Dear Steemit friends, Gemma here, let me take you on a journey to the heart of the Roman Empire part 2. Rome is such an astounding city that I could not fit everything in one blog. To read the first part of my travel blog on Rome, please click this link below:

https://steemit.com/travel/@vegoutt-travel/the-capital-of-the-roman-empire-roma-part-1-travel-21

Continuing on in this beautiful city there are sights not to be missed on every street corner. My favourite way of exploring this city is to just walk around so it is best to have some comfortable walking shoes with you. It is no wonder there is so much to see in Rome, Rome was actually the first modern city to reach a population of 1 million by 50 BC. It was not matched by any other European city until London finally over took it years later in the 19th Century. My family and I found many beautiful and interesting sights that are not even landmarked. I mean if any of these buildings were in my home town, it would certainly be a paid attraction.

Beautiful architecture

My family and I standing by what I found to be incredibly interesting beneath the famous Spanish steps.

Part of Altare della Patria

In a bustling ancient city like Rome, it is very easy to miss some spectacular sights. I do suggest spending at least 5 days to explore Rome. Of course the famous landmarks like the Colosseum, Altare della Patria, Spanish steps and Trevi fountain are must-see's but we stumbled across one of the most beautiful churches by accident. The Santa Maria in Aracoeli is very conveniently located directly in-between Altare della Patria and the Spanish Steps. It is perched high above the city and does not look like much from the outside. This is maybe why it was practically deserted, the inside was absolutely breath-taking. Giving famous Cathedrals like Notre-dame in Paris a run for its money.

Myself outside Santa Maria in Aracoeli

My brother Wayne feeling the burn from the climb up

Easy peasy

This church is best known for housing relics belonging to Saint Helena the mother of Emperor Constantine. Originally the church was known as Sancta Maria in Capitolio, since it was sited on top of the Capitoline Hill of Ancient Rome. However, in the 14th century it had been renamed to Santa Maria in Aracoeli which it is still known by today.
A medieval legend claimed that the church was built over the place where the Tiburtine Sibyl prophesied to Augustus the coming of Christ. You can see figures of Augustus and of the Tiburtine sibyl painted on either side of the arch above the high altar.

During the Middle Ages, condemned criminals were executed at the foot of the steps. All I can say is at least they were executed at the bottom of the steps unlike the Aztecs and Mayans who executed criminals at the top of their pyramids allowing severed heads to roll down the steps. I suppose the Romans were slightly less dramatic in their executions. The foot of these steps also mark the sight where the self-proclaimed Tribune and reviver of the Roman Republic Cola di Rienzo met his death. The exact spot in fact where his statue commemorates him today. It rings true that as we learn throughout history, many beautiful places have extremely dark pasts.

The stunning ceiling

Marble hallways fit for a King or should I say Emperor

Carved wooden alters adorn the entire place

My brother feeling regal

I am overwhelmed by the beauty

Marble Alters

Statues

interesting depictions

Got to get in the photo sometimes

The Spanish Steps are indeed a set of steps in Rome. They connect a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the foot which was once home to the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, therefore giving it it's name and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. The world famous stairway encase 135 steps and took 2 years to build between 1723 and 1725. It was completely funded by a very wealthy French diplomat.

The steps have had a few restorations over the years most recently in 2016. The main reason for the restorations are general wear and tear. However, there have been several instances of recklessness that have caused significant damage. On the 13th June, 2007, a drunk young man attempted to drive a Toyota Celica down the Spanish Steps. Luckily no one was hurt, but several of the steps were chipped and scuffed. The driver was of course arrested and charged. Clearly he thought movies like The Italian Job and Bourne Identity were realistic. It is such a shame when beautiful timeless landmarks get ruined by stupidity. We really need to teach our younger generations how important it is to preserve the past. Especially in a city like Rome, the pinnacle of human advancement and progress.

Standing by the Lion Guardian at the foot of the Spanish Steps

My Mum

Beautiful Statues line the steps from top to bottom

The unique design of the Spanish steps has made it a popular place for artists, painters and poets who were attracted to the place which inspired them in return with its elegance. The artist’s presence attracted many beautiful women to the area, hoping to be taken on as models. This in turn, attracted rich Romans and travellers. After a short time, the steps were crowded with people of all kinds of backgrounds. This tradition, of the Spanish Steps as a meeting place, has lived on ever since.

