Day 10 - Another day in Rome

Our first stop today was the Colosseum...aka The Flavian Amphitheatre, although I had never heard it called that. This was the home of gladiator fights and the slaughter of wild beasts...5000 of them! The floor of the Colosseum is missing so the underground passages where animals were kept is exposed. Apparently there were trap doors the animals would enter by, with the gladiators not knowing where the animals would enter.

The Colosseum is estimated to have been able to hold between 40,000 and 73,000 spectators!

From the Colosseum, we made our way to the Roman Forum. This is an area full of ruins and is one of the key sites of Ancient Rome. It was a commercial, religious, and political center.
For lunch, the delegates cheered when they heard we were going to the Hard Rock Cafe Rome! Lots of hamburgers were ordered...I think a lot of us were feeling 'starved' for American food! We also bought lots of Hard Rock Rome T-shirts.

After lunch, as we sat on the Spanish Steps in the middle of Rome, the delegates were divided into groups of 5. Each group was given a lousy map (on purpose) and a page of questions. There were five places they were to find and answer questions about. The lousy map was given so the groups would need to ask..to interact with the local people to find their way. They had 3 1/2 hours. The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, another piazza (can't remember the name) with an obelisk in the middle, the Pantheon, and ending in the Piazza Navona. They all made it, some quicker than others.

This is all of us sitting on the Spanish Steps.

This is the Trevi Fountain, completed in 1762. The statue is Neptune riding on a shell drawn by winged horses. Tourists throw coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome!


At the Trevi Fountain, Kyle got separated from the rest of his group. Close to the obelisk, Michele and the rest of the group finally found Kyle. It was a very happy, teary, reunion!
The first photo is the Pantheon, "the temple of all the gods." The porch has 16 massive granite columns. The dome is said to be one of the great architectural achievements of antiquity.' The second photo is a mime (who was MEAN...he HIT people with his cane!) at Piazza Navona.


We had seen a lot of Rome by the end of Day 10!