Rome
Rome was my favorite place that we visited on the trip! The History of Rome goes back 2,800
years. It grew from a small Italian
village to a huge empire that dominated the Mediterranean region for centuries.
Everything in white was the Roman empire.
There is a legend to how Rome was named. It starred twin brothers named Romulus and
Remus. It was told over the generations
in schools and almost became set in stone. The legend goes like this: “Romulus and Remus
were twin brothers. They were abandoned by their parents as babies and put into
a basket that was then placed into the River Tiber. The basket ran aground and
the twins were discovered by a female wolf. The wolf nursed the babies for a short time
before they were found by a shepherd. The shepherd then brought up the twins. When Romulus and Remus became adults, they decided to found a city where
the wolf had found them. The brothers quarreled over where the site should be
and Remus was killed by his brother. This left Romulus the sole founder of the
new city and he gave his name to it – Rome.”
This is only a legend however and no one really knows how much, if any,
is real.
Kings governed early Rome,
but after only seven of them had ruled, the Romans took power over their own
city and ruled themselves. Instead
of kings they then had a council known as the senate which ruled over them.
The Roman Empire in the end
was overrun by millions of barbarians from the north and east of Europe. It is
believed to have happened two or three times in history that huge migrations
took place across Europe, where people moved to settle in new places. The great
migration proved too much for the Romans. Their armies were designed to defeat
other armies, not entire villages flooding toward them. The collapse was
completed when the Visigoth Odoacer and his men conquered Rome itself in the
year 476 AD.
My absolute favorite place
we went in Rome was the Colosseum! The Colosseum was originally called the
Flavian Ampitheatre. It is “one of the
greatest pieces of Roman engineering and architecture in existence today”. I, however, think it’s THE best piece of
engineering and architecture in Rome!
The Colosseum was started sometime between 70 and 72 AD and only took
about 10 years to be built, not including the years of improvements done on
it. The Colosseum could seat as many as
50,000 people. There was a variety of “entertainment”
in the Colosseum such as animal hunts, battle reenactments, drama, mock sea battles,
executions, and gladiator games. I was
amazed that the Romans thought all of that was entertaining, especially after
watching the movie “Gladiator” and really getting an idea of what went on in
the Colosseum. It truly was
revolting. By the medieval period
however, the building was no longer used as a place of entertainment, and
throughout history it was reused to house people, as workshop space, as a
fortress, as a quarry, and as a shrine.
The Colosseum on the outside.
The Colosseum on the inside.
Some other things
we saw in Rome besides the Colosseum that I thought were cool were the Forum, the
Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain.
The Forum is
located in the center of Rome and was originally a market place. On one side is the Basilica of Constantine. It was the original design for many of the
large cathedrals even though it was used as a government building. Although only one side of in remains, it was
the largest building in the Forum.
Basilica of Constantine
This is the place where Julius Caesar's body was burned.
This is a little hedgehog we found wondering around the forum. Cutest part of the whole trip!
The Pantheon was
originally built by Marcus Arippa around 27 BC as a temple of pagan worship
but was later destroyed by fire and replaced by Hadrian. At the beginning of the 7th century it was
turned into a place of Christian worship by Pope Bonifacio.
The Pantheon
In the middle of the Pantheon there is a big hole in the roof called the oculus. No one really knows why it's there but there are many theories. Some say it's to let in light and air. Some say it's a sundial, or an
opening to allow the sun to shine on a certain god's statue at a particular
time of year. None of them have been proven though.
This is the place where the famous artist Raphael is buried.
The Trevi Fountain
is one of the most famous fountains in Rome.
It was built in 1762 at the point where the main aquaduct ended. It is said that if you toss a coin over your opposite
shoulder that you will return to Rome which is why thousands of people visit
the fountain everyday.
Trevi Fountain
The Vatican
Although The
Vatican is in Rome, it is also a country.
It’s the smallest country in the world.
The Vatican is home to the Catholic Church and the Pope. The Pope is in charge of not only The Vatican,
but all of the Catholic Churches all over the world.
St. Peter’s Basilica, which is in The
Vatican, is the largest Christian church in the world and “one of the most
impressive sites in Italy”. St. Peter’s
Basilica was first built by Constantine in the 4th century AD on the
spot where St. Peter was buried. Most of
the basilica, however, was built by the pope Julius II. The dome of the Basilica was designed by Michelangelo when he was 72 years old
but he died before it was finished.
Inside St. Peter's Basilica
This is a Michelangelo sculpture. This is the only sculpture that Michelangelo signed because one day he overheard some men talking about how someone else had made it. He got so mad that he just marched right up to the sculpture and engraved his name.
View of the Vatican from St. Peter's Basilica
This is me at my favorite gelato place with the girl who served us gelato every day!
