All roads SHOULD lead to Rome!

Day 2 in Rome was fantastic thanks to our outstanding tour guide Christiano Pelligrini!  Thank you Michelle for recommending him.  He was all you and Kara said he'd be! Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Rome, the history of art, Italian politics, World War II, but he also spoke 4 languages! He inspired all four of us! Grazie, Christiano!

We started our day at the impressive Roman Colosseum, the ancient arena which paved the way for how we watch sports to this day. It was begun in 72 A.D. by the Emporer Vespasian and could hold 50 thousand spectators in its 4 levels. The imperial court and high officials were seated at the lowest level.  Families who contributed to the city of Rome were seated on the second level, then common folk and women (with the exception of concubines) were seated at the very top.  Entrance to the games were free, but even back then people had assigned seating.  Family names and seat numbers were inscribed by the door.  Isn't it amazing how things haven't changed all that much?  Here's one more interesting tidbit offered by Christiano - Vespasian also invented the men's urinal and to this day Italians refer to the male bathroom as a Vespasian. :) Ancient Romans were smart!

Christiano escorted us to several other sites in Rome including the Pantheon- an incredible church built to worship the planetary gods (Pantheon is Greek for "most holy").  It was first built in 27 BC and is almost completely intact.  The interior is breathtaking and the design of the church especially deliberate.  The height and diameter of the dome are equal which represents the spherical shape of the sun.  The interior includes 7 alcoves representing the seven known planets and the floor is slightly sloped representing the 8th planet - Earth.  We thought ancient Romans believed the Earth was flat - wrong!  They knew the Earth was round, however,  according to our historian Christiano, during the Dark Ages people rejected the ideas and knowledge of the ancients.  I wish you all could have been with us to see this unbelievable church!

Alex is working up the courage to eat that baby squid.  He had at least 15 of those in his pasta.  Just eat it Alex!

We stopped for a delicious lunch in which Christiano ordered a Roman appetizer - zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese and anchovies. They were delicious! Our waiter suggested a specialty seafood dish for Eric and Alex, but because he spoke Italian, Eric and Alex weren't exactly sure what he was saying.  You should have seen their faces when the waiter set a plate of pasta covered in baby squid and mussels in front them!  However, they really liked it! Well, Eric did anyway.  I tried a baby squid just out of curiosity but probably won't order them again. :)

After lunch we were off to the Vatican, which of course includes the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The afternoon requires an new blog entirely because OH MY GOSH!!  It is a MUST see for anyone who loves history and art.  Rome really is incredible!