Rome as the Romans Did

This posting deals with the non-Vatican parts of Rome. These are the old Roman parts of Rome. And no one has better Roman ruins than, well...Rome. The intro picture shows a section of the Roman Forum as viewed from the Palitine Hill. The three columns are what remains of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. In the background is the Arch of Septimus Severus.Above is the Colosseum from the outside and below....

...is a photo from the inside. And below........is the Arch of Constantine that stands just outside the colosseum.

One of the things that strikes you about the Roman Forum is just how little remains of it. This is because much of the the stone was carried off to build other structures.....many of them churches. (In fact, some of the best Roman statuary and stonework can be found at the Vatican where it was carried off to be reused.) One of the most innovative approaches to this "reuse" is the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda, which is shown above. The church was built inside the ruins of Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and kept the remaining columns from the temple for the front entry.

Above is the Castel Sant Angelo. It was originally built as the mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian and later converted to a fortress for the popes....kind of a bunker for when the Vatican was attacked. Above is the Piazza Venezia. This building is not so old as the ancient Romans. Rather, it is a monument to the first king of Italy and was constructed in the early 1900s.

Finally, this last picture above is Theresa and I at the Trevi Fountain.