Best Week Ever: Part Uno

Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum

Why was this week so amazing, you ask? My boyfriend Tyler and good friend Sam came to visit me on their spring break from Notre Dame! I got to show them around Rome and visit all the touristy (but very necessary) things I had been holding off on seeing.  The very first day that they arrived, they decided that they wanted to hit the ground running to hold off the jet lag for as long as possible.  Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to visit the Forum, Palatine, and the Colosseum.  Upon arriving, we discovered that in honor of International Women's Day (best holiday ever?) the entrance to all museums in Rome, including the Ancient City, were free for women!  Me and Tyler split his ticket, and were able to see all three sights for only 6 euro!  

Since Tyler has a Classical Civ. supplementary major, he was thrilled to explore the ancient city! We wandered through 3000-year-old monuments and ruins, and literally walked in the footsteps of Caesar, Nero, and countless other important names of the Roman Empire.  

The Forum

Arco di Settimio Severo

Temple of Saturn

From the Forum, we climbed the Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome.  It contains ruins of palaces and beautiful gardens, as well as incredible views of the Forum and the center of Rome.

Finally, we made our way to the Colosseum, the epitome of any visit to Rome.  We had a great time exploring the exhibits, comparing the Colosseum to Notre Dame stadium (FYI, estimates of its capacity range from 50,000 to 73,000), and making many "Gladiator" references.  

After a long day of exploring, I took Tyler and Sam to Millennium for gelato and then Mickey's, one of my favorite restaurants in Rome.  Since it's right near the Pantheon, we were able to check that out at night.  Since we were planning on traveling for the next two days, we went to bed early to get ready for an awesome adventure.

To be continued...