Day 2 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum..

..probably. But not to us.

So it's day 2, still in Rome, and today was jam-packed full of sightseeing. Honestly, it feels like the day was about 35 hours long. Of course, we were up before 7am and it's now after 1am, so it has been pretty long.

We started with a visit to the Borghese Gallery, which contains a lot of art. It's one of the finest collections of sculpture and paintings anywhere in Italy, probably rivaled only by the National Museum. Wish we could show pictures, but cameras were vietato. Suffice to say that it's incredible what some of the sculptors could do with a block of marble. Our favorites were Gian Lorenzo Bernini's David and Apollo and Daphne. Look 'em up.

After the Borghese we had lunch at Gran Caffe Roma, then headed back to our B&B for a little R&R. Once a quick nap was out of the way we took the Metro down to the Colosseum for a guided tour. Once you get inside and think about what the Colosseum must have looked like back in the day, it's a pretty impressive sight. The monument has been almost completely stripped of its original marble facade, and most of the seating in the arena has been removed, so it's hard to get a visualization of exactly how everything worked. Apparently, the system of levels and stairways was such that all 70,000 spectators in attendance could exit the arena in 5 minutes. Modern stadiums are still using the Colosseum as inspiration.

After the Colosseum, we headed up Via Sacra, beneath the Arch of Titus and into the ruins of the Roman Forum. The forum area contains a lot of stuff, and it's really far too much to describe in a single blog post. Particularly at 1 in the morning. Take a look online at some of the descriptions, it's really fascinating. We walked the basalt paths that Caesar Augustus once strolled along, over 2,000 years ago. We climbed to the top of the Palatine Hill, where Rome's emperors lived in splendor. There are remnants of the temples of Castor and Pollux, the Basilica Constantine, the Temple of Vesta, Rome's most sacred spot, and the House of the Vestal Virgins, who tended the eternal flame within. Nearby we managed to squeak into the Mamertine Prison, where St. Peter was chained to a column in the basement dungeon (remember the Church of St. Peter in Chains from yesterday? Same guy.). The original cell and column are still there, and it's not a pleasant place.

After the Forum we headed to the Campo di Fiore, a popular square in the heart of Rome. We had a great dinner at Ristorante Bacchanus, then took a walk up through the city to the Spanish Steps. Along the way we hit the Piazza Navona where Jill sampled the tartufo or "death by chocolate", a chocolate truffle gelato, at Tre Scalini. I had the tiramisu gelato which was pretty good too. After that we stopped by the Pantheon, which is really impressive at night. Imagine a gigantic Greek temple dropped right in the middle of a modern city, and you've got the idea. We also made it to the Trevi fountain, which Jill has been wanting to see at night, and she tossed in a couple of coins to ensure a return trip to Rome someday.

After that we were tired and came home. The end.

We took approximately 125 photos today. Here are a few to give you a taste of our day:

Statues at the Borghese Gallery

Jason climbing the stairs to the Palatine Hill...

in the steps of Caesar, Augustus, and Caligula.

Ruins of the Temple of Castor and Pollux (left) and the Temple of Vesta (right)

Dinner at the Campo di Fiore

The Pantheon, in the heart of Rome. Once again a photo does not do this justice - it dominates the piazza I took this picture from.

The Trevi Fountain, lit up at night