Itinerary...

So the big YES for both Dominic and I is the Colloseum. First of all...it is asstoundingly huge! You will not be able to control the feeling of amazement, the feel of the ghost Roman crowd as they cheer on their favourite gladiator or rise and fall with the excitement of one man against five ferocious tigers. You can see every row of seats, each line of sweat and you will marvel at the excellence of Roman architecture at its most grand!!! Alongside the Forum, its the perfect start to a visit.

The Forum, like I said in my first post, was the 'high street'. Tradition says that there was an alliance between Romulus, the first king of Rome and his rival Titus Tatius. Now Romulus had the plestine hill and Tatius, the Capitoline hill (which I will mention again soon)

I think that the Sabine Women's prayers and cries helped there to be an alliance between the two (but don't quote me on that, I prefer art to history)...later additions were made by various kings and leaders including Julius Ceasar (whose grave still remains) and Octavius. It is a beautiful and enlightening walk, with plenty of carvings, buildings and insights into busy Roman life. Pillar upon Pillar has been lined iup along the pathways and although most of the buildings are crumbling away, those that remain promote the majesty and tremendous hard work that went into creating this civilisation.

So from the Forum and the Colloseum, we need to touch upon the Capitoline Museum. I say this with great mirth as there is nothing in Rome that I could 'touch' upon! The Capitoline museums are in a tri-piazza formation. Designed by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The museums hold hundreds of Greek, Roman and Egyptian Relics, the iconic she wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, frescoes, tapestries, coins, medals, jewelery,mosaics, busts *deep breath* and sooooo much more! It is a feat and a half to make your way around it and when you reach the museum's signiature mosaic of tiger and prey, you should rest your feet some.

I could tell you every detail and give lists of photos, but see it from your point of view...it is worth a day!!!! http://en.museicapitolini.org/

Now I could not talk about Rome, without discussing its churches and Basilicas. Now, I am not sure of the intricate differences, however I know that Basilica was the Greek name given to a Roman public building in a town's Forum. Basilicas were also used for religious purposes. When Rome became altogether officially Christian, the Empire decided to use the term to refer to a grand and important church that had been blessed by the pope. So now, the term Basilica is meant for both buildings of architectural note and religious. (please add notes Dom!)

One of the most, if not the most famous Basilicas in Rome, is St. Peters in the Vatican City, but I am not going to talk about that particular one, until a later post, as I want to concentrate a huge ammount of writing on the Vatican and its beautiful museums.

I am not going to name all of the churches now either, as you could find two a day at least. Take care to remember that all shoulders must be covered and skirts and shorts should go below the knee. Always carry a scark or cardigan with you and if neccessary some trousers. Dominic always carries a pair of light easy pull onable trousers to go into the churches. Each of the churches has a myriad of photo oppurtunities and if you ever plan to write a dissertation or a book about Roman churches then you will have material galore here.

I'm going to end this blog with the Pantheon, but fear not, I will continue our itinerary in the next couple of days!

A dude called Marcus Agrippa built the Pantheon to worship the gods (take note here as you will se the central opening (occulus) to the sky. It was rebuilt in the 2nd Century AD. Later on, in the 7th Century, the building was used as a church. When we visited, it was raining and so the floor was covered in water, but the atmosphere and the photo oppurtunity was electric!! With worshipperes singing at the altar, as the bulding is still used and closed to the public during regular services, it was an experience not to be missed. I imagine this year it will not be raining, as we are visiting earlier in the year, however, if it happened to rain, I wouldn't mind a bit!