Rome : Day 13 : 27 October 2008

We went to Colosseo (Colosseum) on our 3rd day in Rome. The weather was good, sunny and not too hot. Colosseo was just 20 minutes or roughly 500m away from our hostel. Though it was much comfortable taking the metro costing only E1/pax, we chose to walk. At least we were doing what a backpacker should do, walk. On our way there, we found a cafe serving the best cappuccino that we had throughout the trip, and it only cost E0.90/cup. So, no regret at all.



To us, Colosseo was the best attraction in Rome. It was like going to our National Stadium at Bukit Jalil after 2,000 years later. It was difficult to describe the feeling, so better judge by looking through the pics below. The entrance fee was E12/pax and it also allowed entrance to the Palatino (Palatine Hill) and Foro Romano (Roman Forum). Palatino and Foro contained lots of ruins, and it was not easy for blur foreigners like us to identify them. Luckily, the Colosseo was still intact. Outside Colosseo, we saw an entourage of China people having their wedding photo taken. They came with at least 7 Rolls-Royce, stopping in front of Arco di Constantino with Colosseo as their romantic backdrop. This group was much larger than the one we saw in Barcelona.





Going through Palatino and Foro took us around 1 hr due to the vast area of the archaelogical site.



After exiting Foro Romano, we reached the Monumento a Vittorio Emmanuele II, a huge white building. It was actually a memorial, and we managed to squeeze in before it was closed. They didn't allow visitors in 20 minutes after we went in. I read beforehand that the guards do not allow visitors to sit on the steps, either for photo taking or resting as an act of respect for the dead soldiers that were buried underneath. This building was located in front of the busy intersection, Piazza Venezia.




Here, I applied another useful knowledge from the internet. Be forewarned, when you are walking and intend to cross the road in Rome, you just walk across and look straight in front. Don't apply the Malaysian principle of "Pandang kanan, pandang kiri, dan pandang kanan sekali".
They said that if you look towards the cars coming to you, it will be your responsibility to look after yourself because you know that danger is coming. If you did not look at them, the responsibility will become theirs because in Rome, pedestrian is King.

We visited Fontana di Trevi for the second time, when we were on our way to the nearest metro, Spagna near the Spanish Steps. The coin throwing theory was so true.