Europe Trip 2003

Rome - Ancient City

City Sights | Ancient City | Fountains | Vatican

Rome is filled with ancient ruins. Just about everywhere we turned we could find a crumbling building or monument from Rome's past. The most concentrated area of ruins is the Roman Forum. The area started out as a shanty town in 753 BC, but over the centuries civic building made the Forum a place of importance. Remains of temples, markets and monuments are littered throughout the Forum. We walked through areas where Julius Caesar walked and saw where he supposedly was buried and cremated.

At one end of the Forum is the prominent Colosseum. Though worn from centuries of neglect and looting, the structure is still impressive. The Colosseum was recently renovated with a walkway that spans the floor. We were able to walk out in the middle of the stadium and imagine what the arena must have looked like to a gladiator.

On a hill above the Forum and Colosseum is the even older Palatine Hill. The hill used to be the city's most fashionable residential area, populated by aristocrats and statesmen including Marc Antony and Augustus. It is where we get the word Palace. The hill is now just a collection of crumbling ruins that suffered the same fate as the Forum and the Colosseum after the fall of Rome.