A Trip To The Trevi Fountain and the Colesseum

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

Our body clocks never changed although we were a bit tired from the trip.  This morning (Friday), we are up at our usual 5 a.m. watching Latinus, a very trustworthy Mexican news program.  It's been raining here but it is usually in the afternoon and late night.  We have umbrellas so we are good to go.  I wish I had time to write more.  There is so much information about the Vatican that I would like to share and I may do so later on.  There is a very informative CNN documentary Pope: The Most Powerful Man In History

Last night I prepared pasta with a pesto sauce, salad and some garlic bread along with our $1.99 bottle of chianti.  Great dinner while we watched the 1951 classic, "The Secret of Convict Lake".   Early to bed and early to rise.

Yesterday we took off for Trevi Fountain.  We walked over to the Vatican and from there got good and lost until we gave up on buses and headed underground on the Metro.  Much easier to move around travel fast.   The station took us directly to the area and we followed the crowds.  The streets are lined with tourist restaurants but we took detours attempting to stay on course.  

So many people crowding around the fountain attempting to get a shot at the fountain.  In all honesty, we liked the newly remodeled replica in Las Vegas.   It was fun to watch people throwing a coin over their shoulder and saying "we'll be back again".  

The Trevi Fountain is an 18th century fountain designed by Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762.   Throwing the coin into the fountain was to appease the water gods and assure people a safe return from their journey.

Saint Vincent and Anistasius Chuch sits cross the street from the fountain.  Nuns were saying the rosary when we walked in.  

Many people attempting to beg.  Women shrouded in black with canes, bent over, wobbled down the paths while having severe shakes and a cup in their hands.  Most people just ignored them.  It was obvious that they were a scam.  

After, we decided to wander around and see where it would lead us until we returned to the metro and headed for the Colleseum.   Wall to wall people.  Police were pushing people into the cars.  Be careful, pick pockets.  If you see or have contact with one you start screaming, "pickpocket, pickpocket" to shame them off the train.

The view is overwhelming.  Something you've read about, seen in movies and always wondered about the gladiator movies.  

There, it was a mass of people all trying to figure out who sold tickets legitimately.  Very interesting to sit and watch the scalpers trying to make a buck.  One trick is to say that you cannot go down the steps without a ticket causing people to panic and begin to wonder what to do.  Once you pass them you realize there are no tickets to walk around the colleseum, just tickets for a tour.  

Then the guys walk up to you with the bracelets and say, "wow, I like your shoes".  A lot of people fall for this one.  They then extend their hand to shake yours and how you are the owner of a bracelet.  If you try to give it back, they will call their friends and force you to pay.  Many people are smart enough and throw them on the ground.  It can become quite agressive. 

The Colesseum was completed in 80 AD by Emperor Titus.  It was named the Flavian Amphitheater.  It held up to 65,000 spectators depending on the type of events; executions, reenactments of battles, dramas based on mythology, and it was also flooded to recreate battles fought at sea.  An interesting fact, the building was slowly dismantled over its 1970 years by what was known as "spolia".  People would go and chisel out pieces of decorative stone and repurpose it for use in other buildings and homes.  Thus the word spoiled. 

As we left the Colesseum and walked across the street to get the metro, I say this below ground area with ruins.  No signs or anything so I took a picture and looked it up later.  Very interesting, it is called Ludus Magnus.  It was the barracks for the gladiator.  

There is little to no room for light poles in the older sections of the city.  You can see the light hanging from a cable above.  Works great and doesn't disturb the walking traffic.

There are water fountains through out the city called "nasoni" or big nose.  They were first established back in the Roman days to transport water to city projects via aqueducts and for drinking water.  All of the public water in Rome is very safe to drink.  Bottled water is big for tourists though.  Rome was the first city in the world to have safe public drinking water.

Today we are off to the Pantheon.  It raining now but we will head out anyway and enjoy the cool 14C weather.   Tomorrow we pick up our car at the airport and head north to the seaside resort of Taranquia where we have booked a very nice hotel for $38 a night.  I had put the wrong time in the booking site hitting an arrival time of 3 a.m.   Two weeks ago I received an email explaining that the hotel lobby would be closed then but they would try to accomodate us.  I didn't quite understand until a day later I realized I hadn't marked "p.m.".  I sent a message changing the time and she was very happy saying, "Si, va benissimo ",