Italy Day 5 - Rome

Today was Mike's last day here in Italy and we spent it in Rome. The day began rainy and cold, but by the time we made it into Rome, it was sunny and warm. This first picture is of the Trevi Fountain. It was very crowded, but we were able to get a good view of the sculptures and take a picture of each of us throwing a coin over our shoulder to ensure our return to Rome one day.

We spent a good part of the day at the Roman Forum. It is the central area around which the ancient Rome civilization developed and is under constant archeological discovery. The remains of many ancient structures are in this area. It is difficult to take in all of the intricate craftsmanship here. At one point I thought, "This looks like the location of an ancient movie set in Roman times." and it occured to me, "Duh!! This is what movie sets strive to replicate. This is the original, silly!"

For this photograph, we were standing on one of the higher elevations at the Forum and I took a shot of the city with the Forum in the foreground.

The Forum is across the street from the Colesium, but I still didn't make it inside. I have a ticket to explore it tomorrow, so I'll head back to Rome..... alone this time, as my brother will have flown away to Miami by then.

We ended our night by seeing Swan Lake at an opulant, old theatre in central Rome. I wish I had brought my camera in the Opera House to take pictures of the curtained boxes in which one sits to view the ballet, the painted domed ceiling, the carvings on the columns, and the grandeur surrounding us. Originally, our seats weren't together, but we weren't comfortable with the view, so Mike found us better seats. Thanks, Mike. I stood for most of the performance, but it was fine because I was able to see the complete set and all of the beautiful dancing. The full orchestra added so much to the performances. We were both surprised to find that the ballet was 3 hours long...... it seemed to go by much quicker than that. It was the perfect ending to another busy but fulfilling day here in Italy.

Tomorrow I'll walk to the market and get some fresh bread and fruit, make breakfast, drive the 30 minutes into Rome, take a bus the remaining 40 minutes to the center of the city, and head to the Colesium. The rest of the day will fill itself, no doubt.