Mamma e Io: i Monumenti

Mom and I at the Colosseum

Italian: i Monumenti
English: The Monuments

My program at the UC Center Rome gives us two one week long breaks. The first of which happened during the week of September 15-September 23. My mom came to visit me, and essentially we conquered Rome. We did a lot of touristy things, which was fine by me because I actually had yet to see some of the many historic places we went to. On Mom's first day in Roma we did the "trifecta," as I call it: Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. 

Circling the Massive Structure

The Colosseum (if it isn't obvious) is huge! Mom and I spent a great deal of time just circling the outside of it trying to find the correct ticket line to enter. A few tips for anyone who wants to visit just the Colosseum, or all three: book your ticket online and in advanced. This will save you a couple of hours waiting time. Also, if you do pre-order your ticket, head right for the line that says, "group tours." It may be deceptive, but if you choose the other line, you'll be waiting with all of the ticketless tourists for quite some time. In addition, the ticket is only 12 Euros to see all three monuments, which you can split over a two day period upon activating your ticket. My Mom and I did all three in one day. It was really tiring, but we were happy we visited all three monuments. 

Miniature Mock-Up of How They Used to Pull the Animals Up into the Ring 

Throwing in Some Humor Amongst the (noseless) Remains

The Colosseum also offers a nice little museum on the inside. Plenty of history can be read, and many ruined structures as well. I had to throw in some humour amongst these nose-less heads. 

A few quick facts about the Colosseum. It was built at the peak of the Roman Empire in A.D. 80, and it is a great representation of the "grand," environment that Rome possessed at this time. Essentially, the purpose of the Colosseum was similar to a theater. However, the production focussed on killing, which was the spectator sport at the time. The fights varied, either between humans, animals or human versus animal. I found the model above, showcasing how they pulled up animals into the ring, to be quite interesting. The description had a distinguished line that read,"and each gladiator would not have the slightest idea as to where, or what, would pop up from the ground..." The games lasted for almost 500 years (!), and ended in A.D. 523. Today, only a third of the original structure is present, and is where tourists flock to. Regardless, it's a must see for anyone that goes to Rome. 

Palatine Hill Stadium

Museum on Palatine Grounds
Mom and I were fans of the detailed statutes

Out of all three monuments, Mom and I enjoyed Palatine Hill the best. We loved the vastness, sculptures, layout, and it definitely had the most variety out of all three sites. Palatine Hill is packed full of history. Essentially this historic site was the home to all of Rome's emperors for three centuries. As we walked the grounds, we encountered huge spaces, such as the stadium, which is where the emperors exercised, large gardens, foreign plants from oversees, and various kinds of architecture.

We loved the museum, home to all of the lovely sculptures that were once all around the grounds. We couldn't get over the detail that was still present. Mom's seamstress self, favored the two female sculptures above (for the detailing of the dresses, of course!). 

Palatine Hill Gardens; View of Roma; Outskirts of the Hill

The views and structures are unbelievable on Palatine Hill. It is quite easy to get lost amongst the grounds, and with such variety of structures it is evident of how lavish of lifestyle royalty truly lived in Roma during the empire. 

Roman Forum

In brief, the Forum was the place for all political, religious and commercial centers of the city. It possessed some of the most important buildings and ceremonies too. During the Roman Empire, it was considered the center of Rome. 

Historically, the Roman Forum is more important than Palatine Hill, but neither Mom nor I were very impressed by the grounds. Although, we both were unaware of the lavish history it possesses, so for everyone who takes a guided tour, or has a decent amount of knowledge of the grounds it will definitely be more interesting.

My descriptions are very brief, but all three monuments possess an extremely rich history. Currently, I am taking Ancient Roman Civilization, and I will be revisiting all three sites with my Professor where I will receive a proper tour. Already, I've learned quite a lot about the Roman Empire. Something that everyone should note about Rome, is although it may be considered a major city in the world, it has yet to meet the same expectations or power it once possessed during the Roman Empire. The presence of Rome's old structures (which make up the city center), are pivotal parts of Rome's current image and foundation as a major city in the world.