At the lower end of the stairs you can find an early baroque style fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia, or Fountain of the Old Boat. The fountain takes the form of a sinking ship and it is said to be based upon a medieval legend. The legend tells that a fishing boat was carried all the way from out at sea to this exact spot during a massive flood in the 16th century. Romans do love their legends, this ancient city is full of them and honestly one could spend a lifetime learning them all.

Standing at the foot of the Spanish Steps

Altare della Patria

The Altare della Patria meaning the Altar of the Fatherland is also known as the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel IIl, the first king of a unified Italy. It proudly occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill. This building takes my breath away, if this doesn't then nothing will. It is a massive, glorious marble building with delicate detail all over. Nothing states the undeniable wealth, power and success of Ancient Rome than this building. The locals today refer to it as the Royal Palace, however, it has never served as one.

The impeccable structure was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885. Established renown Italian sculptors, such as Leonardo Bistolfi and Angelo Zanelli, made all of the sculptures for the building .The base even houses the museum of Italian Unification and the building itself houses a museum of Roman war and military history. It is in here where you can watch videos, read articles, look at artefacts and piece together the rise and fall of arguably the greatest empire of all time. As with most Roman landmarks, there are lots of steps leading up to the grand entrance. As my readers will know, I often travel with my younger brother Scott who is wheelchair bound. He is an absolute inspiration as he has never let his trusty chair hinder him. He has travelled around the world. Luckily, in 2007, a panoramic lift was added to the structure, allowing anyone to ride up to the roof for 360-degree views of Rome and of course allowed Scott to enjoy the sights as well.

My brothers

Wayne

Me

And of course Mum

Archway leading up to the Colosseum

The next sight I am about to show you may very well be my favourite site on the planet. Yes it does have a very grim and violent history that showcases the worst in humanity. This clearly is not the reason I love it so. I am a history buff, for years, growing up all I wanted to be was an archaeologist and this is just spectacular in all its glory. It was built for purposes of torture and pain but now hundreds of years on, there is an unexplainable peace here and the sheer grandeur of this structure just transports you back in time to a glorious ancient Rome.

My family and I outside the famous Colosseum

The Colosseum is an oval amphitheatre smack bang in the centre of Rome. It is made up of travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, holding up to 80,000 spectators, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built. The construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his heir Titus. It was primarily used for violent gladiatorial contests as seen in the Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator. However, it also regularly hosted animal hunts and executions. The building ceased to be used for these barbaric forms of entertainment in the early medieval era. During this time it is estimated more than 400,000 people died inside the Colosseum along with over 1,000,000 animals.

It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Although as you can see it is partially damaged on one side due to earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

It took 60,000 Jewish slaves to build the Colosseum. Speaking of the Jewish, our next stop was the Jewish Grotto. The Jewish Grotto was a precinct set up for all Jewish Romans to live in, of which most were slaves. Even though they were dirt poor, it is said that the best food in Rome could be found here. This is true today as well. After a long day of walking around Rome, it was great to be able to relax and enjoy some true Italian local pizza here in the grotto. It is believed that even high ranking Roman officials would dress down and sneak into the grotto just to have pizza risking their rank and their lives if caught. Now I am telling you, that is pizza to die for.

Fountain at the entrance to the Jewish Grotto

Beautiful streets

Wayne running towards the smell of fresh hot pizza

And there it is, Pizza

After devouring the best pizza I have ever tasted. It was almost time to bid farewell to this remarkable city. We headed to a beautiful lookout point where we could see all of Rome. It is so refreshing to look down upon such a grand city that has no high rises, just ancient buildings as it once was in its glory days. I love that even the new building are designed with an old feel to blend in, not that anything modern could ever take away from this imperial city. To think of all that the Roman Empire has given us, all that it took away and everything that remains with us still. Thank you Rome for giving us such dense history and buildings that I hope will remain for centuries more. I have included at the bottom of my blog more photos of Rome from another trip there at Christmas. I hope you enjoy and I hope you make it out to Rome one day, it truly is something special.

Overlooking the beautiful Rome

Photos from our Christmas trip to Rome

I hope you have enjoyed part 2 of my blog on the capital of the Roman Empire, Roma Italy, thank you for reading and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you, until next time, Ciao, Vegoutt Everybody!