Lions, Gladiators, and Gelato -- Oh My!

Thank heavens for the Hop On/Hop Off Bus and the Metro! With little to no delay, they allowed us to preview the sites before trying to navigate Rome on our own for the rest of the day. Awestruck as we approached the Colosseum and Constantine's Arch, but when we got inside -- OMG. The sheer size of it, the design itself -- how do you even describe that to someone? Up to 90,000 people in one place, entering through 80 arched openings, climbing either to assigned seats on the lower levels or "bleachers" in the nosebleed top level for the lower class -- they must have had buns of steel for as steep and as many stairs as they climbed! The games lasted all day, and some years there were up to 170 days of games! Overwhelming! BUT...the dungeons at night -- our favorite part of Rome. Our tour guide made the dungeons come alive with his descriptions and explanations of how the 300-400 slaves worked an intricate pulley system to raise animals and scenery to the playing field level. The conditions for them: oil lamps, no ventilation, animal excrement, and the thankless job of putting on a show that those in the seats would never forget. Who knew that 300 military personnel strung a canopy over sections of the Colosseum to provide shade? That in and of itself, when you see the structure, tells the story of the Romans' ingenuity and engineering savvy. The whole place would empty of spectators in a matter of 15 minutes! Can you imagine? Think of that the next time you go to an athletic event! We could learn a thing or two from those Romans! Next was Palantine Hill, the Forum, Trevi Fountain (which is being restored and closed for throwing coins), Government House, numerous duomos and piazzas, and general exploration of the city. Day Two was all about the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica before our Colosseum at Night Dungeons Tour. We sprinkled in more exploration when we could. We just didn't have enough time to see everything, but then again, we've said that about every place we've been! A bit of excitement when the Metro shut down for our route when we were on a short timeline to get back to our shuttle bus. If we'd missed it, it would have been a very costly cab ride (if we could have gotten one) to our resort in the burbs. But, disaster averted as the Metro line got restored just in the nick of time and we made it. Both days we had incredible thunder and lightning rain storms that drenched the city. We were in a church when it started both times, so we prayed a little and it stopped! Imagine that... Arrivederci, Roma!