Easily defeating Gladi-Cat, we proceeded with the tour. The Colosseum is spectacular when considered simply in light of the fact that it is still standing after 2,000 years of looting and earthquakes.
Imagine the entire space covered with a wooden floor filled with trap doors. The columns below the floor house elevators that are linked to trap doors. The hunters walk into the arena. Men in the tunnels below the floor release a wild animal into the elevator, and then spring the trap door, shooting the animal up onto the arena floor like Lady Gaga bursting from an egg. The crowd roars, and either the animal or the hunter dies. It was entertainment par excellance! The hunters and gladiators were the Oprahs of their day. What I wouldn't give to see Oprah and Rosie and Lady Gaga dropped into the arena with swords to hack at each other to the death!
The quality of the workmanship for a massive structure like this, built in less than 10 years with only manpower, is amazing. From the massive travertine blocks that form the outer wall, to the intricate brick arches, it is a sight to behold.
From the Colosseum, we headed to the Palatine Hill, where we found statues of the Roman god Frisbeus.
We'd covered a lot of ground, and the feet once again began to hurt.
Of course, no visit to Rome is complete until you've checked out the Temple of Vesta, home of the Vestal Virgins. The wife and son are looking a bit worse for the wear at this point, not at all what I had hoped to find in the home of the Vestal Virgins.
Done for the day, we ran down the Cordonata to catch our bus back to the apartment...
...where we enjoyed some Valpetti Apple Strudel with a tiny bit of cream.
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