Skye and Reading 9 Kendram, Kilmaluag, Isle of Skye IV51 9UL 2 Whitby Drive, Reading, Berkehire RG1 5HW |
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An autumnal week in Rome |
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Calendar Day 1 - 23 November 2015 Day 2 - 23 November 2015 Day 3 - 24 November 2015 Day 4 - 25 November 2015 Day 5 - 26 November 2015 Day 6 - 27 November 2015 |
Day 4 - Wednesday 25 November 2015 Coloseum, Forum and Villa Borghese Another good day's weather - lots of blue skies. An early start as we planned to cover a lot of ground. We left the hotel soon after 09.00 and walked through Rome's 'Designer Shopping' to the Spanish Steps and Spagna Metro station. From there we caught a train to Collosseo station. The Collosseum is right outside the station. We arrived early; most tourits were still having their breakfast and the queues to get in were short. The security bag check took longer than queuing for the entry ticket. Once inside we wandered around getting our bearings. Much has been removed over the years, some canabilised for other buildings in Rome, but enough remains to imagine what it must have been like. An exhibition and signs explained the main parts so we could imagine what it must have been like in Roman times. The longer we were there the more tourists arrived. As we wandered around we caught snatches of different tour guides' interpretations.
The Colosseum After a couple of hours we came away from the Collosseum and found a nearby cafe for a coffee and rest. The whole area seems to be in the middle of major building works. It was sometimes difficult to work out what was builders' road construction and what was archaeological research. After our rest we tackled the Forum. We knew less about what to expect and were surprised by the amount of archaeological material. Much has been destroyed/removed over the years, but a great deal remains We saw a useful book on sale which mixes present day photographs with artists reconstructions of what buildings and temples might have been like in Roman times.
The Temple of Saturn, the Forum Time was against us. It was mid afternoon now and we still planned to visit the Villa Borghese gardens. A lengthy walk from the Forum through back streets, past the Palazzo del Quirinale (the official residence of the president of Italy), Le Quattro Fontane and along Via Veneto and into the gardens. By now it was rush hour and the traffic was building up. The park was a nice place to get a bit of quiet, leaving the noise of the traffic behind us. Leafy walks with a few people like ourselves enjoying the autumn sunshine.
Villa Borghese gardens By now we had come around in a large circle, getting ever closer to our hotel. Leaving the park we headed back to the river, crossed one of the bridges and returned to our hotel. Tired and axhausted. |
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Babbington Tea Rooms at the bottom of the Spanish Steps |
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The Colosseum |
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