Family Visit – Day 3

Thursday was my last full day in Rome with my Dad and brother.  We made the best of it, though, as we booked a tour to see the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum.  We started off the day with breakfast on our hotel’s rooftop terrace.  Then, we caught a taxi to our tour’s meeting point near the Colosseum.

We started our tour by going into the Colosseum.  It was my first time in the Colosseum since I arrived in Rome at the end of January.  It was a long wait, but the wait was worth it.  We learned a great deal about how the Colosseum worked and where everyone sat (rich people in the front, ordinary people in the middle, and women in the nosebleeds).  We also were able to climb the stairs to the middle level of the Colosseum which provided a great view of the interior of the “performance area.”  We saw where the elevators that brought animals into the arena were and how they worked.  It was a very informative tour.

After posing for a few pictures, we headed over to Palentine Hill.  I didn’t know anything whatsoever about the Palentine Hill prior to the tour, so it was nice to learn so much information.  Palentine Hill was essentially where the city of Rome was founded and where the Emperors of Rome resided.

Circus Maximus

After the Palentine Hill, we took a very quick tour of the Roman Forum.  Our tour guide showed us the path that war heroes and other important people took when they were on their way to meet the Emperor.

By this point, we were all absolutely exhausted and decided to go to our favorite restaurant, Monte Carlo, for lunch.  After lunch, we grabbed a gelato and I headed off to take an Italian exam.  While I was taking my exam, my Dad and brother took a hop-on, hop-off bus around Rome so they could enjoy Rome from a different perspective.

After my exam, I met my family back at the hotel and went up to see the view from the actual roof of the hotel.  It was pretty cool and you could see the top of the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica.  Then, we took a taxi to the Trevi Fountain to see the Trevi Fountain at night.  We walked back towards my apartment from the Trevi Fountain and went back to Antica Taverna for dinner.

Note: This post was originally published on April 21, 2011 in a blog entitled “Romeing Around Europe” which chronicled my study abroad experience.