The next day dawning in Rome, we girls took our breakfast on the top floor of the hotel (tip—hotels are cheaper the more people you go with!) From there we sipped our cappuccinos and looked out the glass walls over the city waking up.
Coffee in Rome
The most exciting things we did that day were to hire a student guide to take us inside the Colosseum and inside the ruins of Rome, and explain to us everything we saw. We learned much, and most importantly we got to skip the mile-long line to get into the Colosseum. The building of the Colosseum was apparently more of a political move than anything else; giving the people something to amuse and tire them so that they would not have the energy to think about politics. Its construction is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, started under Vespacian and finished under his son Titus.
Inside the Colosseum
There is a second floor to the Colosseum that you can climb up to on steep, stone steps sloping downwards, where the masses of people hold onto the railings for dear life. It is funny, how the Colosseum was built thousands of years ago (72 AD) yet still people flock inside to see it. Looking inside is fascinating—you can see all the passageways where the gladiators would wait for their turn, the places where the prisoners and animals were kept.
I actually liked the ruins of old Rome better; there were less people and the arcitecture even more stunning than the Colosseum, I thought, if there had been more of it left. The guide took us all through the ruins; the slave houses, the politicians houses, the Basilica of Amelia (a bank where a great fire left their coins fused to the stone floor), the Temple of the Divine Romulai (where huge, beautiful doors of green bronze still lock, with a key that still works),
Romulai Bronze doors, still in working order
the House of the Vestal Virgins (where women 6 to 40 years of age served to keep the fire of Rome burning, the highest job a woman could hold in Roman times. She could own land, the rulers bowed to her, and she was showed the highest respect—however, if the fire of Rome were to go out on her watch, she was buried alive), and the Basilica of Constantine. The Basilica of Constantine was massive, although there is only half of it still standing. It looked very much like the inside of a train station in Philadelphia to me. The front had a niche in it large enough to house a statue of Constantine with just its head taller than a full grown man, and the rest of its body proportioned correctly. In fact, all that is left of that statue is the head of it, and can also be seen in Italy although we did not have enough time.
Basilica of Constantine
It was amazing walking those streets in the dazzling sunlight, trying to finish with your imagination what the ruins must have been like when they were a city. The remains of the city dwarf you, and even though they are but ruins, it makes you feel very small. In its heyday Rome must have been spectacular. The people then were very intelligent, accomplished, and barbaric, it seems. The stories, architecture, art, and culture reflect a culture that was amazingly accomplished and appreciative of high forms of beauty, but that could also be incredibly cruel.
We saw an artist painting the Colosseum while there—I don’t know his name or what other work he does, but I was very impressed with his work. I told him to keep going.
Artist at the Colosseum
After climbing another monument to Victor Emmanuel the II, the first king of Italy, I was ready for Florence again.
Looking over Rome
Florence has a familiarity now that I like; it is an artist’s town, unlike Rome, with people who are friendlier, streets that feel safer, and the lights on the river that glow with a soft romance. After Rome, Florence felt like home. It was good to be back.
Back in Florence
As for the portrait, I will wait until the last day to post the final stage. However, I will leave you with a twenty minute oil sketch of a girl from class. Come back soon for final museum visits here, pictures of the portrait at last, etc. Until next time!
Lavender Girl, oil on canvas, 8" by 6", copyright Jessica Libor 2009
