Did you know that Italian subways have ridiculously funny warning signs?

Time to play catch up!

24 May 2011
2:30 pm - Roman Forum

Today has already been ridiculously long and fun, and it's only mid afternoon. We started out early this morning with our first ride in the metro (or subway). The metro is so easy to figure out! As of now, there are only two lines that cross like an X on the east side of the river. The signs for the stops tell you what major monument or feature it's letting you off near, which is perfect for us tourists. You can hardly get lost down there! (Knock on wood... I don't particularly feel like getting lost down there my first time without Jackie or Dan!)

After switching lines and a few stops, we got out by the Colosseum. I mean, we literally walked outside and there it was, right in front of us, right across the street. Again, this mixture of modern and ancient structures is so bizarre, but so fascinating.

We head over, and the first thing I notice other than the Colosseum itself is the two men in front of it dressed as gladiators, taking pictures. Of course, I had to run up and take a picture with one. Nobody else would with me! Sigh, RomeKids, sigh. Apparently it's polite to tip them, but I didn't have any Euro coins on me. Whoopsies.

We continue our stroll, and there's the Temple of Venus and Roma, pretty much right next to the Colosseum. I knew that they were close to each other, but seeing them in person neighboring each other really made it click. All of a sudden, we were at the Imperial Forum, looking down at the ruins of many of the ancient buildings.

And then I had my first encounter with a gross Italian man. The gladiators aren't just in front of the Colosseum, they're pretty much scattered all over the surrounding area. As we were walking towards the Column of Trajan, another gladiator appears. Here's the trick if you don't want to be bothered: don't make eye contact. Don't acknowledge them in anyway, but if you do, don't make eye contact. If you do, they'll jump all over you. I was watching as the line of RomeKids walked by him and looked at him. So when I began to pass him, he grabbed my hand and demanded a picture. I said no, tried to pull my hand away, but he held my hand and scratched the inside of my palm (like you would if you were playing that murder mystery game). I yanked my hand away and ran up to catch up with the rest of my group. Apparently, that's some secret code for "let's have sex." Gross. No, please. You were certainly no Paolo.

Anyway, I get over that, and we continue to walk around a bit. We come up to the Monument of Vittorio Emmanuele II, also lovingly (sarcasm) called the Wedding Cake or the Typewriter. This monument was built by Mussolini, and is really not favored by the locals. It honestly does stick out like a sore thumb. He meant to make it look like the classical, ancient buildings, which it sort of does, but it's made of bright white marble and is just so grandiose and exaggerated that it's slightly ridiculous.

The main staircase of the Wedding Cake (much easier to type than the full name) is a very patriotic place. On the top of the stairs is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by two military officers in full uniform. It's a very respectful place, and visitors are not allowed to eat, drink, or sit on the stairs.

After passing that, we climbed about halfway up the building to a balcony which also gave amazing views of the city. Right next to the Wedding Cake is the Theatre of Marcellus (again with the proximity to everything). Unfortunately, my camera chose this time to die and I didn't get any pictures :(

After lunch, we made our way over to the Roman Forum. It was surprisingly much smaller than I was expecting it to be. I've studied the maps and new where everything was, but the layout was honestly still surprising to me. Once we got in, we sat down for a few minutes, prepping for our first writing assignment (see below). Then we made our way to the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, where Gia, Shannon, and Katie W gave a great presentation. After their presentation, we continued to walk around the Forum for a bit.

We finished that, and decided to head back to St. John's for some well deserved rest and relaxation. Our plan for the night is to find a nice ristorante with great pasta. After that, who knows! Free night tonight!