Originally posted on July 10, 2011 by Canicus
One nice thing about traveling alone rather than in a group or tour is that one can always change plans on the spur of the moment. I decided not to catch the bus, but rather to catch the Metro to Colosseo and to spend the day in the Forum. I had stayed up late last night and slept in this morning. By the time I had gotten to the Coliseum it was nearly lunch time, so I decided to go ahead and eat first.
After lunch I walked up Via Dei Fori Imperiali to the visitor’s entrance. There are concessionaires everywhere selling virtually everything: hats, umbrellas, souvenirs of all kinds, Panini, soft drinks and water. I’d never paid much attention to the bottled water as I carry a couple of Camelback water bottles filled with tap water. After I had gotten into line to buy a ticket, I discovered that there is something special about the water bottles they sell they are frozen solid. So they can be held against the wrists or neck to cool you down. I didn’t want to give up my place in line to go back and buy one. I did drink my water and used the umbrella I carry in my backpack to avoid sunstroke.
The Roman Forum wasn’t built in a day more like between 800 to 1,000 years. Vandals (the barbarian tribe that gave us the modern meaning of the word) and other invaders, earthquakes, renaissance architects etc. took much less time to unbuild it. So today it is very much a jumble of ruble. Still standing at either end are the triumphal gates of Titus (with its image of the seven branch candlestick taken from the Temple in Jerusalem) and Severus. The new Senate House stands; reconstructed. It belies the Hollywood circular arrangements. It is very much rectangular. The seating of the Roman Senate would more resemble the House of Commons than the U.S. Senate.
The ancient Forum was one of two early engineering marvels of the Romans. The area was once a swamp which was drained and filled to create the earliest forum. The other was the sewer which was created to drain the swamp and is still in use today. While the general concept of the forum was a large rectangle, bordered on either side by basilicas, temples and other public building (e.g., the Senate building). What surprised me was that it wasn’t level. I’m not sure how much that is an artifact of the centuries. To be sure, there are numerous holes punched into the ground where archeological research is going on.
There are foundations under the present ground level. But the Arch of Titus is a good many meters higher than the Arch of Severus at the other end.
The plan is to go to Mass at St. Peter’s and to take in a bit of the Vatican. I may come back early to spend some time near the hotel. I discovered that it is a few blocks away from the Terme (Baths) of Diocletian which has been partly taken over by Santa Maria degli Angeli. There is a park between that and the Termini station which contains, I think, a ghastly statue of Pope John Paul II.