Today is our fourth full day in Rome and, though it is Monday, it is our day of rest! We bought a Roma Pass which is good for three days of unlimited transportation within the city as well as free and discounted entrances to many of the sites. Day three for us was yesterday which is why we are resting today!
I'm still not sure if the pass is a great idea. We saved a little money overall but I think we tried to cram in too much at once. It is a good thing we have been here before because much of what we saw was just a refresher course....mental update if you will.
Our little bachelor apartment is about a kilometer from St Peter's Square which is a great location. Living in a neighbourhood instead of the tourist hype areas has many advantages not the least of which is quiet at night.
We are close to the subway which meant we were off and running on day one heading straight to the Colosseum.
I have to tell you that there are some problems with transportation here... you have to take time to figure it out. Seems in order to get to most tourist sites you have to pass through a station called "Termini". This could stand for terminal or terminal depending on how you define that word and on what time of day you pass through. I have been in some intense people crunch situations but on May 1 (labour day here in Italy) the mass of people descending to the bowels of this subway station were in epic proportions. Like getting a train ticket in India, it's just not pleasant being that close to that many sweaty people.  I suppose the underground is limited because of the number of ancient sites still being unearthed.  
Anyway, I'm not complaining just telling it like it is. You see we decided to activate our pass on Friday to Sunday because many places are closed on Monday. Well, we forgot that May 1st was a holiday as well as a weekend which meant locals were added to the huge number of tourists already roaming the streets. Absolute chaos ... actually kind of fun if you let yourself get in to it!
Rubbing our eyes as we stepped out of the Colosseo subway station we were confronted with the amazing site of the Colloseum right there in front of us. Thirty nine years ago we drove by here in our Volkswagon van and there were hardly any people.  This trip we spent the morning wandering around the area taking in the Roman Forum as well as Monte Palatino.
It isn't hard to lose yourself in the history of ancient Rome in spite of the plastic clad gladiators posing for pictures at every turn.  
Rome is a city alive with history. As you wander the streets you can see how modern buildings are built upon or attached to ancient architecture.  This is my favourite thing to do. Wander the back streets, eat in little restaurants off the beaten track, sit in the parks and watch the world go by, listen to the noises of the city.
Wander through the streets of the Ghetto and marvel at this quaint Jewish area. The people of Italy protected the Jews during WWII.  As much as possible they ignored orders to deport people to the concentration camps and thus saved thousands of lives.
Or you might find yourself seeing past the photos of the Trevi fountain to the little man in a back alley roasting chestnuts. 
Or wander up the Spanish steps to see a little old lady fingering her rosary while entering the Trinita dei Monti.
You can see a flashy black Mercedes go by with a Cardinal in the back seat as it follows a little three wheel vehicle full of vegetables for market.
You can walk the Appian Way to the Catacombs of St. Sebastian while following pilgrims holding a banner softly singing hymns.
Then you can walk all the way back (because it's Labour Day and the bus isn't running) and imagine how hard it must have been walking those cobblestones daily in ancient times.
You can spend a couple of hours of neck break gawking at the beauty of the Boughese Gallery wondering how an artist can paint the ceiling and make it look like there are actually stone statues there....or how a sculpture can turn rock in to paper thin leaves.
You can find the American Express office where, 39 years ago, we picked up aerogram letters from home and now you can book tours flights etc. (wonder if they still have the mail we missed?)
You can stand in line for half an hour just to go through security to see St Peter's Basicila only to find out at the last minute that you have your swiss army knife in your back pack. (they let us in anyway but I bet they watched every move we made.... our initials are not carved on any of the confessionals ... and that's no lie!)
 You can stand in front of the Pieta (which is now behind glass... 39 years ago we could have touched it) and be silenced by the beauty of this stone creation. Michealangelo was only 24 when he created this masterpiece... it still brings tears to my eyes.
You can stand in awe by the vastness of St Peters itself.... then you can wander around underneath viewing the tombs of the Popes. So why is it I wasn't allowed to take a picture of Pope John Paul's tomb but all the other ones were OK? (Got one anyway...woops!)
So today is a day of rest. We have seen so much that we will spend the rest of our time here filling our senses with the myriad of pleasures that make up today's Rome.