The Eternal City

We began our day of history with a quick detour to the Vatican. We had missed sending post cards the day before, so we raced to St. Peter's so that we could drop a few cards with a Vatican stamp in the mail. We were delighted when we arrived to find the Pope giving his weekly address. I had read that you had to have tickets that were impossible to get, so we were so happy when the guards let us right in to the square, with no questions asked. I think this was another perk of traveling off season.

During our studies in Utah, we focused quite a bit on the Roman Empire, so visiting the ancient sites was something we had been looking forward to. The kids drew comparison sketches of Rome vs. modern cities, we sought out examples of Roman influenced architecture in Salt Lake City and photographed it for a slide show, they wrote myths and compared them with Romulus and Remus, during a Roman feast we wore togas and ate lying on our left side as the Romans did, and they summarized articles on such topics as the Gladiators and Julius Caesar. When we arrived at the Colosseum, they were ready for a great field trip. We began with a guided tour. We were thrilled with the sheer size of this arena. We also enjoyed being able to see down into the maze of pits where the animals and unfortunate victims were held. It was amazing to be standing in this historical spot.

We then joined a dynamic British woman for a tour through the Colle Palatino, the hill with an exclusive address in ancient times, where Emperors chose to build their palaces. She was lively and full of humor which made this spot a highlight for the kids.

We then wandered through the Forum, imagining such great commanders as Caesar parading his soldiers, their booty and captured slaves through the Arco di Settimio Severo upon returning from great battles.

At night we wandered past the Trevi Fountain and tossed in coins, found Fodor's top rated gelato and then made our way to the Spanish Steps. The kids were humored in thinking that Americans were sitting on steps funded by the French, named for the Spanish Embassy across the street, in Italy.

It was the perfect ending to a great day.