All this walking was making us famished, so we stopped for some
gelato and Red Bull: Reloaded. Sort of like Matrix: Reloaded
but with more vodka and less Keanu, this
is great stuff.
This thing here, which any sensible person would
think is some sort of
goverment building, is actually a fricking monument. It's the Monument
to
King Victor Emmanuel II.
Although
it does serve some semi-practical purpose, as these guys are
guarding Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
At
the other end of this plaza, you can see this building. That balcony on
the left
is where Mussolini made most of his speeches.
Ok, back to ancient stuff. We're inside the Roman
Forum now - which is
the name for the most concentrated area of ancient ruins. This place was
a
huge market that is referred to as the world first strip-mall.
More
busted-up buildings.
And
more excavations.
Our
walking tour ended at the Colisium.
So
amazing, this Rome. No other place we had ever seen had such a genuine
integration of ancient and modern. It's a huge city, so typically Italian,
but to see
these buildings as you walk down the street makes you believe you're actually
in ancient Rome. Combine that with the architecture and ambiance generated
from having the seat of the Catholic Church right here, and you've got
quite an
amazing place.
And
nightfall was about to make the whole place look even cooler.
The
Colisium took on an entirely differnet look as the sun set..
As
did the Forum.
And
so ended our first walking tour. We had plans to attend a second one
the next day, this time of the Vatican. But before that, we were successful
in locating a small
Irish pub up the street from our hostel where we spent a few quality hours
before bed.
Those Italians may be able to make buildings and take over the world,
but they can't
make a decent beer to save their lives...
