Today was our first full day in Rome and our first stop was the Colosseum. I was looking forward to this but seeing it in person surprised me. Its about 2000 years old and still looks impressive. You can see it from far away, its massive up close, and you can still see some of the ornate details.
Walking through the arena was surreal. Its a place you read about, its in movies, and there are thousands of photos. But being there in person is an experience. I was surprised at how much I knew about the colosseum beforehand but the tour guide was nice connecting things that we already new to what was there.
Next we headed over to palatine hill and the roman forum. This was the center of Rome at the very beginning. The picture to the right is the House of the Vestals with a few of the remaining statues. Its amazing how much has lasted 2000 years. It was an amazing experience to walk the ancient roads amongst the ruins.
After a few hours in the hot sun (it hit 99 degrees) we needed a break for gelato. Unfortunately most gelato places use nuts but we found one that Ashley can eat. Its a lemon themed store and they have a few lemon gelatos and no nut flavors! So Ashley plans on going there everyday.
We also found a pasta place that you can watch them make the pasta by hand in front of you. We both got some ravioli and it was amazing.
This evening I enjoyed a glass of wine on the terrace and tomorrow we’re headed to a day trip in Tivoli.