Animated Journeys : Rome, the eternal city - Part I

" THE WORLD IS A BOOK AND THOSE WHO DO NOT TRAVEL, READ ONLY ONE PAGE"

" Rome the eternal city" and "Rome was not built in day' are the two of the most common cliches to describe Rome and not without any reason.Visiting Rome was one of my cherished dreams and luckily for us, almost the whole of Rome was painted afresh and the historical buildings cleared of black soot which develops over period of decades or centuries.

Rome is named after Romulus and Remus, the twin sons of Mars, who were abandoned on the flooding Tiber river and deposited by the receding waters at the foot of the Palatine hill. They were suckled by a she-wolf and reared by a shepherd. When grown up there was a feud between the two and Romulus killed Remus to become the ruler. The bronze statue of the ferocious wolf suckling the twins is stationed at the Capitoline Museums.

The attractions in Rome are vast and it is almost impossible to do justice to the city in one visit. However, with four days at our disposal, we tried to have a go at as many attractions as were possible.

Colosseum :

Without an iota of doubt, the symbol of Rome is the ancient amphitheatre right in the middle of the city. In fact most of the ancient Roman attractions are pretty close by, which makes it easy to cover them without wasting much time in travel. The colosseum, also known as Flavian amphitheatre, is an oval structure, built of travertine limestone and brick faced concrete. It was the largest amphitheatre of the time, with a capacity of 50000-80000 spectators.

The colosseum was the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and animals and mock naval engagements.

It was built under flavian emperors, hence also called Flavian amphitheatre. Building started by Emperor Vespasian in 70-72 CE and was officially dedicated by Emperor Titus is 80 CE. Over a period of time, it was used as a church and fortress. It was damaged with lightening and earthquakes and even more severely by vandalism and pollution. Later preservation works have helped make it Rome's major tourist attraction.

Nearby is the Roman Forum, a rectangular forum, originally a marketplace, surrounded by ruins of several important government buildings at the center of ancient Rome. Another notable monument nearby is the arch of Constantine.

Pantheon :

The other historical and unique landmark of Rome is the Pantheon. It is a former Roman temple and now a catholic church. It is one of the best preserved ancient Roman buildings. It is a circular building of concrete faced with brick, with a huge concrete dome rising from the walls. Almost two thousand years after it was built, this dome is still the world's largest unreinforced dome. It measures 142 feet in diameter. The peculiar feature of this dome is a central opening called oculus opening into the sky.When the Pantheon was originally built, oculus was the only source of light inside. The opening also results in rain getting inside, but a gentle floor slope and well hidden holes drain the water. It has a front porch of Corinthian columns supporting a gabled roof. Beneath the porch are huge bronze double doors. Its building started in 27BC and completed later with a changed design between 118-128AD.