Some people say why bother going somewhere if you have already been. This is my fourth trip to Rome and I hope not the last. Each time I enjoy rediscovering the familiar, but each time I learn something new and see something new that I hadn't even realised that I had missed before. Going back, taking your time, digging a bit deeper is like peeling the layers off an onion and discovering each time another layer beneath.
We were blessed yet again with perfect weather for our four days here. The sky remained clear and blue, and the temperatures were like mild, winter days at home in sunny Queensland. We were down to short sleeves as we walked endless miles of the city. I have never taken public transport in Rome. By foot is the best way to see and feel the sights and use up some wine and pasta calories. We tramped from early morning to early evening every day and, by rights, should be a whole lot lighter than when we left home.
Actually, I tell a lie. I had never used public transport until our arrival this time when we had to buy a Metro ticket to get to our hotel near the main Roma Termini train station. Somehow we had accidentally purchased a ticket to Roma Tiburtina Station, a few suburbs away. I am blaming my brother, Tony, but it could have been Molly's fault. It surely couldn't have been mine. :)
Anyway, it was an adventure negotiating the subway and finding our way to our hotel. We made it no trouble, checked in with a warm welcome from the owners, dumped our bags, grabbed a quick bite to eat (when in Rome, eat pizza of course) and set off to do the Caesar shuffle.
Rick Steves' guide to Rome accompanied us and gave us the best information possible. Before hitting the Colosseum and Roman Forum, we made a short stop at the church of St Peter-in-Chains to see the tomb of Pope Julius II, one of Michelangelo's most famous works. A powerful statue of Moses dominates the three story marble wall filled with statues and, despite working on it for 30 years (on and off), it was never finished. Michelangelo was quite annoyed when Julius interrupted this work by insisting on having the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted. The sculpture is breathtakingly beautiful (the massive staircase we had to take to get to the church was also breathtaking, huff, puff, I might add) and brought back memories of the awe I felt in High School as, even from the pages of my Art text book, its power and beauty were unbounded. I can't explain how exhilarating it was to see it in the flesh and I was happy to have made Rome again, even if I were to see nothing else. Oh, I should mention here that this church is famous for something else as well. The chains that supposedly held Peter are housed here and are on display in a glass case under the high alter. Another link to the past. (I know, I know, but I just can't help myself.)
Florence has been very quiet since we arrived a couple of weeks ago, but when we got to the Colosseum we realised why. It seems all the tourists are here. Crowds were everywhere, all like us, gazing in awe at the massive structure that symbolises Rome, its past glory and its gory past. Thanks to Rick's informative guide we now know a lot about its amazing history such as during its 100 day inauguration festival, 2,000 men and 9,000 animals were killed. This bloody entertainment happened in A.D. 80 and continued for 500 years. And here's another interesting gem. Did you know that the Romans pioneered the use of concrete which enabled them to build on such grand scale? (They came, they saw, they concreted!) Now here's something you really need to know. The Colosseum held 50,000 spectators who each received a piece of broken pottery as their ticket. This ticket was marked with entrance, section, row and seat number and the hallways leading to the seats were called by the Latin word, vomitorium. After the show the building could vomit out all 50,000 spectators in 15 minutes. Hence, our word "vomit" from the Latin, vomito, vomitatus - I spew out. No kidding!
If the Colosseum was popular for entertainment, the hippodrome down the road was even more so. It held 250,000 people who all got high on horse racing, or chariot racing to be more exact. Known as the Circus Maximus, horses raced seven laps around the track for a total of 3.5 miles. There were 12 races a day, 240 days a year. We enjoyed strolling along the track in relative peace after having fought the crowds around the Colosseum, Hadrian's Arch, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We wound our way up behind the main ruins, appreciating the extended view below, and then found ourselves on Capitol Hill, still the home of the city's government just as it has been since ancient times.
We descended Michelangelo's vast staircase to take in a better view of the massive Victor Emmanuel monument. Looking like a giant, tiered wedding cake, it was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Italy's unification in 1861.
After a quick refreshment stop in a cosy nearby Irish pub, we continued on our long march through history to reach the Pantheon. Approaching this 2,000 year old building from the back where it looks plain and shabby, belies its unbelievable interior beauty. The front begins to hint at its grandeur with 40 foot, single-piece granite columns soaring above and leading into a domed room which inspired Michelangelo's design for St Peter's in the Vatican.

The Pantheon was built in 27 B.C., a Roman temple dedicated to all (pan) the gods (theos) and is the only ancient building in Rome that has been in continuous use since its construction. It now houses the tombs of modern Italy's first two kings and also that of the great artist Raphael. The Latin inscription on his tomb reads, "In life, Nature feared to be outdone by him. In death, she feared she too would die." The large circular opening at the top of the dome lets in the light and the heavens (including the rain) and the interior remains peaceful despite the hum of the throngs of tourists passing through.

We eventually pulled ourselves away from this incredible building, passed more beautiful buildings and squares and obelisks (Rome has more Egyptian obelisks than any other place in the world - 13 and poor old Egypt has only five.) and wound our way to share the beauty and magic of the Trevi Fountain with a kazillion other people. It was packed, but we tossed our coins in to ensure our return to Rome. It has always worked for me so far, so I guess I can look forward to another visit.
To round the day off we went home via the Spanish Step. Here were another kazillion people wondering around the streets and square and sitting on the steps, obliterating our view of them. We squeezed our way up to the top, pausing to admire a huge nativity scene on one landing and a towering Christmas tree on another. From the very top we gazed out upon the lovely sight of Rome with its buildings glowing warmly in the light of the setting sun. The Christmas lights decorating the streets began to twinkle and we set off home along the long Via Sistina to capp the evening off with a hearty Italian meal in a little restaurant close to our hotel. Thirsty from our long day and many miles, we ordered 4 big beers to start with. Our wide-eyed waiter tried to encourage us to order medium ones instead, but we were really thirsty and insisted on big ones. Well, BIG ones they were. Really BIG ones in fact. So big that we needed two hands to lift them, so we actually got a weight-training workout as well. We had expected a pint each, but these were a litre at least. Much laughter later we completed our meal and beers (which only cost €8 each) and slept like babies after our BIG day.