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27th
December 2000
After a quick breakfast at an Italian restaurant, we were near
the earmarked place near Roma Termini at sharp 10.00 AM. We quickly
got into one of the hop-in, hop-off bus that had a female guide
with a very poor English pronunciation. As luck would have it,
it was slightly drizzling on that day. Luckily, it was not as
bad ad Florence. We got down at a place that was closer to the
American Embassy in Rome. The U.S Embassy is a nice building from
where a burly man came out and said that we shouldn't take any
photographs in front of the building. Anyhow, we took some and
walked towards the traffic intersection, which had a big fountain
and some statue. It is a common phenomenon in Rome to have
huge water fountains and statues most of which are nude.
From there, a street led us to the French church atop the Spanish
steps that we visited the previous evening. The twin towered
French church was founded in 1495 A.D had lot of art works inside.
Since the drizzle became rain, we had to spend more time inside
the church. Then, we climbed down the Spanish steps, which would
be usually gay with flowers. From the top of the Spanish steps,
it presents a beautiful sight of the streets that branch out from
the square. Further, since the church is atop the small hill,
one could see numerous domed structures across Rome.
Due
to the rain, every activity of ours was getting slow and we made
a wise decision to skip all other attractions in favour of the
famous Colosseum. So, we hopped in to the bus again and skipping
numerous places, we reached the famous Roman Colosseum.
While roaming around Rome in the bus, one could notice that most
of the buildings there are quite old and huge but have been preserved
well. Also, at many places in the city, the remains of the demolished
structures have been left as it is. Probably, those structures
date back to very old times and their present state would have
been the result of archaeological discovery. Full credit goes
to those who preserve them so well.
The
very thought of Rome would make one visualise the Colosseum in
their mind. It is an amphitheatre and one of the world's celebrated
buildings. Some people say that it is one among the modern day
7 wonders of the world. I am neither sure about that nor do I
know where to look for it. With its monumental proportions and
severely disciplined structure, the Colosseum has long been the
symbol of greatness of Rome. Originally built in 72 A.D with three
storeys, it was heightened to four storeys and inaugurated in
80 A.D with contests and shows lasting several days.
We
got in to the Colosseum and also hired an audio guide. The capacity
of the Colosseum is estimated as around 50,000 people while some
other historians put the figure around 70,000 people. It is being
said that some sections of the walls collapsed during earthquakes,
and further damage was caused by the use of the structure by Roman
nobles as fortresses. Restoration work was going on and it may
go on for several years. From one of the balconies of the Colosseum,
we could see the Arch of Constantine, a while marble arch
with triple opening. That one too dates back to 300 A.D and it
is supposedly the best preserved triumphal arch in Rome.
As
we were just about to leave the Colosseum, rains severed and prevented
us from moving out anywhere. At the exit of the Colosseum, stood
two men dressed in an ancient Roman costume. Ganesan couldn't
control the eagerness of taking a snap with one of them and felt
the sharpness of the sword! We had to rush towards the National
Monument before it got dark. We had already visited that place,
the previous evening and were completely bowled over by its majestic
beauty.
The
huge 'National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II' has been built
with white Bresica marble and has been inaugurated in 1911. This
is the largest and most magnificent monument in Italy and it would
put to shame all the so-called Palaces. At the top of several
flights of steps is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and above
this is a huge statue of Victor Emmanuel II on a horse (I don't
know who this Victor Emmanuel II is!). One part of the monument
now houses some government offices and the general public doesn't
have access to that area. We climbed up the monument and literally
had a visual feast from the imposing balcony of the breathtaking
building. It started getting dark and it was time for the monument
to close down. Personally, I liked that monument very much for
its magnificence and its pristine beauty. After purchasing some
souvenirs of the trip (Cops asked for our passports at that
time too and while we were shopping a group of policemen looked
upon us suspiciously! I couldn't just brush this as their normal
procedure) and tasting Italian Pasta for dinner, we retired
to the bed happily.
Meet you in the Vatican Museum next week..
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