Tuesday 21 June 2005
Rome is again very hot - today we headed back to the Colosseum and actually went in. The queues were not as long and we got in pretty quickly. The arena area is not large but the stadium is quite high and it is not surprising that it could seat 50,000 people. It was hot in the sun so after awhile we left and went to the San Clementine Church, which is nearby.
San Clementine has excavations underneath which go back almost 2000 years, including earlier churches and a Pagan temple to the god Mithras. Being below ground it was nice and cool. The original artworks have deteriorated badly but you can still make out the original pictures.
We then grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the hotel for seista. After the tempature made it under 35 degrees again we headed out to the Piramide di Caio Cesto - Caius Cestius built the 36 metre Pyrimid in 330 days. It's made of stone wth a marble exterior and forms part of the old city wall.
We then walked around the corner to the Protestant Cemetary where the Shelley's (Percy and Mary) and Keats are buried, but it was closed. When we went to move away a slinky black cat appeared and we spent 20 minutes sitting in the shade stroking and playing with it before catching a tram to Trastevere.
We walked along a main shopping street looking at all the stalls and shops with lots of yelling in Italian. The stalls sold fresh fruit and veges, cheap clothes and sunglasses. There were also plenty of copy handbags and cds for sale. The shops tended to sell the more expensive fashion clothing, but there were a few gelateria and cafés along the way.
We then caught a bus back to the main train station and then back to the hotel where we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had pasta dishes and for dessert I had a chocolate ravioli. It's not a pasta dish, but a pocket of pastry with chocolate inside.
Tomorrow it's back to the Vatican.
San Clementine has excavations underneath which go back almost 2000 years, including earlier churches and a Pagan temple to the god Mithras. Being below ground it was nice and cool. The original artworks have deteriorated badly but you can still make out the original pictures.
We then grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the hotel for seista. After the tempature made it under 35 degrees again we headed out to the Piramide di Caio Cesto - Caius Cestius built the 36 metre Pyrimid in 330 days. It's made of stone wth a marble exterior and forms part of the old city wall.
We then walked around the corner to the Protestant Cemetary where the Shelley's (Percy and Mary) and Keats are buried, but it was closed. When we went to move away a slinky black cat appeared and we spent 20 minutes sitting in the shade stroking and playing with it before catching a tram to Trastevere.
We walked along a main shopping street looking at all the stalls and shops with lots of yelling in Italian. The stalls sold fresh fruit and veges, cheap clothes and sunglasses. There were also plenty of copy handbags and cds for sale. The shops tended to sell the more expensive fashion clothing, but there were a few gelateria and cafés along the way.
We then caught a bus back to the main train station and then back to the hotel where we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. We had pasta dishes and for dessert I had a chocolate ravioli. It's not a pasta dish, but a pocket of pastry with chocolate inside.
Tomorrow it's back to the Vatican.
posted by Michael at
11:03 PM
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