. Rome certainly does do fountains well!
We visited the Al Sogno, the wonderful gift store, and admired the soft toys, Pinocchio toys and puppets. All so very tempting!
Then, we progressed to the Campo de Fiore, where we saw some beautiful flowers and gorgeous posies, stalls of fruit, vegetables, spices, bags, pasta, cheeses and hams. It is very touristy and the stalls are mainly manned by Bangladeshi's. Apparently, the Romans are shopping here less and less.
Our next stop was at the sweet little fountain Fontana della Tartughe. I love the terrapins struggling to reach the top bowl of water.
After lunch, it was time to start our tour of the Collosseum with Maximo, an art historian who was an excellent guide. He escorted us through the dungeons, where the wild animals, gladiators and sewers existed, and where the pulleys and winches used to access the main arena were found. we learned a lot about the history of the amphitheater.
Next, we went up to the second floor for a clearer view and explanation of the inner part of the stadium,
and a view of the Roman Forum, including the Arch of Titus
Later, we were taken outside where we had a clearer view of the exterior of the Colosseum and an exploration of the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.
We took note of the gardens and the rather impressive bird cage, but it is the views that one can see from the terrace of the Roman Forum that are stunning. I found the whole area absolutely gobsmacking. It truly is one of the wonders of our world. How amazing that we can still see so much of the past! We were lucky enough to hear musicians practising for a future concert as we explored. It made it even more of a stunning experience. I will always treasure these memories of what ancient Rome was like.
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