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jim_1

A long cruise - Rome, Italy - part 4

jim_1 (Zone 5B)
9 years ago

Lunch is done, back in the taxi to view the Colosseum. It was being sandblasted, thus the scaffolding kept us from getting a decent photo. Still raining, we declined to mingle with the crowds.

We were in Rome on November 15, not really the height of the tourist season. I shudder to think about how crowded it is during the peak season!

Comments (8)

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    There were many other ruins near the Colosseum. Since our driver was not a tour guide, he did not add much information. The missus says that this is the Palace of Vestal Virgins.

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    And, the missus says that this is the Arch of Constantine. Notice all the buses at the rear. Again, mid-November is not the peak tourist season.

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Apartment living near the Colosseum. Our drive had zero idea as to the cost of these places.

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    If the missus is correct, this is Maxentius Basilica, one of the larger buildings near the Colosseum, all were a part of The Forum.

    Back in the taxi for our last stop. The taxi is actually an 8-passenger van. This is typical for tourism in most of the Italian cities.

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Now this is a neat place. he Fontana dell'Acqua Paola also known as Il Fontanone ("The big fountain"). It is on Janiculum Hill, one of the high spots on the left bank of the Tiber River.

    Again, our driver had no information, so I had to research when we got back. Pope Paul V had this built as a source of clean drinking water at the end of an aqueduct. The funding for this water created by taxing wine - not a popular thing in the early 17th century!

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    It was a cloudy/rainy day and I was not accustomed to those conditions with my new camera. I did not get good photos. I apologize.

    What made this wonderful was the amount of fresh water that was delivered. It got to the point that coachmen would come and water their horses there, so a barrier was built to deter that. However, the locals used the fountain for bathing! An ordinance was created in 1707 to forbid that.

  • jim_1 (Zone 5B)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    What was neat about this fountain was that it was not a tourist destination. We six were the only ones there!

    After viewing the fountain, I crossed the street and took this photo of the left bank of Rome. After seeing many churches, I asked the driver if he had any knowledge as to how many. He knew that one. 365 Roman Catholic churches in Rome - one for every day of the year.

    After this, we had our one-hour ride back to Civitavecchia. It was not raining there, naturally. Our sail away time was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and we had about one hour to spare.

    We'll be in Naples tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. We need to rest, since we then go to Sorrento, and a couple of stops in Sicily before we get a break.

  • west_gardener
    9 years ago

    Jim, I enjoy reading about your tour. I think you did great despite the adverse weather conditions.
    One can not predict the weather. I've been in hot/humid/rain/storms/ cold/thunder/lightning, etc.........on vacations,and I did not do anywhere near as well as you have done.
    Keep posting.

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