Sunday was a big day. We met our tour guide, Bogdan (The Tour Guy) outside the entrance to the Colosseum at 9:30. We spent the next 3 hours listening to him tell stories about Ancient Rome. I learned more in 3 hours than I did in all of my years at school. It was incredible to hear about and see so many things that I have read about during my lifetime. Also, pro tip, paying for a tour guide to allow you to skip the lines is totally worth it.

The building that we all know as the “Colosseum” was built on the site that was originally the estate of the Emperor Nero. He had a giant bronze statue made of himself (he wasn’t exactly a humble leader). After Nero’s reign (life) ended, the Colossus statue was moved outside the Flavian Amphitheater. People referred to the statue as a meeting point, and over time, the amphitheater sort of adopted the name “Colosseum”. Kind of cool that we spent Super Bowl Sunday touring a giant stadium.

I learned so much more than I want to share in this blog. I wouldn’t be able to fact check everything, so if you were debating about booking a flight to Rome, do it.

Until you book your own tour, I have noted a few fun facts in the photo captions.

This outer ring of the Colosseum survived the earthquake of 1349 because it was built on top of some volcanic bedrock.
Jay likes taking these “artistic” sideways pictures…
The Colosseum was built in 72 AD. The stone with the holes is original. When the Colosseum stopped being used as an amphitheater and basically became ruins, the Romans took the iron rods out of the pillars and melted it down for other purposes. The marble covering the floors and walls was also used in other places around the city.
Here is a piece of iron that somehow did not get removed from a pillar.
Picture trapdoors, gladiators, wild animals, all awaiting their turn on the stage beneath the wooden floor covered with sand – the “arena”.
See the white marble seats in the background. Imagine those all the way around, top to bottom. White marble covered nearly every brick surface.
This was a perfect arch.
Did you know the Amphitheater was built in only 8 years? 4 contractors were hired and promised a massive bonus if they finished first. Unfortunately the engineering tools available at the time weren’t quite like what we have today. This is likely where 2 competing builders joined their sections.

After finishing our tour of the Colosseum, we headed toward Palentine Hill, which was the first of seven hills that became Rome. Well, until the Emperor decided to buy all surrounding property and build his palace, often times on top of existing homes.

The Emperor’s private colosseum
This is where the Emperor’s throne was – seated behind a curtain, where he “welcomed” guests to a 40 course meal. That was not a typo.
The Emperor’s view of his kingdom – The Roman Forum – which was the center of everyday life for centuries. It was basically buried and built over top of until it was “rediscovered” in 1803. Excavation to see what is shown in this picture took over 100 years.
It rained on us. A lot. It wasn’t supposed to rain, so Lily didn’t bring a rain coat. Ty is a teenage boy that refuses to wear a jacket. Picking my battles. We didn’t get a picture or video, but at 12:00 exactly, a cannon is fired to tell the churches that it is time to ring the bells. We could see the explosion and smoke, a second later we heard the noise, and then we were surrounded by 900 church bells ringing.

We walked down on a part of the Roman Road to the Forum.

Beneath the palace, archaeologists discovered artwork on the walls. This was a church.
This was likely someone’s home
Can you see how far below the “ground level” of that building with the pillars we are standing?
“I love history”
This is where Julius Caesar was cremated
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is HUGE. Walking just past the monument in the rain, and there was a guy playing the violin. I stopped and slowly turned around in a circle and tried to take in the moment. It’s a little overwhelming, so much to look at.
We grabbed a piece of pizza for lunch and tried Roman Suppli, a traditional street food that is a fried mozzarella and rice ball of deliciousness. State Fair Food idea?
Still haven’t made it inside the Pantheon. After lunch and a little rest to warm up and try to let our clothes dry a bit, we went out for a wander.
Trevi Fountain. The water gushes out of it from an ancient aqueduct that dates back to 19 BC, the Acqua Vergine. The Trevi Fountain got its name because it is at the junction of 3 streets – ‘tre vie’.
We got fairly close to the water. Lily was the only one to push her way through the crowd to throw a coin in the fountain. It was breathtaking.
There are lots of cute wooden Pinocchio shops
After a solid 24 hours of wandering around the Italian Leather shops (and being split from Jay and Lily for a bit), I broke down and bought a purse. Gorgeous, soft, and a fun design.
This street had tons of little sidewalk cafes and shops.
Dinner was supposed to be at this place, but it was closed. We ate next door. Shearer Party of 4 gave it 2 Thumbs Up. The food tasted fine, but Jay’s meal was forgotten and the atmosphere was meh.
But, Lily was happy with the free dessert

Again, I’m not a history expert, so use this as more of a guide than a Bible. :). But, wow. This place is impossible to put into words. Pictures don’t do it justice. Even TV shows and movies only sort of prepare you for what you will see in Rome.

Jay and Ty stayed up to watch the first half of the Super Bowl, which started at 12:30 AM here. They watched it on local TV with Italian commentators and no commercials. Ty fell asleep at halftime.

Monday is a tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.