Roma, Città Eterna / Rome, Eternal City

Since this is Ketch's first time in Rome, we've mostly done tourist-y sightseeing and visiting my old neighborhood, Trastevere.

Our first stop was the Colosseum and nearby ruins of the Palantine and Roman Forum. We both love history and are intensely fascinated/captivated by seeing so much evidence that humans have been doing the same things for thousands of years. We are odd animals, no doubt. The ruins are beautiful and humbling, as always.

 

The Coliseum / Il Colosseo

View from up close

 Ketch inside the Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum. The Vatican loves turning Pagan spaces into Catholic spaces. 

Inside the Coliseum.

Sitting on a broken column in the Coliseum

So far the weather has been perfect for walking around all day. We have had delicious pizza marinara for lunch, soy gelato for snacks, and other fun treats from the health food store.

Pizza Marinara!

It's surreal to be back but it's sinking that it's for real and that I'm really finally here with Ketch. It's been a dream to show him around, be on my old block, winding through the narrow streets knowing exactly where I'm going with his hand in mine. I've only ever been in Rome in the fall in winter, so it seems totally appropriate to be here with Ketch in the Spring, a time of rebirth.

Wild Poppies grow all over the place here. 

 

We seen quite a few of the classic monuments and sights in the past few days: Piazza Navona, the Pantheon (my favorite), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the monument to Vittorio Emmanuelle, the Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus.

It's overwhelming and truly awesome to be around so much visible history, with so many centuries just layered on top of each other.

The Trevi Fountain / Fontana di Trevi

Being fab at Fontana di Trevi

Terme di Caracalla / The Baths of Caracalla - a HUGE sports/gym/bath complex from Ancient Rome

Terme di Caracalla

Decorative mosaic floor from Terme di Caracalla

The cypress trees at Terme di Caracalla

Petting cats at Largo Argentina. Many stray cats now inhabit the ruins where Julius Casear was killed. There is also a cat rescue shelter there to help care for all the strays. Pictured below.

Largo Argentina

The Cypress trees here are my favorite, ever.

The view of the Forum from the Palantine.

The Patheon. My favorite of the Ancient Roman ruins.

The domed ceiling of the Pantheon and the oculus.

Piazza Navona

The fountains at Piazza Navona

Piazza Navona

Ketch made me a daisy chain from wild flowers at Circo Massimo

Circo Massimo / Circus Maximus

"The Typewriter" / "The Wedding Cake"  - Vittorio Emmanuelle

Piazza di Spagna / The Spanish Steps