Red Leaf: Roma!

Ave Caesar (Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you) was the customary salutation at the time when the Caesars were around; it’s a shame they didn’t salute me in this traditional way. Oh well!

We spent three full days in Rome, all of which were saturated in ancient history.

My favorite was the Colosseum (Amphitheatrum Flavium, after the Flavian dynasty), which was started under the emperor Vespasian in the early 70's, and finished in 80 under Titus. It had the ability to hold 50,000 eager spectators gathered to watch gladiator contests, public spectacles, and animal hunts. During the inaugural games, which lasted 100 days, there were 9000 animal deaths, and around 2000 gladiator deaths. Early on, there was a 100 ft gold statue of the recently-deceased Emperor Nero.

Arch of Titus to commemorate the sack of Jerusalem in AD 70

There was a wooden floor covered with sand over the many pathways seen above and below where the gladiators and wild beasts would wait for their battles.

The Colosseum was built in part with the spoils from the sack of Jerusalem (the Temple) in 70 AD.

Fast forward a bit into the future and we arrive at the Vatican (which is its own country). St. Peters Cathedral is maybe just as colossal as the actual Colosseum. Once inside, the sheer magnitude of the pillars, statues, text, and so on is so large that it's hard to imagine, and we needed Rick Steve's guide book to enlighten us on its hugeness. From the front door to the back (dove) stain glass window, it stretches two football fields, and the yellow letters near the top looks small, but each letter is seven feet tall. Look at the people in the photos to give you a good indicator at the size if this beast!