Day 4 May 26, 2023
We woke up early and walked down to the Trevi Fountain (literally a 5-minute walk from the BNB) and was there a little after 6 am. There were some people there, but nothing like the first day we arrived. We got the selfies, tossed our coins in the fountain, and then found a little spot for an espresso and a croissant. Our schedule today was a 3-hour tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill at 10:30 and then visit the Capitoline Museum on our own.
As we headed out towards the Colosseum around 9:30, we passed by the Trevi Fountain again just as someone was being proposed to. Since the legend of the coin toss states that the first toss means you will return to Rome, John and I stuck with that one. The second toss means you will find love or romance and the third is that you will marry an Italian. (I think I’ll stick with the one I have!!!) You also must toss the coin correctly, meaning you toss it over your left shoulder using your right hand. An article I read mentions they collect almost 1.5 million a year and the monies are used to pay for food and the upkeep of a market that helps the area’s poor.
We checked in for our tour and was told it was going to be an hour later, so we walked around a bit and decided to grab a bite to eat. Our day revolves around food, lol!!!! Our tour guide for the Colosseum was Nick, and we had a small group, which was nice. We met a family that was from Florida and Utah that met in Rome to vacation together. Nick described in detail all the little intricacies of the Colosseum and the rich history. It is truly an amazing site! Some fun facts:
- 2000 years old
- Real name is the Flavian Amphitheater
- Four oversized stories, 160 feet high, nearly 1/3 mile around and makes an oval-shaped footprint that covers six acres.
- Could accommodate 50,000 people.
We also toured around the Roman Forum, which was ancient Rome’s civic center and only a few fragments remain as well as for Palatine Hill, which is where we get our word “palace” from. Nick did a good job at trying to find shade for us as it was very hot and there were lots of people. The second part of the tour was seeing the underground and dungeons as well as going to the upper level for some great pictures. When looking down into the arena, you can see the underground passages (where we toured) beneath, which is where the animals and prisoners were held.
We then headed to the Capitoline Museum where some of Rome’s most famous statues and art are housed. We were pretty worn out by then and had a trek back to our BNB, so we did not stay real long.
On the way back, we stopped for a pizza and an Aperol (for me) and a Campari (for John). Back to the room, a quick shower, and then walked across the street from the room for a later dinner. We are starting to adjust to Italy time and eating later. Tomorrow will be a “free” day to do whatever as nothing is planned except doing some laundry. Oh, total miles walked – 10.2!!!!! Ciao!
