Ceasar’s Palace, The Coliseum and my, what pillage has happened through the centuries!

We spent the early part of the day walking in the Ancient Centers of Rome. The active new area of Roma weaves around these old historical areas. Much of them look just like old, old brick (yes brick), cuz the travertine and marble on the façade had been removed, or broken down, to, get this, recycle and build the new buildings in the city… we’re talking… way, way, way back in the early, early centuries. St Peter’s Basilica contains stone, etc from the Coliseum… on and on like that!

I wish I remembered more from my history classes… I didn’t remember Nero killed himself at 32… Julius Caesar was never an emperor, but a dictator…. At least that’s want I gleaned from all we were learning! Thermal Baths built in 206AD… so huge, the road of today drives right through them. The aqueducts that got the water there… You who have been there know of what I talking about…. Me… I just am in awe!

This Caesar's Palace.... NO NOT VEGAS..... it was extremely large, and of course, stripped of all the gorgeous stone facades. 

What an experience... the sun coming up over the coliseum!

The building on the left.... the Senate..... was being built when Julius Caeser was murdered.... It was finished later.... This whole area was next to the river, and had to be excavated... This was in the 1800's (Ithink)... and the amount of dirt removed was up to the area where we were standing...

Close up of above

Our Tour Guide... John Luigi.... fun guy

On the left-ish side of pic, is a wood floor ... what we are looking at was actually under a floor covering.... the area we see was all below it... the gladitors, animals, etc were down there till they came up... they even had an elevator to bring them up!

Imagine the people using these stairs...

Looking at the Arch de Constantine (sp?) through one of the archways in the Coliseum..

One of the aquaducts carrying water to the city and the baths, etc