Rome: July 2011
Yes, it’s true. I cried when I saw the Colosseum. The girl who
hadn’t seen a plane until she was 19, and until that trip to Byron Bay NSW, had
only ever been to Nhill…the deathly boring country town in rural Victoria.
I didn’t only cry because of the “Oh my God I can’t believe
I’m really here” moment, but also just because of the sheer size and
magnificence of the monument. We’ve all seen images of it, we’ve all watched Gladiator
(actually, I haven’t, but we’ve all seen ads), and we all think we know what to
expect, but as you emerge from the Colosseo Metro station, it hits you like a
bus in the street.
It’s right there, larger than life, and you’re more
overwhelmed than ever you expected. One usually expects to be disappointed by something
of this level of infamy (Mona Lisa, I’m talking to you), but the Colosseum
delivers.
It indubitably takes you back to a time when humans wrestled
lions and bears for the entertainment of Caesar and his subjects and cohorts,
and was a truly amazing experience I shan’t be forgetting in a hurry.
Don’t get me wrong, the rest of Rome was also pretty
spectacular! The Pantheon, the Vatican Museum, and St Peter’s Basilica are
unmissable, and the Trevi fountain is also worth a look!
The Spanish Steps? I don’t get it…It’s just a staircase?!
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