V5 travels: A day in Rome and history

Today we took two tours, opting to listen to the passionate guides. Our first guide was Luigi - a scholar in Religious Art, writing his PhD on the symbolism in the images of Mary in religious art. The depth of knowledge and passion made it seem like a walk in the park to spend 2.5 hours continually giving us facts and drawing our attention to the finer details. We started in Piazza del Poppy, walking down the Via del Corso and onto the Spanish Steps. He pointed out the the Papal Coates of Arms that are scattered on so many buildings to ‘stamp’ ownership and ensure legacy of Papal activities. After entering a few of the different churches,we went to St Peter’s Square, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. On the way we saw evidence of Roman roads buried 30 metres under the current level, working acquaducts, water fountains and stations and numerous architectural features. 10 hours after the tour finished, my head is still spinning.

The second tour, with Vincenzo who had worked on archaeological digs in the Colosseum, started at the Arch of Constantine next to the Colosseum. We then went into the Colosseum, and across to the Roman Forum, seeing the remains of the Temple of Venus, what remains of the Temple of Caesar and other relics of amazing history - it felt surreal.

The weather was cold with a top of 17C, and although the forecast was for no rain, we were caught in showers at the end of the day, deciding to catch the metro back to Termini, walk to our accommodation and have eat in Pizza and pastries for dinner.