Rome was one of the ports that I really wanted to get to - a major destination point on this European itinerary for me. Certainly one of the destinations that offers a lot to learn and marvel at (or so I was told), I happily escorted a panoramic tour of the city. I did end up learning a few things which I'm happy to share.
For starters, this is a VERY old place. I've seen some old things in Europe, but, Rome takes the cake. Definitely wins the age prize.
The buildings in Rome (or what's left of them, in some cases) are sometimes very beautiful and often breathtaking. However, this all took a backseat for me when I was told of the history of the people who inhabited this area. Almost ALL of the stories I was told about the Romans involved powerful rich people punishing and oppressing others. I heard so many grisly and disgusting tales from the tour guide that I made a list of all the atrocities to make sure I heard them all correctly.
These included stories of:
- decapitations
- lies
- emperors declaring themselves gods--which just proves that if you have enough money and power, you can make any outrageous claim and "prove" it true (see: Roman Catholic church)
- war
- deceit
- crucifixion
- upside down crucifixion
- slavery
- subjugation of women
- incest
- burning people alive
- burying people alive
- theft
- murder
- city-wide arson
- kicking wives to death
- suicide
- animal cruelty (5,000 animals were brutally slaughtered for entertainment purposes alone during the first 100 days of the Colosseum opening)
- assassinations
- conquering other nations
- public executions (including public beheadings as recently as 1868)
On the flip side of that coin, I also learned that that "Margherita" pizza (red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese, and green oregano) was created because it has the colors of the Italian flag. Hooray for decency!
My overall point, I guess, is this. I get that the large buildings are impressive as well as the age of the area. Building roads was important. However, people seem to overlook and brush past the wicked and cruel acts of tyranny that occurred in Rome. Yes. The Colosseum is impressive. However, shouldn't we take more than just a moment to realize that the people who built it (check that…HAD it built by slaves) thought that one of the most entertaining reasons to gather together inside the giant monstrosity was to watch an ostrich get it's head sliced off and to wager on how far it would run before it's headless body collapsed on the blood soaked sand? Should we really wave that away just because the building is big and old? For me, it was all a bit much. Never been happier to be on a panoramic tour. Drive-by explanations provided plenty of detail for me.
All in all, I had a great tour. A wonderful time and I learned a lot. The tour guide, Jackie, was outstanding. Informative, sense of humor, the perfect amount of talking and explanation. The bus was incredibly comfortable and air conditioned. The best part of Rome for me? Lemon ice cream.
St. Pete's.
Really old apartments where people lived a long time ago in history and stuff.
This building is called the Wedding Cake due to it's design.
Maybe more wedding cake-ey view here.
The Senate.
Another angle on the Senate.
The Colosseum.
Holy Crap. So close to ice cream!
Yes!
Panoramic of St. Pete's.
I thought these pillars were awesome.
