On Sunday we took the Metro (trains and buses) to meet a guide at the Colosseum in Rome.
Our guide points out the difference between original and replacement marble stones. The darker stones are the original travertine marble.
Much of the original marble at the Colosseum was pilfered by popes to build churches. This was a seat that has since been returned.
Inside the Colosseum, the seats are gone. They would have been on the sloping areas. The Colosseum seated 80,000 Romans.
Seats and the wooden floor on the left were restored to show what they would have been like. The construction on the right is a new partial restoration of the wooden floor because the current restoration on the left is causing water damage below.
Zoom in on the restored seats and stage.
Below the floor were the cages for the animals and fighters who would come up to the stage via ramps that opened like trap doors from the stage.
Here you can see how much marble was taken away. It took eight years to build the Colosseum, but centuries of pilfering (and occasional earthquakes) brought it to this state.
A triumphal arch. The two colors of marble show how not only marble but also sculptures were recycled into new structures.
This triumphal arch celebrates Roman victories in Judea. It was Holocaust memorial day in Italy, so a small musical group was setting up for a concert here.
Here is a menorah inside the triumphal arch indicating the victory was over Judea.
Other interior sculpture in the triumphal arch showing the Roman emperor on his chariot, in front of Victoria, the winged goddess of victory.
This shows layers of building in the Roman forum.
Unknown ruins in the forum; probably shops.
This building in the Roman forum again shows layering. Notice how high the green doorway is.
This plain building was the Roman senate. Julius Caesar was not killed there.
Joy in Rome.
Mussolini’s broad boulevard for military parades.
Massive monument to Victor Emmanuel II, who unified Italy the first time. It took 50 years to build, completed in 1935.
Largo di Torre Argentina, a former temple and theater where Julius Caesar was killed.
The area is a cat shelter where feral cats are fed, sterilized, and regularly checked by veterinarians.
The Roman Pantheon, now a church.
Ceiling of the entry way to the Pantheon.
The oculus in the Pantheon dome.
Rafael’s tomb in the Pantheon.
Fountain in the Piazza della Rotunda.
Near Piazza Navona stones our guide said were from the Colosseum.
Piazza Navona was originally a Roman stadium, hence its current shape.
Lunch at La Piccola Cuccagna off the Piazza Navona. Delicious.
Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (church of Saint Louis of the French).
Inside San Luigi is a chapel with three Caravaggio’s depicting the life of Saint Matthew the Evangelist. Wow.
On the bus on the way back to our hotel, passing the Theater of Marcellus.
