Rome

First stop in Rome was for lunch - we headed to Trastevere. The sparrows were as well-fed as the paying patrons at the Trattoria we chose - where, after two weeks of pasta, the girls asked for 'sausage and chips' (and didn't quite get what they were expecting).



Crossing the Tiber



Iola Tiberina

 

The Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, from Palatine Hill



Roman Forum: Corinthian columns from the Temple of Castor and Pollux (early 5th century BC)

The Arch of Septimus Severs - built in AD 203 to celebrate victory over the Parthians

In the Colosseum



Della: "In the middle of the Colosseum people fought other people and animals, normally it was lions, bears, big cats, that sort of thing."
Apparently it's a myth that Christians were made to fight - it was generally soldiers, and perhaps some slaves who were fighting for their freedom.  

 

Edie: "There was a cat we saw on the tour, called Nero after a Roman emperor. He trotted up to us and curled up on Della's lap, and went to sleep!"

Edie: "The part I found most interesting was a picture of how the victim (animal) was taken up a man-made lift thing. The hatch would open and the animal would jump out and attack. The gladiator was in for a surprise!

Jen:
We only really had half a day in Rome - a quick stopover en route from southern Italy to Greece - so decided to focus on the Colosseum and Roman Forum.