Rome in Ruins

Ruins are all across Rome.  They have often been blamed for the lack of an extensive Roman metro - a tunnel is dug, and then - dang!  Another ruin!  Bring in the archeologists and the toothbrushes!

Ruins in the middle of the city

The Roman Forum contained a small-towns worth of very extensive ruins, right in the middle of Rome.

Looking down the far end of the Forum.

 The old with the new(er?)

My dad would appreciate this - it looks like a core sample!

A beautifully ornate arch.

And for a point: a man from what country ran barefoot to this arch?

Ruins still lie around everywhere.

Scattered ruins

Perhaps the most famous ruin in the world is the Colosseum.  It's still remarkably huge for, well, being a ruin, and for having its interior quarried for other architectural projects over the years.
 

Here's a hero to all mathematicians - Pythagoras!

Some nicely done friezes. 

Truly Roman.

Here we can look down on the arch from the Colosseum.  

Cart parking, waiting for tourists to take them for a jaunt around Rome.

Now we move into the Colosseum.   The stands have long since fallen down and quarried away, but you can still see where they used to be.

The inside of the Colosseum.  The oval in the center used to be the ground level.  Below that is the basement.  This basement held the props for the shows, the wild animals, and had some complicated gadgets to raise and lower props through holes in the floor into the Colosseum.  My favorite was a giant whale that was raised up to the arena, out of which 50 bears poured out.  Those ancient Romans sure had interesting ideas about entertainment.    

Below one of the arches leading out of the stands.

The stairs leading up into the stands.

The white stands are where the nobels and higher classes would sit.  It is here that the Emperor would give the signal to finish off the wounded Gladiator, or to show him mercy.

Across the stands.

The cross in this picture is a monument to the Christians who lost their lives here in the early days of the Church.
 

After our visit to the Colosseum, I was crowned Empress.  I governed in wisdom and knowledge and my short reign (only 20 minutes) brought peace to the land.

Of course, every good Empress needs a good Emperor.  

After our reign, we headed into the Forum to see more ruins.

These are about three stories tall and are in remarkable condition.

The center of an ancient garden.

Some of the marble flooring, still intact.

A couple of statues still stand in the gardens that they decorated thousands of years ago.

Here you can see the old ground level (around the tree) and how deep the excavations have gone.

Some beautiful surviving artwork.

Wandering through the gardens.

Some of the more secret corners of the Forum.

The main portion of the Forum.

Italian Passion

One of the highlights of our trip to Italy was the food.  I like living in the Netherlands, but the Dutch are not passionate about their food.  So being back in my mother country, I can again celebrate the all important part of life - the dinner table!

So in that spirit, I start with quite possibly my all-time ever favorite food: the cannoli.   We were very lucky to have our hotel right next to a small pastry shop, where I bought a small cannoli and a little chocolate rum ball.  

I will give 5 points to anyone who will send me a real cannoli and have it arrive here fresh, unbroken, and ready to eat.

 And Bram got some tasty creme filled croissants.  

Then the pizza!  Possibly the best meal I ate in Rome was this pizza - fairly simple toppings - just sausage, olives, and mushrooms, but so good!  The crust - thin but not too thin.  Delicious.

Bram with his pasta.

One of Bram's favorite dishes is something Rome is also known for - artichoke.  This artichoke is artfully placed on a mushroom and a slice of cheese.  Very good!

These giant donut things were common street food.

And perhaps the weirdest thing I ate - a cake filled with cheese, topped with bacon in a very strange way.

Some delicious (and pretty!) appetizers.

I made the mistake of ordering an-all fried appetizer.  Fried veggies, suppli, and fried olives.  Delicious, but deadly.

Bram's giant grilled veggie plate.  Much healthier.